Category Archives: Wado Ryu

False Karate Makes You Suffer, True Karate Makes You…Forever

Posted on December 1, 2010 by | 1 Comment

I had a fellow write in a win, and he included this quote, which I found most interesting, and showed the true depth of the student, and showed that he was studying True Karate.

Sri Nisargatta Maharaj once said, “It is always the false that makes you suffer, the false desires and fears, the false values and ideas, the false relationships between people. Abandon the false and you are free of pain; truth makes happy, truth liberates.”

We can take this, on the surface, to be a reflection of our lives. Do we lie to our friends? Do we lie to our enemies? Do our lives become lies?

Taken a little deeper, is your karate a false karate? Are the principles physically sound? Do you end up craving the joy of combat? Or do you feel the deep peace and satisfaction at the end of every workout…the peace and satisfaction that puts aside the weapons and the hostility in the soul?

Karate is deeper than words, for words rarely echo, but the practice of true karate results in your self knowledge. If you feel more ‘I am’ at the end of your workout, then you are doing True Karate.

You can find out more about True Karate at Monster Martial Arts. Pick up a free book while you’re there. Win #54

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Posted in Karate, karate instructor, karate kata, karate lessons, kenpo, kenpo karate, learn karate at home, Okinawan Karate, Taekwondo, Wado Ryu

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How to Learn from a Karate Manual

Posted on November 19, 2010 by | Leave a comment

To learn from a Karate Manual the first thing is to get a manual that is full page size, and is ring bound. Then you can open the sucker up flat and view two pages at a time. Hopefully the writing is the right size so you can absorb at a glance without having to bend down and read. Downloads can be good, because you can print the pages off and lay them out. If the writing is too small, then copy it to your word program and change the size of the font, and all that sort of the thing. Here’s a win…

Hi Al. Have read almost half of the manual and it’s very interesting. Dennis

Some of my earlier books are tight and tiny, but nowadays I always try to write so that you can actually lay the book out and do it. The biggest mistake people make, however, is not with the book, it is that they don’t take the time to do enough repetitions of the material so that they can remember it before they move on. I’ve seen a lot of half finished books, and that’s too bad. Whether Karate book or kung fu book or whatever, the learning process can be sped up and you can learn whole arts at your leisure and have a lot of fun. I’ve got a free karate manual for download. It’s not big written, but you can at least check out the quality of my writing and see what you can learn from a well written karate manual.

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Posted in free karate, free karate online, karate DVD, karate forms, learn karate at home, learn karate free, Shito Ryu, Shotokan, Taekwondo, Wado Ryu

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Win #25–Why People Fight Before They Learn Karate

Posted on November 11, 2010 by | Leave a comment

And, if they are fighting before they learn karate, what happens to them that they don’t fight after they start learning karate.

The fact is, once you start making a plan for an emergency, the emergency doesn’t happen. This is one of those universe oddities.

The mugger won’t jump you while you’re looking…he’ll jump you when you’re not looking.

Where awareness is, you see, trouble doesn’t start. Here’s a totally generic win that is exactly on the spot.

“It’s not ironic that I’ve not had a physical confrontation since beginning my martial arts training under Al Case. What’s more interesting is that I enjoy this new life style.”

Now, you don’t know karate? Or some other martial art? You are a walking target. You will, somehow, actually cause somebody to jump you.

Let’s not talk about lack of confidence, or an inability to take care of business…you’re just unaware in a field of study that demands awareness, and once begun, you will always be protected by that awareness.

On another note, If you want an absolutely free book on Karate, go to

http://www.25martialartsbooks.com

Don’t get mugged on the way. Heh.

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Posted in Isshin Ryu, Karate, karate DVD, learn karate at home, Okinawan Karate, Shito Ryu, Shotokan, Taekwondo, Uechi Ryu, Wado Ryu

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Win #23–Karate as a First Martial Art

Posted on November 9, 2010 by | Leave a comment

I like Karate as a first art because it is solid in the basics. Later, when you have experience, it’s fun to twist the basics, create different types of energy, learn sneaky ways of bashing somebody. But, in the beginning, Karate is the best. Straightforward power that can out kick a donkey, out slam a gorilla, and is just plain fun!

If I had not learned this as my first art, I would not be where am today. The basics, the foundation; a solid point upon which to stand, was essential to me as a martial artist. Few people truly understand what the basics are, let alone how important they are. Karate taught me all of this and I finished the program with confidence that I could apply what I had learned.

It’s true that people don’t understand what basics are. Take a look at the Pan Gai Noon Sanchin form. Goku does it for breathing, Shotokan does it for technique, uechi does it for dynamic tension…and they all are only partially right. Ground the weight, turn on the tan tien, and put the energy in the hands. The other theories are all right, but they miss the boat if they don’t concentrate on these three principles, and just these three principles.

