When I began Shorin Ryu karate over 37 years ago, we were taught these things called katas. When I watched black belts or the instructors doing them, they were quite explosive and beautiful to watch. Some styles have katas that I don’t find as aesthetically pleasing as those from Okinawa, but that’s another story.

Watching white belts – like I was – and even green belts performing katas, was often an exercise in frustration and even entertaining to watch as we tripped, fumbled and stumbled, in an attempt to perform them properly. There was so much to remember! You had to memorize the movements in the proper sequence, the footwork, blocks, punches and posture had to be correct and the breathing measured and controlled. It was hard work.

Katas I was told, were pre-arranged, dancelike movements that contained the components of our karate system in sets – that we could practice and gain strength, power, fluidity, proper form and even a measure of quick response ability aimed at self defense.

I later – much later – learned that katas were even more than that. Not only did they contain the movements of a martial arts system, but they concealed a wealth of hidden self defense applications. Understanding these hidden self defense techniques and breaking them down into practical use was called “Bunkai.”

With the big splash that MMA has made on the world scene, and even before to some degree, there was always a rumbling that kata was a waste of time. I still practiced kata diligently and to this day still run through them to keep them in my memory or work on a certain portion of one for self defense instruction.

Until you’ve trained with instructors who understand the intricacies of Bunkai, you are missing out on the value of your kata. If your Sensei is adept at breaking down the self defense applications of your katas, you’ll begin to have a whole new outlook on practicing and exploring your katas.

A 200 pound pet chimpanzee in Stamford, Connecticut, viciously mauled a woman he had known for years, leaving her critically injured with much of her face torn away, the authorities said.

The 90-kilogram animal was shot and killed on Monday by the police after he assaulted an officer in his car. That is one huge chimp and easily capable of ripping a person limb from limb!

The woman, Charla Nash, 55, a friend of the chimpanzee’s owner, was being treated at Stamford Hospital and might not survive, the authorities said…..full story here…http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/world/americas/17iht-chimp.1.20241928.html

There are lots of self defense deterrents for one to choose from. For those who are so inclined, a gun is extremely effective in thwarting a home invasion and takes no special permit to keep one in your home. If you plan to carry a hand gun, then you’ll need to apply for and be issued a Conceal Carry permit before doing so.

Guns aren’t for everyone and that’s understandable. There are loads of quality self defense products like stun guns, pepper spray, alarms and more that may be just as effective in stopping an attack.

Finally, we have our own will to survive, as well as any self defense training we may have picked up, to resist an attacker with. I recommend that for beginners, one should not use fists to the face – use your palms, as they won’t be injured as easily and will still deliver a crushing strike when employed.

We don’t want to forget to use our elbows and knees to deliver hard blows – again, these are joints in our arsenal that will generally keep you safe from injuring yourself while striking. Scratching eyes, biting – it’s all good when your life is on the line. There are nor rules in a real self defense scenario. You either win and walk away or lose and well….who knows what condition you’ll be left in.

Remember to keep things simple and tap into your primal survival mode if you’re attacked and you find yourself unarmed!

A lifetime ago, (for some readers) we practiced applying very intricate self defense applications against various punches, kicks and grabs.  My first karate teacher always reminded us that this was good fun, but that in real life we would revert to the most basic maneuvers to abruptly end an attack.

Yeah yeah, we murmured as we strove to get fancier, more spectacular applications under our belts and down cold.  I look back now and of course, as always, Sensei knew best.  Long gone are the days when I could quickly step left to block a right handed punch with my right arm, simultaneously grabbing it, while launching a leading leg hook kick, under ‘n over the trapped arm and to the head of my attacker, then quickly retracting it to a chambered position, and smashing him in the face with the instep of my foot with a round kick.  And all of that, without once letting go of the blocked arm, or dropping the kicking leg.

Last night as I worked on the wooden dummy, I looked at my attacker.  He threw the same right handed punch and what was my response?  It was elegant in it’s simplicity and powerful.  Let’s discuss it.  Pay attention because this is a very devastating, fight stopper!

