Wen Hsiu Quan

Jesse's articles have always been really informative and straight to the point. If you have read his article on Ki you would know that he is not really one for the esoteric aspects of martial arts. His down to earth, no-nonsense style of writing is something that I have gotten used to. Also the fact that, as who is probably Karate's biggest promotor I came to expect him to write about- well... Karate. This article is about a topic that came up a week ago in our dojo as well- Pressure Points! http://www.karatebyjesse.com/exclusive-interview-evan-pantazi-the-pressure-point-picasso-pt-2/ Now- I'll be honest. I have once seen a chart like this- and told myself- this will take far too much thinking for a quick response in a fight so- let me NOT get involved with that. Nonetheless- there were people who stake their lives on it. Well- it got me thinking. It happens too often that we get taught HOW to hit, but how many times do we get taught WHERE to hit? And NO! The...

I have been working a lot on my speed lately. At the dojo Sensei has told us that competition fights are now being won by those who can cross long distances the fastest to deliver a gyakuzuki. Having taken it upon myself to give spectators a bit more to watch than just a gyakuzuki contest I have taken it to heart and streamlined my kicks as well. Fact is- there are some pretty fast people out there. Nonetheless- timing beats speed anytime, so we wil not get obsessed about it. Amidst the hustle and bustle for the last tournament I have managed to learn 2 new katas, though. Having left karate all those years ago and having moved through 12 katas when I joined the other dojo in 2014 before leaving again have not really enabled me to settle down and learn new katas. Besides- I have been busy working on WSKF basics for the last couple of months since my joining, since it needed a lot of tuning up. Nonetheless- the fates were kind. Now I have Gojushiho Sho and Kanku Dai. Th...

Working on my first book I focussed a lot on the basics of grappling, but have far from exhausted the subject. Most techniques I have explained used a manipulation of the wrist or leg. One other lever I did give brief attention to was the philtrum- the spot right at the bottom of the nose.   In Judo our opponent wears a gi with a belt, sleeves and lapels that can be grabbed. In actual fights outside the dojo (which you should of course not actively pursue) we do not have those handholds. We dn't have rules either. Last night- surfing Youtube- my attention was brought to the head. This is how it happened: I have recently learnt Gojushiho Sho from my Sensei. For those of you that don't study Japanese Karate this is a kata that is taught at senior level. It is officially the most advanced kata I know. I have supplied a link to a video of this awesome kata below: https://youtu.be/FxyScLnqdIg You will notice the quick open hand thrusts that make up a lar...

 Long ago I have read the story of Musashi Miyamoto who at the age of 13 killed a much older opponent by unexpectedly stalling the confrontation by unexpectedly stalling the confrontation. First he arrived late, then he took time to remove his shoes, then he first warmed up... By the time he did get to fighting his opponent was already furious and made that last fatal mistake of eagerly rushing in. Jesse Enkamp (we all know him, right?) told a story of himself getting out of a confrontation by telling a really hostile individual about the height of a wall. In the art of fighting we become aware of the nature and course of events. We know what is in place, what is to be expected- and from there we find the opportunities to do the unexpected. When working with your enemies you will use these tactics to prevent them from functioning properly. At present I have a feeling that employers and managers in the workplace often use these tactics on the people that are actually...