Well folks, my intentions about getting a monthly podcast out were pure. Following on from the September episode with Chris Denwood Sensei, I recorded the October episode in plenty of time, only to have a bunch of gremlins strike. They seem to be resolved now, so hopefully we’re back on track.

Our guest for Episode 15 of The Applied Karate Show is Joe Berne, Sempai, a Seido practioner and blogger behind the Karate Conditioning blog.

Joe began training in Seido Karate in 1988 at the Karate Club of his college, the State University of New York at Buffalo.  The class was taught by Shuseki Shihan Christopher Caile (who went on to create Fightingarts.com, a well known website with content about a variety of martial arts).  He trained there, and at the style’s New York City Honbu dojo, through 1994, at which time he earned his shodan in Seido Karate.  A variety of injuries and life issues kept him away from training, but he returned in 2006.  Then living in Maryland, he began training under Jun Shihan Kate Stewart, and has remained there since then.  He recently earned his sandan at the 2011 Gasshuku in upstate New York.

Joe began studying strength and conditioning informally in high school in a vain attempt to qualify for the (American) football team.   He resumed his studies with a vengeance after taking up karate again in 2006 as he tried to use science to make up for the damage done by over a decade of a sedentary and hypercaloric lifestyle.  He has made a part time job out of reading and viewing everything available in the field of strength and conditioning that can relate in any way to martial arts performance.

The wide ranging discussions with Joe covered such topics as

• Joe’s introduction to, and background in, karate
• Strength tools (including the wonderful kettlebell)
• Training for martial arts skills
• Stretching for karate
• Training for injury avoidance
• Nutrition tips and the Paleo diet

This was a fascinating interview with a karateka who has clearly invested a lot of time and thought into his training and the strength and conditioning program required to support it. I heartily recommend you visit and subscribe to Joe’s blog Karate Conditioning.

Applied Karate #015 (mp3 – 40MB – 84 mins) DOWNLOAD EPISODE 014 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

Kicking off our new monthly schedule of podcasts in The Applied Karate Show podcast series is episode 14, featuring Chris Denwood sensei of the Eikoku Satori Karate-do Kyokai (E.S.K.K®).

Chris has been practicing martial arts since childhood, having started under the watchful eye of instructors like Doug James sensei of the British Karate-Do Chojinkai and Iain Abernethy sensei (guest on Episode 9 of The Applied Karate Show podcast), and currently holds the rank of 4th Dan with the English Karate Federation. He is Founder and Chief Instructor of the E.S.K.K® and a senior instructor with the British Karate-Do Chojinkai, one of the most respected and successful associations in the UK. He is also a nationally qualified fitness coach and advanced level kettlebell lifting instructor.

A columnist and key writer for Combat, Traditional Karate and Jissen magazines, as well as a regular contributor to a number of other martial arts/fitness periodicals and online publications, Chris has written over sixty pieces on subjects including the technical and pragmatic aspects of traditional karate, functional fitness, kettlebell lifting and general motivation/positive thinking.

Chris is also author of the internationally acclaimed two-disc kata bunkai DVD Acorns to Oak Trees and has recently published his first book entitled Respecting the Old Creating the New, which is an accumulation of around five years work, combining a selection of his articles on traditional karate for self-protection and personal growth.

Chris currently lives on the edge of the western Lake District in Cumbria, England, where he regularly trains with and teaches to a dedicated membership of karate practitioners and fitness enthusiasts. He is also active on the seminar circuit, where his courses and workshops have gained excellent reviews from martial artists nationwide.

I trust you enjoy this interview with Chris Denwood sensei, a karateka who struck me as being very sincere, thoughtful and dedicated to the pursuit of classical karate. Chris discusses his approach to karate and strength and conditioning training, his background, his 2010 trip to Okinawa and much more. You can get in touch with Chris sensei through the web links above.

We love feedback. Email can be sent to podcast@appliedkarate.com. For up-to-date info on the Applied Karate Show, follow us on Twitter – we’re @appliedkarate. Of course, you can leave a comment below, or join us for the ongoing conversation on The Applied Karate Show Facebook page at Facebook.com/appliedkarate.

I’d appreciate it if you could rate us and leave a comment in iTunes through the music store.

