Karate is not a fighting style or sport

[Rich]

'Best defense is a good offense'

 

It is very true. the original founders knew, and it still holds true today, that a good pre emptive strike when you know the 's***s gonna hit the fan' is still, and always will be, the safest way to get to go home in one piece. It doesn't counter Funakoshi's there is no first strike in karate because you have to understand that he meant not to initiate aggression. When the aggressor is swearing and posturing (and you know its escalating) then you are not starting just finishing quicker.

 

Plus in a real fight most often defensive attempts will get you badly hurt- blocks as generally understood are a waste of space too.

 

Rich

[superleeds]

Hey folks, Ive browsed the forums and seen everyone talk about fighting and how it can be used to fight as well as how people think there is no use for Kata.

 

In my opinion Karate is not a fighting style.. it can be used for self defense and the only way to do that is to practice practice and practice.. so the techniques become second nature. Karate should not be used offensively.

 

Karate in tournaments is good I think, mainly because it adds the team element as well as the competeitive element which is good to give dedicated students a goal to reach.

 

I think the Katas are very imprtant because they contain good mind training which is required before the physical training can be succesfuly started.

 

I think a good student needs to know the reason for what the do as well as the background of their art so that they can understand their training more.

 

I also think that Karate is not a sport it is more a way of life, the Katas have to be practiced continuously and the ethics and codes of Karate can help change your views on life.

 

I have more to say but what do you people think about my thoughts and the art?

[Hohan-1]

Hi! This is my first post, and I'm happy to be here. I've practiced many MAs for over 2 decades, with my core system being Shuri Te (Shorin Ryu). Let me jump right in...

 

Originally Karate Jutsu was for self-preservation. There was no sparring and it was meant to keep you alive and able to support your family. Interestingly, just recently the majority of the Okinawan Masters have decided that kumite (sparring) and Okinawan Karate are not really compatible. Therefore they have decided to eliminate it from the more traditional competitive formats. Sparring is from Judo Randori, and it is a 100% Japanese concept.

 

All karate was originally Okinawan. An Okinawan family without a male breadwinner (females did not/could not have an occupation) would be destined to poverty, starvation and possibly death. For this reason karate was a serious thing. It wasn't a fun-time, slap-tag game. That was the Japanese's influence/contribution (Karate-Do). Everyone should thank Miyagi and Funakoshi for making karate popular worldwide, but it was a mixed blessing as the Ryukyuan aspects were replaced by Nipponese ones. Osu, hahaha!

 

Things change and most karate is the latter type. It is a philosophical way with few of the precepts (such as "Sente" or strike first) of Toudi. If you think that the local McDojo (98% of karate) will teach you how to fight trained combatants such as Wrestlers, Thai Boxers, BJJ guys and MMAs cats then you are dead wrong. Even its original intent was far from that. It was not meant to be used against pro athletes or fighters. It was for defense against the common street thug.

 

These are things a karateka has to come to grips with. Many of the older Masters, Hohan Soken for example, espoused training (cross-training) under more than one style and teacher. That was something he did after learning his family system for many years. This is especially true for those who are BB level already. The newer sensei/shinshii frowned upon this. That's why very few people will ever be true Masters.

 

Karate like life is what you make of it, how it is presented to you and only as effective as the one practicing it can be. Bye and talk with you guys soon enuff!!

[Kirves]

Exactly! There is Gendai Budo Karate, and then there is the old karate (a.k.a. Toudi, Tode, Uchinadi and so on). They have different methods and most importantly: different philosophies. You wrote it better than I ever could have.

[wilko9999]

hi

 

So you do not think karate is a sport I agree but if karate was in the Olympics and you could be in it you would not go! Because I would.

 

L8er