Iain Abernethy - The Practical Application Of Karate

Here is a bonus podcast for those who just can’t wait until June! In this podcast we have three main sections. I look at Karate’s most common failings when it comes to self-protection, injury avoidance and management, and questions from listeners. We frequently see karate training being promoted as an effective form of self-protection, but I think it would be fair to say that the common way karate is taught does not deliver. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with karate; it is more to do with the way it is approached. So in this podcast I look at some common problem areas when looking at karate from a self-protection perspective. I think it would also be fair to say that these problems are by no means unique to karate either and certainly apply to other arts and approaches. However, as a karateka myself, I have presented things from a karate perspective in the podcast. The second part of the podcast looks at injury avoidance, injury management and how to keep progressing when injured. I give a

Well here we are with May’s podcast! This month we will be looking at the principles of arm-locks. The podcast is in two sections. The first section covers some of the general issues surrounding the role and application of arm-locks. The second section covers some of the key principles that need to be adhered to if arm-locks are to be effectively applied. The podcast looks at the role of arm-locks in live situations, how arm-locks should be integrated with other methods, how the principles of arm-locks relate to kata, and principles vs. techniques. We also examine the key concepts of push / pull, good leverage, mechanical advantage, continuous control, confusion and distraction, and the structure and weaknesses of the joints of the arm. The podcast also has news of some upcoming events on both side of the Atlantic, my attempt to find the optimum podcast length, how to keep in touch and I ask for your help managing my out of control email situation! One thing all listeners should be aware of is that th

This month we discuss what traditional martial artists can learn from MMA! While it is increasingly common to see MMA and TMA (traditional marital arts) as rival approaches, it is my view that many of the practises and the general thinking found in MMA are of great value to the traditionalist and will actually help them maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of their art. The irony is that much of MMA’s thinking with regards to live testing, innovation, measuring by effect, etc is in line with the views expressed by the karate masters of the past, even if it is at variance with “modern day traditionalists”! We discuss this irony and also briefly look at what MMA could learn from traditional martial arts. Finally, we look at the common ground and I suggest that best practise is best practise regardless of where it originates. The second section of the podcast is the Question and Answer section where I give my thinking on the following topics: How to develop speed and the relationship between speed and

This month we cover Solo Kata for Solo Training! In these podcasts we frequently discuss how kata records the combative techniques and concepts upon which karate is based. Kata provides the combative syllabus around which we should structure all of our training. Kata should be central to our pad drills, partner-work, sparring, and all other forms of training. In this podcast we discuss the solo kata itself and how it can be used as an enjoyable and effective method of supplementary solo training. We start by discussing the nature of kata, what a “good kata” is, and what benefits the practise of solo kata can bring when training alone. We then spend the bulk of the podcast looking at the many different ways in which you can make use of kata regardless of style, available space or environment. We also cover some of the ways in which you can add variety to solo kata training in order to make training challenging and enjoyable. The hope is the podcast will motivate and inspire you to further explore the many

This month’s podcast is called “Occam's Hurdled Katana”; which is my favourite title of all the podcasts we have ever done! In the podcast we look at the three most prevalent approaches to kata (and kata application) and analyse them using a logical principle called “Occam's Razor”. All historical and practical pros and cons are temporarily put to one side as we look at things from a purely logical perspective. To be clear, I feel it is perfectly acceptable for anyone to choose to approach kata in whichever way they wish. That does not, however, mean that all approaches are equal. Some approaches are more functional and logical than others as neither property is “in the eye of the beholder”. If claims of validity are to be made, then they need to be backed up. With this in mind, the podcast looks at where the “burden of proof” lies when discussing which approach is to be the favoured one. The final part of the podcast looks at how the discussion about which approach to kata is the right one needs to pro

I wanted to start the year with something a little special, so here is a free “audio book” (i.e. a long podcast! :-) called “The Martial Map”. In the audio book I look at martial arts, fighting, self-protection and their relationship to one another. Many martial arts instructors see martial arts, fighting and self-protection as being one and the same with all distinctions between them being completely lost. Personally I think this lack of clarity to be highly problematic and it is arguably the biggest problem we face today. We train most effectively when we clearly define the objective of that training. However, it is my view that most practitioners and instructors are unclear what they are training for. That uncertainty leads to ineffective and unfocused training. In the audio book I put forward a simple model to help refocus people on the distinctions and similarities between various areas of study. It is my view that this will lead to more efficient training. As you may have guessed, I call this mo

This month’s podcast covers the always controversial subject of pressure points! In the podcast I give my own take on pressure points including my thoughts on chi, acupuncture theory and its relationship to pressure points, modern medicine vs. a traditional Chinese medicine approach, the relationship between power and accuracy, my five key places to strike, and my own “zone approach” to striking areas. In order to thoroughly explore the above issues the podcast is a little longer than normal (55 minutes) so we can count this one as a “Bumper Christmas Special” ;-) We also address quite a few listeners’ questions including bunkai and compliance, the gap between kata and self-protection in many dojos, training outside the dojo, how to teach bunkai to children and at what grade bunkai training should begin. The podcast also has links embedded in the “comments” with links to related books and an online video. This is something I will continue with from now on to ensure the podcast is as useful to you as p

