Grasshopper's Posts - Wellsphere

What's to Gain from Pain? by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to be impervious to pain? As a martial artist, it'd certainly have its perks. It's the sort of superhuman power that belongs in ... Read on »

Martial Arts Addiction by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts I'm frequently told that we should aim for moderation in all things but when I look to those exceptional people – the people I find truly inspiring – moderation isn't ex ... Read on »

Dojo Diary and the 10,000 Hour Rule by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts Well, it's been a little quiet around here of late and one of my recent commentors pointed out that “writing is a discipline too" and one that “shouldn’t be neg ... Read on »

Make Your Own Chiishii by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts Building a chiishi is one of the first things I set about doing when I got back to Aus and since then I've had a few additional requests. Lukily, like most traditional hoj ... Read on »

Chiishi by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts The chiishi (pictured above) is one of my favourite hojo undo training tools. It may not look like much, but don't let that fool you - you can do more with this little c ... Read on »

Sensei’s Secret Techniqe by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts If you visit the Honbu dojo for some daytime training you may arrive to find the door closed and two rather large wooden clogs out the front… While Sensei would never beg ... Read on »

Speedy Senses by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts In martial arts we spend a lot of our time trying to make the body fast however, self defence also requires training the senses. Sensei would sometimes tell us stories of his ... Read on »

Black-Eye Tamago by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts Just wanted to share a little home remedy recipe for black eyes courtesy of Kuramoto-Sensei. Hard boil one large egg (or two if you've had an exceptionally bad night) ... Read on »

Dojo Kun - Lost in Translation? by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts Most people are familiar with the dojo kun – the ethics or guiding principals for students of traditional dojos. Within IOGKF, the English version of the dojo kun (belo ... Read on »

Training in the Honbu Dojo by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts Karate Kenkyu Club (circa 1926). Left to right: Tokunori Senaha, Keiyo Madambashi, (two unknown), Chojun Miyagi, Seko Higa, (unknown), Seiko Kina. A lot of people h ... Read on »

Care for a Callus? by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts Well I've finally settled back into life in Canberra and my knuckles have almost completely recovered from my last makawara session at the honbu dojo – a final stubborn senka ... Read on »

Zen & Traditional Martial Arts by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts A little while ago I was asked to write a short article on Zen and Traditional Karate for the IOGKF newsletter. It's been up for a while now on the IOGKF website but I tho ... Read on »

Goodbye Naha by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts View of Naha from the Wall of Shuri Castle near Kozenji Temple. Well this is it. My last post before returning to Oz. The last year here has been without a doubt one ... Read on »

Nocturnal Naha by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts It’s 1.00am here and I just got back from a little stroll around the city but it’ll probably still take another hour or so before my mind fully winds down for the night. ... Read on »

Okinawan Secrets to Immortality... almost by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts Men playing Go in Yogi Park, Naha I’m often told that we “must prepare for our old age now”. By Okinawan standards, that means most of us have got a fair bit of wo ... Read on »

Spirit Training by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts Every now and again Sensei tests us with one of those hard and unexpected sweat sessions. Tonight was one of those nights. After an hour of warm-ups and hojo undo, Sensei told ... Read on »

Sweating in Silence by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts Saturday nights at the honbu dojo have recently been made nights for individual training. Classes usually start at the regular time but we’re pretty much left to our own devic ... Read on »

Patchwork Dojo by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts When I first visited the honbu dojo I was quite surprised at the almost shabby state of Sensei’s floor – a real patchwork quilt of potholes and duc tape. Bruised, cracked a ... Read on »

An'ichi Miyagi Sensei by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts On Tuesday April 28th An’ichi Miyagi Sensei passed away. The funeral was held on Thursday afternoon and was a beautiful service. In the funeral hall, a glowing photograp ... Read on »

Kata Clips by Grasshopper Posted in: Blog Posts in Martial Arts Lately before training I've taken to spending 10-15 minutes watching YouTube videos of Sensei’s kata. Maybe a little obsessive of me I know, but in my defense my mini movie ni ... Read on »

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