Real-World Lessons for a Functional Karate System (Part 2) Author: Tony Bolton In Part 1, we looked at the mechanical and strategic gaps in modern training. But a fight is not just physics; it is physiology and psychology. When the conversation stops and violence begins, you are not fighting the opponent in front of you. […]
There is a curious obsession in traditional martial arts, and karate in particular, with the way you stand. Not with how you move, not with how you get somewhere, but with the precise frozen moment at the end of a technique — the stance. The angle of the foot. The bend of the knee. The […]
Real-World Lessons for a Functional Karate System (Part 1) Author: Tony Bolton We often describe traditional Japanese Karate as a "Japanese Garden"—beautiful, structured, and manicured. But real violence is a jungle. It is chaotic, messy, and unfair. If we want our karate to be more than just successful choreography, we must acknowledge where the gaps […]
A few years ago we recorded a GLIMPSE video that got a bit of attention. We were asked to create a readable version for those of you who do not want to sit through a lengthy chat. Fear originates in the amygdala, triggering a chemical cascade including adrenaline. Everyone reacts physically the same way — […]
In today's martial arts landscape, where many schools focus primarily on competitive sports or strict traditional forms, Missing Link Martial Arts takes a distinctly different approach. Our community's philosophy goes beyond the mere physical aspects of martial arts training to create something truly unique. Beyond Techniques and Syllabus While many martial arts styles define themselves […]
The concept of Missing Link has a long history. On the one hand, in terms of traditional martial arts that all of our founder circle and master circle members have studied for many decades. On the other hand, in the way way our own community developed. In the 90s, we started the Hatsuun Jindo Akademie […]
The topic isn't exactly new, and we have had a long KarateTalk about it some years ago, but it is a discussion that pops up again and again. What does all the traditional martial arts stuff even mean in our modern world? Shouldn't we drop the whole philosophy and "deep background" of martial arts - […]
I remember times when the word “Winter” triggered mostly positive emotions: Snow (yay!), holidays, Christmas and baked apples. Today, there seems to be a certain feeling of doom and gloom connected to winter time, maybe partly due to my age, and surely thanks to the pandemic experience of the last years. Winter will be a […]
It has been more than two decades ago when I first started identifying an issue that became a defining topic for my work in the years since then. In the lack of a better term we called it "Entkörperung", back in the days in Germany, when we worked on the violence prevention concept that defined […]
So we survived. Remember the end of 2020? When we collectively said good bye to year full of challenges and hoped for a better start in 2021? Things are never quite that easy, it seems. Whatever your opinion about the years of the pandemic or the way it has been managed, we now think about […]