Iain Abernethy - The Practical Application Of Karate

Part 2 of our 3-hour Q&A podcast! Please be sure to listen to part 1 first! In Part 1 we covered self-defence and kata / bunkai questions. In Part 2 we look at General Karate, and Training and Technique questions! A full list of topics can be found below. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions!

All the best,

Iain

What other Japanese arts have influenced the development of karate; Are modern styles losing the originality and martial side of karate; Where does tradition stop and modern innovation start; Has MMA helped karate re-discover itself; What style of karate do I practise; Thoughts on karate getting in the Olympics; The nature of kiai; How karate is influenced by national culture; Where does karate begin and end; What are Motubu's most significant and / or unique contributions to Karate; The criticisms I have had; If I could talk to Itosu and Funakoshi what would I want to know; The evolution of my own karate.

(Starts at 51:30 mins) Traditional vs. modern training equipment; How much time should you spend on each element; Should you wear gloves when doing pad drills; Training in more than one art; The necessity of sparring; Training for body type; Which part of the fist should we hit with; Flexibility training; Fitness training in karate classes.

This podcast is so big, it became two podcasts! This is Part 1 of what will be a 3-hour Q&A podcast! I asked for questions and then arranged them by topic. In Part 1 we cover self-defence and kata / bunkai questions! Topics covered are listed below. We also have some new comedy “sponsors” that I hope you’ll enjoy too!

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions! Part 2 will be out tomorrow! In the second half we look at General Karate, and Training and Technique questions!

All the best,

Iain

The use of weapons in self-defence / UK weapons law; The effect of the local law on training; Kyusho points for self defense; Do self-defence instructors need real life experience; Why do so many clubs focus on sport; Kicking in self-defence; Self-defence training for children; How to teach students to walk away; What to do following an incident ; Do we train in too many things; many of which will be ineffective in self-defence.

(Starts at 55 mins) The use of Kubodo weapons in Kata; What is the most practical kata; How many kata do you need to know; Why do many so many karate clubs not practise bunkai; Do the kata of different styles have differing amounts of information; Why do instructors knowingly teach impractical bunkai; When should students start learning bunkai; Do all traditional forms/kata come with bunkai; Do I publish my latest thoughts and discoveries or do I keep it for the seminars; Given the amount of information available, why do some instructors ignore it and stick to “compass point bunkai”; What was the kata that Funakoshi’s son was taught in secret; As people study a smaller number of kata in greater depth, is there a danger some kata will be forgotten; and, if so, which ones will they be; Should we change kata to better reflect bunkai; How do we ensure kata bunkai training covers all the likely happenings in self-protection; Which of the previous podcasts do I think are “must listens” for students wishing to understand the basics of bunkai.

Halloween is fast approaching! The barrier between the worlds of the living and the undead is growing ever thinner. On the 31st of October that barrier will be torn asunder as legions of terrifying beings spill into our world to wreak havoc upon the unprepared. Thankfully this special podcast contains the ultimate martial arts guide to staying safe this Halloween!

This podcast details all the creatures you may face on All Hallows Eve and explains how to use your martial arts skills to come out the other side in one piece! You will learn how to keep yourself safe from ghosts, vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches and more!

Listen to this podcast to learn:

 - How to befriend poltergeists and use them to advance your martial reputation!

 - How to use Kobudo weapons when facing werewolves!

 - How Tai Chi can protect you from Zombies!

 - What to do if you are turned into a frog!

 - Why evil spirits avoid McDojo members!

 - The truth about vampires and the three simple things all martial artist can do to avoid them!

 - And much more!

Listen carefully, prepare wisely and share this information with all those you care about. If you do that, then maybe, just maybe, you’ll make it through Halloween unscathed!

Yours Fangtastically,

Iain VonSpookCaster

(a.k.a. Iain Abernethy)

NOTE: As you’ve probably guessed this is a light-hearted podcast full of attempts at Halloween, pop-culture and martial arts humour! It does however contain lots of spooky music and creepy sound effects! You probably should not let younger, more sensitive children overhear it just in case. We want everyone to have a fun Halloween!