I stood my ground calmly and lifted my left arm up and blocked or deflected the right hand punch while rotating my hips to my right side. This pushes the attacking arm away while turning your centerline 45* to the right. Then, I simply rotated my hips back to the left, continuing my left (blocking) arm’s clockwise motion, which now is guiding the attacking arm downward and leading it back to my left side / opponent’s right side.  As those hips rotate back to the left, the feet pivot with them and the body naturally torques back into the opponent and I launch a powerful palm strike with the heel of my right hand, to the left side of my attackers face.

Want to follow up?  No problem.  Simply continue pivoting your hips and feet while continuing to smash hard palm strikes to the face or rib cage of your attacker.

In all honesty, one extremely fast counterstrike like this should end hostilities. I personally teach to continue striking until the attacker is down or gone.  More is always better, when defending your life with your bare hands.  Read the 4th paragraph carefully a couple of times and practice with a friend, bag, dummy or a door jam.  You’ll begin to feel the extreme power and simplicity in this most basic of self defense applications – I promise!

Some of us knife collecting addicts had a lively discussion on this topic. The original question was posed: “Why do people use cheap blades. I’m talking quality not price. Why do people use the knives that clearly wobble when locked, with mystery blade steel, dull as a rock… get what I’m saying? Why do they choose the knife. My friend is like this. He has very few even halfway decent knives.”

One answer was “because they do not know better and most people feel its insanity to pay $30-$300 for knife”

Another disagreed with knife elitists saying: “I carry a knife which costs 20 bucks, and they don’t advertise their steel, and it is just fine for 99% of what I need. I think you have no idea. I prefer to look at it this way – most folks cut with their knife – and carry one which is in their price range and does what they want it to do. You guys are an exception – caring about what steel your knife is made of is unique to your subset of people – I think you’re being unnecessarily harsh on folks who carry a knife – like you.”

In the end the consensus boiled down to one shared opinion: “the issue is not cheap vs. expensive, but well made for the user’s purpose versus poorly made. I picked up my every day carry knife for 23 bucks. That is a cheap knife, in my opinion, but a good quality tool for my purposes.”

I’ve purchased some cheap but well made folding knives from Safety Enforcement online website. They run from about $12.95 down to $8.95 and with their flat rate shipping fees I usually pick up 2 or 3 of them and the shipping charge stays the same. That’s a deal – they come sharp and for the price point they’re well made folders.

I have some very expensive knives in my collection but for everyday chores like opening cardboard boxes, cutting cords etc, they sure fit the bill!

When we find ourselves in any self defense scenario, the ability to move quickly, run or strike back is in some cases determined by training.  In others, simply being “physically fit” will help in assuring your of survival.

A physically fit person is usually more alert and avoids or responds to an attack better than the person who is not.  Being lethargic, grossly overweight or having poor muscle tone, will make you more susceptible to becoming injured or victimized in a violent crime.

Of course no one can dodge a bullet, but one can easily duck out of the way of a haymaker or rip themselves away from an attacker’s grip if they are fit and alert.

The more physically fit a person is, their reaction time and strength to perform any task is increased proportionately, thus enabling them to survive a physical encounter with greater assurance than one who is out of shape and has an apathetic mindset.

How many of us have decided that this year we will lose weight, quit smoking, build up some muscle?  Lots of folks have I’m sure, but getting started is the hardest part of any discipline.  Once begun, a fitness program of any type will have a snow-balling effect and build up momentum as time goes by.  Just get started!

Stew Smith is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former Navy SEAL, and author of several fitness and self defense books such as The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness, Maximum Fitness, and SWAT Workout. His books are available at Amazon and are all 4.5 and 5 star rated by customers who have purchased them.

Stew has released as a gift, in the first week of January, his 45 Day Beginner Plan.  Check it out and see how easy it to increase your energy and drop a few pounds.  Don’t forget his other books either.  If you go to Amazon online, just copy and paste the titles into the search box, or enter his name and you’ll find them!

I was on my way home and a State Highway Patrol cruiser came whizzing past me at a high rate of speed.  I wondered where he was heading in such a hurry?

