Scientific research has shown that health requires three key ingredients: proper nutrition, appropriate exercise and sufficient sleep, according to this article on Nubella.

Whilst we all know about the importance of diet and exercise, scientists are concerned that we may not be paying enough attention to getting adequate sleep.

“When sleep is poor or inadequate, people feel tired or fatigued, their social and intimate relationships suffer, work productivity is negatively affected, and they make our roads more dangerous by driving while less alert,” said Richard Gelula, the sleep foundation’s CEO.

Great story related by my friend Cameron Reilly, CEO of The Podcast Network.

Cameron’s Brain: The Spider Monkey Trap.

The story I heard went something like this:

In order to catch spider monkeys, hunters in South America simply walk through the jungle and drop heavy containers on the ground. These containers have very a narrow top and a wider bottom. Inside the containers the hunters drop a special kind of nut which is particularly attractive to the monkeys. Sometime later, the spider monkeys come down from the tops of the trees, smell the nut, but the tops of the containers are so narrow they have a tight squeeze to get their hands inside. Once they grab the nut at the bottom, their fist is too large to remove if through the opening. And the containter is too heavy for them to carry.

So instead of letting go of the nut, the monkeys just sit there until the hunters come back, pick them up, and throw them in a bag.

The spider monkeys are not prepared to let go of a small nut in order to gain their freedom.

I don’t know if the story is true, but you get the analogy.

The Applied Karate Show Episode 003 - Sensei Kris Wilder
Applied Karate #003 (mp3 - 16MB - 47 min)

LISTEN HERE TO EPISODE 002 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

In Episode 003 of The Applied Karate Show, I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with Sensei Kris Wilder of West Seattle Karate. Apart from being an accomplished practitioner of Goju Karate, in which Kris holds the rank of 4th Dan, Kris is also a skilled practitioner of Judo (1st Dan) and Taekwondo (2nd Dan). He is also the host of the Martial Secrets podcast, author and a really personable guy.

As an author, Kris has written 2 books - the excellent The Way of Kata: A Comprehensive Guide for Deciphering Martial Applications (along with Lawrence Kane) and the inspiring Lessons from the Dojo Floor. I highly recommend both of these books.

Join us as Kris tells us about his background in karate, his experiences with various instructors in various systems in the US, Okinawa and Japan. I was personally fascinated by some of his stories of training with Sensei Hiroo Ito in Seattle, and Sensei Yamashiro in Okinawa.

Listen out for Kris’ great definition of a martial artist - I found this to be quite poignant.

Applied Karate #003 (mp3 - 16MB - 47 min)

LISTEN HERE TO EPISODE 002 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

Apart from The Applied Karate Show podcast, there are a number of other martial arts related podcasts available on the web. Most of them don’t appeal to me, but there are one or 2 others I like.

The best, to me, is the Martial Secrets Podcast, hosted by Sensei Kris Wilder of West Seattle Karate. Kris is also the co-author (with Lawrence Kane) of the excellent book The Way of Kata, which I believe is a must-read for all serious practitioners of arts with kata in them.

Martial Secrets is a podcast where we seek out some of the most interesting martial artists. We ask the questions and you get the benefit of their philosophy, training tips and experience.

Kris has had the ability to get a great range of guests for Martial Secrets, including Iain Abernethy, Loren Christensen (author of many great books) and others. He also interviewed Sensei Hiroo Ito, a direct student of Kaiso Kori Hisataka. I recommend people download those interviews, as well as an excellent one with Steve Barnes.

Apart from Martial Secrets, the only other one I listen to is Karate Cafe. Hosted by three practitioners of Kobayashi Shorin Ryu in the US, they have a weekly (mostly) show in which they talk about a number of topics pertinent to the karateka training after injuries, the value of free-sparring vs. drills, preparing for tests and so forth. I will say that I don’t always agree with some of the comments, but thats a healthy thing. These guys are provoking people to think about these topics, and giving their own perspectives.

Let me know if you find other good podcasts to listen to.

