Commercial Karate | Silicon Valley Shotokan Karate

Commercial Karate

Some classes take place in rented space at community centers, schools and other such locations, run by people who do not depend on karate for their primary income. In contrast, some are located in rental units where the instructor(s) treat their dojo more like a business, often churning through students and assistant instructors in an attempt to maximize profits. The latter is sometimes referred to as a “commercial” dojo.

This article has nothing to do with that. 😉

What I would like to introduce here is the concept of doing short training sessions while watching commercials on television! Personally, I watch very little TV. And when I do, I find it difficult to sit still during an entire TV program unless I am also reading or doing something else at the same time (people who know me would not be surprised to hear this). But if you watch TV, and you are around for the commercials, why not do a little training during those few minutes, a few times each hour?

It does not really take much effort nor time. And even a little exercise is better than none. I think the only real reason to not do a mini-workout during commercials is if it is not considered acceptable by other people in the room. Of course much of this can be done during the actual TV program as well. But I would think that at the very least, “commercial karate” should be a goal that most would be able to attain without much effort and without too many complaints from others in the room.

Here are some examples of what you might want to try:
– Stand in a stance, either changing stance at each new commercial (beginner version) or staying in one stance throughout the entire set of commercials.
– Repeat one technique continuously during a commercial, changing to another technique for the next commercial.
– Kick over the arm or back of your sofa or chair.
– Punch, strike or kick at an imaginary target, or set of targets, such as jackets hanging on the wall (“shadow boxing”)
– Do calisthenics, such as push-ups, sit-ups, squats, etc.
– Hold a stretch or a isometric position (such as plank) for the duration of a commercial.
– Do a kata in place (without moving the feet around any more than you have space for)

I think that many people make excuses for not training much. It is understandable if you cannot make it to the dojo more than a couple of times each week due to work, family, etc. But there are plenty of opportunities for training that we may sometimes overlook. Try out “commercial karate” next time you are watching TV and see how it goes. Do you think that you are really going to miss hearing about some new-and-improved product you really didn’t want to buy anyway? Good luck.