The future of karate

[Judodad_karateson]

I don't think Karate in its most basic form is going anywhere. Boxing/Kick Boxing need specialize equipment, and its sole purpose is sport, not as an are, hobby, or self-defence. Judo and BJJ need a special designated space, you can't grapple anywhere. But Karate, all you need is a body and an open space. It can be taught at the Y, in a church kitchen, or even at a local park. Competition is optional, you can learn the art without having to go to a single tournament.

That being said, Bruce Lee was on to something with his "no-style" philosophy. Karate will never go away, but it will change greatly. Some schools will still see the historic importance of keeping with traditions, but I think we are going to see a shift at some point. As society changes, so do the self-defence and combat needs. There isn't much use, for example, in knowing how to fend off a master of the katana with a rowing oar or gardening equipment (archaic equipment at that). There isn't use use in knowing how to use a Katana, for that matter. In the same way that BJJ came from Judo when some kids from Brazil needed to defend themselves from bullies who like to knock people on the ground and beat them, Karate will change to emphasis the needs of the society it is being taught.

The core ideas will remain, but techniques will change and adapt. I think some will take a great self-defence focus, while others will embrace MMA, and introduce more grappling into their curriculum.

[Luther unleashed]

I don't think Karate in its most basic form is going anywhere. Boxing/Kick Boxing need specialize equipment, and its sole purpose is sport, not as an are, hobby, or self-defence. Judo and BJJ need a special designated space, you can't grapple anywhere. But Karate, all you need is a body and an open space. It can be taught at the Y, in a church kitchen, or even at a local park. Competition is optional, you can learn the art without having to go to a single tournament.

That being said, Bruce Lee was on to something with his "no-style" philosophy. Karate will never go away, but it will change greatly. Some schools will still see the historic importance of keeping with traditions, but I think we are going to see a shift at some point. As society changes, so do the self-defence and combat needs. There isn't much use, for example, in knowing how to fend off a master of the katana with a rowing oar or gardening equipment (archaic equipment at that). There isn't use use in knowing how to use a Katana, for that matter. In the same way that BJJ came from Judo when some kids from Brazil needed to defend themselves from bullies who like to knock people on the ground and beat them, Karate will change to emphasis the needs of the society it is being taught.

The core ideas will remain, but techniques will change and adapt. I think some will take a great self-defence focus, while others will embrace MMA, and introduce more grappling into their curriculum.

Very simplistic but well written. I agree. I have always been very self defense minded so for me it's easy to take something from another art/style if it fits into my karate curriculum. You really hit the nail on the head because if I was not as interested in teaching things that work really well for self-defense, then I may not care as much and I may stick with just karate.

[wildbourgman]

I think Karate's future is going to found in it's past and it will be fine if people understand the history.

While at multiple karate camps I've heard some of the older attendees (most of them being instructors) complain about losing students to BJJ and MMA and they also worried about the future of Karate.

Now these were older Shotokan instructors with very little knowledge of anything other than Shotokan and probably Tae Kwon Do or Tang So do. I replied to them that I thought Shotokan should open up and find some aspects that many Japanese styles lost when Sport Karate gained popularity in mainland Japan long after it left Okinawa. One of the instructors asked me angrily "So your answer is to water down our style? ". My reply is that it was watered down at some point after Funakoshi and others got to Japan.

If you look at the numbers and the unbelievable popularity of sport karate that took place it's hard to disagree with what the Japanese pulled off, but now with MMA's popularity it might be time to look for the answer to karate's future.

In my what I'm seeing Okinawan Karate in (which Shotokan and others came from) is more like a mixed martial art rather than primarily a striking art. In my Shorin ryu club we learn take downs, throws (judo), joint locks, how to transition into a head lock or a guillotine (jujitsu and wrestling), effective striking with punches and kicks (boxing and kick boxing).

Bringing back effective techniques that were part of your style's origin is not watering down a style or even entire martial art such as Karate. So to me that's' the answer to Karate's future will be found in it's past if we just look for it.

[Montana]

I think karates future is going down the toilet pretty quickly. There will always be pockets of "traditionalists" (like myself) that will teach the old, authentic ways without bastardizing their systems with adding elements from other systems (such as high kicks and board breaking for systems like what I taught), just to please the students and keep them coming in the door.

With the advent of adding all sorts of new, flashy techiques to systems just to please the students, older traditional schools are becoming a thing of the past in many dojos.

Personally, I don't like it, and would NEVER do it.

My philosophy is..If you don't like what I'm teaching and would rather do something else..then by all means..LEAVE! I'd rather have a small, dedicated class of people wanting to learn it the way it was taught then to teach "new and improved techniques.

I had a brown belt once that started cross training in Parkers Kempo. He'd come back to my class and spend the entire class telling everyone how great it was. I finally had enough and after class one day I asked him to stay for a few minutes and told him..."If you like the EP Kenpo so much, then please..quit my class and go there to train. If you want to stay in this (my) dojo, then please keep your mouth shut."

He stayed.

