October 2019

Sensei Nishiyama, The Practical and The Philosopher

Avi Rokah

Next week, on November 8, it will be 5 years to the passing of my teacher, Sensei Nishiyama. He was like a second father to me since we spent most of our days together. Sensei Nishiyama was very pragmatic and a philosopher at same time. His greatness was that he merged the old wisdom of Okinawa karate, with the old traditions of Japanese Budo (martial arts) and with latest sport science. In his teaching he was very methodical and scientific, and every detail had a reason and had to work and be part of the whole picture. His karate was […]

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Avoid Lapse in Attentiveness

Avi Rokah

The other day my student Brian Palmer and I were sparring for about 20 minutes. Afterward Brian, who is one of the smartest people I know (and therefore, I always listen to his comments carefully), told me that he feels that karate is a great way to learn to keep his attention and focus, when we spar for 20 minutes, the moment he has lapse in his attention, that is when he will make a mistake and I would get him. In karate, when sparring, more than anything else I know, if you lose attention, you get immediate feedback. But

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Posture Actually Changes Your Physiology

Avi Rokah

In karate we know how important posture is for effective movement, and that posture has psychological effect as well. When In good posture, it is easy to control body dynamics, transfer ground reaction forces through body center to technique, all muscles are in optimal length for function, and have full potential for contraction/expansion. In good posture one can be more relaxed, perceived the whole picture rather than being stuck in details and be more mentally responsive and flexible. A good or bad posture influences how people perceive you and how you perceive yourself. We know that a posture shows many

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Body, Mind and Brain in Harmony

Avi Rokah

In Karate through many generations, the wisdom and the tools were developed and transmitted to achieve harmony in oneself and with opponent. Those are not beautiful theories only, in karate harmony within oneself and than with the opponent is a necessity. You will get an immediate feedback when facing a good opponent, if you are not “present”, and not in harmony. This harmony has to be there not only when you lie down on the beach, but when you are on the edge, at extreme situations. Mind in karate refers to as heart, feeling, intuitive mind. Harmony in your body

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Form and Formless?

Avi Rokah

Form is limitation, a necessary limitation, therefore ultimately we should be free of form. Being free of form mentally and physically will allow us to flow, adopt, and apply our techniques within any space, angle or instant in time, and from any starting position. With that said, if a beginner starts training without form, they will not likely learn to use the body effectively or develop good timing. Form is a vehicle to achieve no form, but with the principles and skills that allow one to be effective. Ultimately, we want to be like a child who’s mind and body

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Body Mechanics, But First A Little Bit of Physics: By David Schames

Avi Rokah

(David Schames is my student for the last 10 years, since he was 16, very smart and also powerful, we have had interesting discussions about karate principles, so I asked him to put his thoughts in writing, and here is part 1) Nature often follows predictable paterns. Here is a formula that describes “The Big One”: F=ma The equation “Force equals mass times acceleration” is useful because of a key pattern in nature. There is no such thing as a force in nature and it cannot be measured directly with any tool. Force is an extremely useful manmade concept to

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Bypass the Brain in Karate and in Soccer. Study Shower Neymar is “Bypassing the Brain” as we Teach in Karate

Avi Rokah

My good friend from Lithuania, Modestas Tursa, sent me an interesting article about the brain activity of soccer star Neymar during complex movements. In karate we constantly talk about “bypassing the brain”, using the breath to make decisions (along with past experiences and proper wiring of the nervous system).We stress that the brain has to be quiet during the many decisions and lot of information that we have to process in very short time.Judgement, analyzing in intense situations when a lot of factors are involved and decisions has to be made quickly cause doubt, hesitation and conflict in ourselves.The brain

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Does Repetition Make Perfect?

Avi Rokah

One of the characteristics of karate training is repetitions of basics, Sensei Nishiyama used to start the class with hundreds of kizami/gyaku zuki followed by hundreds of kicks. Some researchers believe that it takes about 10,000 repetitions in any art or sport to achieve mastery or expert level of technique. Repetitive practice makes the difference between a world class athlete and the rest. With each repetition we are wiring the nervous system, creating connections and patterns, and the more repetition the more myelin, which is an insulation substance, covers those pathways (Axons). Myelin allows for signals to travel faster and

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Mind Like Ice, Spirit Like Fire

Avi Rokah

This is one of my favorite Budo quotes, describing the optimal mindset for fighting/self defense. One must keep the mind calm and the spirit strong, however the mind must not be carried away by the spirit and vice versa. The other day in class, during a timing drill I mentioned the importance of this mental mode in order to apply techniques effectively. Michael asked me after class, “how do we develop this kind of mental mode?” The answer is complex, some people are innately more calm under pressure, and some people naturally have a stronger spirit, but karate gives us

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