What “Fighting!” Means to Koreans
Korean winters are incredibly cold. The summers are hot and wet, and walking outside can feel like walking into a warm bath. That's not...
Japanese Okinawan Vocabulary
When pronouncing Japanese and Okinawan words, remember that each syllable is stressed equally when saying multi-syllable words (i.e., ka-ra-te, not kar-ate). All syllables of...
Are You Training A Martial Arts Style Or System?
Current times discussions and written treatises on martial arts training often treat the terms "Style" and "System" as interchangeable, yet they are not at...
The Meaning of Soke
Soke (Sōke) pronounced (so - ke), is a Japanese term that means "the head family (house)."
In the realm of Japanese traditional arts, it is...
Sensei – The Origin and Meaning Word
In various martial arts there are different names for the titles of some master ranks In the following text I am going to mention...
The Term Dojo
This is not an attempt to give either a history of Buddhism or Zen-Buddhisms arrival and its impact on Japan. It is only meant...
A Different Definition of Ai-Yotsu and Kenka Yotsu
In order to truly understand the difference between the terms Ai-Yotsu and Kenka Yotsu, one should dismiss the definitions of so called right-handed and...
Iai or Batto
The very word Iai is the subject of numerous grading essays and has many layers of meaning but its basic interpretation seems to be...
Kendo Shai Glossary
Kendo.com tells us that Kendo, the “Way Of The Sword” is the traditional Japanese style of fencing that today is a modern martial art...
Basic Sumo Terms
Banzuke: An ordered list of men fighting up through the ranks of professional Sumo; a ranking sheet.
Basho: A sumo tournament. In a sanctioned competition,...
Korean Vocabulary
If you have studied Tang Soo Do or another Korean martial art you have probably
heard these Korean vocabulary words and terms used in your...
Counting in Japanese
If you study Japanese Martial Arts then it is highly likely that your instructor does some counting in Japanese. Here are the numbers, their...
Asian Word Pronunciation
The charts below give an approximate Asian word pronunciation of words in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
The Japanese alphabet consists of 99 sounds formed with...
Martial Arts Definitions A
Abaniko:
This Arnis striking technique uses a stick in a movement which resembles a fan motion.
Acupressure:
In this process, the channels through which chi, or life...
Martial Arts Definitions B
Badik:
A Malayan dagger shaped like a butterfly whose straight blade bears one sharp edge.
Ba Gua Zhang:
Translated as Eight Trigram Palm. One of the three...
Martial Arts Definitions C
Capoeira:
A Brazilian form of combat adapted by African slaves to fight oppression. Capoeira is dance-like, and many believe it was developed this way to...