22/07/2026
We had a good session in the hall last night, looking at some of the traditional kihon techniques, and then considering the more realistic applications of those movements.
I love doing kihon with large, formal, stylised motions. They provide an excellent workout and give the body plenty of the rotation that it really needs to be healthy, especially for people who work at a desk all day or who drive a lot. But they aren't very realistic most of the time, and are unlikely to be done in self-defence the way that we train them in kihon.
So we need to work out how to modify the motions for realistic application, without losing any of the gross motor function or strength that we can train through kihon.
And if we are considering the context of our training (exercise, competitive sport, realistic self-defence, etc), then we should maybe consider the way we relate to others and how we behave around them. This is quite an important self-defence skill as well!
And it just so happens that the first of Gichin Funakoshi's 20 rules for karate is advice about how we behave around other people. I have written a short article about this, and how we apply this advice in our club:
https://www.liverpoolkarate.uk/2026/07/22/karate-begins-and-ends-with-courtesy/
If you would like to come along to give karate a go, we would love to have you along.
We meet on Tuesday evenings from 7-9pm.
Beginners are welcome! Your first session is free of charge.
In 1938, Gichin Funakoshi published his 20 rules or niju kun (sometimes known as his precepts, instructions, or guiding principles) for karate in the book Karate-do Taikan. The first of these rules was: 一、空手道は礼に始まり礼に終る事を忘るな Hitotsu, karate-dō wa rei ni hajima...
