Here's my recent interview conducted by Shorin stylist Noah Legel from the US for his aptly-titled website, Karate Obsession. It includes some very interesting questions about my background, approach to training and thoughts on different aspects of karate. Noah has a real passion for old-style karate methods and this certainly carries over into his well written and thought-provoking blog.

Sorry it's been a while since I blogged here - rest assured, I haven't been sat twiddling my thumbs!

​Over the past few months we've been juggling a pretty big house extension plus two new additions to our family - a beautiful baby girl called Isabelle Rose and a pet dog called Cookie!  Added to the work I've been doing to help progress our dojo up here in sunny Cumbria, it's been a little hectic to say the least!

​However, things have started to settle down a little and so I should now be able to squeeze a little time here and there to get back blogging for my website.

​Thanks to those who have kept in touch regarding the second instalment of my Naihanchi book series and my sincere apologies for letting the original planned release date slip.  The good news is that I'm back in the saddle (so to speak) and just this week I managed to finish drafting another chapter.  It is my aim to give this project priority over the next few months and once it's finally published I'm sure (or indeed I hope) you'll all consider it worth the wait!  Nevertheless, your continued support is always very much appreciated :-)

​OK - so now let's get down to the reason I sat down to blog today...

So starting at 10pm on Friday 24th October, along with 23 of my students, our dojo performed 100 repetitions of Naihanchi Kata in unison with thousands of karate-ka from around the globe to help celebrate World Karate Day!

Not really sure about how demanding the 100 Kata Challenge would be, I expected one of two outcomes - it would either be surprisingly easy or surprisingly tough.  In actual fact, it was probably somewhere in between.  I used the first 25 repetitions or so to warm up, before bringing my attention inwards so that the event would become much more than just a physical endurance test.  I also took time to suggest that my students do the same.  

I know I know...It's been a little while since I've added a post to my blog. Work's being pretty hectic over the months leading up to Xmas, but now that things have calmed down somewhat, I can finally get back to spending some time updating the site and adding more content to the blog.

You may have already noticed that I've given some website pages a bit of a face-lift, including a completely new-look store with an integral secure check-out facility that also gives me the capability to distribute video downloads direct from the site! Plus, with my other upcoming projects scheduled for 2014, you see lots more additions and modifications over the coming months.I will be very soon starting work again on the second volume of Naihanchi (Tekki) Kata: Seed of Shuri Karate and so far we're on schedule to publish later this year. It seems that the first volume has generated plenty of anticipation for this next instalment, so I'll certainly be working hard to have it ready for you all as soon as possible!

I'm very excited to announce that after the long wait and its very successful launch last weekend at The Martial Arts Expo in Coventry, my new book entitled, 'Naihanchi (Tekki) Kata: The Seed of Shuri Karate Vol. 1' is now available to purchase via the online store or my new dedicated website www.naihanchi-kata.com!

This is the first volume of a three part publication that looks at Naihanchi Kata in accordance with five distinct layers of analysis, presenting my own approach to the study of this fascinating form, which along with Sanchin Kata from the Naha-te lineage, represents the very bedrock of traditional karate.

Click HERE for more information, to read a free preview and to order your copy today!

Avid readers of my blog will recognise the name Brett Barrell from an earlier post back in January on traditional conditioning and iron palm training. He specialises in this field and has developed quite a level of skill.

Well, he's just uploaded a new YouTube video to personally thank a number of his keen supporters and friends etc who love martial arts (see below). I'm humbled to have found out that he added my name to this list and mentions me at around 10m26s.   

He makes the comment that "for whatever reason, Chris decided to include me in his blog". Well, Brett the reason is simple my friend. I think you're a genuine martial artist who is self-motivated to continually expand without resting on your laurels, I really enjoy your videos and I think that your contributions provide a fine inspiration for others to follow.

Thanks for the kind mention Brett and keep up the good work!
Chris

I've spent some time this week re-editing my original 'Bunkai of the Month' video series into 17 separate video tutorials for my website and YouTube channel.

The original videos were very popular when they were first released a couple of years ago so I wanted to make sure that everyone has access to these now and into the future.

I'm happy to announce the launch of my new YouTube channel that will feature a growing list of video clips around the topics of traditional karate, kata bunkai, conditioning, kettlebell lifting, functional fitness and general fun!

A link to my channel is listed below, so simply click and subscribe:

http://www.youtube.com/user/chrisdenwood

Hello, Happy New Year everyone and I'd like to introduce you to some new updates to my website!

One of the main enhancements is this blog page, where I'll be posting regular ramblings, video clips, pictures, insights, useful links plus anything else that inspires me and that I think fellow likeminded karate practitioners will find interesting.

As well as some other updates and image additions to a variety of pages, I've also added a free e-book on kata bunkai principles exclusively for new subscribers to my mailing list. Simply visit the home page and sign up for instant download - hope you enjoy the read!