Many martial artists today feel that traditional karate, as it’s commonly taught, doesn’t fully meet the demands of modern self-defense. Instead, they turn to combat sports like MMA, drawn to their practical application, physical conditioning, and adaptability. They claim these “extreme sport” disciplines highlight gaps in the typical karate curriculum. Unfortunately, in many cases, they’re correct. The proliferation of McDojos and sports-based karate schools that teach very little karate and essentially offer a version of kickboxing under the guise of karate proves their case. Even when they do teach kata, it’s often at a superficial level and merely to earn the next belt rank.
Over the years, karate has undergone a significant transformation from its roots as a highly effective means of personal combat. This shift in purpose began when Gichin Funakoshi and Choki Motobu introduced karate to Japan in the 1920s. The Japanese incorporated karate into their school systems as a physical education program, a move that undoubtedly contributed to its survival and demonstrated its adaptability. However, this shift also departed from its original intent and effectiveness.
In pursuing more students, today’s commercial karate dojo often tries to be everything to everyone. In the modern dojo, karate is transformed into a sport, a self-defense program, a fitness regime, a performance art, or even a pathway to omnipresent super-galactic oneness. However, this commercialized approach dilutes karate’s origins as an effective self-defense system, as it is being stretched and molded into various roles. It’s time to strip away the commercial facade and make a concerted effort to return to the authentic essence of karate, a mission that should inspire us all.
As karate instructors, we are faced with a crucial decision: Do we prioritize the pursuit of money, rapid rank promotions, and the rainbow assortment of belt colors with their associated testing fees, potentially leaving our students with a superficial understanding of karate? Or do we focus on in-depth training and guide our students through the crucible, where real knowledge and skill are forged? This question demands our attention and reflection, and it underscores the importance of realistic and in-depth training in our karate practice, a commitment we must all make.
When choosing a title for my student training manual, I finally settled on Classical Isshin-ryu Karate. One reader asked me, “Wouldn’t the title ‘Traditional Isshin-ryu Karate’ fit better?” I answered, “No.” I wanted to show a more classical approach to karate training and have my students look for a more realistic and greater depth of understanding. I am not sure if I succeeded or not in that. However, there are sections in my manual containing what can be termed “hooks.” They are designed to get students to think more deeply about what they are doing and how they are training. While I may have coined one or two of these “hooks,” most of them come from what instructors I greatly respect have said, trying to get me to think more deeply about how I approached my training.
I recently saw an article from Shuri Dojo in which the author used the term “classical” karate to distinguish his discussion from the modernized approach to karate. I had made the same decision earlier when writing my manual.
The three “Ks” of karate are kihon, kata, and kumite. Kihon are the basic techniques or tools used in your system. Kata takes those techniques and teaches you different approaches to utilizing them – different angles, stance shifts, mechanics, timing, distance, etc.
Kata is not as much about fighting as it is a teaching tool. In essence, kata contains templates for employing techniques in different scenarios, so an in-depth study of kata is crucially important.
Kumite is where you learn to adapt these “templates” from kata to real-world situations. The repetitive two-man drills allow you to explore how to make them work with an opponent. They are typically choreographed for beginners, such as one-step or two-step drills. As the student’s skills progress, the choreography lessens.
Techniques from kata drilled in kumite are often first practiced with a cooperative attacker. However, over time, they must be performed against uncooperative attackers. Static training is essential at first, allowing the student to understand and coordinate the technique they are attempting to master. However, it does not stop there. If you do, you’re missing the boat.
In the real world, very little is static. An attacker will not throw one punch and then hold still while you execute your favorite version of the five-point palm exploding heart technique. They will not simply grab you or your clothing and cooperatively await your next move. They will push, pull, twist, yank, bite, scratch, and otherwise attempt to apply force before, during, and after throwing that perfectly executed punch you have been diligently training to defend yourself against.
To train effectively for real-world self-defense, you must introduce uncooperative attackers, unpredictability, and even failure into your training. You must understand on the physical level what happens when the attacker resists – when they pull, push, twist, or move unpredictably. Even when you successfully land a strike, your opponent’s reaction must be considered because this will change the situation’s dynamics. Their limbs, head, and torso will shift, altering the situation and taking some targets away but always providing new opportunities.
In a real-world self-defense situation, your opponent will not cooperate and will likely do something completely unexpected. They certainly won’t allow you to execute your technique without a fight. No matter what martial arts you study, realistic self-defense requires realistic training. It is not the art but the individual and how he or she trains. This is what determines where real skill is forged.