Shotokan's Secret: The Hidden Truth Behind Karate's Fighting

[cross]

Is Shotokan totally external fighting style?

 

There is a 'spiritual' side to shotokan, like the idea that "the ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in perfection of character."

[dingyuan]

Actually that's not what I mean by external or internal. There are hard style that can also be internal or at least half internal. My style for example, we stomp our feet on the ground in order to add power to our blows this is why it is half internal while not totally external which is using only muscle power, so which does Shotokan belong to??

[cross]

Shotokan uses all parts of the body as a weapon and all parts of the body to get power, not just the muscles. You use hip rotation, pushing, pulling, etc.

[47MartialMan]

Has anyone heard of Mark Bishop?

[Killer Miller]

I don't see any hard-core Shotokan practitioners posting on this thread...

 

Let me state my observance. Most of the posts I've seen on this thread and their styles demonstrate a weak internal and external style. You lack the internal and external aspects of the Martial Arts. You lack speed, power and agility...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just Kidding!

 

However, I made the above statement only to make a point. Had I said the above and truly meant that or believed that, you would have been very upset with me and felt that you were under attack. In fact, I bet many of you were gettting pretty heated by the above statement... I bet many of you were thinking "how could someone make such a statement about my style when he obviously knows nothing about it."

 

The fact is, you're right, I know "nothing" or "very little" about your styles. I could ask questions about your styles for comparisons. I could discuss technical/spiritual differences between the styles. But I could not make statements about your styles because I would have a clue about them.

 

That's how I feel when I see posts about shotokan from practioners that have never trained, or have trained very little with Shotokan. There are assumptions about shotokan that are not true or don't accurately reflect the art.

 

This is not a flame or intended to be a flame, I just wanted to reverse the picture a bit here as fuel for thought on further discussions.

 

- Killer -

[47MartialMan]

I know a Shotokan tournament that has a flyer that reads:"open to all martial arts".

 

But, no other martial arts placed.

 

Hmnnn.

[Killer Miller]

I actually wouldn't disagree with this. Shotokan tournaments have very specific requirements in terms of how a point is determined that is very different from other styles. It's very likely that an outsider of the style will not place. And I will also agree that there are bias towards various participants in many tournaments. But this bias is common to insiders as well as outsiders. And I know that this bias also occurs in other organization's tournaments as well.

 

I'm not saying it's right, but it is a problem with all arts and sports... This is part of the difficulty of getting Karate/Martial arts as an olympic sport. No-one can agree on the standards of judging and whom the judges will be that will maintain a non-biased view.

 

- Killer -

I know a Shotokan tournament that has a flyer that reads:"open to all martial arts".

 

But, no other martial arts placed.

 

Hmnnn.

[longarm25]

Has anyone heard of Mark Bishop?

Ive seen his book Okinawian karate

[47MartialMan]

Has anyone heard of Mark Bishop?

Ive seen his book Okinawian karate

Seen it or read it?

[47MartialMan]

I actually wouldn't disagree with this. Shotokan tournaments have very specific requirements in terms of how a point is determined that is very different from other styles.

 

No, I had actually observed on how biased the judges were. In fact, all of the judges were Shotokan.

 

It's very likely that an outsider of the style will not place. And I will also agree that there are bias towards various participants in many tournaments.

 

Yes, but in many tournaments that are truely "open to all martial arts", there is a "mixed" judging panel and "mixed" particpants place..

 

But this bias is common to insiders as well as outsiders. And I know that this bias also occurs in other organization's tournaments as well.

 

But I found it worse in Shotokan and particular TKD, organzation-promoted tournaments

 

I'm not saying it's right, but it is a problem with all arts and sports... This is part of the difficulty of getting Karate/Martial arts as an olympic sport. No-one can agree on the standards of judging and whom the judges will be that will maintain a non-biased view.

 

Yes, I had posted a suggestion that their be a martial art referee organization like those in Basketball, football, etc.

 

I would like to ADD that I do not despise Shotokan or TKD, as a art. For practice and not tournament, both are ok. And I can say this because I had studied both for a duration.

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