Iain Abernethy - The Practical Application Of Karate

In this podcast I discuss kata as a training method with Daniel Marino of the Motion Martial Arts Podcast! The podcast was recorded at my recent residential course and covers the kata training process, some of my favourite quotes from the past masters, and the relationship between kata and live practise. Some topics covered include: The Kata Training Process How Kata Should Inform Live Practise The Type of Grappling in Kata Consensual vs. Non-Consensual Violence The Role and Value of Solo Kata Key Quotes from Itosu, Funakoshi, Mabuni, Motobu, etc And More Besides! It was a fun discussion which I am sure you will enjoy! Master Ken – Yes! THE Master Ken! – also makes a brief cameo at the end of the podcast too! Thanks for the support of the podcast! I’ll be back with more soon! All the best, Iain

Welcome to this special cross cover podcast with myself and Wim Demeere! As you will know, Wim and I did a cross over podcast last year where we took listener’s questions. In this podcast, Wim and I discuss our top training tips for martial artists and self-defence practitioners. It was a wide-ranging and fun conversation! I hope you enjoy it! Check out Wim’s show notes for this podcast here: https://www.wimsblog.com/category/podcast/ It’s been a while since I released the last podcast, but the good news is that I have a number of podcasts recorded which I will be bringing you very soon! Thanks for your support of the podcasts! All the best, Iain

Welcome to the second part of this year’s Q&A end of year podcast! In this second part (77 mins) we cover all the questions relating to Kata and Bunkai, Stance and Technique, Weapons, and Miscellaneous. In the first part you can find the Self-Defence, Training and General Karate questions. The podcast includes some spoof advertisements! Some of these adverts contain very mild “bad” language. Nothing overly offensive, but it’s probably wise to ensure young children aren’t in earshot. Thanks for all your support in 2018! All the best, Iain

Welcome to the first part of this year’s Q&A end of year podcast! Thanks to everyone who submitted questions and topics! In this first part (70 mins) we cover all the questions relating to Self-Defence, Training and General Karate. In the second part (out very soon!) we will cover questions related to: Kata and Bunkai, Stance and Technique, Weapons, and Miscellaneous. As is something of a tradition with these end of year podcasts, I’ve also included some spoof advertisements :-) A big thanks to Dylan Tucker who also submitted some advertisements. Some of these adverts contain very mild “bad” language. Nothing overly offensive, but it’s probably wise to ensure young children aren’t in earshot. I’ve also tried to make the podcast as Christmassy as possible! That way you can simultaneously enjoy some martial discussion, get your Christmas on, and catch up on all those last-minute preparations for the big day as you listen! Enjoy! All the best, Iain

In this podcast, Stephan Kesting & I discuss our thoughts on the value of kata. I really enjoyed this conversation for two main reasons: Firstly, Stephan is a really nice and genuine guy.  He was fun to talk to. Secondly, we disagree on the nature and value of kata; and that made for an interesting conversation. Neither of us changed our viewpoint as a result of the conversation, but we both enjoyed having it. Whatever your own view, we hope you will enjoy listening too. The conversation came about as a result of a YouTube video Stephan put out in the summer called, “Why Kung Fu Forms and Karate Kata are (Mostly) Pretty Useless!” You can view the video here: https://youtu.be/Zc3rkmaoSi0 I was contacted by a lot of people wanting to know my thoughts on the video. Some of whom were quite upset by it! Although, I’m unsure if some of those who were upset had watched the video (i.e. reacting to the title and not the content). Around the same time Stephan was asking his audience who they’d like to hear from on hi

Welcome to this special cross cover podcast with myself and Wim Demeere! As some of you will know, I was a guest on Wim’s podcast a few months ago. I’m a big fan of Wim’s work and I was keen to get him back on my own podcast. We chatted through the options and thought it may be fun to do a crossover podcast with questions from listeners! Thanks to everyone who submitted them! While both Wim and I share a strong practical bias, I have a background in traditional Japanese / Okinawan systems and Wim has a background in traditional Chinese systems. It was our hope that our respective viewpoints would make for an interesting discussion … and I think it did! Lots of good information in this podcast! Topics covered include: • Differences in Chinese and Japanese forms. • Comparing internal and external systems. • Ensuring actions in self-defence are both effective and legal i.e. use “reasonable force”. • How to remain healthy when training hard and aging. • Weight training for the martial artist. • What princ

On this podcast I discuss Mental Strength with Türel Süt of Radio Anatolia! We look at dealing with negative thoughts, true positive thinking, developing our talents, how to effectively leave the comfort zone, etc. This conversation was first broadcast on Radio Anatolia and is shared here with the permission of both the host and the radio station. It’s a light and entertaining chat which I hope you will enjoy.   Türel is a regular attendee at my seminars in Germany and I always enjoy talking with him. He is an artist and radio DJ who presents the nostalgia show (music from 70s, 80s and 90s) on Radio Anatolia in Los Angeles. I therefore also got to pick a few of my favourite songs during our conversation too! We also covered the things that make me happy, the things that make me angry, and the three things I’d NOT take with me to a desert island. I really enjoyed chatting with Türel and I’m delighted with the end result. All the best, Iain

