To commit herecy or not

[AnonymousOne]

I have been training for 29 years. Yes no breaks, every week, every year. Today I train 6 days aweek. No I am not into contest, I just love Karate and fitness. I run, I work weights, I do all sorts of exercises. I train in the Dojo once a week at the Dan grade lessons. The rest I do myself and they are harder than the dojo by design.

 

The Japanese are really into heritage and culture. To change the Kata or create new ones is blasphemy.

 

But... as one examines the Kata and forms of many different martial arts, one starts to wonder. Shotokan have some beautiful Kata, GojuRyu's Kata are great but are completely different. If someone practised a Goju Kata and another a Shotokan Kata with the same amount of diligence and time, would one be more superior in skill than the other? Does the Kata make the man or does the man make the Kata?

 

To me Kata are just a serious of fighting techniques put into a pattern like a manual so the techniques can be passed down and not forgotten. This is a good thing in many respects. However in many cases one has no freedom of expression in Karate, you have to follow a set pattern, as set system with no ability to change anything. Or you are labelled a heretic.

 

Out of sheer interest over these many years I have learnt forms or Kata's from many different martial arts. Gung Fu, Karate, Jujitsu and even a strange little chinaman that lives down the road to me who has no name for what he does. "Just fighting" he says.

 

I feel many of the Movements in Karate Kata are brilliant and some of them are a waste of effort. Today, we have computers that can analyse bio-mechanical movements and many other things. This is how I know some movements are useless and impractical in a real fight. Many movements of course are lethal bio-mechanically speaking.

 

I was a strict tradionalist for many years because of my teachers and my 1 year stint in Japan.

 

However 15 years ago I decided I wanted to

 

express my own creativity. I had developed some techniques and combinations I used very successfully in sparring and I wanted to practise them. So I started putting these together (very quietly). As time went by I added more and more.

 

I studied exercises from other sports, like plyometrics and agility exercises that Karate does not have but are perfect for Karate training. I added these in. I also studied the training methods and schedules of world boxing champs like Ali, Tyson and Holifield. I added some of these ideas in.

 

Then I studied some new ideas in Olympic methods on aerobic and anaerobic training, based on computer analysis and bio-mechanical analysis. From this I found that modern day sports have progressed significantly in training methods and new records are broken because new methods are employed. But Karate, the art that I love is not open to this because of tradition. I started to feel unsatisfied and bewildered like Bruce Lee once was. Although I have not carved up my training anywhere as near as he did. But...

 

For the last 15 years I have been experimenting, studying and working on myself as a guinea pig. I am one of the most senior students in my school but one cannot discuss these ideas with them because they are 'moulded' into the traditional system. The Head Honcho in Japan has laid down the training system and that is Gospel and Holy and cannot be changed.

 

I feel I have developed a far better system of training and I feel I have what it takes to prove it. But even if I did prove it conclusively I feel that the traditionalists would still reject it. I love Karate, I love the school and people that are in it but I feel changes need to be made.

 

Karate must move with technology and modern training methods. I feel all the Kata must be put to the bio-mechanical computer test and retain the good and disgard the bad. Oh what herecy!!

 

I have a friend who is University Professor in the area of Physical Education. He has helped me in my studies.

 

One is able to study the intensity of exercise or the intensity of energy exerted in 'clinical' assimulated real fight. One can determine the exact amount of physical fitness required, the amount of physical strength required and so many many other issues.

 

In many areas Karate is perfect or near perfect and in some areas it is lacking. I am at a point where I am ready to disgard the weak points and only work with the strong and effective.

 

I have developed a series of movements, a Kata if you will that my Professor friend has put to the bio-mechanical and other computer tests by measuring my body and by video analysis. We have measured the heart rate, lung capacity of oxygen usage, we have measured every possible movement and body requirement with all the modern tools that are available to us. I dont want to make this too long so I wont go into results just yet.

 

My goal was to create a form that was near perfect for fighting. Taking into account speed, timing, balance, fighting skills, variety of well balanced technique, treating the left side as much as the right side for equal development of the body, agility, power, endurance, aerobic and anaerobic development. This has been a huge task and its been 15 years in the development.

 

Unfortunately unless I have slit eyes and go and kill a few bulls with my bare hands the world is not ready to accept it nor me. Because its just plain herecy because its not traditional.

 

The only one who I have taught it to is my son who is now 19 years of age and he trains with me and not the Dojo. I have found that his rate of Martial skills development is at a greater rate than that of other students with the same years of training because modern scientific principles are used. I feel these modern training methods have a lot to offer the world of Karate that clings strongly onto tradition.

