Sport Karate, 2020 Olympics, and being an (older) "amateur" karate-ka

Whatever your take on sport karate may be, it will be included in the 2020 Olympic Games.  While I do not believe that sporting events, or even competitions, reflect the true purpose of karate, anything which presents karate in a positive light is a good thing.  Increased awareness leads to increased interest, and hopefully an increased number of people practicing and studying karate.


That said, sport karate is not about fighting or self-defense.  It is about winning competitions.  "Real" karate is a traditional fighting system having as its purpose combat effectiveness in a self defense situation, which is quite different from getting in punches and kicks for a judge to score.  Whether these punches or kicks would actually work on the street is not taken into consideration.  It is considered bad form to bloody an opponent, or even to cause minor injury.


Learning a traditional form in a traditional dojo is a fortunate thing.  The techniques we learn, recorded in our katas, are the same tested techniques which have been handed to us through the generations and across nations.  When we practice an old kata like Chinto or Bassai, it is almost as if the old masters are teaching us directly.


Most people who enter a dojo end up dropping out of practicing karate for various reasons.  Most of us who continue to study karate will never reach the level of competence where we would be considered a "professional."  Many who do reach higher rank and continue their study past 35 or so are considered senior citizens in the martial arts world.  This is fine, as karate should be a lifelong study. 


The future is uncertain, and the end is always near, especially on the street.  Olympic karate, I am confident, will be an entertaining spectacle for those interested in martial arts.  It is reassuring to know, however, that what I have been taught will give me at least a fighting chance in a self defense situation.  There are no silver medals in a street fight.  The "winner" gets to survive.  In that light, being an old amateur is not so bad.

Bubishi

Anyone who has had even the briefest introduction to the history of karate understands that the roots of the art are in China. The Bubishi is the "ancient Chinese secret" of karate, a text of techniques and philosophy, that was handed down on Okinawa from master to student. In many cases, the old masters whose names are familiar to us today made hand copies of the text that their teacher themselves had copied. This information was considered top secret until the early 20th century, about the time when the kanji name for the Okinawa fighting system was changed from "Chinese Hand," or just "Hand," to "Empty Hand," and karate was introduced and popularized on the Japanese mainland. Featured in the video below from, who else, Jesse Enkamp, is a teacher of karate named Patrick McCarthy, who has made a recent translation of the Bubishi. He demonstrates some of the techniques in the video, and explains a few of the colorful names. I especially like "Monkey picking the peach."

Ryusan

Once again, Yashuhiro Chitose on old 8mm.  No sound, of course.

Okinawan or Japanese?

 Jesse Enkamp has a good article on 10 differences between Okinawan karate and Japanese karate.

Loyalty

This is the paper I wrote for my Ik-Kyu test, on the subject "Loyalty to the original teacher."


Loyalty is a curious subject in the martial arts.  Having origins in Japan, as well as China, traditional martial arts are considered rather foreign to most westerners despite their prevalence in Hollywood movies and popular culture generally.  This is especially true of the concept of loyalty as it relates to martial arts, which is often seen as fanaticism or radical idealism to westerners. Frequently this is portrayed as an exaggerated willingness to sacrifice oneself for a master, even to commit suicide if necessary.  In Hagakure, Yamamoto Tsunetomo writes about his desire to kill himself, following his master into death, and therefore demonstrating the most supreme loyalty: “The Way of the Samurai is found in death.”  Death of self centeredness, of misconceptions, of prejudice, and preconceived ideas is more useful, and more desirable.


One’s original teacher is much like a parent to the new student.  The new student knows nothing, and must be taught how to do everything, even the most basic technique.  In Chito Ryu Karate, these first moves are the techniques of ju ni waza, beginning with jodan uke.  As the student begins by learning the philosophy that karate should only be used for defense, the first karate movement learned is a block.  At least the new student will learn the most important concept of defense:  don’t get hit. This demonstrates the student’s utter dependence on the teacher, as a child is dependent upon the parent.  As the student progresses, more knowledge is built upon the foundation that the original teacher has laid.  Finally, the student may progress to the point that he is nearly equal in skill to the teacher.  Loyalty to the original teacher should become even stronger, not end:  “The teacher and his student, who has in his own right become a teacher as well, are more like equals.  One will always bow a little lower of course…Still, the teacher has recognized his pupil has matured and must be allowed to go his own way.  That does not mean splitting from the teacher; it means carrying out his teaching to the best of one’s ability – even if that results in some conflict or disagreement from time to time.  The point here is that the teacher wishes and expects his student to exceed him.” (Lowry, 2009). 


Loyalty to one’s original teacher is also important for the preservation of lineage.  This is an extremely important concept in martial arts.  As a teacher builds a foundation of knowledge and proper technique in an individual student, a lineage traces the style of today’s martial arts practitioners back to the original and proper teachings of the style’s founder.  A style without a lineage is like a house without a foundation.  It may have many rooms under a roof, but it is just an unstable construction bound for failure. 


In my own case, I was faced with a dilemma when my teacher decided to leave the national organization to which our dojo belonged.  At that point, I was still a beginning student with much to learn.  I had only a vague idea about the implications of such a separation.  My main concern was maintaining my opportunity to train and learn.  We were told that nothing in our dojo’s day to day operation would change, and that training in our style would continue as it had been.  The lack of the national organization crest on our gi jackets would be the only outward difference we would notice.  This was fine to someone who did not know any better, and whose only desire was to train.  My teacher was very competent in our style, and was an excellent technician with great ability to detect and correct errors in technique.  I learned a great deal, and was able to advance in my learning at a quick pace.  I kept training, but my development slowed after a time.  Eventually, my teacher decided that the style of karate we would learn would not be Chito Ryu, but a new and invented variation.  Our dojo membership dropped, and we would only have a handful of students at any given class.  My teacher would become very frustrated with students over minor things, and drove many good people from our dojo.  Perhaps my loyalty was misguided, but I felt an obligation to stay.  I still wanted to train and learn, to become better.  When my teacher decided to leave our dojo, and the United States, I pledged my loyalty to my teacher’s successor.  I was relieved when it was decided that our dojo would once again seek affiliation with the USCK. 


I still feel loyalty to my original teacher, but not in a way that I could describe as a willingness to make a personal sacrifice as Yamamoto Tsunetomo would have done.  My loyalty to my original teacher is in the idea of a “beginner’s mind” that I was taught.  I try not to use the pronoun “I,” even though I am doing so here.  The beginner’s mind is not necessarily seeing something as fresh and new every time, but striving for humility, in recognizing that one is always a student, that there is always something new to learn, or some concept to explore that has not been examined before.  It is recognition that loyalty to one’s original teacher is the respect and thanks for showing the new student the first step on the path.


Reference:

Lowry, Dave.  The Karate Way, Shambhalah Publications, Inc.  Copyright 2009 by Dave Lowry

Ho to Behave in a Traditional Dojo

From Jesse Enkamp. While we are not quite so formal, it is still a good idea to know all this, especially for students testing at the hombu.  Etiquette is just a set of behaviors intended to make life a little more comfortable for everyone, so you don't have to worry about behaving properly towards another, especially a high ranking senior. Take heed, but remember that this should make you feel comfortable, not out of place.  And when in doubt, bow...






For further information, click on the tag "Rei-ho."

For Those About to Test...

Testing for rank promotion is stressful, especially if you are going before the National Test Board at the Honbu Dojo.  They even have a bucket standing by for those who are unable to, well, keep it inside.  Visualization and positive energy are the keys to keeping your stress emotions in check.


Jesse Enkamp explains how to do this here.