“The meaning of directions in the kata is not well understood, and often
mistakes are made in the interpretation of the kata movements. In extreme
cases, sometimes it is heard that "this kata moves in 8 directions so it
is designed to fight 8 opponents" or some similar nonsense."
Already in 1938 the
great expert Mabuni (founder of Shito-ryu) warned that the katas were not
getting along well... And we easily prove that modern Karate too often has
ignored (and continues to ignore! ) the words of the teachers...
These deplorable
misunderstandings only lead to having a very limited vision of our martial art,
and it is one of the reasons why in
recent times many practitioners have been “deceased” from “traditional martial
arts”, and that and many others continue to practice something that does not
always have too much sense.
In the words of
Mabuni: “The meaning of kata is
tightened, and the kata becomes very precarious in its application.”
“The karate that has been introduced in Tokyo is actually just a part of
a bigger whole.” The fact that those who have learned Karate in Tokyo think
that it only consists of hands and kicks, and that projections and
imovilizations of joints are just a part of the jujutsu or judo, can only be
attributed to its lack of c knowledge of this art.”
Again, and very
clearly, Mabuni exposes that Karate that arrived in Japan was just a part of
Okinawa Karate. And also that Karate is not just hand punches and kicks, but
also consists of knockdowns, luxuries, strangulations, etc. , etc...
Of course, also other
teachers, such as Funakoshi, made the same remarks. In this same article we
also see that Motobu used "kote-gaeshi" against an opponent he did
not want to hit, and this technique also appears described and illustrated in
the book of Mutsu. These types of techniques aren't just owned by ju-jutsu,
judo or aikido. Undoubtedly have always been part of Karate (they are in the
katas! ), but unfortunately modern Karate understands little of this, and proof
of it is that pseudo-discipline such as “goshin”
emerge in an absurd attempt to gift Karate something it already has.
Karate is (or should
be) an EFFECTIVE, COMPLETELY unarmed self-defense system..
If it's not anymore,
and certainly in many occasions we prove that it's not, we should ask ourselves
why...
On his part, Funakoshi
clearly explains that the kiki-te (hand collected) has the meaning of “grab and
throw the opponent”.
In modern Karate, the
hikite is explained as the "reaction" that corresponds to the
"action" of the technique executed by the other hand; as a way of
adding power to the technique; or as the placement of the hand that is
"not used" at a point n eutro (the side) from which the next
technique will come out. From a technical point of view, these interpretations
may be reasonable and correct, but again the error can be serious if these
ideas are extrapoled in the field of combat, as it often happens.
We must not forget
that, as Funakoshi explains us, hikite
has a specific meaning and application, and at the time of fighting we can not
think that it is right to place a hand on the side, the hand that "is not
used"... We have two hands, and therefore two weapons, and in a fight both
must be used, it would be absurd not to. As the famous samurai Musashi Miyamoto
used to say: “It is foolishness to die with a sword still in the pot.”
This example can give
us an idea of why “traditional martial arts” can lose its effectiveness: not
being understood, or worse, being misunderstood.
On the other hand, the
teachings of Master Motobu Choki, the great fighter, are always more than
interesting. Leaving aside that according to Motobu “it
is necessary to drink alcohol and seek other fun human activities”, we know that his Karate was certainly
effective, and was fundamentally based on the study of a kata: Naihanchi (Tekki
Shodan). An extremely important kata in traditional Karate, filled with very
effective applications (as it couldn't be any other way), and that, however,
with its techniques and lateral movements, in modern Karate is not understood
at all (co mo so many others), and is seen as simply a very kata not
attractive.
In Motobu's words we
found, in addition to very specific advice for real fights, also a clear
denunciation of some misunderstandings in Karate:
– “Karate is Sente” (initiative).
– “Blocking with one hand and then fighting back
with the other is not true bujutsu” (martialarts).
Modern Karate,
objectively judged from a traditional or martial point of view, has some
shortcomings, is incomplete in some important aspects, and it is necessary that
we are a little self-critical to be able to realize it, since and identifying
the problem is always the first step to be able to solve it.
Mabuni gives us the
solution: “Those people who are truly
thinking about the future of Karate should not keep a closed mind and limit
themselves to learning only an empty shell, but should strive to study art and
complete."
Modern Karate has as
much merit as any other sport or discipline, the problem is that often
perceptions and concepts are distorted, confused, and it’s not what many think
Karate is or should be.
If we know and
understand what we want to do, and what we are doing, any form of Karate is
respectable and commendable. But ideas should be clear, and if they are not, at least
we should try to make them clear.
The future of Karate
takes a trip to the “originals”, Okinawa Karate, Karate of the 19th and early
20th century, Karate of teachers who deeply understood what they were doing, a
Karate that was balanced, healthy and effective... and who wants to be it
again.
Article by Joe Swift
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