Notes from The Workshop
Essays, Insights & Reflections on the Art & Practice of Authentic Okinawan Karate & Kobujutsu
022 — Stop Shouting "Kiai": It Isn't Something You Say, It's Something You Do
Scroll YouTube and you’ll see it: karateka yelling “KIAI!” as if naming the act makes it real. This article explains what kiai actually is—the unification of breath, body, and will—how codified performance eclipsed Okinawan practice, and why a true kiai should arise naturally, not be recited.
020 — Kata & Counting: Its Architecture, Rhythm, and Meaning
Kata is not meant to be tallied step by step, yet too often it is reduced to numbers—ichi, ni, san—fracturing its rhythm and meaning. Counting has value as a teaching tool, but when it dominates, kata becomes a sequence of poses instead of living strategy in motion. True Karate emerges only when the count is set aside and kata is allowed to breathe.
019 — Winning Thoughts: Reflections On a Karate Tournament
Kata isn’t a string of poses—it’s movement with purpose. At a recent state tournament, I watched routines stretch past three minutes not from complexity, but from stillness. The staccato, frozen style betrayed kata’s intent: strategy in motion. When form eclipses function, both kata and sparring collapse into performance, not practice.
010 — Rethinking ‘Ura Kata’: A Rebuttal in Defense of Authentic Karate
Is kata in Karate a collection of mistakes—or a proven method of self-defense? A recent article argues that kata is not a record of effective technique, but a catalog of flaws to be exploited—a notion it calls “Ura Kata.” While the idea is provocative, it misunderstands the nature and purpose of Authentic Karate. This response defends kata as a living, dynamic curriculum—imperfect, yes, but profoundly practical and enduring. The problem isn’t with kata—it’s with how it’s been misunderstood and misapplied.
005 — The Circus Act of Kata: How Modern Karate Has Lost Its Soul
Kata was never meant for applause. Once a combative training method rich with strategy and intent, it’s now too often reduced to theatrical display. In this article, I explore how modern karate has lost touch with its soul—and what must be done to reclaim its purpose.
“No matter how you may excel in the art of Te, and in your scholastic endeavors, nothing is more important than your behavior and your humanity as observed in daily life.”
— Tei Junsoku (1663-1734)