There has been much debate here on karate, as well as other traditional arts in general and what role they play or how effective they are. So I decided to get it out here and get a debate going so we can get it all hashed out.
A lot of people put Karate down and mostly rightfully so. I would think at some point in history that karate was an effective martial art. It surely has survived for a long time but was it because it was such an effective martial art? No! It has survived because it has under gone certain changes that have allowed it to survive. It was introduced into the elementary schools in Okinawa and in Japan as a childhood exercise. It found a nitch in the Japanese universities as a sport. Changes were made to allow for safety and scoring. Some say it was watered down. I don’t think so, I think the emphases were changed and the more lethal techniques were less emphasized but they are still there.
Then there were organizations like the JKA that sprung up all over the place that vied for control and the top honors to carry on the tradition. The good ol’ boys club wants to protect their territory. They want to maintain control of it and get the credit for it. They don’t want anyone getting in their way, even if it means the product is worth next to nothing they will still protect it at all costs.
So why do I do Karate? It may seem a cop out to some of you but I love doing martial arts. Where I live, a small town in the middle of nowhere there isn’t much option. Besides it helps keep my skills sharp and it gives me partners to work against. That’s it. It beats practicing by myself all the time.
So what can be done to fix Karate?
I would say to hell with tradition, however I would respect its history, but I would not allow myself to be shackled by it.
Tradition is effectiveness worst enemy. However with out it there would be no Karate, but all the systems that we practice today have been changed in some way or another by their founders, or by different organizations or by the students themselves. Funakoshi changed what he learned from his teachers, Funakoshi’s son changed things even more, and the JKA changed stuff too. Funakoshi wouldn’t recognize Shotokan today. Same with so many other founders of other styles and systems. So why can’t we do the same?
If we could change karate to make it better, more effective what would you do?
In the world according to me I would (for starters):
1) Do away with kata, replace them with combinations like what is done in MT. Or at least make kata optional and never make them a requirement for belt promotions. Kata may be kept only to pay homage to the history of karate.
2) I would teach only the basics, remember there are no advanced techniques only advanced katas.
3) Do away with belt tests accept the black belt test. I would only test the black belts so it will add some stress and anxiety to the student being tested. I think an instructor should know if his students know their techniques and how their sparring rates so why test them? The teacher should already know if the student’s knowledge and abilities are good enough for the next belt.
• I am not a big fan of belts but I can see there’re usefulness in recruiting new students and as a good student retention strategy.
4) A black belt test will consist of three elements free sparring, weapons sparring, and self-defense.
A: Free sparring will consist of 3, 3 minute rounds (or what ever). Each round the student would have to go up against a fresh opponent. The things I would want to see; can the student recognize mistakes and openings, and take advantage of these on a consistent bases? Can he spar in a smooth rhythmic fashion? Is he fluid?
B: Weapons, no weapons katas, just full contact weapons sparring using practical weapons like an eskrima stick or knife, or both (using protective gear of course).The thing I would look for are the same things I look for in free sparring.
C) Self-defense. I would have at least three other students around the examinee. The examinee will not know who, when, or with what he will be attacked with or in what manner. For example I’ll have a student talking to him while another attacks from behind with a bear hug or anything else I decide. Another scenario would be talking to him then sucker punch him, or have someone distracting him then have someone else shoot in for a double leg takedown. If he is unsuccessful at countering the take down then have second student step in and stomp him (see what the testee can do). The scenarios are limitless pretty much just be creative. I am not looking for anything pretty or sharp technique. What I want to see is if the techniques he uses (he is not told what techniques to use) are effective. Did they work? If the student meets these three criteria he gets his black belt. If not he can retry the part or parts he failed in a few (2 or 3) months. Until then he continues to wear his brown belt.
5) Incorporate other strategies and techniques from other people and styles that have been proven to work. I would not be afraid to barrow from other arts. I would throw in some throws, and some ground fighting, JJ joint locks and BJJ arm bars, escapes and releases, etc. Also I like Geoff Thompson’s animal days. I would implement something like that into my curriculum.
• I wouldn’t get too carried away with the ground fighting though just enough so my students could survive if a confrontation did go to the ground.
6) Use only one stance. The stance you would use to fight in. I would allow other stances to suite what the student is most comfortable in but other students would not be required to learn or perform them. No punching from the hips and other crap like that.
7) Clinches, knees, and elbows a must and the MT shin kick, oh yea baby.
These are the things I would do. If some of them fail to work I would dump them and find something that did. I would do other things too but this is enough to get started. I know this would end Karate as we know it but this would be the perfect MA for me. Of course I realize that martial arts mean so many different things to so many different people and we all take martial arts training for different reasons. Things I despise are wholly embraced by others. So, definitely one size does not fit all.
I know if we all did what we all wanted then there would ten million new martial arts systems out there, some will be good, some will be bad. So this really wouldn’t end the debate, the debate would go on and on forever.
