Shoshin Karate Club - Potters Bar - Home Page

Welcome to the Shoshin Karate Web Site

New Dojo

We have moved into our new dojo. This is at the Potters Bar Health Club in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire. Please click on 'Our Dojo' for more details.

The meaning of Shoshin

Shoshin is a concept in Buddhism meaning beginner's mind. It refers to having an attitude of openess, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would.

Within our club we have an open attitude to all grades and abilities. We have a philosophy of embracing the new, whilst cherishing the old, therefore allowing us to develop our minds as well as our bodies, while never forgetting we are studying a martial art.

To achieve this we train in a realistic way which allows us to develop our punching and kicking skills (Atemi Waza) along with; Joint locking (Kansetsu waza), Grappling (Ne waza), Throwing (Nage waza),Choking (Shime waza). To supplement all these skills we follow the principles of Kyusho (pressure point fighting), which promote skills and knowledge over physical strength.

Ever waved your arms and legs around in a Karate class and wondered what you were actually doing?

Ever thought that the kata applications you've been taught would be excellent for the occasion when you are mugged by someone using a lunge punch from a front stance but how likely is that? The most common way to be attacked is by someone standing in front of you, grabbing you with one hand and punching with the other. Which kata holds the application information to deal with that?

It is widely accepted that the Karate moves we practice today were developed by unarmed combat practitioners in Okinawa. The knowledge was handed down and developed through the centuries to the present day. However, if you study Japanese Karate text books dating from before the second world war you will find the applications from even the most basic kata involved arm locks, pressure point strikes and an exceptional understanding of the human body. Books produced after the war had a lot of information removed and kata applications suddenly became very simple blocks and strikes.

The original applications are now becoming more and more widely known and accepted. For example, the first two moves of Heian Shodan are not blocking a kick from the side and punching to the solar plexus but are actually a defence against a wrist grab involving an arm bar and punch to the head (which is at waist level following the arm bar hence the low punch).

If you would like to know more then give us a ring, or come along and join in a lesson. Be warned though, you will be expected to use your brain as well as your body; one thing we don't do much of is 'Karate aerobics'. By the way, the answer to the grab and punch question above is that several katas contain applications to deal with this attack, for example, the first move of Heian Nidan.