Technique of the Week
For years, Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate USA has maintained a mailing list for dues-paying members of the organization. One of the services of that membership is not just the list, but a weekly “Technique of the Week” (a partial archive is available), written by a Shihan or other member of the organization to remind us all of something to pay attention to when we train each week. I had the honor of writing my first Technique of the Week at the end of last year. Here it is again, for those who are not on the list (yet), originally posted December 28, 2025:
Onegai shimasu Hanshi, Kyoshi, Sensei, and all Deshi —
“The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything — the better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with enemies, the better you are at your job, the better you are with yourself.”
Bill Murray
We are often reminded to “relax” between moves. I usually translate this to “releasing tension” in my body between moves, as we don’t want to relax in the sense that we are at our ease. Instead, we want to remove tension from our bodies, so we can become nimble while keeping up our attention — our gan — to scan the area and keep ourselves aware of our surroundings and any threats that might be nearby.
On the deck or in the street, if we are amped up and gunning for our opponent, we can get a kind of tunnel vision. I feel the difference when I lose my posture in zenkutsu dachi or neko ashi dachi — if I tense up and lean too far forward, I only see what is directly in front of me. But when I relax my stance (release the tension!) — shoulders back and down, head tall, and stack my ears over shoulders and shoulders over hips — my peripheral vision opens up, and I can see a full 180 degrees. Releasing the physical tension helps me see more, which releases mental tension, making me feel safer and more ready for whatever might come next.
“Confidence comes from preparation. When the game is on the line, I’m not asking myself to do something I haven’t done a thousand times before”
Kobe Bryant
The way to feel comfortable enough to “relax” is to do the work. When you’ve put in your hours and experienced the “ecstasy of sweating in hard work,” you don’t have to think as hard about the details of your Karate. Your body will remember for you. And when you trust yourself to know the Karate, you can spend your attention on other things, like assessing threats or finding escape paths. You might even achieve mushin, if only for a fleeting moment.
As a practical exercise this week, try this out in a session of Yakusoku Kumite, first with intense focus, zeroed-in on your training partner, shutting out the world as you execute the moves. And then try again with relaxed focus, tuning your posture, weight in your tanden, remembering to breathe, and seeing the whole picture. Feel the difference between the two, without bias or judgement. You never know what a situation will dictate, and better-understanding yourself can only help.
With Mr. Bryant’s advice to do the work, and the advice from Mr. Murray to approach the world with relaxed focus and presence — zanshin — let’s all be ready to be our best.
Arigato gozaimashita,
Sempai David Huyck, Ni Dan
Shihan, Ueshiro Carleton Karate Dojo