So, I’ll still ask the question. What would you guys do to make Karate better or more functional?
A lot of people put Karate down and mostly rightfully so. I would think at some point in history that karate was an effective martial art. It surely has survived for a long time but was it because it was such an effective martial art? No! It has survived because it has under gone certain changes that have allowed it to survive. It was introduced into the elementary schools in Okinawa and in Japan as a childhood exercise. It found a nitch in the Japanese universities as a sport. Changes were made to allow for safety and scoring. Some say it was watered down. I don’t think so, I think the emphases were changed and the more lethal techniques were less emphasized but they are still there.
Then there were organizations like the JKA that sprung up all over the place that vied for control and the top honors to carry on the tradition. The good ol’ boys club wants to protect their territory. They want to maintain control of it and get the credit for it. They don’t want anyone getting in their way, even if it means the product is worth next to nothing they will still protect it at all costs.
So why do I do Karate? It may seem a cop out to some of you but I love doing martial arts. Where I live, a small town in the middle of nowhere there isn’t much option. Besides it helps keep my skills sharp and it gives me partners to work against. That’s it. It beats practicing by myself all the time.
So what can be done to fix Karate?
I would say to hell with tradition, however I would respect its history, but I would not allow myself to be shackled by it.
Tradition is effectiveness worst enemy. However with out it there would be no Karate, but all the systems that we practice today have been changed in some way or another by their founders, or by different organizations or by the students themselves. Funakoshi changed what he learned from his teachers, Funakoshi’s son changed things even more, and the JKA changed stuff too. Funakoshi wouldn’t recognize Shotokan today. Same with so many other founders of other styles and systems. So why can’t we do the same?
If we could change karate to make it better, more effective what would you do?
In the world according to me I would (for starters):
1) Do away with kata, replace them with combinations like what is done in MT. Or at least make kata optional and never make them a requirement for belt promotions. Kata may be kept only to pay homage to the history of karate.
2) I would teach only the basics, remember there are no advanced techniques only advanced katas.
3) Do away with belt tests accept the black belt test. I would only test the black belts so it will add some stress and anxiety to the student being tested. I think an instructor should know if his students know their techniques and how their sparring rates so why test them? The teacher should already know if the student’s knowledge and abilities are good enough for the next belt.
• I am not a big fan of belts but I can see there’re usefulness in recruiting new students and as a good student retention strategy.
4) A black belt test will consist of three elements free sparring, weapons sparring, and self-defense.
A: Free sparring will consist of 3, 3 minute rounds (or what ever). Each round the student would have to go up against a fresh opponent. The things I would want to see; can the student recognize mistakes and openings, and take advantage of these on a consistent bases? Can he spar in a smooth rhythmic fashion? Is he fluid?
B: Weapons, no weapons katas, just full contact weapons sparring using practical weapons like an eskrima stick or knife, or both (using protective gear of course).The thing I would look for are the same things I look for in free sparring.
C) Self-defense. I would have at least three other students around the examinee. The examinee will not know who, when, or with what he will be attacked with or in what manner. For example I’ll have a student talking to him while another attacks from behind with a bear hug or anything else I decide. Another scenario would be talking to him then sucker punch him, or have someone distracting him then have someone else shoot in for a double leg takedown. If he is unsuccessful at countering the take down then have second student step in and stomp him (see what the testee can do). The scenarios are limitless pretty much just be creative. I am not looking for anything pretty or sharp technique. What I want to see is if the techniques he uses (he is not told what techniques to use) are effective. Did they work? If the student meets these three criteria he gets his black belt. If not he can retry the part or parts he failed in a few (2 or 3) months. Until then he continues to wear his brown belt.
5) Incorporate other strategies and techniques from other people and styles that have been proven to work. I would not be afraid to barrow from other arts. I would throw in some throws, and some ground fighting, JJ joint locks and BJJ arm bars, escapes and releases, etc. Also I like Geoff Thompson’s animal days. I would implement something like that into my curriculum.
• I wouldn’t get too carried away with the ground fighting though just enough so my students could survive if a confrontation did go to the ground.
6) Use only one stance. The stance you would use to fight in. I would allow other stances to suite what the student is most comfortable in but other students would not be required to learn or perform them. No punching from the hips and other crap like that.
7) Clinches, knees, and elbows a must and the MT shin kick, oh yea baby.
These are the things I would do. If some of them fail to work I would dump them and find something that did. I would do other things too but this is enough to get started. I know this would end Karate as we know it but this would be the perfect MA for me. Of course I realize that martial arts mean so many different things to so many different people and we all take martial arts training for different reasons. Things I despise are wholly embraced by others. So, definitely one size does not fit all.
I know if we all did what we all wanted then there would ten million new martial arts systems out there, some will be good, some will be bad. So this really wouldn’t end the debate, the debate would go on and on forever.
So, I’ll still ask the question. What would you guys do to make Karate better or more functional?
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