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Beginner Essentials
The Goju Ryu Crest and Its Meaning
The fist is modelled after the right fist of Master Chojun Miyagi, who was the founder of Goju Ryu karate-do. You will notice that the fist is half-closed and half-open, representing Goju Ryu, which is neither completely hard nor completely soft. It also shows the correct way to make a fist.
The conji characters at the bottom of the palm say:
Go [hard] ju [soft] Ryu [style]
Kara [empty] te [handed] do [way]
The circle has a number of meanings. First, it stands for perfection. In Zen Buddhist philosophy it represents enlightenment and the perfection of humanity. Second, it represents the Chinese symbol of yin and yang, in which duality is enclosed in a circle.
The phrase "Seize The Opportunity" is one of the 5 Tenets of Go-Ju Karate
5 Tenets of Goju Ryu Karate-do
- We are proud to study the sprit of Goju
- We shall practice courtesy and respect
- We shall be quick to seize opportunity
- We shall always practice patience
- We shall always keep the fighting sprit of Karate-do
The Creed of Karate-do
- If I face you with my empty hands
- My weapons I have none
- If I should be forced to defend myself, my honour, my principles,
- A matter of life or death, right or wrong
- Then here are my weapons. My empty hands
The Martial Virtues
- Respect for your seniors
- Compassion for your juniors
- Gratitude
- for your parents who gave you life
- for your friends because a good friend is hard to find
- for your teachers
- for your country
- for your god, whoever that may be
The Rules of the Classical Dojo
Sensei Peter Urban
- Everyone works
- Nothing is free
- All start at the bottom
- Sensei's word is law by consent of the governed
The 20 Precepts of Gichin Funakoshi
- Karate-do begins and ends with courtesy and respect
- Karate-ka fight only in a matter of life and death
- Karate-do is an auxiliary of justice
- Know yourself first then know another
- Intuition is more than technique
- Free your mind
- Misfortune always occurs as a result of negligence
- Karate-do is not only in the dojo
- Karate-do practice is a lifetime work, there is no limit
- Put karate-do into your every day living
- Real karate-do requires constant practice
- Do not think of winning or losing
- Defend in response to your opponent
- Your success in battle depends on your ability to manoeuvre both unguarded and guarded
- Your hands and feet are your weapons
- When you leave your home you have many potential enemies and your behaviour could invite trouble
- You must master all techniques until you can do them without thought
- Kata must be performed correctly understanding a real fight is different. If you have mastered kata in a real fight you will move correctly
- You must move and breathe correctly
- Live the precepts every day
Seven Principles
Bushido, the way of the samurai, grew out of the fusion of Buddhism and Shintoism. This way can be summarised in seven essential principles:
- Gi. The right decision, taken with equanimity, the right attitude, the truth. When we must die, we must die. Rectitude.
- Yu. Bravery tinged with heroism.
- Jin. Universal love, benevolence toward mankind, compassion
- Rei. Right action – most essential quality, courtesy.
- Makoto. Utter sincerity., truthfulness
- Melyo. Honour and glory
- Chug. Devotion, loyalty
These are the seven principles underlying the sprit of Bushido, Bu – martial arts, shi – warrior, do – the way.
The way of the samurai is imperative and absolute. Practice, in the body, through the unconscious, is fundamental to it, thus the enormous importance attached to the learning of right action or behaviour.
Taisen Deshmaru – The Zen Way To The Martial Arts
The Five Fingers of Zen
- Always trust yourself. There is no truth outside yourself
- Always start from where you are right now
- Always believe in the infinity of your life and the world
- Always direct your thoughts and feelings towards what is good, what is noble, and what is true
- Always meditate and pray for the peace of the world and the happiness of all beings
For the uncontrolled there is no wisdom,
Nor for the uncontrolled is there power of concentration,
For him without concentration there is no peace,
And for the unpeaceful, how can there be happiness?
