Why karate is broken...

[Drose427]

Lets not be so fast in putting the blame on Funakoshi. if you feel karate is not what it originally was lets put the blame where is belongs, on the Americans.

JCS: Documentation Regarding the Budo Ban

prior to WW2 martial arts were turned into a militaristic war effort. however after the war the American occupation agreements banned all martial arts.

"October 22, 1945, the Supreme Commander Allied Powers (SCAP) notified the Ministry of Education that "dissemination of militaristic and ultranationalistic ideology will be prohibited and all military education and drill will be discontinued." Two months later, on January 4, 1946, SCAP issued Directive 550, which, with its companion Directive 548, required "the removal and exclusion from public life of militaristic and ultra nationalistic persons." One result of these orders was that the Ministry of Education eliminated martial arts from school curricula and another was that the Dai Nippon Butokukai was closed."

the only way to bring martial arts back was to make it competitive sport and "remove all Budo" from the practice.
the next major hit to martial arts was and is the "Wussification of America". maybe it started in the late 80's and early 90's where litigation happy folks would take every opportunity to take karate schools to court. students now needed to be fully padded and no contact during sparring. the full contact karate-ka like Chuck Norris, Bill Wallace and Joe Lewis gave birth to pro full contact PKA style fighting. which quickly died under the weight of parents wanting little Johnny to learn self controll and be a better student in school. Doctors who advised little Johnny take karate to help his ADHD. and still today we find ourselves in conflict between teaching a fighting art and the anti bully, anti confrontation mind set that has its grip on the country.
there is one bright spot on this >>>>>MMA. yes that "human cock fighting, that appeals to the lowest common denominator in our society," thanks John Mcain.

as a backlash to the void of true combativeness in martial arts MMA was born and in return has woken everyone up to what martial arts should be.

I named Funakoshi because even he admitted to changing the focus from how he trained at night in Okinawa versus how he taught in schools.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Kata is all you need.

I disagree. You need both the Kata and the ability to understand said Kata.

 

[Touch Of Death]

I disagree. You need both the Kata and the ability to understand said Kata.

If you change one word here, you will see the folly of your thinking. Ability is basically a function of timing; so, if someone says you need Kata to develop your timing, and you come along and say, you need the timing before Kata, you see where you need to start somewhere, right?

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

If you change one word here, you will see the folly of your thinking. Ability is basically a function of timing; so, if someone says you need Kata to develop your timing, and you come along and say, you need the timing before Kata, you see where you need to start somewhere, right?

Not arguing with that, just saying that Kata alone is not enough. You need the Kata, and to practice it, and that is obviously the first step. But you also need to be able to understand the Kata, or have a sensei who can help you understand it (preferably both) in order to fully get everything karate is trying to offer you. Saying all you need is to practice the Kata, to me, is incorrect.

 

[drop bear]

If you change one word here, you will see the folly of your thinking. Ability is basically a function of timing; so, if someone says you need Kata to develop your timing, and you come along and say, you need the timing before Kata, you see where you need to start somewhere, right?

Someone has it on their SIG. Form follows function. Kata should be a representation of application.

Otherwise you are practicing dogma.

 

[drop bear]

I can't make this technique work = This technique doesn't work.
I am not a good karateka = Karate is broken.

Perhaps the technique works, but the problem is with us. Perhaps karate is not broken, but we are.

Regardless of how karate has changed or what is now taught or emphasized, karate is still there. It is not hidden, nor is it secret, but you may have to seek it and try very hard to understand it. And perhaps that is not all bad. Real karate awaits. Real karateka seek it out. It's not broken, our perceptions are.

That is not a philosophical debate. Someone makes the technique work. The question is answered. Nobody makes the technique work the question is answered.

There is no perception involved here just observation.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Someone has it on their SIG. Form follows function. Kata should be a representation of application.

Otherwise you are practicing dogma.

True, but anything functional can be thrown into a Kata; so, it all works out. Kenpo Katas are more true to real life, but some moves are exaggerated for show.

 

[drop bear]

True, but anything functional can be thrown into a Kata; so, it all works out. Kenpo Katas are more true to real life, but some moves are exaggerated for show.

Correct.

It depends on how you look at the kata itself. I do get the impression that people think that reality will bend if they just understand the kata well enough.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Not arguing with that, just saying that Kata alone is not enough. You need the Kata, and to practice it, and that is obviously the first step. But you also need to be able to understand the Kata, or have a sensei who can help you understand it (preferably both) in order to fully get everything karate is trying to offer you. Saying all you need is to practice the Kata, to me, is incorrect.

Yes, you must first be taught kata. You must be instructed until you are doing it correctly with regard to the movements, pacing, rhythm, and so on. However, you are then free to continue your study of kata for the rest of your life. It contains the soul and the essence of karate. It is all of karate.

 

[Buka]

Kata contains the soul and the essence of most styles of Karate, but not all. American Karate, at least as I know it, does not have Kata.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Kata contains the soul and the essence of most styles of Karate, but not all. American Karate, at least as I know it, does not have Kata.

"American Karate." You mean Ameri-do-te?

 

[ballen0351]

Jesse is a salesman and writes things to draw traffic to his site. The problem with his article is these founders of Okinawan were alive well into the 1950's and 60's. They were still teaching "real" karate in its entirety. There are still original students teaching the complete styles today. Nothing is broken there is still real karate is still out there. individual schools my water things or fail to teach complete karate but Karate as a whole is fine.

 

[Buka]

"American Karate." You mean Ameri-do-te?

Un uh, I mean "American Karate".

As for Ameri-do-te's Master Ken, I'm pretty sure I know what he'd say about American Karate.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Un uh, I mean "American Karate".

As for Ameri-do-te's Master Ken, I'm pretty sure I know what he'd say about American Karate.

Ah yup.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Kata contains the soul and the essence of most styles of Karate, but not all. American Karate, at least as I know it, does not have Kata.

It is only backed up, by a thousand years of kata, but yeah, maybe they don't use kata proper. LOL

 

[drop bear]

It is only backed up, by a thousand years of kata, but yeah, maybe they don't use kata proper. LOL

How long has rhino horn been used for medicine?

 

[Touch Of Death]

How long has rhino horn been used for medicine?

Morning has broken, like the first Rhino, and like the first hunter, to harden his stead. (6000000 BC)

 

[Tgace]

I'm not sure this is appropriate for this thread, but the discussion regarding kata reminded me of this video:

What I think in my armchair is that kata is probably the heart of karate. But I doubt you will be able to apply it like that unless you have trained to apply the techniques of karate "at speed and against resistance".

Of course that begs the question of what one believes a "fixed" karate is...and how the current state is "broken" in comparison. Plenty of people are probably just fine with not being able to actually fight with what they are learning.


Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[geezer]

How long has rhino horn been used for medicine?

Since the Chinese started running low on tiger penis? Ancient Emperors favored preparations of Cinnabar. I heard it was to die for!

 

[drop bear]

Since the Chinese started running low on tiger penis? Ancient Emperors favored preparations of Cinnabar. I heard it was to die for!

It is only backed up, by a thousand years of medicine but yeah, maybe they don't use rhino horn proper. LOL