I am now in the process of putting together the next episode of The Applied Karate Show podcast. The interview is recorded, and the show will be out shortly.

When, you ask? Well thats the reason for this post.

I’ve been thinking a bit about the show. I really enjoy doing it, and have come to the conclusion that if its going to happen, I need to set a schedule and stick to it.

So, going forward, the plan is to release one podcast interview per month, with the episode going live on the 15th day of the month.

This is a schedule that should be “do-able”, and will help in preventing the old issue of “life getting in the way”. I am currently drawing up a schedule of interviews for the coming months, and this will help me to lock in.

I trust you’ll enjoy the podcast when its back “on the pod”, and as always, I would appreciate any input or suggestions you might have.

Iain Abernethy’s Podcast

Ian is a UK based “pragmatic traditionalist” karateka who puts out a monthly podcast where he discusses his views and insights into all aspects of karate related to real world applications. A true skeptic when it comes to many of the kata application claims made by some traditionalists, Iain has a way of not backing down when it comes to firmly but politely making his point. Iain was interviewed in episode 9 of the Applied Karate Show.

Martial Secrets

A very regular podcast being put out by Seattle based Goju karateka Kris Wilder and Lawrence Kane, Martial Secrets is generally a two person discussion between the hosts on a variety of martial arts related topics. Occasionally the show focuses on interviews by one of the hosts with a variety of people who are knowledgeable in the arts, or have insights into human nature, psychology or violence as it relates to them. Kris was interviewed in Episode 3 of the Applied Karate Show.

Karate Cafe

Karate Cafe is probably the grand-daddy of karate podcasts, and has gone through several iterations of hosts and formats. Its quite regular at the moment, and I enjoy listening to Paul and Dan discussing a variety of topics.

The DenshoW

Hosted by professional broadcaster and martial artist, Chris Kaye, The DenshoW is a semi-regular show the provides a news roundup of various topics of interest to martial artists, along with short interviews.

I hope you enjoy these, and look forward to bringing you more episodes of The Applied Karate Show soon.

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 013 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

After a long hiatus, the Applied Karate Show podcast is back with what I like to refer to as Season 2! Going forward, its my plan to release one episode each month, hopefully on the 15th or so of the month.

This special guest for the launch of season 2 is Pat Nakata Sensei, a longtime practitioner of Chibana Shorinryu Karate hailing from Honolulu, Hawaii. Nakata Sensei has been practicing martial arts for over 60 years, with more than 50 years of karate practice. His teachers include some well known names, including Ohtsuka Hironori Sensei (Wadoryu founder) and Walter Nishioka Sensei. Perhaps his main teacher however was Shorinryu pioneer Chibana Choshin Sensei, under whom Nakata Sensei trained for a year, whilst living on Okinawa.

In this interview, Nakata Sensei speaks about his genesis in budo, starting with Judo at the tender age of 5, and moving into karate from age 14. He discusses visiting Japan and Okinawa with Nishioka Sensei, and his experiences in staying on in Okinawa, training under the watchful eye of Chibana Sensei. He discusses the differences between one-on-one and group training in Chibana Sensei’s dojo, and how Chibana Sensei imparted kata meaning and philosophical aspects.

He also talks about kobudo training with Nagaishi Fumio Sensei and Kyan Shinyei Sensei, and the changes in karate over the past 50 years.

Nakata Sensei also discusses training at his own dojo, and why he has done away with any form of ranking, and also the karate gi jacket.

For more information about Pat Nakata Sensei, please visit the website of his student John Oberle at Bujutsu Blogger.

We love feedback. Email can be sent to podcast@appliedkarate.com. For up-to-date info on the Applied Karate Show, follow us on Twitter – we’re @appliedkarate. Of course, you can leave a comment below, or alternatively, post over on The Applied Karate Forum.

I’d appreciate it if you could rate us in iTunes through the music store.

Applied Karate #013 (mp3 – 31MB – 30 mins)

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 013 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

Please leave comments below if you’d like to suggest possible interview candidates.

In the meantime, I’ve rebuilt the show site here so that all the old episodes are back online for your enjoyment.

