Kaizen Gojukan (IKGA)

One minute in kumite teaches more than one hour of theory.

Theory lets you talk about styles, history, instructor lineage, conditioning level, skill level, distance...etc..on and on.

Kumite SHOWS YOU the exact inch where you are safe, and the exact inch where you get hit.

Theory lets you discuss timing.

Kumite makes you FEEL what happens when you hesitate for half a second.

Theory lets you explain away openings....

Kumite exposes it the moment pressure or deception causes a brief mistake in judgment.

A hard round strips away the version of yourself you imagined. The clever plans disappear. The pretty combinations vanish. Your stance, guard, eyes, breath, and spirit are left standing in plain view.

That is the value of kumite.

It tells the truth quickly.

You learn whether your technique survives contact. You learn whether you can stay calm while tired. You learn whether your ego can take a clean shot and keep moving.

Some lessons only arrive through pressure.

A good sparring partner gives you something no lecture can give: honest resistance.

That resistance sharpens you.

Not in theory.

In your ribs.
In your legs.
In your lungs.
In your attitude the next time you bow in.

What did your hardest sparring round teach you?

Osu.
https://www.texaskyokushin.com

Just received in the mail, the new and updated Version of the JKF Gojukai’s “Kata Bible”

For the IKGA members among us, please note, this is NOT the book for you, unless you are a collector or just simply interested. There are substantial differences between IKGA and JKF Gojukai versions.

To ensure you get the right books, please consider the two volume JKGA Kata books (Companion to the 4DVD set) links below:

Vol 1 - https://www.karate-dvd.com/product/japan-karatedo-gojukai-association-goju-ryu-kata-series-vol-1-2/

Vol 2 - https://www.karate-dvd.com/product/japan-karatedo-gojukai-association-goju-ryu-kata-series-vol-2-2/

Commemorating the birth of Chōjun Miyagi kensei on his birthday

QOW316 - "The first thing we do in this world is to breathe and even today, 90% of people do not know how to breathe correctly. If your breathing is wrong, your body will be wrong and your mind will be wrong also." — Hirozaku Kanazawa, Meijin

In Goju-ryu, this isn’t theory, it’s practice. Breathing teaches you how to control tension, timing, and focus. If your breath is off, everything else starts to break down. Your stance weakens. Your strikes lose structure. Your mind starts to rush.

Think about Sanchin kata. You can’t fake it. If your breathing is shallow or out of sync, your body tightens in the wrong places. You lose balance. You fatigue faster. When you correct the breath, deep, controlled, connected to movement, you feel the difference immediately. Your posture stabilizes. Your movements become more deliberate.

Try this in your next session. During kihon or kata, pay attention to your breathing first, not your speed or power. Are you holding your breath during transitions? Are you exhaling with purpose on impact? Spend five minutes just syncing breath with movement.

Have you noticed how your performance changes when you’re nervous or tired? Your breathing shortens. Your timing slips. What would happen if you trained your breath the same way you train your techniques?

In Goju-ryu, breath is not separate from technique, it is the technique. When you learn to control it, your body follows, and your mind settles.

#空手道 #剛柔会

New patches arrived, and honestly, I like them better than the previous batch of older logos

Karate Invoice - Apr.

Should be in your inbox - Please reach out with any queries on the sent-out invoices. Feel free to chat with me regarding ANY and ALL concerns you may have; happy to work something out

#空手道 #剛柔会

A young lady from our organization in Japan, doing rather well on the international competitive arena - the reason I’m sharing is to also show her stance in relation to what was discussed in last Thursday’s class