Karate

I signed up for Karate expecting a straightforward fitness class. What I found was a technical discipline that demands real skill development. The gedan-barai lower block I was shown in week one is still something I'm refining now, 11 months later. kata forms gave me a framework for understanding wh…

After 18 months of training Karate I entered my first competition. I lost. It was the best thing that's happened to my development in the sport. Competition exposes gaps in your game that rolling or drilling never will. My oi-zuki lunge punch fell apart under pressure. My understanding of zanshin a…

I got into Karate after watching Sandra Sanchez compete and thinking I wanted a piece of that. Reality check: what they make look effortless takes years of work. The oi-zuki lunge punch I admired on screen took me 18 months just to do passably. But somewhere in that process I stopped caring about l…

I've done gym, running clubs, and team sports. The Karate community is different. There's something about shared struggle around oi-zuki lunge punch and kumite sparring that creates a genuine bond. People at my gym remember everyone's name. Higher belts and better athletes make time for beginners. …

I'd been training Karate for two years when I picked up an injury that kept me out for four months. Coming back was harder mentally than physically. My shuto-uke knife-hand had regressed and kumite sparring I'd taken for granted needed rebuilding. the belt grading ceremony was what brought me back …