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Knife Mitigation workshops.
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

Knife Mitigation workshops.

Knife crime and assault with edged weapons are on the rise. It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that there is little that you can do. Indeed, defence against a knife is risky as you don't have to be skilled to do severe damage, maim or kill. However, training in a few simple skills can significantly improve our chances of survival.

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Self-defence is not fighting…
blog Don Came BSc blog Don Came BSc

Self-defence is not fighting…

Self-defence is not fighting. It is not two people stepping towards each other to exchange blows; it is a person or persons moving into your personal space. Up until that time, there is no physical need to defend yourself. Removing yourself, if possible, and verbal de-escalation are the best options at this point.

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Don’t Quit!
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

Don’t Quit!

When Les asked me if I wanted to contribute to this worthy project, I was honoured; I also thought “What a great idea, should be simple enough”... but as we all know, just because something is simple doesn’t mean that it is going to be easy!

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Martial Arts Training - should it be fun?
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

Martial Arts Training - should it be fun?

There is a lot of pressure on teachers to make training fun. While I understand this from the position of teaching beginners, the reality is that quality martial arts training in and of itself is not fun. If we make fun the aim, as soon as it isn’t fun anymore, we quit!

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Karate Hyperbole!
blog Don Came BSc blog Don Came BSc

Karate Hyperbole!

“Traditional” Karate is the very definition of Hyperbole! Every move is exaggerated for effect, stretched out almost to the point of collapse to make it appear bigger, stronger, better - it is a show! But bigger isn’t always better; it is actually within the frame, within the pathway, that we find the true technique!

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Karate - the self-defence conundrum!
blog Don Came BSc blog Don Came BSc

Karate - the self-defence conundrum!

Look at almost any promotional material on social media for martial arts (irrespective of style) and you will see claims alluding to its effectiveness as a system for self-defence/personal protection.

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Taking Your… Time!
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

Taking Your… Time!

These days it appears that people only want to do something if they can get fast results! When training they want to shake things up, cross train, keep it fresh! Social media bombards us with “how to train”, and tells us what the next '“big thing” in exercise is going to be…

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Seminar at Dojo Van Rel!
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

Seminar at Dojo Van Rel!

I sit here excitedly contemplating the prospect of visiting my good friend Gabriel Van Rel’s Londan dojo on Saturday 22/01/2022.

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Empty your Cup!
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

Empty your Cup!

We have all heard the phrase “empty your cup”. While it implies maintaining an open minded approach to training, not limiting ourselves to one way, often we take it to mean that we have to throw away or discard something…

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Blocks in Karate - are they there or not?
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

Blocks in Karate - are they there or not?

Blocks in Karate - are they there or not?

We often read or hear statements like “there are no blocks in karate” - I’ve even said it myself! But the definition of to block something is to stop it, or impede it’s progress in some way…

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Listening hands…
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

Listening hands…

I was looking through some old note books and I found this poem. I wrote it back in November 2019 - I must have been feeling introspective after some push hands practice…

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Kata and Kihon as training vehicles…
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

Kata and Kihon as training vehicles…

Kata and Kihon as training vehicles: Martial Musings

From day one of our introduction to karate, we are taught a variety of moves – blocks, punches and kicks of varying complexity that build over time into sequences and combinations of the basic techniques that are the physical expression of our art…

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Kata is a mime…
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

Kata is a mime…

Watching a typical kata performance, when it is done well, is very much like watching a really good mime artist at work. ”What on earth are you talking about, kata is nothing like a mime, absolute nonsense!” I hear you cry…

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Karate Reimagined
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

Karate Reimagined

Teaching Karate is challenging and it goes beyond the dojo; a good Sensei is teacher, mentor and role model to their students…

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DON CAME awarded title of KYOSHI…
Don Came BSc Don Came BSc

DON CAME awarded title of KYOSHI…

It was an honour to receive the title of Kyoshi from ISOK’s Senior Technical Committee in September 2016. A certificate signed by Vince Morris Hanshi and Chuck Merriman Hanshi…

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