The most practiced and least understood part of most martial artist training regime. As a beginning karate student you are taught, Attacker steps forward with an attack, defender steps back and blocks. This is fine, it teaches the new Karateka to use good form and how to transition from one stance to another. Most martial art instructors have their student increase the power and speed as their students advance, but never take it to the next level. In Shotokan Karate when we would train, we wouldn't know what attack was coming, we would attack from a standing or a fighting stance. The defender, who usually derives the most benefit from this kind of training would have to block or evade and would return with his own ippon, learning to see the opening, picking the correct weapon and striking with focus. All of this needs to happen as a reaction, someone throws something at you, you duck or weave out of the path of the object, no training or practice, just reaction. Now lets combine this natural reaction with training, timing and focus. Eventually every strike will be the final blow, not a combination of feints leading to the kime, but every blow as kime. Attaining this level is the essence of self defense taught in Shotokan Karate and should be the long term goal for everyone to develop in your martial arts training.

Shotokan Karate
When taught and trained properly, Shotokan Karate is the ultimate Self Defense Art. Timing, focus, power are all developed. When backing down is not an option, a blow must be delivered to the proper target with sufficient power at the proper moment. These are the three principals of Shotokan Karate. It may take a lifetime to develop these Shotokan Karate attributes, but the journey is the best part. Find an instructor who can teach you these things, pay attention, train hard and stay with it.

* Ultimate self defense art
* excellent conditioning
* deadly striking power
* develops your fast response reflexes
* builds self confidence

Everyone has a area of fitness they need to improve on. Maybe you need more endurance, maybe strength training is whats needed, maybe your a little to heavy or a little to thin or maybe your just not loose enough to get your kicks up where you would like them. Harold Liederman, old time strong man and editor of Strength and Fitness magazine suggested " that a man should....

* Be able to swim at least half a mile or more

* Be able to run at top speed for the length of two football fields

* Be able to jump over obstacles higher than your waist

* Be in condition to pull your body upward by the strength of your arms, until your chin touches your hands, at least 15 to 20 times

* Be able to dip between parallel bars or 2 chairs 25 times or more
"If a man can accomplish these things,' Liederman said, 'he need have no fear concerning the safety of his life should he be forced into an emergency from which only he alone may be able to save himself". So, how do we get to this level of fitness? Balanced and slow progressive training is whats needed. Most people don't reach these basic levels because they let their desire to achieve push them to over train and they end their training as quickly as they started. Weight training: Pick 5 or 6 basic exercises, perform 1 set of 10 repetitions for the first two weeks, ( get the feel of the weight, find the weight that you can perform 10 reps and feel it in the last few), the next two weeks add a set of 8 reps with a small increase in weight. After this 2 week period add 1 more set of 6 repetitions, for a total of 3 sets 2 to 3 times per week. Now you can make small gradual increases in the amount of weight you lift. This program will add strength and size to your muscles. Stamina: Exercise bike, Jump rope, jogging, swimming or repetitive calisthenics are all excellent ways to improve your endurance. Remember to take it slow so you don't burn out. Take any of these forms of exercise or better yet, mix them up. Do a few minutes each day, add time as you can, but be consistent, Try to achieve 20 mins. of continuous work and you will have all the stamina you need. Flexibility: Being a Martial Artist you should already know how to stretch. Take you Dojo routine and try stretching for 10 to 15 mins before going to bed and again when you get up in the morning. Be sure you include some light stretching for you upper and lower back areas and your neck, ( these areas are often neglected. You are a Martial Artist, your exercise program is to enhance you M.A. training, along with developing a solid flexible body. Here are a few sites I strongly recommend: 1.Good fitness e-booksClick Here! 2.This is one amazing program Click Here! 3.Do everything to develope you body with a set of dumbbells Click Here!

Looking for Karate Training beyond the dojo. Hardcore Fighting is the best Self Defense program offered on the net. Karate Training is a valuable tool for Self defense training, but can take a long time to develop. Hardcore Fighting offers no nonsense techniques to defend yourself or family that you can learn and master quickly. This program is one of the cheapest, with a terrific bonus program. If your serious about your Self Defense training, don't miss this opportunity Click Here!

The origins of Karate are to be found in 12th Century China. There were a number of ancient Chinese systems, collectively known as KEMPO or "Way of the Fist."

Karate consists of self-defense practices and an entire way of life that gives students an approach to continual self improvement. It can be practiced simply by visualizing its movements within the mind, without involving any actual physical activity. In this way, it gives students the means to manage their everyday lives with discipline and focus.

For students who have learned karate, its unique marriage of technique, physical, mental and emotional conditioning became an integral part of their lives. Studying karate will help you continue to hone not just your mental and emotional skills but also your entire being.

Karate encourages combat without weaponry, but it also encourages peaceful existence. Rather than focusing on extraneous or unnecessary details, (including mind chatter), karate encourages students to focus on the heart of the matter at hand. After all, the mind itself is a karate student's most powerful asset because it encompasses not only students' ability to think, but also houses instinctual responses and one's connection to soul.

At Tetsu Shin Dojo, our student creed is as follows:

One: To strive for the perfection of character
One: To defend the paths of truth.
One: To foster the spirit of effort
One: To honor the principles of courtesy
One: To guard against impetuous courage

We encourage students not to strive for the belt, but for the KNOWLEDGE that the belt represents. In the earlier times, the intensity of one's training was represented by the dirt on one's white belt. The longer and the more intensely the student trained, the darker his belt became until the white belt, which was the beginning, became the black belt of a hard-training teacher.

Karate connects the mind, body and soul, so that all three can be used as one exquisite tool as one makes one's way through life.

Located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Tetsu Shin Dojo offers karate classes for men and women of all abilities. Tetsu Shin Dojo also offers karate for kids in the Sheboygan area. Learn more about our karate classes here: Karate in Sheboygan Wisconsin

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