Lonsdale Karate

11/21/2025

I arrived in Brazil safely and did some sightseeing with Lucas and Thomas. I was surprised to see a local guy wearing a hoodie with Minnesota on it, so we had to get a photo. Thanks for the warm welcome!

11/18/2025

I will be heading to Brazil tomorrow to help with a seminar that Thomas Podzelny arranged with some of his Zoom students in Rio. This will be my first trip to South America, so I am looking forward to it. While I am out, An Chi will also miss some classes due to scheduling conflicts with the university courses she is taking. So, I have asked Ryan to open the dojo. Typically, we would want at least a 3rd Degree Black Belt leading classes, but while we are both out, please have whoever is senior lead the class covering basics, then forms. Everyone can benefit from the time on the floor, and I am grateful to have members willing to step up and keep things going.

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11/18/2025

It has been a busy few days. Gary and I visited Nakata Sensei when he hosted Murayama Shihan in Urbandale on Saturday. Thank you for the kind welcome, gents. Then we had 14 people training to start the week in our 7-Adult class on Monday, as well as 3 in our 4-6 year-old class.

11/14/2025

Thanks to Jerry and Troy for stopping in tonight.

11/10/2025

Lonsdale Karate is owned and operated by a veteran of 24+ years, split between enlisted time in the Marines and commissioned time in the Navy. Happy Marine Corps Birthday today and Veterans' Day tomorrow.

11/08/2025

Humility is at the core of martial arts training. My teacher was known for saying that there is always someone stronger in the world. This was a reminder to not only train hard, but to be respectful of others and to seek harmony where possible. I have been around some of the most accomplished martial artists in the world, and they all comport themselves with humility, dignity, and respect.

So, when I see people behaving in a self-aggrandizing, boastful way while competing or demonstrating forms, I am disheartened. The exaggerated kiais and haughty posing are anathema to humility, respect, and dignity. If you are being taught to make big poses like the one in the photo below, I hope you reconsider your instruction. If you are teaching people to do this, then I urge you to think about what such actions do to your student's sense of humility.

11/08/2025

Virtually everyone agrees that discipline is a core component of martial arts training. The best form of discipline is self-discipline. Running a class like boot camp may instill instant obedience to directions, but I don't know if it helps to nurture self-discipline. Having students call their teachers' master 'and shout out mindless 'yes-sir, no-sir' type responses to prompts forces a hierarchy without much room to grow. Asking students what they learned in class and what insights they gained from the training goes much further toward fostering critical thinking and agency in their own development.

I attended Marine Corps Boot Camp and the Navy's Direct Commissioned Officer Training. The approaches used in each differ slightly and were appropriate for the mission and the time allowed for the critical training. I also hold an MBA. Having experienced both externally forced discipline and intrinsically motivated discipline in an academic environment, I have modeled my classes after the latter.

I don't use a militarized approach to running classes. I model self-discipline and guide students toward developing discipline on their own. Rather than a Drill Instructor-to-Recruit type interaction, I am seeking a Professor-to-Graduate Student type atmosphere. While my approach may be more difficult, I know it results in better outcomes for the students.

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11/08/2025

We teach a class for students aged 4-6, Monday - Wednesday - Friday, from 4:30 to 5:15. We cover stances, punches, kicks, blocks, and movement. It is a good foundation for eventually learning kata and applications. By the time students learn the first kata, they are ready for the next class from 5:15 to 6:15 for ages 7-12.

11/07/2025

Many martial arts schools run programs that only target kids. That is why most Americans think that karate is a children's activity. While martial arts is great for kids, it is even more valuable for adults. At the Shimbukan Dojo, we would love to see people of all ages benefiting from the challenges and achievements that come from traditional Okinawan Karate. We teach appropriate techniques for all ages. Come check out our classes geared for teens and adults!

11/07/2025

I will have hip surgery on Dec 9. I have advanced arthritis in both hips, with a lot of pain in my right hip. Over the last 15 years of dealing with this I have lost a lot of range of motion and strength as I avoided using my hip. I hope that with the replacement I can get back to moving more naturally and training for strength and stability at the ends of the range of motion as I had been accustomed to doing in the past. I know I am not supposed to stretch to the extremes after the replacement, so I probably won't get back to doing splits, but I do hope to be able to do mid level kicking again.

11/05/2025

We recognized some recent advancements in the Kyu Grades.

11/05/2025

Bones the Blue Belt visited the dojo for Halloween.