As the summer season comes to a close, Germans across the country celebrate with a special festival known as Ernte Dank Fest. This annual event, which takes place in the fall, is a time for people to give thanks for the abundance of the harvest season and to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures […]
Sushi: A Delicious Way to Recharge After a Karate Tournament After a long karate tournament, there’s nothing quite like a good meal to help you recharge and feel good both physically and mentally. And for me, there’s nothing that hits the spot quite like a delicious plate of sushi. Not only is sushi a tasty […]
Written by Dirk Herfurth
No pain, no gain? The past year I have had more pain and injuries than I can remember since my accident many years ago. I am eager to get past this and transition into a different phase of training and more balance for my not-getting-any-younger body. As I type, I have a black and blue […]
Written by David Brezinski
If you’re a fan of martial arts, you won’t want to miss the Dixon Ryukyukan Karate and Kobudo tournament. This annual event brings together practitioners of all ages and skill levels to compete in karate, kobudo (Okinawan weapons), and sparring matches. I had the opportunity to participate in the tournament this year on November 5th […]
Written by Dirk Herfurth
Empathy Training (Black belt requirement) – Some reflections The past week I have been going back through my personal training journal whereas I have kept tabs on my progress against my black belt requirements, jotted down some of my thoughts and observations, and kept notes of my various injuries I’ve had to work through over […]
Written by David Brezinski
Ski Day is a good day! Being in the final stretch before testing for black belt, I decided to get a day trip in with my oldest son as to enjoy the snow and some slope time. I thought about the risks like twisting my knee or any number of other injuries that could occur […]
Written by David Brezinski
This Friday, November 4th, we had House Sorting Day at the dojo. As you might know the dojo consists of four different houses – Tatsu (dragon), Tenko (fox), Suzaku (phoenix), and Shisa (lion dogs). Each one of them represents a different virtue. Once a year new members of our dojo family are getting sorted in […]
Written by Dirk Herfurth
Halloween is here. After two years of reduced Corona festivities we had an office party where all dressed up. My choice to go was as a Plague Doctor – kind of fitting after the pandemic. Plague doctors were medical professionals who treated plague patients during outbreaks of the disease in Europe. They wore long robes […]
Written by Dirk Herfurth
Before saying Good Bye to the Germans we attended one more American thing to do – a NBA game. We got tickets for the Memphis Grizzlies vs. our own Sacramento Kings. This basketball game was a first for all my visitors despite being in the US several times before. So, after a day of outlet […]
Written by Dirk Herfurth
After spending the night in Santa Cruz my German visitors, my son and I drove to Monterey to have a visit of the Bay Aquarium. I already got my katas as well as push/ sit ups in on the hotel room floor before the morning coffee. However, despite living in California for almost 12 years […]
Written by Dirk Herfurth