Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Nov 24, 2009, 6:04 pm
With the holidays coming up, there are a couple of things going on around the site that I’d like to keep you up on. This is just a quick little interlude between regular articles. Contest As a...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Nov 21, 2009, 1:35 am
Don’t believe me? It’s true I tell you! The Okinawans had both grappling and wrestling. They called it tegumi, and if you do karate you do it too (whether you know it or not). Imagine...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Nov 17, 2009, 2:10 pm
Over the weekend I had a chance to study with Bill Hayes Sensei, a senior student of Eizo Shimabukuro. Whenever I get an opportunity to train with Mr. Hayes I am amazed at just how much I have yet to ...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Nov 12, 2009, 1:14 pm
Hey everyone, it’s an early Christmas here at IkigaiWay. I’m pleased to bring you the second installment of my Community Prize Giveaway series! One of the things that makes the internets ...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Nov 10, 2009, 12:58 pm
Just this past weekend Branden Strickland, a friend and fellow karateka, tied the big knot. Branden and Laura had an outdoor service that went off with great success. The weather cooperated unusually ...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Nov 5, 2009, 12:35 am
The funny thing about technique is that it can be very alluring. Martial arts inspire great leaps of imagination and originality. So much so that people (including myself) are often tempted to examine...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Nov 2, 2009, 11:29 am
Hey all! I hope everyone had a great Halloween (or baring that, just a great weekend). I’ve always found this holiday intriguing, both from its unusual roots and how my appreciation for it has c...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Oct 30, 2009, 3:26 pm
Martial arts are a lifelong endeavor, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve how well or how quickly you learn things. I always preach patience when trying to develop techniques or kata, ...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Oct 26, 2009, 5:01 pm
Kata training is only as valuable as you make it. Kata can be as shallow as a physical workout or as deep as a philosophical revelation. Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult learning how to achiev...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Oct 21, 2009, 9:01 pm
Sometimes the Japanese language seems endlessly complex to me, especially the writing of it. One word can mean 5 different things depending on your inflection and emphasis, not to mention what kind of...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Oct 19, 2009, 1:43 pm
Do you remember the video where a man was forced to defend himself on his own porch step? That was a pretty serious self defense situation, and since it was caught on tape we had a chance to watch the...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Oct 15, 2009, 2:42 pm
This is a continuation from Part 1 of the Forrest Morgan interview. Forrest Morgan is author of the popular text “Living the Martial Way”, and is also a veteran of the United States Air Fo...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Oct 13, 2009, 4:10 pm
There’s a certain pantheon of martial arts books that are considered classics or must-reads. The most commonly cited examples are The Book of Five Rings, The Art of War, The Bubishi, Tao of Jeet...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Oct 8, 2009, 12:41 am
Martial arts offer us a cunundrum. On one hand, we are taught to never seek out violence, and to avoid hurting others at all cost. On the other hand, it is commonly known that there can be no exact su...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Oct 3, 2009, 11:36 am
Neil Martin of the blog Urban Samurai recently released a free e-book entitled Street Smart: A Practical Guide to Dealing with Street Violence. Being a fellow e-book type person, I decided to check it...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Sep 30, 2009, 9:54 pm
Hey everyone. I’m working on a very exciting project right now. I recently got in contact with Forrest Morgan, author of Living the Martial Way, and he agreed to do an interview for the site. Sw...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Sep 28, 2009, 11:40 pm
“After UFC 103, Vitor Belfort gave credit to karate (and Jesus– a natural pairing) for his immaculate victory over former UFC champ, Rich Franklin. No surprise there, since “The Phen...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Sep 25, 2009, 5:08 pm
A little while ago I wrote an article for issue 5 of Jissen Magazine. In it I gave a brief overview of the main tools a classical karateka has at his/her disposal. I’d like to dip a bit deeper i...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Sep 23, 2009, 4:04 pm
While doing research for my previous article (you’ll notice the term sweat appearing in both of these posts), I ran across an awesome youtube video. Someone set a montage of clips from Bruce Lee...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Sep 22, 2009, 2:13 am
Hard work has always gone hand in hand with martial arts training. In fact, the term “Kung Fu” literally means “hard work”, with the term “Wushu” being a more accur...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Sep 16, 2009, 3:06 pm
I’d like to focus this post on another one of the weapons of Okinawan Kobudo. The kuwa, or hoe, is a very common and unremarkable piece of equipment. In fact, almost every agrarian society devel...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Sep 9, 2009, 6:46 pm
... it as an excuse to close my mind. I was scared of the vastness and complexity of the martial arts. Instead of trying to learn about people and styles that I had no experience in, I simply chose ...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Sep 3, 2009, 2:54 pm
Every now and then a video pops up on the internet that is so amazing it hurts my brain. Thanks to Gregory Lehtimaki of the Ikigai Facebook Fan Page, I have a new one to share with you. For your plea...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Sep 2, 2009, 4:07 pm
Hey all! I’m pleased to bring you the winners of the ebook link-out contest. For those who may be new or unfamiliar with the site, about 2 months ago I released my first free ebook entitled The...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Aug 31, 2009, 1:45 pm
Martial artists tend to be uniquely attune to the foibles of their body. I, for example, have a finnicky lower back. If I’m not careful with my stretching and prep, I can pull it pretty easily. ...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Aug 27, 2009, 1:22 pm
I’ve recently been challenged by Martial Arts Mom and Shang Lee to participate in a meme. I wouldn’t want to disappoint my fellow bloggers or incur their wrath, so here we go - The meme w...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Aug 25, 2009, 4:49 pm
When it comes to self defense tools, I’m not a true expert (I’ve never been zapped by a taser nor have I been sprayed with mace). However I’ve managed to hook up with a team of REAL ...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Aug 24, 2009, 3:20 pm
Follow please, the point is at the end: David Bowie. Changes. 1973. * * * David Bowie. Changes. 1990. * * * David Bowie. Changes. 2002. * * * David Bowie is a brilliant artist. He grows and cha...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Aug 21, 2009, 1:23 pm
Hey everyone! I have some good news today. I am very pleased to announce ikigaiway.com’s first partner – Mokuso Martial Arts. I’ve been on the lookout for good, quality companie...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Aug 17, 2009, 5:37 pm
Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called “Outliers: The story of Success”, and in it he suggests that people require roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in anything. I wonder ...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Aug 14, 2009, 12:09 am
I need to apologize right off the bat for the time I’m about to steal from you. I’ve had some thick posts lately so I decided to lighten things up with a game. “Spear and KatanaR...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Aug 11, 2009, 5:04 pm

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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Aug 10, 2009, 6:26 pm
Please pardon my pun – but that’s exactly how it went down. Anderson Silva tagged UFC Vet Forrest Griffin so hard and so consistently in the head and grillpiece that Griffin couldn’t...
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Matt A. posted an article on Ikigai | Blogging the Martial Way - Aug 6, 2009, 1:40 am
I recently encountered a work of remarkable clarity and impact. If you have a chance, please indulge this lengthy post as I believe the subject matter resonates in an important way with the growth and...
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