 

The strange thing is Okinawan Master's of old were allowed to develop and refine things based on the information available to them, but I am afraid we are not progressing how we could be.

 

Despite being one of the most senior Dan grades in this country, despite the years of training and experience, despite our 'proof' positive by computer analysis, the world of Karate is not going to change its tradition. I have hinted at such ideas and only got a negative response, not only at my school but from peers at other styles.

 

Its a delicate subject. Should I start my own school? Is the World Karate Federation going to recognise it? I doubt it. Unless its Japan based and supported you dont get recognition as credible. It seems the whole world of Karate is controlled by traditions.

 

I still have many years ahead of me and Karate has been my whole life. Perhaps in the years ahead things will change. I sure hope so, because modern science is proving some and I say some not all, of the traditional ideas to be ineffective. I would like to see an art that is completely effective in every possible movement, not partially.

 

Lets clear something up. I am not saying someone that has been training for many years is not effective, what I am saying is modern training methods would get some to a more competant level much faster.

 

 

[Bon]

::edit:: Edited September 29, 2002 by Bon

[AnonymousOne]

Good points you made. I dont really like the idea of making money out of Karate. I used to teach and was given compensation for my time as a teacher, however, I wanted more time to myself, namely the evenings to explore my own training and ideas which teaching did not allow me to do.

 

I am a great believer in Kata training. It teaches you skills, balance, timing, agility, mental discipline, focus, speed, power and so many other things.

 

I just feel they need to be modernised. Even Funakoshi criticised adding new Kata, but look what he did to all the Okinawan Kata. He changed them but didnt want anyone to change what he did. Amasing!

[Bon]

::edit:: Edited September 29, 2002 by Bon

[AnonymousOne]

16 is a great age to start Karate. I started when I was 17 and I am now 44. My son started at 15. Hes now 19 almost 20. Hes never been in a Dojo and his level of technique is about 2nd Dan I feel.

 

He only spars with me and must train under my technique. I am quite hard on him and he has no interest in a belt and he understands that technique is what it is all about.

 

Recently he was with some friends and they met up with some other boy who has a shodan in some school. They got talking about martial arts and my son said he trains. When questioned about what rank he was my son said he didnt have one. So naturally the other boy was proud he had a black belt, until my son demonstrated some technique. Now this boy wants to come train with my son and wants to meet me.

 

 

[Bon]

::edit:: Edited September 29, 2002 by Bon

[YODA]

On committing "herecy"...

 

Jigaro Kano

 

Mas Oyama

 

Morihei Ueshiba

 

Bruce Lee

 

... All men who bucked tradition & committed heracy

 

 

[Karateka]

Technique has no life; you put the life into it.

 

 

[Gorgoth]

As many of you know, I train in Goju-Ryu... Only it isnt traditional Goju-Ryu... I'm taught by a man who learned Goju in Okinawa, only he adapts things and only teaches us what he finds valuable in the Goju-Ryu system... He has been training since he was 13, and I think he is 42 now.... He has trained in many different systems: Hapkido, Shaolin Gung Fu, Goju-Ryu, Chinese Boxing, Ken Jitsu, Jiu Jitsu, Kenpo and Aikido... He adapts what we learn to all of what he has learned in his 29 years of experience... He trains us (I believe) in for the most part traditional Okinawan methods... Only he supplements our training with weights... We use Sanchin to build strength and we use weights to supplement our training with Sanchin... we also go through our training sessions wearing weights on our legs and arms... sometimes we wear 40-lb vests... we then train kicks, blocks, and punches with the weight..

 

Although we also take training methods from Wing Chun in the form of the 5-lb lead rings we wear on our arms while blocking training... and from Okinawan Karate, we use Makiwara pads... We also train on heavy bags...

 

I dont know if what he trains us in is traditional or not... but he doesn't believe in having to pay for martial arts training and we train where ever we can... whether that be in the garage... in his house... in the yard... or in the woods... we train anywhere and everywhere there is some isolation and we are out of view of other people... He always says that we are learning a closed system and no one can watch us while we train... he accepts students, but they are allowed only to participate in regular training sessions until they join us, and they are not allowed to talk about what we do...

 

what i talk about on this board is not anywhere near even a quarter of what we do...

 

anywho...

 

just thought i might add to the discussion

 

-Gor

[SaiFightsMS]

You raise some very interesting points, oh Annonymousone. (by the way welcome to the fourm)

 

Bucking tradition will not be easy. The way you are analyzing things is extremely interesting. I sincerely hope you come in often and have many interesting threads going in here with those who care to respond.