In the realm of martial arts, the interplay between form and application has always intrigued practitioners. It is a subject that we delve into deeply in my book, "Breaking Through: The Secrets of Bassai Dai Kata." Today, we are going to expand on the ideas presented in the book and explore the concept of "Where is the Form in the Application?" This article serves as a bridge between the insights shared in the book and the evolving understanding of how form and application interact in our training. In my previous post, "Nerding Out on Kata Bunkai," I emphasized that the application is no ..read more

Cover Page for Totally Taekwondo Breaking Through: The Secrets of Bassai Dai Kata is the new martial arts book written by Colin Wee, a Taekwondo instructor, which has recently been published. In an article featured in Totally Taekwondo Issue 171 May 2023 (see Totally Taekwondo), Wee details his long journey to writing the book, which began before the COVID-19 pandemic but was largely completed during lockdown. Despite the challenges he faced, Wee's dedication and perseverance have paid off with the publication of his book. Wee's previous attempt at writing a martial arts book, ent ..read more

I am so excited to finally announce the launch of my new book, Breaking Through! ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0-9962640-5-1 by Moosul Publishing LLC. It's been a long and challenging journey, but I am thrilled to share it with you all. Breaking Through Cover This book is more than just a guide to martial arts training, it's a holistic approach that encourages consistent progress and increasing returns. It goes beyond the traditional prescriptive analysis of martial form and offers a fresh perspective on training and self-improvement. To celebrate the launch, I will be having ..read more

JDK circa 2003 Overheard at a training hall recently: "I remember how tough training was when we were young. We used to do pushups on broken glass!!!"  The part about broken glass is my clickbait addition. But the hyperbole of how tough training 'used to be' typically continues until the weak and infirmed are totally chafed from such a group.  Tough physical training is of course beneficial for any combat fighter. It toughens your body for encounters. Allows you to withstand the rigours of training. And maximises your potential. However, anyone knows to achieve that high ..read more

“All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” – Bruce Lee It's ironic. The Founder of JKD, that's Jeet Kune Do, and attributed as the Father of MMA, Bruce Lee was brought up schooled in Wing Chun. A talented athlete with a keen intellect, he assessed the tactical strengths of his traditional martial skills (based on those fixed patterns), and then reached for and assimilated new skills to round off his fighting base.     But you don't totally 'empty' your cup of your existing skills. You 'empty' that cu ..read more

Ginny Tyler, author of Mat Time, trains under GM Keith Yates. When I recently found out about her new book from AKATO's FB group, I reached out and offered to help her promote this publication.  A New Christian Devotional Guide While JDK and the Traditional Taekwondo Techniques blog focuses on applications and training methodology, this is not out-of-character for JDK. We believe martial arts training brings a wide range of benefit to practitioners. There are just so many ways to benefit from the entire martial arts community, and this is only one of the examples helping ..read more

Why are there so many upper blocks in Jitte, Jion, and Jiin?  That was the question that was posed to me by Josh. And just one question like that, caused me to dwell on the topic day-in-day-out. Probably further messing around with my presence of mind as I deal with the continuing effects of COVID brain fog.  Kata Bunkai is an interesting area of study. So many instructors on YouTube offer skills based off a static assumptions, and corresponding stances. In my perspective, application begins with the root word 'apply.' You take your tactics, and based off what you are facing from ..read more

I'm not an expert on the subject, but I know it's a knife, not a one step attack. Hold on. What did you say? Did I hear you say ...  ... you are a martial arts black belt master-lever instructor but you're not an expert on this subject? What does that mean?  Well, I'm not all things to all people. I'm a good guy, but I spend my time unpacking my traditional system for unarmed combat. Of course the experience you get from the encounters we often work are an analogy for other engagements. However, ... hand on my heart ... I've not seen enough action in Special Weapons and Tactics ..read more

This is not asking the question 'Where is the Application in the Form?' The last post Nerding Out on Kata Bunkai, I stated "the application is not me teaching the form." In the attached video, you'll see a quick overview of the phrase from the kata which we're referring to, plus two combative variations from this pattern.  Personally, I feel little pressure to make an application look like the form. There are instructors on YouTube who are great at presenting kata or hyung down to the millimeter, and might even have a studio set up which makes their media look beautiful and amazing ..read more

How many karate applications have I seen where the instructor holds his pose to demonstrate that the application being demonstrated is indeed part of the kata? Why are there so many instructors who seem to feel pressure to look EXACTLY like that kata? Does this strike you as strange? Ever been to a bowling alley? Ever seen veteran bowlers do a bizzare little wiggle after they let go of the ball to try and 'remote control' it into a strike? LOL. Holding the pose to show kata bunkai is a bit like that, don't you think? Kata and patterns are a legacy gift, no argument. However, there was a ti ..read more