- Bhagavad Gita - |
The 4 Tools of Discipline
- Delayed gratification
- Take 100% responsibility for your actions
- Balance mind body and sprit
- Adhere to the truth
The 3 Phases of a Punch
- Driving Motion
- Speed
- Impact
Seek Wisdom not Knowledge
Be as hard as the world forces you to be. And be a soft as the worlds allows you to be
- Sensei Chuck Merriman -
Everything in life is breathing hard and soft The Bu Bishi
The first and last step of a kata are the most important |
The 5 major styles of karate-do are:
- Goju Ryu
- Shotokan
- Wado Ryu
- Shito Ryu
- Kyokushin Kai
Learn the principles not the technique
A Martial Artist is an artist for life
You get what you give
" To understand others is to have knowledge To understand oneself is to be illuminated" Tao Te Ching
"Can you be both martial and spiritual?
Can you over come your ultimate opponent?"
Make sure when there is an opening it is one you have left!
1.Technique 2.Speed 3.Power
go-no-sen = reactive
go-no-sen-no-sen = interceptive
sen-no-sen = pre-emptive
Karate-do is motion plus emotion – Peter Urban
Take up power from the ground through your legs, waist and back
The consciousness of self is the greatest hindrance to the proper execution of all physical action
Power is rooted in the feet delivered in the legs and directed by the hips.
Your word is your bond !
Miyamoto Musashi's 9 Ways of Strategy
- Do not think dishonesty
- Diligently purse the path of two swords as one.
- Become acquainted with every art
- Be knowledgeable of all professions
- Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters
- Nurture the ability to perceive the truth in all worldly matters
- Perceive those things which can not be seen
- Pay attention, even to trifles
- Do not engage in useless activity
"To enjoy the world without judgement is what a realised life is like"
"All the significant battles are waged within the self"
- S. Kopp -
"Leisure, rather than work, provides the purest definition of self"
- Aristotle - |
An Excerpt from
"Tell it like it is"
A cat and a fox were exchanging views upon the difficulties of living in peace and safety from those who were ever ready to take their lives. "I do not care a jot for any of them," said the fox, at last. "Things may be very bad, as you say, but I have a thousand tricks to show my enemies before they can do me any harm." "You are fortunate," replied the cat, "For my part , I have only one trick which I learned well, and if that fails all is lost." "I am sorry for you with all my heart," said the fox. "If it was not so hard to tell a friend from a foe in these difficult times, I would show you one or two of my tricks." Hardly had he finished speaking, when a pack of hounds burst suddenly upon them. The cat, resorting to her single trick, ran up a tree into the security of the topmost branches. The fox, unable to make up his mind which of the thousand tricks he would adopt, was torn to pieces before he could put even one of them into operation.
Taken from The Classical Man by Richard Kim
"The aim of living is life itself"
- Goethe -
"more important than learning how to recall things is finding ways to forget things that are cluttering the mind" - E. Butterworth " true knowledge is not attained by thinking. It is what you are, it is what you become"
- Aurobindo - |
Article 13: The Eight Precepts of Quanfa*
- The human mind is one with heaven and earth
- Our blood circulation parallels the solar and lunar cycles of each day
- Inhaling represents softness while exhaling characterises hardness
- Adapt to changing conditions
- Response must result without conscious thought
- Distancing and posture dictates the outcome of the meeting
- See what is unseeable
- Expect what is unexpected
* The quan (kata in Japanese)of Chinese gongfu is the ritualized method through which the secrets of self defence have been customarily transmitted for generations.
from: Bubishi: The Bible of Karate
Ten Principles of Small Circle Jujitsu™
- Balance
- Mobility and Stability
- Avoid the Head On Collision of Forces
- Mental Resistance and Distraction
- Focus to the Smallest Point Possible
- Energy Transfer
- Create a Base
- Sticking Control and Sensitivity
- Rotational Momentum
- Transitional Flow
- Exert Continual Pain During Transitions
- Create Maximum Pain Without Dislocating Joint
- Mobility During Transition Rather than Stability
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