Together with Lawrence Kane, Kris has released a fascinating book called The Way to Black Belt, a fascinating exploration of what it takes to become a black belt, looking at all aspects of mind, body and spirit.  The book covers a huge variety of facets of martial training to reach the level of black belt, including dojo training and all the extra curricular development activities.

In their exploration, Messrs Kane and Wilder have shown that karate, pursued fully, is a total exploration of mind, body and spirit, and that attitude and mindset are the vital foundations for true achievement.

I highly recommend the book, and not just because they authors were kind enough to give a mention and link to The Applied Karate Show podcast.

Buy The Way to Black Belt at Amazon.com.

This epsiode discusses The Meaning of “Pinan”.  The name of a very popular series of beginner to intermediate kata, created by Anko Itosu, Pinan (pronounced Heian in Japanese) is generally literally translated as “Peaceful Mind”.

Clearly Iain is not a believer in this translation, and for good reason.  Firstly, its quite clear that the word “Mind” is not represented by either of the kanji in Pinan.  The first kanji – Pin or Hei (?) – means peace, while the second – An (?) – can mean easy, cheap or tranquil.  So a more correct translation might be “Peace and Tranquility”.  This would be a very good explanation in finding a Japanese translation of the word Pinan.

Cleverly, Iain has realised the obvious that most of us haven’t necessarily considered – that Okinawans at the time of Itosu’s creation of the Pinan kata (late 19th or early 20th century) didn’t necessarily look to Japanese literature in naming things.  Instead, they looked west to China, an empire who had a massive influence on the tiny kingdom of Okinawa for centuries.  So Iain has looked for a more Chinese translation.

I won’t spoil the ending here, so please listen to Iain’s podcast on The Meaning of Pinan.  Its somewhat controversial, but a very thought provoking discussion.

I don’t think it really matters if Iain is right or wrong on this one.  What matters most is that he has taken the time to build a hypothesis, and has found logic to support it.  This type of thinking is important in the martial arts, as it gives us a chance to try to “get inside the minds” of the originators of our discipline, and thus gain a greater understanding of our art.

High fructose corn syrup is also terrible for you, and not even the most conservative of nutrition experts disagrees with that. While there are a few slightly more terrible liquids out there – liter fluid, for example – it’s really a shame that the “foods” available to us are so commonly laced with HFCS. And it’s even worse that they’re often promoted as being suitable for a healthy lifestyle or weight loss! They may look very cute, but beneath the fiber sprinkles and happy labeling lurks the heart of darkness. Really.

HFCS is a really bad additive to foods, and along with trans-fats is one of the two ingredients we should look for and absolutely avoid on food labels.  The stuff has a major correlation to obesity rates and those of metabolic syndrome.

The fact that HFCS is present in junk food is pretty much a given.  But its presence in so called healthier foods is a major cause for concern.

Read the article on Mark’s Daily Apple to find out 8 foods that should know better….

Originally posted on The Essential Karate Blog & Newsletter.

[audio:http://karate.thepodcastnetwork.com/audio/tpn_appliedkarate_20070807_012.mp3]

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 012 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

In this episode of The Applied Karate Show we start the show with a bit of a round up some news in the world of karate, including

• The deafening silences of The Applied Karate Show (I promise to be more regular)
• Shorinjiryu Karate Australia becoming a part of the Shorinjiryu Kenyukai Watanabe Ha World Federation
• The new series on the History Channel – The Human Weapon

I also discuss the introduction of my new regular karate and related arts newsletter and blog, The Essential Karate News. Sign up now for regular information on karate, kobudo, kettlebells and related aspects. Its free, and I will do my best to make it informative.

In the main feature of Episode 12 our guest is Mario McKenna Sensei.