Music: Spooky Ride (background music main section) and Midnight in the Graveyard (background sounds in introduction) by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://www.twinmusicom.org/song/250/spooky-ride Source: http://www.twinmusicom.org/song/252/midnight-in-the-graveyard Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org

In this podcast I discuss the future of karate. While some like to think that “traditional karate” is an unchanging entity; a quick look at the history shows us that is totally untrue. Karate has never stopped evolving and changing. Indeed, the past masters recognised and encouraged this. In his book, “karate-do: my way of life”, Gichin Funakoshi wrote:

“Times change, the world changes, and obviously the martial arts must change too. The karate that high school students practise today is not the same karate that was practised even are recently as ten years ago, and it is a long way indeed from the karate I learned when I was a child in Okinawa”.

While Funakoshi did not use modern computer terminology to reflect this ceaseless evolution, he would certainly recognise the sentiment that there are many versions of karate; with each building on what went before.

In the podcast I discuss what I feel have been the two main types of karate that have gone before, the history of their development and passing, and what I feel the karate of the future needs to look like if the art we love is to thrive.

The core of the podcast looks at the key components of Karate 3.0 and includes discussions on modern bunkai, practicality, context, styles, karate for life, karate myths, the role of sensei, and more besides.

I hope you enjoy it!

All the best,

Iain

PS The download link can be found under the player.

The second new podcast this month! While the first podcast is a workout, this one is information based. As you may remember, I recently put out a podcast which discussed the need to be able to think like criminals if we are to be able to effectively protect ourselves from them. That podcast focussed on wider self-protection issues, whereas in this podcast I want to focus on the physical side of things. In particular, I want to quickly discuss two key elements of the criminal’s approach to violence that make them more effective than most martial artists.

The criminal experiences and uses violence on a much more frequent basis than the vast majority of martial artists. It is a “tool of the trade” for them. They know what works!

Any method which seeks to render ineffective the violence of criminals needs to be at least as effective as that violence. Failing to learn what makes criminal violence effective, and failing to make use of that knowledge to ensure we can effectively counter criminal violence, is sure to lead to disaster.

I hope you find the podcast interesting.

All the best,

Iain

PS If you have not yet emailed ([email protected]) me your pick for the top podcasts from the last decade (10 years in October!) then please do so ASAP.

This new podcast is a workout! The actual training takes just over fifteen mins and it a mix of conditioning exercises and martial motions. It is ideal for days where you are short on time and want to train in a way that stimulates technique, endurance, strength, and mind-set. It consists of thirty seconds of a given exercise, technique or martial combination, followed by 10 seconds of rest.

The workout can be quite intense and, as always, you should check with a doctor if you have any doubts about your ability to train in this way. You also need to ensure you know how to do all the exercises and techniques safety. The video below shows the methods, but it is not instructional. Consult your trainer / sensei if you have any doubts.

The exercises are timed (not a prescribed number of repetitions) so you can work at a pace appropriate for your current fitness level. The fitter you are, the more repetitions you should aim to do. You should aim for a pace that allows you to complete the full thirty seconds; where the last 5 seconds or so are a push.

There is a mental component to the workout too. Because it is intense, there will be the internal battle to quit or continue. Be sure to discriminate between your weakness asking you to stop or slow down so you avoid discomfort, and your body telling you that you need ease off to avoid overtraining and injury. You should try to push past the former, and always listen to the later.

Please watch the video so you understand the exercises and techniques used on the workout. Download the podcast to your MP3 player so you can train along with it when needed. Check with your doctor and trainers that this is suitable for you. As always, we sure to warmup and cooldown before and after the workout.

I hope you enjoy the workout and find it useful.

All the best,

Iain

PS You can find the video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/X5Lro5oBlfk

Download the MP3 file: http://iainabernethy.co.uk/sites/default/files/podcasts/15_Min_Warrior_Work_Out.mp3

WARNING: This podcast discusses the use of banned techniques in real world violence. It therefore may not be suitable for younger and more sensitive listeners.

