Iain Abernethy - The Practical Application Of Karate

Welcome to the second part of this year’s Q&A end of year podcast! In this second part (77 mins) we cover all the questions relating to Kata and Bunkai, Stance and Technique, Weapons, and Miscellaneous.

In the first part you can find the Self-Defence, Training and General Karate questions.

The podcast includes some spoof advertisements! Some of these adverts contain very mild “bad” language. Nothing overly offensive, but it’s probably wise to ensure young children aren’t in earshot.

Thanks for all your support in 2018!

All the best,

Iain

Welcome to the first part of this year’s Q&A end of year podcast! Thanks to everyone who submitted questions and topics!

In this first part (70 mins) we cover all the questions relating to Self-Defence, Training and General Karate.

In the second part (out very soon!) we will cover questions related to: Kata and Bunkai, Stance and Technique, Weapons, and Miscellaneous.

As is something of a tradition with these end of year podcasts, I’ve also included some spoof advertisements :-) A big thanks to Dylan Tucker who also submitted some advertisements. Some of these adverts contain very mild “bad” language. Nothing overly offensive, but it’s probably wise to ensure young children aren’t in earshot.

I’ve also tried to make the podcast as Christmassy as possible! That way you can simultaneously enjoy some martial discussion, get your Christmas on, and catch up on all those last-minute preparations for the big day as you listen!

Enjoy!

All the best,

Iain

In this podcast, Stephan Kesting & I discuss our thoughts on the value of kata. I really enjoyed this conversation for two main reasons: Firstly, Stephan is a really nice and genuine guy.  He was fun to talk to. Secondly, we disagree on the nature and value of kata; and that made for an interesting conversation. Neither of us changed our viewpoint as a result of the conversation, but we both enjoyed having it. Whatever your own view, we hope you will enjoy listening too.

The conversation came about as a result of a YouTube video Stephan put out in the summer called, “Why Kung Fu Forms and Karate Kata are (Mostly) Pretty Useless!” You can view the video here: https://youtu.be/Zc3rkmaoSi0

I was contacted by a lot of people wanting to know my thoughts on the video. Some of whom were quite upset by it! Although, I’m unsure if some of those who were upset had watched the video (i.e. reacting to the title and not the content). Around the same time Stephan was asking his audience who they’d like to hear from on his podcast; and my name came up. Long story short (full history is in the podcast), Stephan and I put a date in the diary to chat and this podcast is the result. It first came out in Stephan’s “Strenuous Life” Podcast:

https://www.grapplearts.com/kata-is-usless-for-combat/

I’ve added a little introduction, and then it has the entirety of the podcast as Stephan put it out.

At the risk of “spoilers”, I will say that, although Stephan and I remain firm in our original viewpoints, we do agree on quite a lot of general points. I will also say that much of what Stephan critiques about the way kata are practised are things that myself, and those like me, also critique. This was, therefore, not a “debate” between “opposing sides”. This was a friendly and objective conversation around the topic of kata between two people with differing viewpoints. Please listen to it in that spirit. Digest the points made, by both of us, and consider how they apply to your training and your experience of kata.

Objective criticism, from both outside and within, is vital for the health of any worthwhile martial art. I’m therefore really grateful to Stephan for sparking further discussion on these important topics and for making this podcast happen. Whatever your own take on this topic, I am confident you will enjoy the discussion.  

All the best,

Iain

On this podcast I discuss Mental Strength with Türel Süt of Radio Anatolia! We look at dealing with negative thoughts, true positive thinking, developing our talents, how to effectively leave the comfort zone, etc. This conversation was first broadcast on Radio Anatolia and is shared here with the permission of both the host and the radio station. It’s a light and entertaining chat which I hope you will enjoy.  

Türel is a regular attendee at my seminars in Germany and I always enjoy talking with him. He is an artist and radio DJ who presents the nostalgia show (music from 70s, 80s and 90s) on Radio Anatolia in Los Angeles. I therefore also got to pick a few of my favourite songs during our conversation too!

We also covered the things that make me happy, the things that make me angry, and the three things I’d NOT take with me to a desert island.

I really enjoyed chatting with Türel and I’m delighted with the end result.