A karate and kobudo instructor now resident in Vancouver, Canada, Mario is the only western exponent of the little known branch of Naha-te known as Tou’on-ryu Karate, founded by Juhatsu Kyoda, the senior most student of Naha-te under Kanryo Higashionna, and a fellow student of the famous Chojun Miyagi of Goju-ryu. Having lived in Japan for many years, Mario sensei is a well versed practitioner of Gojuryu and Tou’on-ryu karate and Ryukyu Kobudo. A psychologist by training (with a Masters degree in Sports Psychology), Mario clearly works to balance both the academic and physical aspects of our art, in the tradition of Bun Bu Ryo Do. Please join in as we discuss

• Starting out in Gohakukai Karate in Canada
• Moving to Amami Ohshima in Japan’s south, and taking up Ryukyu Kobudo under a direct student of Shinken Taira
• Moving to Kyushu, where he continued his studies of Ryukyu Kobudo (under Katsumi Murakami sensei, a direct student of Motokatsu Inoue), and taking up Tou’on Ryu Karate
• The differences between Tou’on-ryu and Goju-ryu
• The value of weapons practice for karateka (something that Mario sensei says shouldn’t be considered in the first 2 years of training – listen why to find out)
• The concept of Bun Bu Ryo Do

Be sure to visit Mario’s website, and also subscribe to his informative blog.

We love feedback. You can leave an audio message by clicking on the icon above. If you’re in Australia, you could also leave a message on our feedback line at (02) 90189302 (+61-2-90189302 for international callers). I would love to include appropriate audio messages in future shows! Email can be sent to podcast@appliedkarate.com. Of course, you can leave a comment below, or alternatively, post over on The Applied Karate Forum.

I’d appreciate it if you could pop over to PocastAlley.com and vote for us, or comment and rate us in iTunes through the music store.

Applied Karate #012 (mp3 – 19MB – 55 mins)

LISTEN HERE TO EPISODE 012 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

[audio:http://karate.thepodcastnetwork.com/audio/tpn_appliedkarate_20070228_011.mp3]

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 011 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

This episode of The Applied Karate Show sees the introduction of a slight revision to the format of our show. Rather than simply jumping straight into the interview portion, I am going to incorporate a brief (generally no more than 5 minutes) “editorial” to the front of the show. After a break, we’ll cut over to the interview, which will remain the basis of each episode.

This week’s editorial provides a brief summary of these changes, and a recommendation to listen to the new episode of The Health and Fitness Show (also on The Podcast Network), which features an interview with Australia’s leading kettlebell instructor, Don Stevenson, and is a good followup to our last episode with Pavel Tsatsouline.

In this episode’s interview, I talk with longtime Shorin Ryu practitioner, Shihan John Hamilton of the Sho-Ha Shorin Ryu school. Hamilton Sensei holds a kudan ranking in Shorin Ryu karate, and also a Shihan ranking in Tenshinryu Kenjutsu. Hamilton Sensei began his studies over 40 years ago, under the tutelage of Sensei Glenn Premru. He has college degrees in engineering and anthropology/sociology, and now teaches Sho-Ha Shorin Ryu Karate and Nito Tenshin Ryu Kenjutsu fulltime, at his dojo in Pittsburgh, which he established over 30 years ago.

Hamilton Sensei provides a deep look at a variety of aspects of his training, including

• Karate training under Glenn Premru Sensei
• Kenjutsu training under Frederick Lovret, Sensei
• The key principles of the Sho-Ha Shorin Ryu school
• Applying an engineer’s analysis of karate mechanics, and an insight into some interesting discoveries he has made in that area
• Developing strength not through muscular contraction, but expansion
• The importance of maintaining a healthy body
• The quest to maintain a traditional dojo

Again, another fascinating discussion that I hope our listeners will enjoy.

Hamilton Sensei can be contacted through his website at www.shorinnotoradojo.com, where you’ll find address and phone number information.

A special thanks to Mark Tankosich, Sensei (guest in Episode 5 of The Applied Karate Show) who kindly arranged this interview, patiently acting as a middleman to set things up. A special feat considering he is in Hiroshima, Japan, Hamilton Sensei is in Pittsburgh and I am in Sydney, Australia.

We love feedback. You can leave an audio message by clicking on the icon above. If you’re in Australia, you could also leave a message on our feedback line at (02) 90189302 (+61-2-90189302 for international callers). I would love to include appropriate audio messages in future shows!

Email can be sent to podcast@appliedkarate.com.

Of course, you can leave a comment below, or alternatively, post over on The Applied Karate Forum.

I’d appreciate it if you could pop over to PocastAlley.com and vote for us, or comment and rate us in iTunes through the music store.

