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?
What’s Your Plan?
Originally Posted on August 18, 2016 by Karri In his book Meditations on Violence, Rory Miller states that the experienced martial artists who are most successful at surviving a sudden, surprise attack do so with a simple plan. In the fractions of a second, you don’t have time to remember a complex series of moves,… Continue reading What’s Your Plan?
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
I am not the story.
Posted on January 29, 2015 by Karri A few months ago I had the pleasure of training with Dan Harden. One of the things that I found most impressive was his attitude towards the material he was teaching. “I’m not the guy. Don’t make me the face for this stuff. I’m not making any if… Continue reading I am not the story.
Training in Japan.
Originally Posted on August 13, 2014 by Karri So there is this idea that somehow if you go to Japan, you will be bestowed with secret knowledge and somehow be transformed into a martial arts master of mythic proportions. The same I guess can be said about going to the Shaolin temple or Wudan mountain.… Continue reading Training in Japan.
Watch what it is you’re watching.
Posted on October 17, 2013 by Karri When I was serving in the Finnish Military, there was an entire lecture devoted to a rather peculiar topic for cadets in basic training—pornography. As you can imagine, an organization with a few thousand teenage boys in it might have to deal with it sooner or later. The… Continue reading Watch what it is you’re watching.
Something to prove.
Originally Posted on June 29, 2013 by Karri There is something especially difficult about turning down a challenge to prove yourself as a martial artist. Whether it’s because you want to put to bed any doubts about your skill, or someone is just talking crap about your system/dojo, the compulsion to go toe to toe… Continue reading Something to prove.