Philosophy

Go Do Shin

Five Fold Path of Shito-Ryu

as written by Master Kenwa Mabuni

Words of Wisdom

“We all seem to understand ”Reaching our goals”, but few people understand ”never give up””. Kensho Furuya

“When there is no conflict in your mind, then you are really living. This is the true gift that Karate can give us”. Teruyuki Okazawi

To make a huge fire, all that is needed is a tiny spark.

The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle.

You do not fail if you fall down. You fail if you do not get up again.

A fool will learn nothing from a wise man, but a wise man will learn much from a fool.

Never test the water with both feet.

Those who are good do, and those who are not talk about it.

All Martial Arts are different paths up the same mountain. It does not matter how long it takes to reach the top as long as you enjoy the climb.

To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill.

Traditional Karate is a beautiful, ancient, weapon less art of self defense. It is based on using the body as a whole (synchronization of breath, muscle contraction and relaxation and body dynamics), rather than relying on the muscular strength of the arms and legs.

In application, strategy and timing, combined with flowing mind and strong spirit, are important. You will learn to sense and follow the opponent, eventually controlling him, and to use the open space in his actions rather than resisting his movements.

In the practice of karate the mind and body are inseparable: They harmonize with each other. The practitioner develops self confidence, stable emotions and clear judgment so the body will respond naturally under and circumstances.

By using all the tools that Traditional Karate gives, the size of the opponent becomes irrelevant. Karate can therefore be learned by anyone, regardless of age and physical strength.

Through Karate one “unlearns” bad habits accumulated through modern, daily life. These include: movement, posture, breathing, as well as mental and psychological obstacles.

The practice of Karate improves all aspects of one”s physical condition; muscular strength, flexibility, speed, agility, coordination and cardiovascular condition.

Zanshin

Literally, zanshin means something like “remaining mind,” or “continuing awareness.” Part of martial arts training is to enhance your awareness of your environment, and particularly your position within your environment. You can see this focus in the way that dojo etiquette is such an integral part of karate-do training. You learn to stand a certain way, to line up a certain way, to bow a certain way to develop your attention to the details of your physicality. You learn where to position yourself in the dojo in relation to where other students are standing — either in straight rows, or in a kneeling line, or at a calculated attack distance from your opponent. This teaches you to be continuously aware of your own body and the bodies of others.

On a wider scale, zanshin applies to your awareness of the world around you. You notice the people around you — how they stand, how they carry themselves, what is in their eyes — because you need to be prepared to interact with them. You notice what is going on politically around you — what the debates of your present moment are, and how they affect you, and what the legal precedents imply — because you need to be prepared to engage civically with your society. You notice what is going on economically — where the money is, who controls the cash flow, what the stakes in management decisions are — because you need to be prepared to participate materially.

In a way, then, being competent in new information technology reflects your degree of zanshin — you are prepared to respond strategically to what is going on around you. You are present in the moment.