February 2021 archive

Yuko Hirayama

Budo, for me, is to face and confront yourself. Yuko Hirayama One of the few female JKA instructors, Yuko Hirayama is one of the only women to complete the JKA Instructors Course. She is the highest-ranked woman teaching at the JKA Hombu. Yuko Hirayama was born on 18 June 1969 in Yokohama, Japan. She was …

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Miki Nakamachi

You are always going to make mistakes in life, but you always have to look at and face up to them. When you stop doing it, then your weaknesses are exposed. Don’t look for affirmation from somewhere else, because that means that you have no self-belief inside yourself… and in that case, no amount of …

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Richard Heselton

I want to move on, improve and evolve – I once heard someone say “yesterday’s solutions don’t solve today’s problems” and I totally agree with this. Richard Heselton The name Richard Heselton it’s not as well known as it should be. He is one of the best Shotokan karatekas of his generation. Nicknamed the ‘Monster‘, …

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This week in history (22 Feb – 28 Feb)

22 February On 22 February 1964, Hiroo Mochizuki, representing Yoseikan Karate, arrived in the UK for a three-day visit. He was invited by the British Karate Federation (BKF) to conduct lessons at their London and York dojos. He also conducted a grading at the York dojo. 23 February On 23 February 1966, Edward Whitcher and Robert …

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Shojiro Koyama

Modern life is too quick and competitive, changes are rapid, and Karate helps us to see past the world around us and into ourselves. Our pace of living keeps us looking ahead; Karate helps us rediscover ourselves. Studying kata is like basic education and kumite is the final examination. The only diploma is using Karate …

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John Jarvis

I also took advice from my teacher on Jo fighting (stick approx. 120 cm long). He reminded me of the words of the great Miyamoto Musashi: “When you go on a long journey, think only about the next stop, not about the whole journey. When you fight many opponents, do the same.“ John Jarvis A …

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Hiroshi Shoji

It is my belief that to polish our waza (techniques) and our minds through Budo will make us healthy, live long and become useful for the community. Hiroshi Shoji The first JKA All Japan kata champion, Hiroshi Shoji was known for his exceptional timing. An instructor at the JKA Hombu, he was known for his …

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This week in history February (15 Feb – 21 Feb)

16 February On 16 February 2019, Yoshizo Machida was promoted by the JKA. JKA Brazil announced that the JKA Instructor Committee had recommended that he be promoted to 8th Dan. This was mainly due to his work of developing Shotokan Karate in Brazil. 17 February On 17 February 1947, Nicholas Adamou was born. He began …

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Tak Kubota

I don’t train so that I can go to a tournament and do a show. I do it because I want to train my body so I will be prepared for any confrontation. That’s the philosophy of my style. You can hit me anywhere you want and it will probably hurt you more than it …

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Takeshi Naito

Each era must accept tradition to grow, but not remain as it was 30 or 40 years ago. As I said “traditional” means “to continue” but accepting changes and improvements. Over time, everything undergoes an evolution, we always try to improve, to keep the positive and remove the negative: then it is a question of …

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