Originally Posted on January 17, 2017 by Karri It can be difficult to decide whether to take defensive action against someone violating your boundaries, like personal space, inappropriate intimate contact or teasing gone too far. This is especially true if the offender is a friend or family member. But when given a wide enough perspective,… Continue reading A Rationale For Fighting Back
Category: Jujutsu
What the hell is “internal power,” and why should I care?
Originally Posted on August 22, 2016 by Karri Okay. There is a lot of talk about qi (or chi), and building your reserve of this mystical life-bringing energy in your abdomen that you visualize as radiant amber light flowing through your fingers that you manifest along your meridians that will destroy your opponents with a… Continue reading What the hell is “internal power,” and why should I care?
The Spirit of Competition.
Originally Posted on November 11, 2015 by Karri For the longest time, I held the belief that competition in martial arts was unsafe, and ultimately counter to the guiding principles we engender. I believed that deliberately putting yourself in harms way, and looking for a fight was reckless and only served to fuel the ego.… Continue reading The Spirit of Competition.
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OK. So maybe we’re not all vying for entrance into Valhalla. Maybe we’re not striving to be immortalized in song, or in history. But that’s still no reason to lead a useless middle-of-the-road life. I was reminded by a friend yesterday how common it is to try to achieve just enough to get by. Neither… Continue reading Untitled
Finding a cure for dojo-itis.
Originally Posted on October 22, 2015 by Karri We’ve all seen the demonstration. An esteemed martial arts master calmly walks out onto the mat, and nods to the group of students waiting nearby, who then enthusiastically proceed to attack only to be effortlessly thwarted by the expert martial artist barely waving a hand in the… Continue reading Finding a cure for dojo-itis.
The Trouble With Being Big and Strong
Originally Posted on October 8, 2015 by Karri I have a student, who at the age of sixteen is already stronger than I am. He lifts daily, plays football, lacrosse and now trains in martial arts. To top it off, he is extraordinarily athletic. His reflexes, pain response and mobility are off the charts. In… Continue reading The Trouble With Being Big and Strong
A nod to tradition.
Originally Posted on February 22, 2012 by Karri There seems to be a lot of misconceptions about the purpose of rei, or bowing at the beginning and end of our martial arts practice. I’ve heard students confuse it with worship, prayer or showing subservience to the instructor. Depending on the cultural and historical background you… Continue reading A nod to tradition.
No one is coming to save you.
Originally Posted on November 10, 2011 by Karri It’s hard to believe, and even harder to accept. Contrary to what Hollywood would have us believe, the odds of a hero coming around the corner to take on the mugger/rapist/burglar/car-jacker/murderer it’s tragically unlikely. You can call the police, but odds are they won’t make it there… Continue reading No one is coming to save you.