Applied Karate #011 (mp3 – 17MB – 51 mins)

LISTEN HERE TO EPISODE 011 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

My Odeo Channel (odeo/02a746f305adc4e2)

Applied Karate
Blurb: I’ve never needed to “apply” karate to anyone, but I’m sure that once I’ve listened to this, I’ll be armed. Des (our host) guides us through the complex and tongue-twisting world of Karate in its various forms, and in doing so, you get to meet some very interesting people along the way. This podcast covers Karate’s personalities, philosophies, techniques, technologies and history…
Episodes: 5
Web: http://karate.thepodcastnetwork.com/
Subscribe: http://karate.thepodcastnetwork.com/feed/
Jo’s Rating: Des is a very amiable host, and a man who knows his Eastern Martial Arts! Good interview talent as well. I particularly love the understated way that these men with lethal skills talk about themselves!

Podcast reviews – 11/5/06 :: ABC Brisbane.

From the Health & Fitness Show’s blog posting

Podcast with Don Stevenson on Stevenson. RKC, Olympic weightlifting coach, strongman enthusiast and proprietor of CrossFit Sydney and Octogen Fitness. www.octogen.com.au
about Kettlebells.

What is a kettlebell?

Kettlebells can be used for ultimate strength and cardio training for ultimate fat burning.

Kettlebell Core exercises – The Turkish Getup.

Time efficient training with Kettlebells – including flexibility training and core strengthening exercises.

What is an Olympic Strongman?

Corporate Weekend Warrior engaged in Olympic Training, can develop explosive strength with Kettlebell Training.

RKC – Russian Kettlebell Challenge with Pavel Tsatsouline – the experience.

Kettlebells are manufactured in various places around the world.

Make your own home gym.

Monthly Kettlebell Fitness DVD
http://www.octogen.com.au/dvdmagazine.htm

I recently undertook a kettlebell instructors course with Don, and can attest that he is an excellent instructor and proponent of kettlebell and other strength and conditioning activities.

TPN::The Health & Fitness Show.

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 010 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

For this episode of The Applied Karate Show, I am pleased to interview a person who is not known as a karateka. Instead, our guest in Episode 10 is a world reknowned expert in stretching, strength and conditioning, and has spear headed the introduction to the west of an ancient tool called the kettlebell.

Pavel Tsatsouline, Master of Sports, is a former physical training instructor for the Soviet Special Forces, currently a subject matter expert to the U.S. Marine Corps, the National Nuclear Security Administration/U.S. Department of Energy, and the US Secret Service. Once a nationally ranked kettlebell lifter in the USSR, today Pavel leads the Russian kettlebell invasion of the US. Power by Pavel, Inc. spreads kettlebell propaganda through print and Tactical Strength, Inc. “explains it manually” in workshops.

Pavel has spent his life immersed in the study and practice of practical strength and muscle training, as it applies in the very hard testing ground of US and Russian special ops, the US Marines, SWAT, professional athletes, martial artists, gymnasts, powerlifters, weightlifters, Olympic champions and numerous others for whom results are everything and failure is simply not an option.

I first became interested in kettlebells because of their reported success in building functional strength and power, without necessarily building bulk. I saw that they had a similarity in design and function to several traditional hojo undo implements used in some forms of karate. I have now being using kettlebells for about 9 months, and have personally achieved some impressive gains in functional strength and conditioning. After having done a couple of kettlebell courses with one of Pavel’s Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) instructors, Sydney-based Don Stevenson, I have become even more convinced of this tools applicability to the martial artist.

So I was very pleased when Pavel accepted my invitation to be a guest on the show. Please listen in as we discuss:

• Background and history of the kettlebell
• An interesting aside that Bruce Lee was an advocate of the kettlebell exercise called the swing
• Why a karateka should consider incorporating kettlebell training into their own regime
• Pavel’s contention that strength is a skill, and that the kettlebell swing is perfect for building relaxed tension akin to a karate technique
• Key kettlebell drills, including the swing and the Turkish getup (TGU)
• How a karateka can go about introducing kettlebell practice
• Pavel’s background in martial arts, including his study of a style called Applied Karate (!!) in the Russian military
• Breathing techniques to increase power generation, and a reference to work by Dr Stuart McGill’s work into breathing, back fitness and power.
• The Grease the Groove concept, and how it can be used to develop your technique
• The RKC system
• Pavel’s recommended books/DVDs for the karateka – particularly The Naked Warrior (about developing power through bodyweight exercises) and Enter the Kettlebell (which focuses on getting started in kettlebell training).

