The Martial Way Project

11/05/2025

Quick Look: Seisan’s Close-Range Answers
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Among Okinawan kata, few are as widely practiced—or as respected—as Seisan. Found across Gōjū-ryū, Shōrin-ryū, Uechi-ryū, and Isshin-ryū, it has endured because it’s practical, efficient, and adaptable for real self-defense.
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Seisan is a study in close-quarters combat. Short, rooted movements — elbows, low kicks, knee strikes, and joint controls — teach how to generate power and stability in tight spaces. Every motion can serve multiple purposes: a block becomes a trap, a strike becomes a lock, a turn becomes a throw. These are principles in action, not just patterns to memorize.
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It also demonstrates the balance of hard and soft: decisive strikes that can flow into circular redirection, blending strength with control. This balance is one reason the kata remains widely respected across styles.
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The video below shows a few of Seisan’s practical applications — simple, effective, and ready to explore in partner drills. ​ These applications are not the final answer, but rather, one person's expression of the kata's insights.
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03/11/2025

This easy-to-follow video breaks down and explores the fundamental components of the circle block (mawashi-uke).Taken from his video, Kanshiwa Kata Mastercla...

10/07/2024

Thought folks might find some of this information valuable. Keep up the good work, goldfish!

This month our school is focusing on the theme of "coachability" and how to help students get the most from their coaches/teachers/sensei. Here's some basic information that will surely help any player/student/athlete.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘?

Coachability refers to an athlete’s attitude. A coachable athlete is one who openly and humbly listens to honest feedback and willingly applies that feedback to improve their athletic development.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄?

Being coachable means you are open to being taught and trained in order to improve. You understand you are not perfect, there is always room to grow, and you show appreciation for a coach’s time and feedback by actively listening and learning from them.
Michael Jordan once said, “My best skill was that I was coachable. I was a sponge and aggressive to learn.” Athletes who fail to be coachable often plateau at a certain point due to negative approach to criticism and their unwillingness to listen and learn.

𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭:

• Check ego at the door
• Look coach in the eye when talking
• Be open minded and humble when receiving feedback
• Willingly implement coach feedback
• Actively seek feedback from coaches
• Be a source of positivity and encouragement for teammates
• Demonstrate commitment to the team and the game

09/24/2024

Comprehensive Scooping-Block Tutorial

Take a deep dive and explore the nuances of the sukui-uke, or scooping block in this comprehensive, in-depth tutorial.

This technique is an effective method for capturing and or redirecting oncoming kicks and/or strikes. In this video we demonstrate and break down the fundamental components of this movement and highlight best practices along with the most common mistakes to avoid.

Sukui-age-uke (rising scooping block)

The first method covered is the sukui-age-uke, or “rising scooping block” which is utilized in a number of various martial arts from karate and kung fu to muay thai. The primary goal of this technique is to seize and capture kicks that fail to be quickly retracted by the attacker, which can then be exploited using a number of effective kicking and striking counters.

Harai-sukui-uke (sweeping scooping block)

The second method covered is the harai-sukui-uke, or “sweeping scooping block” which is primarily used for redirecting mid and high-level kicks, which can then be directly attacked or simply avoided while still maintaining your relative position. This technique utilizes circular energy against the attack and allows the defender a unique opportunity to maintain their position, relative to the attacker, and deploy several offensive counter attacks.

Being effective for both full-contact martial arts as well as practical self-defense makes this technique popular across a spectrum of various martial arts. Careful attention is placed on helping practitioners understand the boundaries of this technique and what specifically is necessary to ensure its effective application.

09/23/2024

The process of 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 is essential to achieving the highest levels of control throughout the body.

If QUICKNESS is your goal, practice relaxing every muscle that doesn't play a role in delivering the technique to the target.

Then CREATE and practice drills to help and encourage your body to stay relaxed and fluid.

08/31/2024

Learning is inherently a process of growth and development. It involves moving from a state of not knowing or lacking skill to gradually acquiring knowledge or competence. During this process, mistakes, failures, and doing things "poorly" are inevitable. These early, imperfect attempts are crucial because they provide the foundation for improvement. If we expect to perform well right from the start, we set unrealistic expectations that can hinder our willingness to try and, ultimately, to learn.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫.

𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭: This is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed with effort, learning, and persistence. Those who adopt this mindset understand that initial failures and mistakes are part of the learning journey. They see challenges and setbacks as opportunities to grow rather than as evidence of their limitations.

𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞: A significant barrier to learning is the fear of failure or embarrassment. If someone is not willing to do something poorly at first, they may avoid trying altogether. This avoidance can prevent them from gaining the experience needed to improve. By being open to making mistakes, individuals create the conditions necessary for learning to take place.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: Practice is a key component of mastering any skill. In the early stages of practice, performance may be far from perfect. However, repeated attempts, even if imperfect, gradually lead to refinement and mastery. For example, when learning to play a musical instrument, the first attempts may sound awkward, but over time, with practice and persistence, the person becomes more skilled.

𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: Being willing to do things poorly also builds psychological resilience. It teaches individuals to tolerate discomfort, frustration, and uncertainty—emotions that are part of any learning process. This resilience is crucial for pushing through the difficult stages of learning and reaching a level of competence.

𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬: Encourage students to see the early stages of learning as a normal and necessary part of acquiring any new skill. Remind them that no one becomes an expert without first being a beginner.

𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Foster a classroom environment where mistakes are seen as valuable learning opportunities, not as failures. This can help reduce the fear of doing things poorly.

08/30/2024

𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫? 𝐎𝐫...𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫!

I always cringe whenever I hear martial artists use the word "never," especially when those individual claims to study the "art" of martial "art." As if it wasn't obvious there's usually more than one path up the proverbial mountain.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 "𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫" 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭, 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞; 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

Avoiding the word never allows one to remain open to change, wisdom, and transformation. Adopting this habit and flexibility in thought allows room for learning and adapting to life's surprises.

𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬.

We all deserve the benefit of multiple perspectives and different opinions, so free yourself of limiting thoughts and styles, and see everything as simply information that's yours for taking...or not taking; there's really no right or wrong.

𝐄𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞.

08/14/2024

There are many paths one can take up the proverbial mountain, but this one promises great things to those who make the journey. 😁

08/09/2024

Studying under the watchful eye of Nakahodo-sensei, working the nuances of Seisan kata.

"Humility is the true key to success. Successful people lose their way at times. They often embrace and overindulge from the fruits of success. Humility halts this arrogance and self-indulging trap. Humble people sahre the credit and wealth, remaining focused and hungry to continue the journey."

Camp Kikai - July, 2024
North Attleboro, Massachusetts

Camp Kikai - July, 2024 North Attleboro, MassachusettsUnder the watchful eye of Nakahodo-sensei, working the nuances of Seisan kata. "Humility is the true k...