Iain and Jamie Part 2 Jamie Clubb joins me on this podcast! You’re going to love it! Jamie is someone I always enjoy talking to! The combination of his deep knowledge and critical thinking always make for fascinating conversations. I’ve been wanting to capture one of them for a while! This did not disappoint! Jamie and I can both talk! So our conversations are always lengthy. Our original plan was to talk for around an hour in this podcast, but it ballooned to two and a half hours! The topics covered were wide ranging and the conversation fascinating!  Over the two and a half hours we cover: • Historical Martial Myths • Training Flaws • Critical Thinking • Solo Training: Shadow Boxing and Kata • Self-Defence vs. Martial Arts • Self-Protection for Children • And Loads more! I’ve been doing these podcasts for over a decade and this has to be one of my all-time favourites! For ease of listening, I have split the conversation into two parts. Please be sure to listen to them in order! Learn more about

Iain and Jamie Part 1 Jamie Clubb joins me on this podcast! You’re going to love it! Jamie is someone I always enjoy talking to! The combination of his deep knowledge and critical thinking always make for fascinating conversations. I’ve been wanting to capture one of them for a while! This did not disappoint! Jamie and I can both talk! So our conversations are always lengthy. Our original plan was to talk for around an hour in this podcast, but it ballooned to two and a half hours! The topics covered were wide ranging and the conversation fascinating!  Over the two and a half hours we cover: • Historical Martial Myths • Training Flaws • Critical Thinking • Solo Training: Shadow Boxing and Kata • Self-Defence vs. Martial Arts • Self-Protection for Children • And Loads more! I’ve been doing these podcasts for over a decade and this has to be one of my all-time favourites! For ease of listening, I have split the conversation into two parts. Please be sure to listen to them in order! Learn more about

Lots of new podcasts coming soon! To tide you over, here is my recent interview on The Wim Demeere Podcast! I’m a big fan of Wim and this was a fun and wide-ranging conversation! If you’re not a regular listener to The Wim Demeere Podcast, you need to be! My introduction to this podcast also contains some recommendations for other great podcasts that you may have missed. There’s so much good material out there now if you know where to find it. I hope you enjoy and I’ll be back with new podcasts soon! All the best, Iain

This is NOT the latest edition of the podcast. This is an interview I did with Sami Wehbe of the Samotivation Podcast! As you have probably worked out from the name, the Samotivation Podcast is all about motivation and self-improvement. Sami read my “Mental Strength” book a few years ago and reached out to interview me for his podcast. It was a fun conversation where we discussed the importance of stepping out side the comfort zone, dealing with fear and doubt, dealing with difficult people, and loads more besides. Sami has been kind enough to permit me to post the podcast in my own feed and I hope you enjoy it! Learn more about Sami’s podcast and check out other episodes here: http://www.samotivation.com/ All the best, Iain

In this episode I’m joined by self-identified “karate nerd” Jesse Enkamp! I think Jesse does a great deal of good for the karate community. His panoramic view of karate, his prolific work rate, his eloquence, and his infectious enthusiasm combine to make him someone with much to offer. I’m really grateful to Jesse for joining me on the podcast. Jesse and I discuss: the role of styles, trends in modern karate, the Shuhari concept, kata training, critical thinking, how karateka can use social media to share information, money in the martial arts, remaining motivated, and more! It’s a wide-ranging conversation that I’m sure you will find interesting. If you listen to the very end of the podcast, I have also included some of the “off-air” chatting :-) This podcast also includes a brief section from Kris Wilder! How many karateka is it safe to fit into one podcast?! Thanks for the support of the podcasts! My interview with Jamie Clubb, and the episode on self-defence law will be coming your way soon! All the b

Welcome to the final part of this year’s Q&A podcast! In part 3 we cover General Karate Questions, Cross-Training, Pressure-Points and Miscellaneous Questions! In part 1 we covered Teaching, Kata & Bunkai, and Impact Training. And in Part 2 we covered Self-Defence, Training, Teaching Children, and Female Self-Defence. I hope you enjoy this final part and a huge thanks to all those who submitted questions and topics. Have a great Christmas and thank you for listening! All the best, Iain

