Strained calf muscle, pushups and rain = harmony Hmmm, another interpretation of three conflicts. Sunday AM while sparring I felt my calf muscle (right leg) start to seize up. By afternoon I felt a very deep throbbing and my calf was sore to the touch. I very much wanted to get out for a run, but knew my calf muscle …

Sunday sparring, coffee and football – My 2022 fall routine I love this time of year. Fall! There is a briskness in the morning air, the leaves are starting to change color and it is football season. Dirk-san and I have gotten into a Sunday AM sparring and coffee afterward routine, which is great and necessary for us to keep …

Sanchin (三戦) – Three Conflicts One thing I am learning over the years I have been training in karate is I have just really scratched the surface. The depth of our own Isshinryu codes and the dimensions of possible interpretations seem endless. And these codes in turn have many layers to them, having been derived from other lineages, systems, spiritual …

Boston Marathon 2023? Well, 2023 is stacking up to be a very exciting year! Of course, my black belt test and should I pass, it will be an accomplishment for me, like no other. I have written this before but I do see some parallels in training in karate and running a marathon; it is about being able to hold …

Meanwhile the One Heart Challenge is down to only David san and me. Geneva san unfortunately got injured during her practice and together with sensei Oliver she decided to continue next year. In addition Geneva san started her college career at Cal Poly Humboldt this fall. I am sad to see her go and wish her all the best for …

Throwback Thursday – Part 3 The style of karate I was practicing in Germany was Shorin-ryu Shidokan. It was founded in 1948 by Katsuya Miyahira, who was a student of Chokki Motubo and Choshin Chibana. Chibana was one of the main representatives of the Shorin-ryu (also read as Kobayashi) on Okinawa. In 1956 Miyahira built his dojo in the garden …

Throwback Thursday – Part 2 After I finished my study in 2004 I had to move back to my parents. Job market for civil engineers in Germany was super bad at the time. Over the course of a year I wrote 300+ applications all over Europe trying to find a job. During that time my karate practice was reduced to …

Throwback Thursday My karate journey started some 20 years ago at the beginning of the 2000s. At that time I was still studying Civil Engineering in Cottbus, Brandenburg Germany. My friend Gunnar asked me if I wanted to do some self-defense. He knows somebody who is also a student and teaches karate. I was interested and so I showed up …

More miles on my journey… Had the opportunity to meet with some running friends in Portland to participate in the annual Hood to Coast 196 mile relay run. The relay starts at the base of Mt. Hood and winds its way down through multiple towns, through Portland and ends on the coast at Seaside. I have participated for over 21 …

Training in the alpine air! A few weeks ago, Dirk-san and I took a trip to my family cabin up at Huntington Lake. We departed from Sacramento after Thursday night sparring class, and arrived at the cabin after midnight Friday AM. After unloading and settling in a bit, we proceeded to get a restful nights sleep. There is something very …