I highly recommend Pavel’s work, and suggest all karateka get these two books, and consider whether some of his concepts or even programs may be adapted into your own training. Kettlebells are rarely found in retail stores. In the US, you can order kettlebells through Dragon Door, and in Australia through Australian Kettlebells.

We love feedback. You can leave an audio message by clicking on the icon above. If you’re in Australia, you could also leave a message on our feedback line at (02) 90189302 (+61-2-90189302 for international callers). I would love to include appropriate audio messages in future shows!

Email can be sent to podcast@appliedkarate.com.

Of course, you can leave a comment below, or alternatively, post over on The Applied Karate Forum.

I’d appreciate it if you could pop over to PocastAlley.com and vote for us, or comment and rate us in iTunes through the music store.

Applied Karate #010 (mp3 – 11MB – 31 mins)

LISTEN HERE TO EPISODE 010 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

So I was shocked to read the following over on Diet Blog:

This has all changed – and I was shocked to read that Okinawa Island now has the highest rate of obesity in Japan (almost double that of the rest of Japan). Diabetes affects 8.2% of Okinawans compared to 5.7% nationally

Having visited Okinawa in 2005, I was surprised at the number of fast food outlets around.  I’ve read that this is as a result of the US Military influence – with at one time over 100,000 US military personnel on Okinawa, it is natural that they would want to have the taste of convenient fast food that they’ve become accustomed to.

But it seems that now the locals are big customers of the fast food chains, and its affecting the health of the people.

If you haven’t seen Supersize Me, or read the book Don’t Eat This Book (both by Morgan Spurlock), I encourage you to do so.  Both will give you a fascinating insight into the “Big Food” industry, and how this industry may be affecting our health as much as Big Tobacco has.

How the Okinawans Got Fat.

[audio:http://karate.thepodcastnetwork.com/audio/tpn_appliedkarate_20070120_009.mp3]

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 009 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

Sensei Iain Abernethy has been involved in the martial arts since childhood. Iain holds the rank of 5th Dan with both the British Combat Association (one of the world’s leading groups for close-quarter combat, self-protection and practical martial arts) and Karate England (the official governing body for Karate in England). Iain regularly writes for the UK’s leading martial arts magazines and he is a member of the “Combat Hall of Fame”.

One of the UK’s leading exponents of applied karate, Iain has written a number of critically acclaimed books on the practical application of traditional martial arts and is well known for his work on the pragmatic use of the techniques and concepts recorded in the traditional kata. Iain’s seminars, books, DVDs and articles have proved to be very popular with those groups and individuals who wish to practise their arts as the pragmatic systems they were originally intended to be.

This was a wide ranging and fascinating conversation that covered topics such as:

• Iain’s early days of training in Wadoryu karate, under the guidance of Sensei Doug James, 7th Dan
• Exploration and importance of the study of kata bunkai in understanding the pragmatic nature of karate
• Kata being a practice that allows you to emotionally commit fully
• How to approach a study of kata bunkai
• Kata based sparring as an approach to gaining an understanding the pragmatic nature of kata
• How Iain came to write a book, and ultimately become a fulltime write and martial artist
• The three martial artist that Iain finds most inspiring – Doug James, Geoff Thompson and Peter Consterdine – and what it is Iain admires in them
• Weight lifting and structuring a program for a martial artist
• Iain’s latest book: Mental Strength
• What Iain is working on now

We love feedback. You can leave an audio message by clicking on the icon above. If you’re in Australia, you could also leave a message on our feedback line at (02) 90189302 (+61-2-90189302 for international callers). I would love to include appropriate audio messages in future shows! Email can be sent to des@appliedkarate.com.

Of course, you can leave a comment below, or alternatively, post over on The Applied Karate Forum.

I’d appreciate it if you could pop over to PocastAlley.com and vote for us, or comment and rate us in iTunes through the music store.

