Fukutsu Martial Arts

Hi all, Hope you had an enjoyable summer holiday break. A reminder classes are back on, Monday 2nd of February from 5pm. 2026 in the Chinese/Japanese New Year is the year of the horse. The year of the horse signifies energy, freedom and forward momentum.

'After the rain, the ground hardens' Japanese proverb

Hope you had a relaxing holiday break. Training for term 2 begins tomorrow, 5.15pm Monday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKffcbsv2os

Ed Sheeran's Thoughts On Success & Failure! Ed Sheeran's thoughts on success & failure:"You learn nothing from success. Nothing. You learn everything from the failures... Success happens from failing h...

Reminder: this coming weekend we are having Shugyo.

Shugyo
Shugyo (shoo-gi-oh) is a Japanese word that translates as follows shu – discipline and gyo – journey. Shugyo is a demanding and rigorous training session that once completed you would have learnt something about yourself. It is an opportunity to push yourself to greater limits and harden the spirit. The common element of shugyo is that the individual drives himself/herself to a level of endurance beyond what he/she previously believed possible. Shugyo is not a routine part of training or something you do daily, weekly or even monthly. It is reserved for a special occasion. As the individual grows, they will realise that shugyo does not have to take place at a martial arts training hall and you do not need someone else to drive you. It can be any project that tests your physical and emotional limits. Following shugyo rest and release is important and you should always reward yourself when you have competed it.

Grip Strength
A key component of martial arts is fitness. Included in the fitness checks tonight is grip strength. Grip strength is a good indicator of your overall strength. Studies have also linked grip strength as an indicator of mobility, working memory and processing speed, bone density and heart health.
Below is normative data to show what is typical strength for that age band. This has been included to give you a benchmark as to where you are at.
Remember in martial arts our main competitor is ourselves, so we want to make an improvement, in time, on our own result. Also, we want to be working on both our dominant and non-dominant sides for creating balance.

Hope you all had an enjoyable holiday break. Mondays' class for children starts again this coming week from 5.15pm.

Success
I recently watched the movie 'True Spirit' which is based on the true story of a 16 year old girl who was the youngest person to sail solo around the world non-stop. Watching this had me thinking about success and achieving my black belt in Japan. When people see someones success whether it be achieving a university degree, or winning a sporting tournament they only see the tip of the iceberg - the success, but what about what is below the surface, the layers you can't see, for me these included:
- sacrifices (late nights, weekends, having to travel long distances to train, living in Japan)
- injuries
- self-doubt
- being told you are not good enough
- language barriers and cultural differences (English was minimal and classes were in Japanese)
- years of dedicated training
- being the only westerner at the club (from time to time travelling karateka would visit)
But what pulls you through these? an inner strength and determination. It is not about being the most talented but more about your perseverance and unwavering spirit.

Fukutsu Martial Arts Martial art classes for physical fitness, developing confidence and resilience, co-ordination as well as self defence.

Mokuso

Mokuso translates as ‘silencing one’s thoughts.’ Moku - silent, so - thoughts. Mokuso is meditation/mindfulness, a practice that can consist of focusing on your breath or visualisation (picturing a specific place that is calming to you).
Mokuso is used at the beginning of a training session to calm and clear one’s mind so it can be fully focused and committed to the training ahead. It can also be used at the conclusion of a training session.
The Samurai class in Japan used mokuso to empty the mind so as to expel the fear of death, focus as well as self-discipline. This practice of calming the mind also gave the Samurai the best chance of utilising the skills they possessed to their fullest potential on the battleground.
In an age of technology, social media, an ‘instantaneous’ society our minds are constantly being barraged with information. This can cause feeling overwhelmed, anxious and contribute to rising stress levels. We might not be facing the daily reality of a fear of death but a reality to calm and clear overload from the mind.

Have a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas and new year holiday break. We will be beginning again, in the new year, on Monday the 27th January 2025 at 5.15pm.

If you want to see if you made an improvement in the set fitness checks over the year and what areas you need to work on, see the below table for a guide. Also, here is the quote we talked about for this week.