Tai Sabaki

Tai sabaki (äœ“ă•ă°ă) is a term from Japanese martial arts and which relates to ‘whole body movement’, or repositioning. It can be translated as body-management. It is a term used widely in and very important in Kendo, Jujutsu, Aikido, Judo, Karate and Ninjutsu.  Tai sabaki is usually used to avoid an attack, such that the[…]

Titles and Ranking in Karate

Titles and Ranking in Karate Dai-Sempai: dai meaning “big” or great” and often used in the context “big brother of the class” (usually given to a 1st kyu brown belt and junior black belt) Senpai/Sempai: means “mentor” or “senior” often used to indicate an assistant instructor (usually 1st and 2nd dan) Sensei: means “one who[…]

Go Shin Jutsu

Go Shin Jutsu is commonly translated as “Self-Defence Technique” (or sometimes Self-Defence Art). Looking at the kanji which make up this term, the translation seems straightforward–“Go” (è­·) is usually translated as “defence” or “protect”, “Shin” (èș«) is translated as “body” or “one’s self”, and “Jutsu” (èĄ“) is usually “technique” or “art” (more details regarding jutsu[…]