Evolution Part III: Karate fully adapts globally to the 20th Century Richard Kim (1917-2001) is still considered by many to be one of the greatest martial artists in the 20th Century. The story of my Grandmaster is a very long and interesting one. I could go onto many lengthy volumes of how he shaped Karate…

Matsumura Sōkon Evolution Part II: The Strengthening and Expansion of Karate Sokon Matsumura (1809-1899). Sokon is historically known to have fought in many duels, holding the distinction of never being defeated. He was described by his disciple Itosu Anko as blindingly fast and deceptively strong, and by the great Gichin Funakoshi as having piercing eyes…

This global pandemic has been such a challenge for all. Here in the Northern California Bay Area where we are based, the Shelter-in-Place order has been extended for another 30 days, until the end of May. This would test anyone’s resolve. During this time, I have had the opportunity to train alone for long periods,…

2019 has been an incredible year, full of positive change. Many have found The Martial Arts Academy, and we have had unprecedented growth.  My dream of spreading true Karate as an effective fighting art, and as a means by which to live ones life has come alive. With growth also comes change, and one’s ability…

This has been an compelling year, with many challenges and surprises. As I have solidly entered into my early forties, I can say without a doubt that all my years of training have paid off in huge dividends. While training properly brings the virtue of vibrant health, the real gem is being of sound mind. …

Sifu John Kang When I first began training WIng Chun, I was fascinated with it’s no-nonsense basic approach, and particularly it’s emphasis on short power, the famous one-inch punch. Once I got past the initial phases of being wowed by the hype and more glamorous parts often touted by fans of this fighting system, regular…

Diet & Nutrition:   ​This is one of the most complicated and misunderstood aspects to training and daily life. There is always some new method in the trend for “diets”. The amount of information on this subject alone is staggering. To make matters worse, it usually ends up making things more confusing.    I like…

As I sat back thinking over this past year as I normally do at the closing of it, taking notes of growth, and student progress, I found that I was really happy with all of it. So many people I have taught have given so much of themselves, and now I am seeing many in…

In my very first post, Part I of this series, I covered a basic philosophy on how to avoid injury, and appropriately moderate your training regimen. Even though you can reduce the risk of injury, it still happens often enough to where approaching it in the same kind of balanced way really helps. Knowing what…