Here’s a vid snip of me teaching Sanchin to my son many years ago. Karate was his first martial art, and it saved his life. Literally. Take a look at the columns at Monster Martial Arts and you’ll come across the tale.

Talk to you later.

Al

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Posted in Isshin Ryu, Karate, karate DVD, kenpo, kenpo karate, Korean Karate, kwon bup, learn karate at home, Martial Arts, Okinawan Karate, Shito Ryu, Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do, Taekwondo, Uechi Ryu, Wado Ryu

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Win #16–The Deep, Dark, Karate Secret

Posted on November 5, 2010 by | Leave a comment

When I began the martial arts I thought there was some serious karate secret that the masters knew that nobody else did. If I could only find this secret I could have everything wanted: money, women, respect…maybe I wouldn’t even be a dweeb. Interestingly, there is a secret, but it ain’t what you think. And it is easy to find out. Just a little hard work and common sense, and anyone can have it. Here’s a win from one of my students about this dark mystery. Like many others, I used to like to believe that there was a great mystery out there; that there was some kind of unattainable power and wisdom that I could only reach for in my dreams. Mr. Case has taken my wonderful dark mystery away and replaced it with facts that work; that work beautifully actually. Truth is a good thing, but sometimes a rude awakening can be best avoided by a longer slumber. Which path you choose is up to you. Just remember to shield your eyes if you’re opening them for the first time; it can be bright and painful to the pride at first.” ?HH (12 years of martial arts experience) Now isn’t that interesting? It seems that the mystery is easy to understand, but what is hard to take is the fact that you were blind enough not to see it in the first place. Well, it is easy to see, but the thing that stops most everybody from seeing it is the fact that: 1) they think they know better. 2) my art is best. 3) I’m already studying under somebody who knows everything. And so on. The prime problem here, you see, is that you must be willing to learn before you can learn. Doing push ups and forms until you sweat is fine, but when are you going to work out that brain? When are you going to say…maybe I don’t know everything…maybe there is something else under the sun. When are you going to open up and accept data and actually think. I know it sounds like I’m in your face, but I’m not. I’m just stating something that scares most people. Shut up thinking you know everything and be willing to learn something. That’s the truth, that’s the truth HH had to confront before he could start to learn, that’s the truth that near every martial artist in the world has to face before he can learn the real martial arts, and before he can find out the truth about this deep, dark karate secret thing.

Feel free to visit Monster Martial Arts, pick up a free ebook, and find out if I might actually have something to offer. Have a great work out.

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Posted in Isshin Ryu, Karate, karate DVD, kenpo, kenpo karate, Korean Karate, kwon bup, learn karate at home, Martial Arts, Okinawan Karate, Shito Ryu, Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do, Taekwondo, Uechi Ryu, Wado Ryu

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Win #5 If You Want to Start Your Own Martial Arts School Read This!

Posted on October 31, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Here’s a lesson I gave a fellow, heh heh, after you watch it scroll down for the real skinny on starting your very own martial arts school.

http://www.youtube.com/user/aganzul#p/u/6/Fk1pYvc3Nzs

I received this win out of the blue, and it knocked my socks off. I mean, I wrote articles for the mags, and had no idea that they were having effect. Well, they were…

Dear Mr. Case, ?Since the age of 11 have dreamed of having my own dojo.  I want to thank you for your ‘garage-dojo” article in August ’98.   After reading that article, I had no doubt that it was going to be a reality…?…I decided that it was time to give my own school a shot. I looked around for a rental–everything was so small, and I had no money in which to do this, this was July of ’98–in August I read your article, and it helped me understand that it wasn’t the walls and equipment my student would come for, it was me and how I handle and, taught my students. Simply, my skills mattered more than my age and rank, and if Bruce Lee taught in a garage—so could I.  So I took the cheapest rental I could find; I started my school with 1 kicking target a mat and four walls. Since opening day, Nov 16th 1998, I have moved to a larger location, now I have 12 kicking targets, 3 matts-and much more training equipment. I’m still a small dojo– but I don’t care to be too big, I’d rather keep it personal. I know the growth of each one of my students, and I have 3 black belt candidates with one that could test in the next year. To sum my progress up, in the past 6 years I have made a name for my dojo in the valley, and  I am a competitor for my old instructors school. Be sure to tell Andrew Wood that it isn’t your programs that wins the student, it’s your honesty, compassion for the student and your love of the martial arts…. PM?ps–I love your site: martial arts is about passing on your teachings, not holding back for an extra fee.

So if you feel like teaching, take the handcuffs off and start bashing! The only person that can stop you is you.

If you need any help in setting up a checklist for starting a martial arts school, or on how to teach, or anything at all, peruse MonsterMartialArts.com

Take care and have a great work out!

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Posted in Isshin Ryu, Karate, Korean Karate, Martial Arts, Okinawan Karate, Shito Ryu, Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do, Taekwondo, Uechi Ryu, Wado Ryu

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