Welcome to part 2 of this year’s Q & A end of year podcast! In this part, we cover questions relating to Self-Defence, Training, Teaching Children, and Female Self-Defence! The third and final part will be out tomorrow and that will cover General Karate Questions, Cross-Training, Pressure-Points and Miscellaneous Questions! As with part 1, I have also included some “Martial Arts Fun Facts”! They are meant to be jokes … so please don’t take them seriously! The jokes about given styles do NOT reflect my views on that style! I only joke about that which I admire. I hope they raise a smile :-) Thanks for your support of the podcasts! All the best, Iain

Welcome to part 1 of this year’s Q&A end of year podcast! Thanks to everyone who submitted questions and topics! In total, we have around 3.5 hours of martial discussion for you! I therefore felt it best to split the podcast into three parts, with each part looking at various topics. In this first part we cover all the questions relating to Teaching, Kata & Bunkai, and Impact Training! Part 2 (out tomorrow!) will cover Self-Defence, Training, Teaching Children, and Female Self-Defence! Part 3 will cover General Karate Questions, Cross-Training, Pressure-Points and Miscellaneous Questions! I’ve also included some of my favourite “Martial Arts Fun Facts” … none of which are true, but hopefully they will raise a smile :-) Enjoy! All the best, Iain

New podcast! There are lots of different martial arts and innumerable approaches to them. We all need to find an approach that we enjoy and that will most efficiently help us achieve our objectives. In my case, I feel any martial art that I am to invest time and effort into must achieve two key things: It must be both live-preserving and life-enhancing. I feel any worthwhile martial arts needs to achieve both objectives; one without the other is not enough. In this podcast, I breakdown what “life-preserving” and “life-enhancing” actually mean to me and hopefully cover a few interesting talking points along the way. Topics covered include: self-protection, how the martial arts can impact on mental and physical health, longevity in training, common things to avoid, how martial arts can contribute to happiness, maximising training benefits, and loads more! I hope you enjoy it! All the best, Iain

In this podcast Iain and Robin Gamble of The Scholar Warrior Podcast discuss a wide range of martial and philosophical issues! I hope you enjoy it! All the best, Iain Topics covered include: Fear in my early training Objectivity in self-protection training How cross training and influenced my karate What kata is and the purpose it serves The evolution of karate Old school intent with a modern approach Kata as a process The four stages of kata Why Naihanchi is my favourite kata Consensual violence vs. non-consensual violence Modern pad drills The differences between the fear that keeps us safe and the fear that helps us grow The traits that high level martial artists share And lots more! Original Podcast Page: http://www.warriorstrategy.com/iain-abernethy-6th-dan-in-karate-author-and-applied-kata-master/

A couple of weeks ago I spoke to Jeremy Lesniak of Whistle Kick Martial Arts Radio! It was a conversation quite different from others I’ve had. We covered many topics I don’t normally get to talk about. We talk about martial arts and life, the fear I felt in early training, mistakes I have made, my rebellious streak vs. taking instruction, the culture of my home dojo, why I don’t want anyone calling me “sensei”, why we don’t line up by rank, why there will never be “Iain-Ryu”, my debt to karate and the past masters, the nature of my dojo’s curriculum, and a lot more! It was a really wide ranging conversation and I hope you enjoy it! All the best, Iain Mr. Iain Abernethy is not your typical martial artist. In some ways, he’s very much like other guests we’ve had – passionate about martial arts, dedicated to his training and determined to give back to the practice that has given him so much. In other ways, he’s so focused on what he does, other martial artists, myself included, are blown away. He’s someone

This is not my podcast … but I’m on it! I recently chatted with the good folks of Karate Café about the online “bunkai boom” and a host of other related topics. Paul and Dan kindly gave me permission to put the conversation out on my feed too. So, if you’ve not already heard it, please enjoy our most recent chat! All the best, Iain http://karatecafe.com/episode-127-30-years-of-weirdness/ About Karate Cafe: Karate Cafe was created in May 2005 by Pete Shambo and Gene Myers as a sort of “after class discussion” and unleashed on the internets and soon gathered a nationwide and international following. Now in it’s 10th year of bringing discussion topics and interviews to martial arts enthusiasts all over the globe, Karate Cafe has a solid group of dedicated listeners and contributors and has branched into the world of live shows, streamed over the internet, as well as recorded shows.

This podcast discusses how martial artists often try to reinvent criminal violence into a good fit for their chosen system; instead of adjusting their system to fit the inescapable realities of criminal violence. Problem should define the solution. The “solution” should not try to reinvent the problem! This is a widespread and insidious practise in the martial arts. Traditionalists, modernists and even “reality” based systems do it; albeit in differing ways. Because actual violence is thankfully rare, this problem can go unnoticed but it has many serious problems. This “art over reality” approach puts students in danger if they do have to face real violence. It also promotes tribalism and division within the martial arts because we spend way too much time arguing the “merits” of various pseudo-realities, and their associated pseudo-solutions, instead of addressing the reality of the common problem. Once reality is accepted, and self-protection is realistically addressed across the board, we can get on wit