Welcome to the latest podcast! This month’s podcast is called “My Stance on Stances” and as you can probably tell … it’s on the subject of stances! I feel that stances are widely misunderstood to be something static, fixed and preparatory. I don’t see any of that as being true and in the podcast I’ll explain what I see as the purpose of stances and their practical function. The podcast looks at common misunderstandings about stances, the relationship between stances and the effective use of bodyweight, how the approach to stances should change as a martial artist advances, why stances have nothing to do with strengthening the legs or improving balance, and how our approach to stances can help or hinder optimum performance. We also have the latest news and in the question and answer section of the podcast we look at competition sparring and its relationship to self-defence and the value of the “sho” versions of various kata. I hope you enjoy the podcast and I’ll be back with a new one soon! All the b

This new website makes it so easy for me to add new content that I’ve been able to put out this “bonus podcast”! I’ve called it a bonus podcast because this is not the scheduled “official podcast” – which will be on stances and be out in a week or so – but an extra podcast on 10 books that I recommend you read (not one of which was written by me … I’m assuming you’ve already got all those ;-). This is not a “top 10” or anything like that because there are loads of other books – which may be discussed in future bonus podcasts – I would also strongly recommend. In this podcast I simply discuss 10 books that I feel all pragmatically minded traditionalists should read. They are a mix of classical books and books by modern authors and in each case I explain why I recommend the book and what can be gained from it. It was a case of hit record and off I went! I hope you enjoy this bonus podcast and that it encourages you to check out some of the books. I’ll be back with the scheduled “official podcast” very soon!

Here is the latest podcast! It’s been a little while since the last one due to all the time being spent on getting the new website up and running. We are back on track now though and I have a few podcasts ready to record and roll out as we go. This latest podcast is called “Knowledge is NOT Power!” and it discusses various issues surrounding “knowledge” and how “knowing” a technique is a long way away from being able to apply that technique. We also compare “theoretical knowledge” vs. “practical knowledge” and “experiential knowledge” vs. “non-experiential knowledge”. Finally I give my formula for power and the basic training cycle needed to ensure combative function. This new podcast also includes some news and a new section where I do my best to answer questions from listeners. In this podcast we cover whether the changes to karate initiated in Japan were beneficial or detrimental to karate and what art I’d like to formally study but have not yet done so. The new website means we don’t have to compr

Welcome to the longest podcast we have ever done! This month’s podcast follows on from last month’s on the grading system and the black belt. I received a lot of requests for more information on what I felt a syllabus should include and what a dan grade should be. So I picked up a copy of my syllabus and clicked the record icon on my laptop. The resulting “stream of consciousness” is this month’s podcast. The podcast is split into two halves. In the first half, I discuss the topics that I feel a holistic and pragmatic syllabus should include and why they are so important. I think it would be fair to say that the majority of martial arts syllabuses omit these things so I hope it provides some food for thought. The second part of the podcast discusses how my personal syllabus (which I keep private) is set up and the podcast also breaks down what we do for 9th kyu and 1st dan; and a little bit of what we cover as students make their way from one to the other. As I hope I made clear last month, I personally

In this month’s podcast we discuss the always controversial subject of the grading system and the coveted black belt. On internet forums, message boards, and in the letters pages in the martial arts magazines we frequently find discussion on how standards are falling, the black belt does not mean what it once did and that there is no uniform standard anymore. So in this podcast I’d like to give my take on the black belt and the plusses and pitfalls associated with the grading system in general. I cover the origins of the black belt; how the grading system can encourage the pursuit of things that have no bearing on combative function; how the grading system can both encourage and discourage the inappropriate rise of ego; what could happen if we got rid of the grading system; the lack of standardisation in grading criteria (which I think is a good thing); what grades are legitimate; and many more of the issues surrounding the grading system. This podcast also has a little bit of information on some of the exc

In this podcast I’d like to explain how an individual kata can record a complete fighting system! There is a common view that individual kata are for specific circumstances, and it is only when all the kata are combined that we have a complete style. I think this is an incorrect and mistaken view; both from a practical and historical perspective. Surely, one kata can’t record a complete fighting system though? Well, in my view it can! You may be asking how a relatively small number of techniques can ever be considered to be a full system? Well if you are, listen to the podcast and I’ll do my best to explain my thinking to you! Kata are a lot deeper and much wider reaching than many people suppose. As part of this discussion we will also cover the nature of kata, how kata should be practised in order to realise its full potential, what some of the past masters had to say about kata and its application, and how and why kata were created in the first place. I hope you enjoy this latest offering and I’ll

