Tosh's Academy of Shorin-Ryu Karate

We are going to this and anyone who wants to go please let Hanshi Rayford know right away!

Great commentary.

This is the flyer for WOSKKA's 25th Anniversary Celebration. Please feel free to share it with anyone that you can think of. As soon as you know for sure whet...her or not you can attend, please mark yourself as "Going" or "Not Going." It will be difficult to calculate and purchase the correct amount of food and other items according to who "may be" attending. Thank you for your consideration. See more

Mark your calendars for WOSKKA's 25th Anniversary Dinner and Celebration on July 31st in Merced, CA. More info to come!Mark your calendars for WOSKKA's 25th Anniversary Dinner and Celebration on July 31st in Merced, CA. More info to come!

Keeping us reminded of this upcoming event! Let's make it happen folks! Let's get back to learning from each other!

An article about power striking that I am proud of. We have been focusing on striking from our "tanden" center of Ki about 2" below the naval. This means that y...ou can achieve great power without distance of arm movement or without pulling back. Sid Campbell and I collaborated on this article and I was on the cover with one of my blackbelts! See more

Here is a great example of a move in our pinan godan!

For those who have never broken a brick, here is a way to start the process, even after makiwara training. Get a decent sized vice and mount it to a fence post..., table or somewhere that it can be rotated and the broken brick can fall without causing damage to a floor. Put the brick in partway and tighten it up. Now when you hit it, you will be able to understand the tinsel strength of the brick and the fear will slowly pass. After much practice, you will be able to break a brick between two blocks on the ground or floor. This also works for wood as well. Remember you also need a strong wrist if you want to use your fist. Don't forget to use a cloth over the brick to avoid scratches when you use your fist. Take it slow and good training. - Hanshi Dan Tosh

My friend Tom Carnes shared this photo and I thought it was a perfect example of what can happen if you are not deeply rooted in your life achievements. In kara...te we practice kihons (basics) and we never stop because if we forget to strengthen our roots and nourish our foundation we will fall and fail in a life that is filled with challenges. If this tree had roots that were deep beyond the surface, it would have stood and weathered the storm. We too need to weather the storms that we experience almost daily. Despair and want, desire and need are always looming around every corner. If we become strong and build a solid foundation in everything we do, we will be better prepared both physically and mentally. Patience and determination are a quality that must be developed and it's never too late to start. Remember it's not boring to be bored when you are training yourself in such disciplines. We, too often hear people say that they are bored and feel that they need to be entertained constantly. Enjoy and benefit of those "boring" moments in a hustle and bustle life. Don't wait for your age to dictate a slowdown, stop and smell the flowers now. Breathe slowly and build the foundation of your life from the inside out.

I am a big fan of Jesse Enkamp, aka "the karate nerd". His videos are always done well and supported by good information. https://www.facebook.com/karatebyjesse/videos/210291483668436/?t=321

A guy put up a comment about karate training being worthless. That he did it for 20 years and none of it worked for him. He said it was only done to promote some hierarchy with regard to those who teach it. My response follows: Karate can be practiced wrong and with empty mind. If you get no practical use out of what you are training in, you have been simply dancing with and without a partner. Real karate requires real training that includes kumite of all kinds. I have been i...n many real fights and my karate training has never let me down. So, please don't waste your time studying any style of karate, if the results are less than desirable. Just because you say that you studied for 20 years or 40 years in something called karate, doesn't mean you really did. There are those who teach pieces of karate but were too impatient to learn all of it, so they pass it along as a way to make money or worse, inflate their ego. Time is not the "telling" of the tale, time can be wasted doing anything. Remember not all MMA fighters win and some are fooled by wanna-be trainers, so this unfortunately does exist in our world and your testimony is proof of it. I am not disagreeing with your commentary, I am actually agreeing with you, but just because the soup you ate was tasteless, doesn't mean soup is tasteless! IMHO - Hanshi Tosh See more