Applied Karate #009 (mp3 – 25MB – 72 mins)

LISTEN HERE TO EPISODE 009 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

Let me know if there’s anything you want to see in the show this year – interview subjects, topics, etc.

Hope 2007 is a great year for you

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 008 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

Shihan Dan Hayes is the chief instructor of the Island Budokan dojo and the Regional President of the Shorinjiryu Kenyukai Watanabe-Ha Karate Federation, as well as the Vice President of the International Shorinjiryu Shinzen Kyokai. Shihan Hayes holds a 6th Dan grading from the Shorinjiryu Kenyukai Watanabe-Ha Federation, and a 7th Dan from the Shorinjiryu Shinzen Kyokai. Shihan Hayes also holds instructor qualifications in Kendo and Yagyu Shinkage Ryu Heiho.
Having commenced a study of Shorinjiryu Karate in 1973, Hayes Sensei has been fortunate to train with many of the first generation Japanese instructors who setup in the NE of the US in the 60′s and 70′s. His first teacher was Shihan Minoru Morita, and his long time mentor continues to be Kaicho Shunji Watanabe. He has also trained with Shihan Hisanobu Yamazaki, Hanshi Masayuki Hisataka, Sensei Fujio Monjiyama and Sensei Shigeru Ishino.

In this discussion, Hayes Sensei talks about his early experiences and recollections with these gentlemen and others, and elaborates on the similarities and differences between them. In addition we discuss:

• The role of yakusoku kumite in Shorinjiryu karate
• The use of bogu style protective equipment in training and competition
• The practice of buki-ho (weapons), both within Shorinjiryu and also within his pursuits of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu and Kendo
• The role of kata – what Hayes Sensei refers to as the “brain” of karate, while kumite is the heart.
• Changes in Shorinjiryu Karate over the years

This was another fascinating discussion for me. I hope our listeners don’t mind there being 2 interviews in a row from the practitioners of the style I practice, but the opportunity was there, and I found both to be very different, yet both inspiring and educative in their own way. I sincerely appreciate Hayes Shihan’s time and his having shared so much.

We love feedback. You can leave an audio message by clicking on the icon above. If you’re in Australia, you could also leave a message on my feedback line at (02) 90189302 (+61-2-90189302 for international callers). I would love to include appropriate audio messages in future shows! Email can be sent to des@appliedkarate.com.

Of course, you can leave a comment below, or alternatively, post over on The Applied Karate Forum.

I’d appreciate it if you could pop over to PocastAlley.com and vote for us, or comment and rate us in iTunes through the music store.

Applied Karate #007 (mp3 – 20MB – 57 mins)

LISTEN HERE TO EPISODE 008 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 007 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

Shihan Jeffrey Henderson is the founder and Chief Technical Director of the International Budo Institute, as well as being head of his own school, Bubishido. Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Shihan Henderson now makes his home in Vancouver. Shihan Henderson holds a 6th Dan in Bubishido, and is a member of the International Shorinjiryu Shinzen Kyokai.
Having studied Shorinjiryu Karate since 1982, Shihan Henderson is passionate about gaining a balance of the technical understanding, academic learning and spiritual development that is the hallmark of a budoka.

Listen in as we discuss

• Shihan Henderson’s beginnings in budo
• Early experiences with his teacher, Shihan Wayne Donivan of the Shorinjiryu Kentokukan school
• The role of the student
• The role of the teacher – recognising that everyone is an individual, and that individuals are different.
• The role of spirituality in karate
• The challenge of making a pilgrimage – Shihan Henderson participated in the Camino de Santiago carrying a bo.
• Motivations for training – doing it to please your Sensei, parents or peers is generally the wrong reason. You should train for yourself.

We love feedback. You can leave an audio message by clicking on the icon above. If you’re in Australia, you could also leave a message on my feedback line at (02) 90189302 (+61-2-90189302 for international callers). I would love to include appropriate audio messages in future shows! Email can be sent to des@appliedkarate.com.

Of course, you can leave a comment below, or alternatively, post over on The Applied Karate Forum.

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Applied Karate #007 (mp3 – 21MB – 60 mins)

LISTEN HERE TO EPISODE 007 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW