Aiko San always surprised me with her depth of understanding, intuition and wisdom.
One evening about 10 years ago, I was doing kata and Aiko San was standing with her back to me, and all of the sudden she turned around and said: “you are using too much top power.” I felt it was true but asked her how she could tell, since she did not look at me, and she replied that she knew by the sound of my breath.
Since then she surprised me over and over. Without looking at me she told me if my elbows were disconnected, my pelvis misaligned, or if I did not use the stance well. She was always right—only by listening to my breath.
It should not be such a surprise, since the breath should activate the muscles in the right sequence and in the right amount according to the purpose. The breath should match the muscle action and timing of the technique.
Now, I constantly listen to my students’ breath and try to understand their movement through it. By doing so, I also become more in tune with my own breath, muscle action, and technique synchronization. This method has become a valuable teaching tool, especially when guiding beginners and even during karate classes for kids, where breath awareness helps them learn proper coordination.
The deeper I go into this practice, the more I see how essential it is for growth in martial arts. Whether it’s advanced training or simple karate classes for kids, listening to the breath is one of the purest ways to connect technique, body, and mind.