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When I think about the way karate is traditionally taught, one thing stands out: the overwhelming emphasis placed on solo kihon...

Happy New Year everyone! As tier 3 and tier 4 is common place over here in England, I thought I'd re-share one of our curriculum models -...

https://www.leighsimms.com/podcast/episode/c0875858/striking-thoughts-podcast-episode-6-john-titchen-part-1 Enjoy!

The title of this post is a comment which summaries an argument often used in attempt to discredit a karate technique or kata application...

One of the silver linings in this dark cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic is the way in which so many karate-ka have engaged with social...

Most reading this article have likely come across a phrase along the lines of “function over form”. It's a phrase which has been used by...

Here at Leigh Simms Progressive Karate, my aim is to help you to train in high quality kata applications which are within the law and...

In this series of short articles, I will be writing about some of the common fighting concepts found within traditional karate kata. In...

Originally posted in March 2018. This past Sunday I shared my views on some of the techniques found in Kanku Sho. Sadly, due to time...

Don’t obsess over the attack! A cautionary tale for those progressing Karate The archetypical “traditional” karate class, where students...

Some Martial Arts record physical self-defence techniques in forms (kata, poomsae, taolu) which can then be extracted and drilled against...

Hikite is the Japanese term for “pulling hand”. Hiki meaning pull and Te meaning hand. Due to the way in which Karate has evolved, the...

Why I train without a gi for solo kata practice and you may want to too. ​​It was around 12 years when I first began to specialise my...

Ippon Kumite (one step sparring) is a form of practice that is prevalent in Karate systems and related arts such as Taekwondo. Whilst the...

Hours of content can be found on our Youtube Channel: - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-wPdYlg_o2R3RpZtnRpcew?view_as=subscriber...

Originally posted November 2015. In this post, I want to look at the whether or not Shotokan Kata have Pracitcal Kata Applications within...