It is a shame that karate will not be included in the Paris Olympic games. This is truly odd, as the IOC has decided to include breakdancing. Whether you like sport karate or not, the exposure provided by the Olympic games motivates many new people to try karate training for themselves. This is a good thing, as without new students the art would die.
"Sport" karate in the Olympics, and competitions generally, consists of kata and kumite. The katas are often modified versions of old forms, but they retain a strong influence from the old ways. Kumite Competition, with its point scoring, approved techniques, prohibited targets, and prohibition of grappling or being in the "clinch," takes away much of the intent behind karate's purpose as an effective and dangerous method of self-defense meant to physically harm an untrained criminal assailant. Mabuni Kenwa believed that competitions of this type tended to bring out the worst in human behavior. This is evident when you see competitors engaging in theatrics before and after bouts. Karate was intended to be used for self-defense, not self-aggrandizement. Echoing Mabuni, Soshin Nagamine wrote:
"I don't mean to suggest that I have a totally negative opinion about karate-do's competitive element, it's just that I feel that it is too shallow. Regardless of whether it is Okinawa, the Japanese mainland, or the world in general, jiu-kumite (free sparring) ignores the principles to which kata apply. Simply put, jiu-kumite should reflect the kata, because kata is the origin of karate-do. If there is no kata, it is not karate-do, just kicking and punching."
This reminds me of one of Hanshi's sayings, "If you run out of karate, there's always kicking and punching!"
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