SENSEI LEO-ISMS
Leo-Ism is the term I use while teaching karate. It denotes short sentences that I have used and will continue to use on my students.
1. If you’re not sure how long you want to take Karate, do what I did. Take it for 10 or 15 years and then make up your mind.
2. There are a million reasons NOT to train but there’s only one reason TO train, and you, my fellow students are that reason.
3. Many more students will graduate from college than will get a Black Belt. However, it is an attainable feat.
4. Your Kata looks better than I’ve seen it in the past, but not as good as I will see it in the future.
5. Line up two-by-two, which means you and someone who is not you.
6. Left leg forward, make downward block……….your OTHER left leg.
7. What all of you students are, I was. I am what you will be.
8. We will do Basics until we can no longer do Basics. Then we will do some more!
9. When I am talking to or correcting one student, to whom am I speaking? The answer is “EVERYONE.”
10. I have gone to the store and seen many different types of cans - coke cans, beer cans, vegetable cans – but I have never seen a CAN’T. The fact is, “can’t” is a 4-letter word and we don’t use 4-letter words.
11. We have a special name for the uniform that we wear in Karate. It’s called a “GI”. We also have a special name for the belt we wear. It’s called a “GI-String.”
12. It’s great when the students correct me. That just means that I am teaching them well.
13. Do not be shy in this class. You can be shy in any other class, but in this class you need to “Let it out!”
14. In JKA, all Kata begins with a block. In keeping with Gichin Funakoshi’s precepts (#2 states “There is no first attack in karate.”). Therefore, if your block is not executed with proper intent and focus, you might as well stop the Kata because your defense has been breached.
