Competition system and Budo as discipline for self-defense and better human being.

Competition system and Budo as discipline for self-defense and better human being.

Karate and most of Japanese traditional martial arts are regarded as "Budo".
The concept of Budo focuses on discipline to get better personality. This is why Budo masters teach manner and mentality even if the lessons don't help students on stage of competition.
If a strong man comes to Budo Dojo (gym), he can't get Black belt in short term, because he hasn't learnt manner and discipline. Sometimes, grade in Budo is not only for "strength" or "fighting skill", but for experience of discipline. (This is why even if one's power is not so strong, after years good practice, most of masters try to give him suitable grade.)

Good personality appears in behaviour. It is not "What someone has done", but "How he have been or done." Person who achieved something, if he has done cheating and obtain the achievement, he is vicious one. If one couldn't get an achievement, but he has done much efforts, most of we may respect him and regard him as good person.
When we see someone's character, we see "how he is", rather than "what he has done".
This is true in Budo world too. Most of master don't give belt or title without checking his practice. This is why very strong one can't get black belt in short term, because master hasn't see his personality.

In world of Budo, process is more important than result sometimes. It is for training better personality.

But, how about competition world?
Competition should be very fare. We shouldn't bring our feeling into the judgement. This is why competition see only "result", not process.
Here, we see clearly different viewpoints. Both viewpoints are required in certain situations. And both will help us to train ourselves.

Just we must know, competition judgement and Budo judgement be different. Don't mix it and misunderstand.

Chudan-Uke practice video on Youtube

Chudan-Uke practice Video is available now.

Chudan-Uke is called "Ude-Uke", "Uchi-Uke" or "Soto-Uke" in some schools.
This names are confusing, even for Japanese learners, so I just call "Chudan-Uke", means "middle level protection".

In this technique, your fists move in circular motion. This motion is important one, in defense techniques.

Chudan-Uke protects your chest part, can work against punch above your elbow height.
With simple application, this skill can protect your head level too.

You may feel this protection is difficult one, when you do pair practice. It is true, this is difficult defense technique, but in "Kata" (moving sequence as textbook of Karate without letters), you can see many times of this Chudan-Uke. Therefore, we can guess this is something important one.

Strong point of this technique is that it has good and quick connection to next defense or counter strike.
Your fist may be in front of opponent's body or face, right after this defense, so easy to do hitting back.
It may be said this is active and aggressive defense.
Even when you are trying to punch and getting hitting back from opponent, your punching hand can be changed into this Chudan-Uke quickly.

Chudan-Uke can become attack, and attack can become Chudan-Uke. This is changeable skill, depending on situation.

This practice is still "Basic" practice. Not practical technique itself. Please do practice properly and get ready for application.

Karate as brain exercise.

Let your son do Karate, he becomes wise.

This is one of lesson of old time in okinawa, native place of Karate.

You may wonder, why Karate contribute children's intelligence? not body?

Most of parents who don't have experience of Karate tend to think Karate practice is very simple and easy. But the practice is totally different from other simple activities, like running, jumping and just punching.

In Karate practice, children need to imitate their instructors.
Many realize it is very difficult, even if they are body is strong enough to do instructors motion, but still is is difficult.
Because students need to "see" and "understand" then "move" their body as they see. They often don't understand the motion, or don't move their body properly. These problems don't come from difference in athletic ability with the instructor, but come from brain and nerve system.

"Seeing" motion and "understanding" is highly advanced brain activity, done by brain, not by muscle. And "imitating" is also done by brain and nerve system.
Top athletes have strong brain and nerve system, so they can control their body very well.

Therefore, brain and nerve system are trained in Karate practice, especially in Kata practice.
It is totally different from "simple" practice just children use muscle in simple motion.
 (Yes, actually most of sports activity need good brain, in advanced level. But Karate starts to need brain support from 1st step.)

Please don't think Karate is just a body training or for enjoyment. It is Body-Mind training.

Jodan-Uke defense against face punch is on Youtube now.

"Jodan-Uke" is one of the Karate basic defense techniques.
It is often called "Age-Uke" in some styles.

"Jodan" means upper level. ie, "Chudan" is middle, "Gedan" is lower.

This basic technique is also not practical technique by itself. But has potential to be improved into good defense technique with application.

Please try to practice for the while.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-9OIVkiVnn8Jhvyew9XJGw

Technique training. "Sonoba-Zuki"

Online Karate class channel

Sonoba-Zuki is most common and 1st step basic practice in Karate.

Sonoba means "staying in a place". Tuki (Zuki) is thrusting.

But here, most common misunderstanding for non-Japanese speaker is difference of "Zuki" and "Tuki".
Yes, actually, meaning is totally same. But when "Tuki" comes after some word, pronounce becomes "Zuki".
So, when we say just "Tuki", it is Tuki.
And When we put some word in front of "Tuki" becomes "Zuki". (ex, Jun-Zuki, Gyaku-Zuki)

We must be careful. Basic technique is just for learning. Not for use in self-defense situation.
This "Sonoba-Zuki" doesn't work in sparing. But we have to get important things here.