All the best,

Iain

Iain and Jamie Part 2

Jamie Clubb joins me on this podcast! You’re going to love it! Jamie is someone I always enjoy talking to! The combination of his deep knowledge and critical thinking always make for fascinating conversations. I’ve been wanting to capture one of them for a while! This did not disappoint!

Jamie and I can both talk! So our conversations are always lengthy. Our original plan was to talk for around an hour in this podcast, but it ballooned to two and a half hours! The topics covered were wide ranging and the conversation fascinating!  Over the two and a half hours we cover:

• Historical Martial Myths

• Training Flaws

• Critical Thinking

• Solo Training: Shadow Boxing and Kata

• Self-Defence vs. Martial Arts

• Self-Protection for Children

• And Loads more!

I’ve been doing these podcasts for over a decade and this has to be one of my all-time favourites!

For ease of listening, I have split the conversation into two parts. Please be sure to listen to them in order!

Learn more about Jamie, his book and his podcast here: https://clubbchimera.com/

All the best,

Iain

Iain and Jamie Part 1

Jamie Clubb joins me on this podcast! You’re going to love it! Jamie is someone I always enjoy talking to! The combination of his deep knowledge and critical thinking always make for fascinating conversations. I’ve been wanting to capture one of them for a while! This did not disappoint!

Jamie and I can both talk! So our conversations are always lengthy. Our original plan was to talk for around an hour in this podcast, but it ballooned to two and a half hours! The topics covered were wide ranging and the conversation fascinating!  Over the two and a half hours we cover:

• Historical Martial Myths

• Training Flaws

• Critical Thinking

• Solo Training: Shadow Boxing and Kata

• Self-Defence vs. Martial Arts

• Self-Protection for Children

• And Loads more!

I’ve been doing these podcasts for over a decade and this has to be one of my all-time favourites!

For ease of listening, I have split the conversation into two parts. Please be sure to listen to them in order!

Learn more about Jamie, his book and his podcast here: https://clubbchimera.com/

All the best,

Iain

Lots of new podcasts coming soon! To tide you over, here is my recent interview on The Wim Demeere Podcast! I’m a big fan of Wim and this was a fun and wide-ranging conversation! If you’re not a regular listener to The Wim Demeere Podcast, you need to be!

My introduction to this podcast also contains some recommendations for other great podcasts that you may have missed. There’s so much good material out there now if you know where to find it.

I hope you enjoy and I’ll be back with new podcasts soon!

All the best,

Iain

This is NOT the latest edition of the podcast. This is an interview I did with Sami Wehbe of the Samotivation Podcast! As you have probably worked out from the name, the Samotivation Podcast is all about motivation and self-improvement. Sami read my “Mental Strength” book a few years ago and reached out to interview me for his podcast. It was a fun conversation where we discussed the importance of stepping out side the comfort zone, dealing with fear and doubt, dealing with difficult people, and loads more besides. Sami has been kind enough to permit me to post the podcast in my own feed and I hope you enjoy it!

Learn more about Sami’s podcast and check out other episodes here: http://www.samotivation.com/

All the best,

Iain

In this episode I’m joined by self-identified “karate nerd” Jesse Enkamp! I think Jesse does a great deal of good for the karate community. His panoramic view of karate, his prolific work rate, his eloquence, and his infectious enthusiasm combine to make him someone with much to offer. I’m really grateful to Jesse for joining me on the podcast.

Jesse and I discuss: the role of styles, trends in modern karate, the Shuhari concept, kata training, critical thinking, how karateka can use social media to share information, money in the martial arts, remaining motivated, and more! It’s a wide-ranging conversation that I’m sure you will find interesting. If you listen to the very end of the podcast, I have also included some of the “off-air” chatting :-)

This podcast also includes a brief section from Kris Wilder! How many karateka is it safe to fit into one podcast?!

Thanks for the support of the podcasts! My interview with Jamie Clubb, and the episode on self-defence law will be coming your way soon!

All the best,

Iain

Welcome to the final part of this year’s Q&A podcast! In part 3 we cover General Karate Questions, Cross-Training, Pressure-Points and Miscellaneous Questions!

In part 1 we covered Teaching, Kata & Bunkai, and Impact Training. And in Part 2 we covered Self-Defence, Training, Teaching Children, and Female Self-Defence.

I hope you enjoy this final part and a huge thanks to all those who submitted questions and topics.

Have a great Christmas and thank you for listening!

All the best,

Iain