In this edition of the podcast we discuss “banned techniques”.  This is a topic I’ve wanted to cover for a while as I personally feel there are many myths and illogical statements presented as “accepted truth” within the various sub-sections of the martial arts.

We start by analysing the prohibited actions of MMA and draw out a list of the techniques banned on safety grounds. We then look at each of these techniques in turn and ask how effective they would be in self-protection, and when used against a trained fighter. We also ask how effective the banned methods are when compared to legal methods, and if we realistically need to worry about using these methods and making our enemy mad as a result (as has been suggested by some).

The podcast also discusses the “rules paradox” which suggests that prohibiting certain methods permits more vigorous live practise, and that such practise can develop attributes that are more effective than the “dangerous” techniques that have been prohibited.

While not the main thread of this podcast, we also touch on some of the differences between consensual combat sports and non-consensual criminal violence.

It’s a nuanced topic with lots of avenues to explore!

Agree or disagree, I hope you find this an interesting and entertaining listen.

Thank you for the support of the podcasts!

All the best,

Iain

This isn’t an Iain Abernethy podcast … but it is a podcast featuring yours truly! Just before Christmas I was on the Karate Café Podcast (check it out!) and we had an enjoyable and wide ranging discussion! The folks at Karate Café have kindly let me share it here too and I hope you enjoy it!

In the podcast we talk about training methods, street fighting vs. self defence, my regular dojo training, my seminars, my process of kata analysis, and quite a bit more besides!  Be sure to checkout the Karate Café Podcast if you are not yet a subscriber (they have been going for ten years too!).

Speak soon!

All the best,

Iain

One of the biggest problems I see when it comes to modern self-protection is the failure to understand just what we are protecting ourselves against. If we don’t understand the question, there is no way that we can give an adequate answer.

In the classic text “The Art of War” Sun Tzu famously wrote: “If you know your enemy and know yourself, you will not know defeat in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemy but know yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemy and do not know yourself, there is grave danger in every single battle.”

From a self-protection perspective, our enemy is the violent criminal. It is the violent criminal that we need to understand if we are to be keep ourselves safe from them. We need to understand their motivations and their methods if we are to be best placed to deal with them.

I would suggest that we martial arts types have a bad habit of assuming criminals will act like fellow fighters and martial artists. We are therefore don’t “know our enemy” and hence are ill-prepared to keep ourselves safe from them.

The podcast discusses some of the key differences between fighters and criminals. We also look at some of the more common myths / false arguments made by fighters and martial artists when they try to ignore these differences and impose a “fighting solution” onto self-protection.

In other news, the podcasts will have been going for a decade next year! I therefore have a plan to mark that anniversary, and I need your help to do it. I’m trying to determine the listen’s top ten favourite podcasts over the last ten years. In the introduction I explain the process and your help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all your support in 2015, have a great Christmas, and I’ll be back with another podcast in the New Year!

All the best,

Iain

This month’s podcast is a mix of topics! The first part examines the nature of kata, and many of the misunderstandings surrounding kata, using the following quotation from Gichin Funakoshi as a jumping off point:

"Like textbooks to a student or tactical exercises to a solider, kata are the most important element of karate.”

This line contains two great analogies that really get to the heart of things! It is the ramifications of these analogies that we explore in the first third of the podcast. Kata is NOT a solo re-enactment of a fight! Instead, kata is a repository of knowledge that, when correctly approached, can be freely and flexibly applied in the ever-changing world of conflict. This was the viewpoint that was clearly expressed by the masters of the past.

Having discussed the nature of kata, we then move on to discuss the link between kata and live practise. This includes a discussion on the nature of the secret practise of the past; as described by both Funakoshi and Motobu. I also put forth a case for the traditional view that it is the live application of a kata that shows an understanding of that kata, as opposed to the aesthetics of solo-performance. 

The third and final part of the podcast looks at the history, goals and ethos of the World Combat Association (WCA) from both the perspectives of Peter Consterdine 9th dan (Chief Instructor) and myself (Chief International Coach). The WCA is the international home for pragmatic traditionalists and it’s about time I explained a little more about it in the podcast.

Lots of topics covered in this one and I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for the support of the podcasts!

All the best,

Iain