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Karate originated on the island of Okinawa, yet most people think that Japanese Karate is the source of the art. The reason for this is that Japan was better known that Okinawa. Thus, most people just believe that Japan is the heart of the art.
It is true that Japan has contributed greatly to the growth of Karate, but there are a few problems arisen because of that help. Things have occurred in Karate that actually restrict an individual's striving for artistic expression. This piece of writing will examine that concept.
The force behind moving Karate into the modern world is a fellow name of Gichin Funakoshi. Master Funakoshi didn't advise Karate for competition. Unfortunately, this advice was ignored.
Mind you, there is nothing wrong with the idea of testing oneself, but when the goal becomes win at any cost, got to get that gold, got to beat the other guy down, the art becomes skewed badly. The sport desire to destroy another human being goes against the more artistic desire to control oneself and discover one's worth. Thus, Karate stops working as Art, and becomes human cockfighting.
This problem manifested Funakoshi taught his karate to college students. These students altered the art according to their youthful excesses, and put aside the development of character as the prime motivation of the art. Thus, tournaments grew popular, students became enthralled with fighting for the sake of fighting, and there was even one incident of a student being killed for not wishing to go down this dark path.
Because of this drive for power there was also a distinct degradation of art. To this day a karate point won't be awarded when engaging in freestyle unless the student charges in with a front stance. If one examines the Chinese based arts from which the Japanese version came, however, one will see that the front stance is an over commitment, and that the true fighting stance is typically the more balanced back stance.
When fighting from a balanced back stance one can use all weapons (fist, foot, or otherwise) and still retain the ability to shuffle backward out of the action. To be able to stand back, apart from the action, as it were, encourages the student to take a more balanced viewpoint to the fact of even getting in a fight. It has been a rather sizable observation of this author that when students are trained in the back stance as the major stance of Karate, they become less aggressive and more understanding.
Interestingly, Funakoshi himself seems to have understood these points. On one hand, he is reported as saying that he didn't even recognize that Karate that was being taught, that it was drastically different from that which he had brought to Japan. And, on the other hand, his official paraphernalia, the chops and seals and what have you, were not given to Shotokan Karate (the premier Karate organization of Japan) upon his death, but rather were passed on to a more complacent and gentle style of Karate called Shotokai.
In closing, whether you study one of the more balanced styles of Karate, or whether you have been influenced by the power pushing Japanese styles doesn't matter. What matters is that you do the forms, and you seek for balance. Thus, consider the words of this article, apply them as you can and Japanese Karate can revert to a more true form of Martial Arts.
It is true that Japan has contributed greatly to the growth of Karate, but there are a few problems arisen because of that help. Things have occurred in Karate that actually restrict an individual's striving for artistic expression. This piece of writing will examine that concept.
The force behind moving Karate into the modern world is a fellow name of Gichin Funakoshi. Master Funakoshi didn't advise Karate for competition. Unfortunately, this advice was ignored.
Mind you, there is nothing wrong with the idea of testing oneself, but when the goal becomes win at any cost, got to get that gold, got to beat the other guy down, the art becomes skewed badly. The sport desire to destroy another human being goes against the more artistic desire to control oneself and discover one's worth. Thus, Karate stops working as Art, and becomes human cockfighting.
This problem manifested Funakoshi taught his karate to college students. These students altered the art according to their youthful excesses, and put aside the development of character as the prime motivation of the art. Thus, tournaments grew popular, students became enthralled with fighting for the sake of fighting, and there was even one incident of a student being killed for not wishing to go down this dark path.
Because of this drive for power there was also a distinct degradation of art. To this day a karate point won't be awarded when engaging in freestyle unless the student charges in with a front stance. If one examines the Chinese based arts from which the Japanese version came, however, one will see that the front stance is an over commitment, and that the true fighting stance is typically the more balanced back stance.
When fighting from a balanced back stance one can use all weapons (fist, foot, or otherwise) and still retain the ability to shuffle backward out of the action. To be able to stand back, apart from the action, as it were, encourages the student to take a more balanced viewpoint to the fact of even getting in a fight. It has been a rather sizable observation of this author that when students are trained in the back stance as the major stance of Karate, they become less aggressive and more understanding.
Interestingly, Funakoshi himself seems to have understood these points. On one hand, he is reported as saying that he didn't even recognize that Karate that was being taught, that it was drastically different from that which he had brought to Japan. And, on the other hand, his official paraphernalia, the chops and seals and what have you, were not given to Shotokan Karate (the premier Karate organization of Japan) upon his death, but rather were passed on to a more complacent and gentle style of Karate called Shotokai.
In closing, whether you study one of the more balanced styles of Karate, or whether you have been influenced by the power pushing Japanese styles doesn't matter. What matters is that you do the forms, and you seek for balance. Thus, consider the words of this article, apply them as you can and Japanese Karate can revert to a more true form of Martial Arts.
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here is an article on how to do Punch Ups. Punch Ups are a special exercise that will pump up your Punching Power drastically. This exercise will show you how to Punch Harder Now!
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