60 seconds

Karate blog June 2025

60 seconds 

Welcome to the Karate blog for Total 360 Karate for June of 2025.  This blog discusses focus.  Why are we focusing on 60 seconds for this month’s blog? 

The goal is to help students understand that if they can focus for 60 seconds, not only will they improve their productivity, their katas improve, and it may save them during a self-defense situation. 

Putting our attention where it needs to be is a critical skill for life.  We live in a society where there are sounds, sights, computers, and phones that constantly pull our attention away from focusing on one thing.  It is true multi-tasking can be effective. Most people recognize that if you focus on one thing, your more efficient.  You might find that there are less mistakes.  

As karate students, they know the instructors will protect them, allowing them to focus on the assignment.  In karate eyes, forward is an important aspect.  It’s a daily exercise for focus.  Imagine your opponent right in front of you as you work through the basics.  When your eyes move during exercise, your body traces the movement.  Tracing is very common riding a bike.  You will go where your eyes go.  It is the same in karate.  You look right, but your head is forward the hands are going to go to the right. 

I might understand more if an instructor is not loud enough or is too far away to hear the commands.  Your eyes and head might turn to get the instruction.  Most karate instructors boom with their voices. They have learned the art of KIAI. 

Giving max effort to attention during the basics is vital for your success in achieving your goals within the studio.  Not only does this help in karate but also in projects, papers, and athletic events. 

Sensei, why does the blog say 60 seconds?  Most katas in Total 360 karate are around 60 seconds long.  Sixty seconds is a stepping stone to learn how to focus for a longer period.  Most students should be able to focus for 60 seconds.  If you can give your all in focus for 60 seconds, you can build a structure for the future. 

The time we spend in deep focus builds our character, teaches us how to concentrate, and clears our minds.  There are clear distractions as previously outlined earlier, but we also have the distractions of our mind. What do we have to do after class, what did we do before class? Am I doing this right?  Effectively learning to let go, be in class, and stay within 60 seconds helps teach the fundamentals of mindfulness and meditation. 

Total 360 helps students by having a patterned start to classes where everyone settles in and can choose to close their eyes or sit silently.  The mokuso is a tool to tell the body we are in class let’s begin those 60-second exercises. 

One of the first things I noticed when a student gets bored is the level of focus falls off. They start looking around trying to find something else to entertain them.  Total 360 designs exercises and programs are designed in each class, but we patterned in a way where you have to think and stay focused. 

Your success in life, but in the fall belt testing will come down to the 60 seconds you can give each exercise.  Keep working hard on the mouse, and let the Fall of 2025 be the best testing season ever.