[wildbourgman]

Well today our Shorin dojo starts doing it's part. We have a few Shotokan and possibly some Tae Kwon Do folks coming to cross train in tuite. We really hoped it could have been a larger group but it is what it is.

In my view we just need to go back to our roots and then market our roots of traditional karate as the original mixed martial art that it truly was in Okinawa.

[Luther unleashed]

The "traditionalist" will usually see blending as a bad thing I think. I blended because I had such a mixed background that I thought it would be silly to teach one art. At any rate, I think it was stated but the martial arts grow and adapt to society's needs.

I think the tradition is important, which is exactly why, although I blend, I maintain a traditional base. I also think evolution and growth is important, which is why I blend other things in.

Karate will always have the purists I think, but I don't think we should fear people using it to help their system offer more, I think we should see it as an open minded compliment.

[Judodad_karateson]

I think karates future is going down the toilet pretty quickly. There will always be pockets of "traditionalists" (like myself) that will teach the old, authentic ways without bastardizing their systems with adding elements from other systems (such as high kicks and board breaking for systems like what I taught), just to please the students and keep them coming in the door.

Imho, it is this attitude that is the cause of Karate going down the toilet. Karate wasn't made in a day, the techniques we learn in modern Karate was collected over generations. At what point did we all decide "

"? At what point was growth and development deemed "bastardizing?

Karate isn't just a group of movements, it's a spirit and a tradition that is in no way infringed upon by adding additional techniques to class. Karate should be defined by the spirit of the Kiai and Oss, not the hours of karate required. Karate should always be the way of

[sensei8]

Imho...

Bastardizing the MA is when rank is above all things!! Karate...and the MA for that fact, will live on in both worlds...the super fast immediate gratification world AND the time honored world.

The MA...Karate...will outlive us all!!

You can please some of the people all of the time...you can please all of the people some of the time...but you can't please all of the people all of the time. Welcome to the MA!!

Adding techniques have to be tempered, and for cause!!

[wildbourgman]

The "traditionalist" will usually see blending as a bad thing I think. I blended because I had such a mixed background that I thought it would be silly to teach one art. At any rate, I think it was stated but the martial arts grow and adapt to society's needs.

I think the tradition is important, which is exactly why, although I blend, I maintain a traditional base. I also think evolution and growth is important, which is why I blend other things in.

Karate will always have the purists I think, but I don't think we should fear people using it to help their system offer more, I think we should see it as an open minded compliment.

Here's the thing, for instance what is a Shotokan Traditionalist ? Is a Shotokan traditionalist a practitioner that only practices what Gichin Funakoshi taught, or is it what was taught by Masatoshi Nakayama? At what point do you say the tradition started, because there is a bunch of difference between what was practiced by Funakoshi and Nakayama and even what is practiced by traditional JKA Shotokan today. I know many traditional Shotokan instructors that think they practice exactly what Funakoshi taught, then show them pictures of Funakoshi teaching weapons, throws, and tuite and they are dumbfounded.

Was tradition started with Tode Sakugawa, the Mastumoras, or was it in 1960 something when some American GI was stationed in Japan or Okinawa? Tradition is a very vague and arbitrary term and I also think it's often misguided.

Many of the modern day so called "traditionalist" don't even know that Karate is a blended martial art to begin with, do they think it started exactly like they were taught? I would also dare say your going to find it hard to locate any technique in any modern fighting art that wasn't used in some way or fashion, by some old school karate practitioners, at some dojo, at some point in time.

[sensei8]

The "traditionalist" will usually see blending as a bad thing I think. I blended because I had such a mixed background that I thought it would be silly to teach one art. At any rate, I think it was stated but the martial arts grow and adapt to society's needs.

I think the tradition is important, which is exactly why, although I blend, I maintain a traditional base. I also think evolution and growth is important, which is why I blend other things in.

Karate will always have the purists I think, but I don't think we should fear people using it to help their system offer more, I think we should see it as an open minded compliment.

Here's the thing, for instance what is a Shotokan Traditionalist ? Is a Shotokan traditionalist a practitioner that only practices what Gichin Funakoshi taught, or is it what was taught by Masatoshi Nakayama? At what point do you say the tradition started, because there is a bunch of difference between what was practiced by Funakoshi and Nakayama and even what is practiced by traditional JKA Shotokan today. I know many traditional Shotokan instructors that think they practice exactly what Funakoshi taught, then show them pictures of Funakoshi teaching weapons, throws, and tuite and they are dumbfounded.

Was tradition started with Tode Sakugawa, the Mastumoras, or was it in 1960 something when some American GI was stationed in Japan or Okinawa? Tradition is a very vague and arbitrary term and I also think it's often misguided.

Many of the modern day so called "traditionalist" don't even know that Karate is a blended martial art to begin with, do they think it started exactly like they were taught? I would also dare say your going to find it hard to locate any technique in any modern fighting art that wasn't used in some way or fashion, by some old school karate practitioners, at some dojo, at some point in time.

Solid post!!