I pulled into the driveway and came inside to find my wife on the phone with a family member who has a police scanner.  One of our local youths was killed in an auto accident, only minutes before.  No other details are known as of this post.  That’s where the police car was headed.

I pondered how painful this Christmas would be for the family of that youth who lost his life.  A terrible blow to be sure.  It gives one pause to consider how precious life is.

So, as I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, my hopes are that you’ll all be careful in your comings in and your  goings out.  Use common sense and defend your lives by being aware and not driving if you drink.  See you in 2010!

I sharpened my Benchmade 710D2 the other day and it was a new experience for me.  I’m not accustomed to sharpening re-curve blades, but my Spyderco Sharpmaker and strop was more than up to the task.

D2 is a high grade tool steel and will grind similar to S30V, maybe even a little faster it’s doubtful that you’ll see much difference.  The part you’ll see the difference with is when you pass the brown ceramic stones and start to polish. D2 seems to like a coarser edge better than a polished one, the edge will polish and get very sharp but you do a lot of burr chasing and the performance is no better than if you stopped around 1000 grit.

I began with the diamond rods corners and flats, then the brown, ending with the white ceramic rods.  I put a pencil under the Sharpmaker to get about a 22.5 degree primary bevel, since I like a finer, wider,  edge.  Next, I used the same rods as above at the 30 degree setting to obtain a secondary micro-bevel.   I moved on to the 40 degree setting and repeated again putting a 3rd micro-bevel on the edge. 

This consumed about a good hour but was well worth it as the knife was razor sharp but still just a little bit toothy.  I took a few minute break and took out my stop block which is a shaved, suede leather and soaked with just enough of the green stropping compound, like you get in the Bark River bars.  I then began to lightly strop the toothy D2 edge back and forth, paying attention to my strokes and not missing that re-curved area.  I probably hit it about 30 times per side, softly and letting the blade’s weight do the work.  On the last few passes, I lifted the spine up a bit to convex these bevels. I applied no pressure.

When you strop after sharpening, the slight give that the leather has, follows this multi-angle bevel you’ve applied and blends it into one.  What you end up with is a micro-convexed edge and it’s beautiful.  With my glasses on I could see no more gritty look to the edge, only a mirror like surface.  I had to get a magnifying glass to see the little spikes that the D2 steel retained.

Not bad at all - it shaved hair and cut the finest curly-q’s on a paper cutting test.  It’s no Spyderco edge, but for a hard use blade made of D2 tool steel, I’ll take it.  It’s way sharper than when I got it and better than any grind you’re going to see on a D2 production folding knife.  If you’re going to carry folding knives they’re much safer when they’re sharp!

Recently I discussed one of our Okinawan karate katas with a student, called Gojushiho (meaning 54 steps) which is a denomination of 108. I decided to do some research and I learned that it’s meaning had something to do with the number 108.  It’s said that all Buddhist temples have 108 steps, or walks of 2 sets of 54, or 3 sets of 36.  Interestingly they will be a denomination of 108. 

These 108 steps represent the 108 defilements, or character flaws which Buddhist practitioners try to identify and refine in their lives. These come later in the practice of Buddhism, after learning the Four Noble Truth and Eightfold path.  I will leave you, the reader to type 108 Defilements into a search engine and read them for yourself, since time and space don’t permit me the luxury of listing them all in this post.

Buddhism spread from India, to China and Okinawa / Japan.  The famous Shaolin Temple was Buddhist and the school of Shorin comes from the word Shaolin.  T’ai Chi Ch’uan has routines that consist of 108 movements.  There are also 108 major pressure points to be found in Chinese medicine.  Hmm?

Interestingly, Shorin Ryu karate portrays these ideas, embodied within the name of the kata.  It’s a curious propensity of Asian Martial Arts Masters, some also having been practitioners of Buddhism, to hide meanings within not only the application, or breakdown of a kata, but also right in your face – in this case the name of the kata Gojushiho, itself. 

This may be done to remind one of the Buddhist ancestral roots of the kata that they are performing and perhaps cause a student in future generations to pause and ask “What am I doing?  What exactly does this mean?”