1, Don't make gap between your arms and body.
Your fists should go straight, and hit earlier. Even when opponent steps forward, this straight punch works well. So, this straight th
rust is important techniques against attacking enemy.

2, Hikite, Take your the other hand backward. The fist need to be on side of your chest.
Automatically, your body will remember proper position, and you can use more muscle in next Tuki.
And, punch don't hit the moving target so easily, in fighting. Therefore, you can catch his hand or cloths and punch, it is efficient technique. Hikite is for this practice, some masters said.

3, Turn your fist in the last moment of Tuki.
This twisting is very important techniques. When we turn our fists, muscles on shoulders and back also work. It means we generate large power by larger part of muscle. Especially, this is important thing in defense techniques.


4, Use full body.
Arms don't generate strong power. Power comes from the ground. You kick the ground and twist your body then transit it into arms and fist. This is also very important technique in Karate.
"When you do punch, use legs. When you kick, use your upper body". This word from old master says about this. You need to try to use full body part anytime.

Outline of Karate practice system

Karate practice is consisted by some different exercise. I introduce major practice.

1, Kata
This is most old and important practice of Karate. Karate doesn't have certain text book. Therefore old masters made "sequence of movements" as text book.
Students can repeat this sequence motion many times, and get skills what masters want to pass down. 1 Kata is almost for 1 min to 5min.

2, Basic
This Basic is created from "Kata". When some masters needed to teach large number of students, it was very difficult to teach them Kata at once. So masters divided Kata into pieces and taught.
It is almost impossible to teach 2 min motion to 20 students. But if he teaches only one motion to 20 students, it is possible. After some basic lessons, students almost know full part of Kata.
Actually, this "Basic basis" practice became popular from 100 years ago. (And it gave some good and bad influence to Karate).

3,Kumite
Kumite is practice for plural number of people. They do try their skills each other and improve techniques. Kata practice doesn't teach some important things, like timing and distance, so this Kumite practice helps Kata practice. But many masters said Kata should be 1st, Kumite "helps" Kata.
You might get idea like "sparing", but not only that, there are many way to do Kumite. Popular and safe Kumite practice is "Yakusoku-Kumite". Attacker and defender know what partner will do in next moment, in this Kumite. This practice is safe and both can improve particular techniques without injury. (Some dangerous techniques can be practiced by this Yakusoku-Kumite, like knife defense, too dangerous for sparing.)

4,Body conditioning.
Along with 3 practices above, some Karate practitioners do body conditioning from old time.
Training for muscle and flexibility.
Sometimes, they use stone to hit and tighten their fist, extra weight, and weapon to sharpen their skills.



Purpose of Karate training is not only one.
A, train body and mind. Practice 1 and 4 are good for this purpose.
B, Get self-defense or fighting techniques. Practice 1 and 3 are for this purpose.

We tend to get misunderstanding sometimes. "All Karate movements are for fighting", it is not.
Some movements are focusing on making strong body and mind, even in Kata.
This is why sometimes you see "strange" motion in Kata, when you think "how to use".

It is also true, without mind and body practice, we can't get self-defense techniques properly. So, we have enough reason to do Kata more and more.

Karate is name for tradition.

Karate is arts, not sports originally.
Yes, actually, Karate became sport too, but Karate as sport is not all part of Karate.

Arts don't have rule, but sports have.

This martial arts Karate didn't have certain rule 100 years ago.

Even today, we can see various types of different rules and competition. Therefore, Karate, the name is one, but it is not one title of sport activity.

Some schools are doing WKF style non-contact Karate, but some follow different rule of competition, like hard contact combat competition.

But they all are Karate.

So, what is Karate?

The name is for tradition.

Karate was created in Okinawa, by many people. The island has very good access to the rest part of Japan, to China, to Taiwan, and to South East Asia. Many people brought martial arts and body training method into Okinawa islands.

Okinawan people mixed those arts and formed Karate.

Because of this birth history, even in Karate, there are many different techniques. You can find each master's skills are a little different from others. (Actually, this is very natural. Because human bodies and tempers are not same between humans. So, skills should be changed. Big guy and short man can't use same technique.)
But the different arts are bound by the name of Karate, because they are origin place is Okinawa of Japan.

If one martial art has root in Okinawa, the art can use title of Karate.
But it has nothing to do with Okinawa, it can't be Karate.

For example, some masters are specializing techniques for MMA fighting. The techniques became different one from old Karate. But we can still recognize the new skill as Karate.

Contrarily, if someone made very similar martial arts to Karate today, somewhere in the world, he wouldn't use name of Karate, and we also don't think "he made Karate".

Therefore, the name of Karate is for tradition, not for rule and techniques.