This month’s podcast is a cardiovascular martial arts workout! It’s been a while since we have done a workout podcast and I’d been receiving lots of requests for one. All you need for this one is a little space and some light dumbbells. You then play the podcast and work along with it for a 23 minute training session that involves various cardiovascular exercises, muscular endurance exercises, and various types of shadow fighting! Before doing the workout, you should watch the video that goes with this podcast (found on the blog of iainabernethy.com if you are accessing this podcast via iTunes etc). This video has demonstrations of the key exercises and should make it clear what is required. IMPORTANT: If you are unsure of how to perform any of the exercises safely, effectively and efficiently then do not attempt this workout without first seeking instruction from a suitably qualified and experienced person. Also be sure to work at a suitable pace and immediately stop if you feel any undue pain or discomfor

It’s officially our 30th podcast! I say “officially” because we’ve done things like double-podcasts and workout podcasts in the past. Regardless, I’m classing this as our 30th podcast … and it’s my website so no one can stop me! Thanks to you all for your support of the podcasts. The amount of downloads is fantastic (and pushing our bandwidth limits!). I’m truly delighted that so many of you are finding these podcasts useful. This month I want to discuss what many seem to regard as the biggest secret in the martial arts! While there is no doubt that many martial artists are aware of this secret, there are very few who will publicly discuss it. Indeed, most will totally deny this highly influential secret and seem to regard it, and the influence it has, with great distain. Want to know what the secret is? Well I can pretty much guarantee it has a big impact on how you train. It certainly does with me. The picture that goes with this podcast (assuming you are viewing this on the blog of iainabernethy.com and

Happy 2010 everyone! Is it just me or have the 10 years since the millennium flown by!? The passage of time is what inspired this first podcast of the new decade. In it I discuss the influence “history” can have on today’s martial practise. It is my view that history can lead to ever increasing efficiency and growth, or stagnation and death depending upon how we view the martial practises passed on to us through history. There are many different ways in which history can impact upon us and in this podcast I discuss the following: How important is it to be “historically accurate” with regards to kata bunkai? What is “traditional”? Should we faithfully preserve what has been passed on to us? How can we integrate modern developments and remain true to our martial heritage? How should we use “history” to ensure a positive future? Is the “historic way” or the “modern way” the best? And a few more issues relating to the positives and pitfalls when looking at the history of the martial arts. Thanks once again to a

In this month’s podcast I’d like to look at what I feel are the three biggest errors made by karateka today. As regular listeners will know, I like to keep my podcasts positive as it is way too easy to stand back and point out what is wrong with the martial arts. Personally, I’d rather put forward solutions and suggest how things could be made better. However, people will only be interested in potential solutions if they are aware there is a problem in the first place. So what I thought I’d do in this podcast is point out what I feel are the three most common, and yet frequently unseen, mistakes in karate. I hope you’ll forgive me for being a little “negative” on this occasion and that you appreciate that my purpose in pointing out these errors is to encourage us to think of positive solutions and to help ensure that both the art of karate and its practitioners can reach their maximum potential. These three mistakes are so important because people often do not realise that they are making them. There are o

In this latest podcast we look at what kata actually is and what purpose it serves. Kata can be a kind of shadow-fighting, a physical exercise, a form of moving mediation, a pointless dance, a relic that should be consigned to history, a repository of forgotten “secrets”, and a whole host of other things besides. All of these views on what kata is can have merit depending upon what is meant by “kata”. However, none of them get to the heart of the matter in my view. In this podcast I explain what I see as the core purpose of kata. As part of the discussion that leads to my definition of kata, we also discuss how kata came into existence and the nature of the link between kata, kumite and combat. I also look at the relationship between principles and techniques as it relates to kata. Whether you agree with my final definition of kata or not, I hope that you enjoy the podcast and find it interesting and entertaining. I’d like to thank you all for your support of the podcasts. All feedback and suggestions are a

Richard Barnes is back! Those of you who have been following the podcasts from the very beginning will remember that the first podcast was an interview with myself conducted by Richard Barnes. Over 80,000 podcast downloads later and Richard is back! In this light-hearted podcast, Richard and I discuss my own personal journey through the martial arts; from my very first class to the current day. We also discuss the purpose of kata, the rise of the “McDojo”, the realities of self-protection, the future for karate, my current training, and a number of important martial topics. Regular listeners to the www.GeoffThompson.com podcast will also be treated to numerous “in-jokes” and an update on the unnatural urges that afflict Richard’s dog! I had a lot of fun recording this podcast, and despite all the joking around and general silliness, I think we managed to fit some interesting discussions on the martial arts in there too! I hope you have as much fun listening to this podcast as we had recording it! Thanks to

In this latest podcast we discuss karate styles! Whilst the styles handed down to us are of great value, in this podcast I suggest that if too much emphasis is placed on “style” it can be extremely harmful to karate and its combative efficiency. The podcast begins by looking at what some of the past masters had to say about the notion of style, and then moves on to examine the history of the more commonly practised karate styles. Having covered the history of the most widely practised styles, the podcast then discusses how those styles came into being through the Shuhari concept. We break down this important concept and look at how our moving away from it in recent times has been problematic for karate. We also look at how this has affected kata and the way kata are viewed and practised. The podcast concludes by looking at both the positive and negative aspects of style and gives my own personal view on the way forward for karate as a whole. We’ve now had a total of over 75,000 podcasts downloaded! Thanks