Karate (Okinawan and Japanese) in San Diego
In memory of Mrs. Frances Castilonia, beloved mother of Sensei Dr. Raymond Castilonia (founder of Aoinagi karate), and in memory of Sensei Wiley Gary, fellow karateka to Sensei Castilonia and fellow student of O-Sensei Richard Kim, we held a memorial training in San Diego earlier today. The training was attended by students from San Diego […]
Memorial Training in honor of Mrs Castilonia and Sensei Wiley Gary Read More »
Hitting a target is helpful for developing speed, power and precision in martial arts. When we learn a new technique, we may initially practice the technique “in the air.” In time, we become more familiar with the basics of the technique. Then it is time to apply the technique against a partner or a target,
Punching Bag and Makiwara Practice – What’s Better? Read More »
Recently, we started learning the karate kata Pinan Nidan at the San Diego dojo. Kata, which in Japanese literally means “form”, are a set of choreographed movement patterns, that can be practiced solo or in groups. At a basic physical level, kata help in drilling movement patterns into “muscle memory” – patterns that are useful
Pinan Kata — History and Background Read More »
Last week, on January 7, 2014 the famous Hong Kong entertainment mogul and philanthropist Run Run Shaw died. Having lived a long life, to the respectful age of 107, Sir Shaw (Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in 1977) built Shaw Brothers Studios into one of the largest film production companies in the world. If you
The Origin of Kung-Fu Read More »
As the year 2013 is winding to an end, I often get asked “how can I improve in Karate?” The answer is very simple: “perfect practice makes perfect,” as coach Vince Lombardi used to tell his players. If you are a “New Year’s resolutions” kind of person, set yourself the goal of practicing Karate every
How to Improve in Karate? Train every day! Read More »
In martial arts training we often touch on the topic of flexibility. Flexibility, or, as I prefer to call it, limberness, allows us to maintain a good range of motion for each joint or joints. When we are limber, our health and quality of life is enhanced. Likewise, loss of flexibility can dispose us to
Stretching and Flexibility in Martial Arts: Theory and Techniques Read More »
Many martial artists like to train in both external and internal aspects of their martial art — be it Karate, Tai-Chi, Kuntau-Silat or another martial art — we see them in our San Diego martial arts studio all the time. This is because early in one’s training, it is much faster to observe progress in
Internal Martial Arts — Masters of Perception Read More »
Having some fun with choke releases on the ground. This is a common martial arts technique that comes up in self defense situations, and is also a bread-and-butter in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and in Okinawan Karate (as we teach in our dojo in San Diego) Starting with the aggressor in the mount position and choking us,
Obviously, mindfulness is extremely important when fighting for life or death in a self-defense situation. But would you believe that mindfulness can help reduce your stress levels, and make you more successful in business as well as in other areas of your life? As the Economist magazine recently reported, the popularity of mindfulness training in
Mindfulness, Stress Relief and Creativity Read More »
As we frequently discuss at class at Full Potential Martial Arts, self defense starts much before the moment when we subject to a physically attack. Self defense starts with us being aware and vigilant to what is going on around us, with us reading other people, and with us making sure that we are projecting
