Goju Hall #25-66 Blog

Contact [ page ] Mon Aug 25, 2008

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I was discussing the idea of "reptition beats intensity" with a new and older student. That is to say, a student, new to karate, but well acquainted with the world. He was concerned about his speed of learning. When you first start kata, it can seem overwhelming, as well it is. The first katas are simple, kinesthetically speaking, but they represent a different psychological approach than most people are used to. Intentional simplicity? Very confusing. But this post is not about kata, but about where one goes with one's karate. This student was intimidated by the learning curve. Yet the learning curve is not what karate is about. Sure, everyone is climbing that curve, but where you are on it, and how fast you climb, it is irrelevant, as long as you don't stop. It's hard to see that when you begin, hard to look at others and gauge the progression one will follow oneself.
Favorite stance [ poll ] Wed Jul 26, 2006
  • zenkutsu dachi
  • kiba dachi
  • neko ashi dachi
  • sanchin dachi
  • kokutsu dachi
  • tsuru dachi
  • hachiji dachi
  • fighting stance
Ft Myers Shiai [ image ] Wed Jul 26, 2006
Favorite kick [ poll ] Mon Jul 17, 2006
  • mae geri
  • yoko geri
  • ushiro geri
  • mawashi geri
  • hiza geri
  • kagi geri
  • fumikomi geri
  • mikazuki geri
Spammer Defense: Captchas [ story ] Mon May 08, 2006
Finally, I set a captcha up on the email form. While I turned off most comments, I left at least that route open, but I probably missed some messages amongst all the spam coming in on that form. With the captcha in place, the personal spam should go way down, at least until spammers add image processing to their repertoire. Thanks
Beginning Kata: What is it? [ blog ] Sun May 07, 2006
The initial tekis have no real world application. Then why learn them? They are a crystalization of several ingredients which give future katas their flavor. Th flavor is too complex for the beginning student to savor, so they are broken out to be sampled a little bit at a time in an underwhelming format.
click for details about this location
Ack, you got me [ story ] Fri Jan 06, 2006
The comment spam and trackbacks have become excessive. I'd like to keep commentary open, and I would fight the spam, but as karate is often practiced by kids, it is likely that kids will visit this website. Due to the generally obscene nature of most link spam, I am disabling commentary. To anybody who was subjected to it, you have my sincere apologies. If you would like to rant and rave, you may still contact me directly.
Empi-ha at Oakstead [ image ] Thu Aug 18, 2005
an assortment of blackbelts and kyus practicing empi-ha during the trip to Tampa on August 13th, 2005
Group photo from Oakstead [ image ] Thu Aug 18, 2005
Some of the kids from first class along with our visitors from South Florida on August 13th, 2005. Thanks to everyone for making the trip.
I can't believe I'm posting another one of these... First off, since this keeps happening, I've been hearing alot of people saying the law needs to be toughened. I'm not going to discuss that subject here, but I will say this: Toughening the law will not bring a child back to life. Nor will it undo the effects of an assault. A sociopath, by definition, does not consider the outcomes of their actions. If the sociopath did that, he would not commit the crime to begin with. We're not talking a thief here, who, on one hand, has no money, but on the other, fear the repercussions of being caught. We're talking about someone whose brain is malfunctioning.
Links for Goju Tampa [ page ] Wed Apr 06, 2005

There are many other USA Goju Federation Dojos, though only one in Tampa. If you are in South Florida or Georgia, check here

The State of Florida has its statutes online. You can read about the statutes having to do with self defense here

The Church For Sanctuary, a blog by a minister in Tampa, who provides services in person and religious guidance via the internet.

How to Navigate This Site [ page ] Wed Apr 06, 2005
This site is organized into three columns. If you're starting on the home page the center column is for my primary content, which includes general information, class scheduling, with the occasionally news item thrown in.. when something martial arts-related hits the news... To the left you will see blog section , which contain content of a more personal nature; what it's like to follow the way of karate-do. The aformentioned categories are local to this site. The far right column includes news from other sites. Since that column is external content, I have little control over exactly what is posted. I try to syndicate content relative to martial arts, including nutrition and fitness, and links to other karate blogs.
Tampa Karate: The USA Goju Federation [ page ] Sat Apr 02, 2005

USA Goju Federation Karate was developed by Master Joseph Kelljchian. It extends the lineage of Goju Karate, which you can read about on the history page. Goju Karate is an art of empty handed fighting which harmonizes hard and soft.
Three types of classes are available in the Tampa, Florida USAGF school:
Fall Children's Karate Classes are currently held at Oakstead Park.
I was going through my empty hand katas today in the USF Rec Center. They had the Borg Scale (also known as Rate of Perceived Exertion) listed on one of the walls. Between forms I would glance at it, and I started thinking about how I would rate the performance of kata. Also, what should it be? If you are not familiar, the RPE is an arbitrary number indicating how hard you are working. It starts a 7 (I assume below 7 your are comatose or dead), and goes up to 20: maximal exertion. Around 10 is an easy pace.
The abduction and slaying of Jessica Lunsford is a tragic loss for the family, and there is no way to express what the death of a child entails, a whole potention universe has been ended. What upsets me about this is how much can be done to prevent these kind of occurences. Jessica is dead, but the living can do something to reduce the likelihood of this happening again. Just a year ago, Carlie Brucia was abducted and killed near a carwash in Sarasota. Now a scant 100 miles away, a similar event takes place.
Sensei Keith Teller is having a tournament on March 12th, which numerous karateka from South Florida will be driving up for. This is a much easier for us in Tampa, so I suggest if you're in the area, you should try to go. Read more for directions.
How to tie the obi (karate belt) [ page ] Wed Mar 09, 2005
The karate obi is tied in a square knot. Below are some instructions. It's not easy to describe, so if you have suggestions, please comment, and I'll try to make it easier to follow.
Here are websites for the law enforcement agencies near dojos served by this website: In an emergency, of course, you shouldn't be looking at web pages. You should be calling 911.