Applied Karate #002 (mp3 - 17MB - 49min)

LISTEN HERE TO EPISODE 002 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

Yesterday I had the chance to chat with Kyoshi Myron Lubitsch, founder and chief instructor of the Shorinjiryu Kenryukan school in New York city, and President of the International Shorinjiryu Shinzen Kyokai - an umbrella association of various schools of Shorinjiryu karate.

Kyoshi Myron discusses his early days of Shorinjiryu training in the late 60’s, experiences of karate in New York, and the current state and future of the Shorinjiryu style.

I believe that this interview will be of interest to anyone interested in gaining a little insight into the development of karate in North America, especially those interested in the Shorinjiryu style.

Disclosure: as a practitioner of Shorinjiryu under the Australian Shorinjiryu Karatedo Association, I am affiliated to the International Shorinjiryu Shinzen Kyokai, and consider Kyoshi Myron to be a mentor.

Applied Karate #002 (mp3 - 17MB - 49min)

LISTEN HERE TO EPISODE 002 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

Applied Karate #001 (mp3 - 17MB - 50min)

LISTEN HERE TO APPLIED KARATE

Welcome to the launch episode of the Applied Karate Show on The Podcast Network.

On this first episode, I give a brief introduction to the show, and to myself. In this show, I hope to talk to interesting and inspiring martial artists about their takes on the world of classical karate - including its history, philosophy, techniques, technologies, applications and personalities. I’d really appreciate any feedback, especially in terms of possible guests and/or topics. Leave a comment on this blog, or shoot an email to me at des@kengokai.com.

After the introduction, I launch the first interview - a discussion with Hanshi Patrick McCarthy. Hanshi McCarthy is a longtime karateka, originally from Canada. Having realised theres got to be a lot more to karate than the sporting based phenomenon that it has become, he travelled to Japan where he lived for many years (and where I first met him in the early ’90’s). With Japan as a base, Hanshi McCarthy conducted primary research into karate and various Japanese budo, visited many dojos and training centres in Japan, Okinawa, China and SE Asia and met with many masters of karate and other arts.

In the process, Hanshi McCarthy made a comparative analysis of the various fighting traditions, and has reconstructed an interpretation of karate that he feels is closer to that originally intended.

Now residing in Brisbane, Australia, Hanshi McCarthy is the pioneer of his own system of karate, Koryu Uchinadi as well as being the founder of the International Ryukyu Karatejutsu Research Society. A popular seminar presenter, Hanshi McCarthy has spent the last 10 years travelling the world and introducing people to his interpretations of karate kata and their application principles and his unique set of 2 person “flow drills”.

Hanshi McCarthy is truly a pioneer in understanding karate, and I believe we are lucky to have had him as our first guest.

Hanshi McCarthy’s website is at www.koryu-uchinadi.com.

Remember, I’d love your feedback, so please leave a comment below, or shoot an email to me at des@kengokai.com.

Applied Karate #001 (mp3 - 17MB - 50min)

LISTEN HERE TO APPLIED KARATE

Welcome to the Applied Karate Show on The Podcast Network.

The Applied Karate Show will be a regular show all about classical karate. As the name suggests, the focus will be on the applied aspects of karate - the techniques, technologies, history, philosophies and applications. Whilst respect the sporting aspect is important to many karateka, we want to focus our attention here on these other aspects that don’t always get the limelight.

For those that are new to podcasting, it is an exciting application of technology that brings great audio content about a wealth of topics to you over the internet - in the form of an mp3 file. You can play it at a time and place that suits you, on your iPod or other mp3 player, or on your PC or Mac. You can even burn it to a CD and listen to it on your stereo…

For more information on podcasting, read TPN’s FAQ.

Using the RSS Web feeds, you can subscribe to our show in iTunes, Doppler, FeedDemon, or another Feed Reader. This way. new shows will just pop up when we release them. Alternatively, you’re always welcome to swing by this site, and listen to the latest show.

The host of the Applied Karate is me, Des Paroz. I’ve been studying Shorinjiryu karate since 1983. I currently hold the grade of yondan (4th Dan), and run a small dojo in Sydney, Australia.

I hope you enjoy our shows, and invite feedback to des@kengokai.com. Or leave a comment on this site.