Some deeply personal thoughts by Sensei Chris Edwards The people that know me well know how much I struggle with my Mental Health. My one saving grace between my job as a Nurse and my other stresses in life is Martial Arts. Without Martial Arts, or Karate in particular, I know for a fact I […]
Parents often bring their children to the dojo with a specific vision in mind. They hope for a bully-proof child, better school grades, iron discipline, and perhaps some lovely photos in a crisp white uniform for the grandparents. These are understandable desires. Yet, they often miss the actual purpose of our practice.Martial arts is not […]
Thoughts by Sensei Sandro Sandten Does martial arts train character? Many of us started martial arts because we were looking for more than just movement or self-defence. We wanted to develop a posture—an attitude—to understand ourselves better and to find a path that connects physical training with personal development. There is a lot of talk […]
Sensei Sandro Sandten about Peer Tutoring in Martial Arts. In Karate, you often get the feeling that you have to work everything out for yourself. But many eventually discover that learning in the Dojo becomes much easier when you have someone by your side. Someone who understands where you are, and helps you stick with […]
Missing Link is the Method. Gendai Koryu Karate is the Style. After nearly 15 years of Missing Link Martial Arts, we have decided that the Karate we practice deserves its own name. For a long time, we had good reasons to stay away from specific lineages, style names, or large official organisations. We wanted the […]
Why Missing Link teachers are guides, not gatekeepers It’s a familiar figure in any dojo, in any art. The competitor who is untouchable in point-sparring but freezes when the context changes. The kata specialist whose form is a breathtaking display of athletic perfection, yet who possesses only a superficial understanding of its application. The historian […]
Sensei Heero Miketta about Empowering the Student… and the Teacher Traditional karate, and many well-known martial arts, are built on checklists. Kihon, Kata, Kumite: three sacred pillars, three tick-boxes. Master the external performance, copy your teacher’s version, receive your grade. But where did these boxes come from? Kihon drills and kata sequences have grown more […]
Sensei Tony Bolton, Manchester, addresses a particularly difficult issue In recent years, UK police statistics have highlighted a concerning trend: as children transition from primary to secondary school, their risk of becoming either victims or perpetrators of antisocial behavior and criminal activities increases dramatically. While social media and rapid news circulation may amplify these concerns […]
Learning martial arts online – is that even possible? The short answer is: No. Martial arts needs the whole person, connects body and mind. Learning it is based on experience in the dojo, with and without partner, with a good teacher who literally stays in touch with their students. It takes time, patience and endurance […]
I always try to push my students beyond technique. Always trying to open pathways of understanding and giving them the possibility of understanding the underlying general principles, that will crack open, not just that technique, but all of them. The other day we were training a simple drill, where one person (the defender) lies face […]