Bit of a long write-up, but a few days off work have given the brain juices time to ferment. Whether that’s produced wisdom or just a more elaborate form of bs remains to be seen. As some of you may have gathered from our social media posts, the Okinawans have now come and gone. There was plenty of training, learning, and of course plenty of good times. But as is usually the case when we get together, I reckon the biggest lessons had bugger-all to do with karate itself. Whene

It’s a question I just asked myself again the other night. Not because I’ve suddenly lost interest in it. Quite the opposite. After all these years, I’m still completely absorbed by it. I still enjoy training, learning, teaching (maybe not so much) and passing on whatever knowledge I’ve managed to collect along the way. But lately I’ve found myself wondering: what happens when there’s nobody who wants what you have to give? When I was a kid, I had a very simple, but sick fant

For the past decade or so, I have had this daily habit of scrolling online real estate listings, and immediately skipping to the floor plans like the pinnacle of emotional stability. Not for the bedrooms or the kitchen, obviously. I’m zooming straight into the garage, the shed, the ceiling height, the weird empty rectangle next to the laundry. Yeaaap… That’s a dojo! Some people are out here manifesting dream homes with marble benchtops, spa bathrooms, and done-up basements fo

** NOTE: Once you start reading this blog, you might feel a little weirded out by the absence of bagging other people out or the general lack of irreverence… well, you’re right. I present to you our fearless leader’s thoughts - Thank you Master Bates. About four years ago, I moved from Brisbane to Hervey Bay - the whale watching capital of the world. It’s also known as “Retirement Bay”, thanks to the number of people who come up here to retire (and the ever-ageing population

I follow this Uechi-ryu group on social media based in Spain. Mostly because of the vibe, maybe the lighting, the overall airiness… and yeah, don't mind the dojo floors either. My own karate and kobudo sensei have even visited the place to run seminars, and you can add several kiai stars from the Olympics too. Uechi Ryu - Shubukan Spain (Every granny and their long lost kid seem to have a dojo called Shubukan...) So the other day, I noticed something that made me stop, squint