Month: December 2017

In traditional karate, once formal training exercises are completed and before the student bows to indicate they’re finished, there’s a short pause. In Japanese that interval or pause is called “zanshin”, or “remaining mind.” This is a very important part of Japanese martial arts. Zanshin is when the practioner takes a second to reflect, takes … [Read more…]

In 1988, I watched my teacher practicing a weapons form in a university gymnasium nearby. He went from one end of the basketball court to the other, back and forth, repeatedly. This continued for 45 minutes. At some point, he dropped the weapon. I didn’t know if his hands were sweaty or he had been … [Read more…]