Show No. 30 / link

Streamed live on September 9, 2009

Show topic is: A Clean and Healthy Dojo. Protecting your school from the H1N1 FLU.

Master Steve opens a news cast as the festively plump master of the sushi buffet.

NEXT WEEK, THE LIVE STREAM WILL BE ON TUESDAY AT 6:00pm AND NOT WEDNESDAY.


Great comments and emails.

Email from MATTHEW MATSON

Mr. Pinder,

I recently got a very rare karate book. It is one of 2,500 reprints of the original 1935 printing of Karate-do Kyohan. It had some supplemental material that was created but not included in the original as well. This book proves to me what I have thought for a long time. Back in the early 1900's there really was only one karate. The "Shotokan Purists" took out much of what was in the original printing, to differentiate themselves, or because they couldn't find it after the war. Wado the style that I study was one of the 4 original styles registered in Japan. The founder of our style (Otsuka) was proficient in jujitsu before he studied with Funakoshi. Funakoshi and Otsuka learned a lot from each other, as Otsuka quickly became one of Funakoshi's top students. In fact Funakoshi used him in the book to demonstrate kneeling defenses, and throwing techniques. He also let Otsuka demonstrate knife and sword defense techniques for the book. There was a lot more jujitsu in the original printing than in latter versions. Due to WWII, Mac Arthur, political issues, and extreme nationalism much of the legacy was hidden changed and mostly lost. All of the pictures with Otsuka were taken out because he was a "competing" teacher. If more people knew how similar the Japanese and Okinawan styles really were and how they all trained together and with masters of other martial arts, there would not be this big stigma about cross training (at a certain level) and ego about whose style is better. The concept of MMA would not be such a shocker or new thing to so many, because all of the old masters trained with many different people and believed in incorporating anything that would be useful to their training.

The ego and pride surrounding the idea of "purity" has left many people without a real understanding of where their art came from or the true principles their founders and teachers were trying to convey.

"In actual situations, not only the clothes and footwear you are wearing, but also even a hand towel, or a sheet of paper can become useful"
--Gichin Funakoshi in 1935 karate-do Kyohan section 4 Chapter 7 Weapons and Karate

"There are also ways to disturb the opponent's concentration, such as spitting at the face, shouting a kiai, and making noise by stomping and clapping. If you keep theses things in mind, you will be able to control the opponent you
face, who has a weapon in hand."
--Gichin Funakoshi in 1935 karate-do Kyohan section 4 Chapter 7 Weapons and Karate

"Martial art technique's are infinite in nature. Do not be limited in their application"
--Hironori Otsuka

"The way of the martial arts is not an ordinary thing. It is to master peace and to desire harmony"
--Hironori Otsuka

"The aim of wado karate is to create a mind that is tranquil yet alive, able to react intuitivetly and without hesitation to any situation."
--Hironori Otsuka


Matthew Matson
Assoc. Professor: CCCCD
Team Trainer & Floor Coach: WIKF Texas
Instructor: Academy of Classical Karate
Manager of Satellite Programs: Academy of Classical Karate