One of my earliest blog pieces was built on a response to a Facebook post about the first line of the Kyokushin Dojo Kun. Expanding on that idea, lets move on to the second line. “We will pursue the true meaning of the Martial Way, so that in time our senses may be alert.” The Dojo Kun I’ve noticed that as I grow older, and continue to study,…
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One of my earliest blog pieces was built on a response to a Facebook post about the first line of the Kyokushin Dojo Kun. Expanding on that idea, lets move…
As many of you who are reading know, I’m quite active on social media. One subject that seems to come up repeatedly in Kyokushin discussions is the use of gloves…
Many people assume competition is all about winning. Of course we do our best to win, but that is not the real reason we are there. Competition is about learning…
“The Martial Arts Begins With a Point and Ends in a Circle” – Mas Oyama One of Sosai’s eleven mottos states: “The Martial Arts begins with a point and…
Budo Begins Where Sport Ends My sensei used to say, “Any time a martial art is turned into a sport, you weaken it.” I first heard those words more than…
If you spend any time in a Kyokushin dojo, you’ll hear the word Osu constantly. We say it when we bow, when we acknowledge instruction, when we greet each other,…
“Kyokushin doesn’t punch to the face.” What? Really? I’ve heard or read this about Kyokushin many times over the years and I always shake my head. That was not the…
I competed in my first karate tournament in 1981. I was a white belt in the beginner’s division, and I drew a yellow belt for my very first fight. Only…
Kyokushin competition lessons from the 33rd American International Karate Championships. At the judges’ meeting before the tournament, Shihan Jerry Poe said something that stuck with me: “I like to say,…
Mas Oyama said, “The only secret is sweat.” It’s a simple statement, but one I feel goes right to the heart of what Kyokushin is about. It’s a quote my…
Lessons From My Sensei Martial Art vs Sport “Any time you turn a martial art into a sport, you weaken it.” My sensei said that often, and after forty-five years,…
Rank in Kyokushin marks progress, but the true essence lies in the knowledge and character forged through training. Bill Stewart reflects on his journey from white to black belt, showing…
“A black belt is a white belt who never gave up.” Most martial artists have probably seen that phrase somewhere — likely as part of a meme shared on social…
A video posted in Kyokushinkai Karate, one of my groups on Facebook, recently generated a bit of controversy. According to the OP, the video was a fight from an IFK…
“I have not permitted myself to be ignorant of any martial art that exists. Why? Such ignorance is a disgrace to someone who follows the path of the martial arts.”-…
Today, Kyokushin is widely recognized as a striking-based karate style centered around knockdown competition and hard conditioning. But early Kyokushin — and Mas Oyama’s own approach to fighting — included…
“ “Karate is not a game. It is not a sport. It is not even a system of self-defense. Karate is half physical exercise and half spiritual. The karateist who…
“I have not permitted myself to be ignorant of any martial art that exists. Why? Such ignorance is a disgrace to someone who follows the path of the martial arts.”-…
