Essence and Perception

Is Shotokan karate merely a stodgy, quaint, stiff, impractical court dance done in funny white pajamas on expensive wood floors? Has the aloof, tradition-bound, self-evaluating shotokan system been eclipsed by cage fighter-tested Brazilian jujitsu, grappling, and the merit-based systems which UFC champions practice? Or is Shotokan karate a powerful system of self defense? Is it useful, dynamic, effective, evolving? See this article for more on this.

I think the answer to all these questions is yes. There is both an essence of Shotokan karate and a perception of that very same Shotokan karate. The essence for me is three decades of trying to get kihon, kata, and kumite right. It means meeting, befriending, and working with people pursuing versions of the same goals that motivate my training. People ask if I've ever used my karate. I say yes, three times this very week. In the dojo. Will karate save my life in a dark alley confrontation someday? Probably not. Might karate make a marginal difference if I had to defend my wife? Perhaps. Has it enriched my life, made it better? Certainly yes.

Shotokan karate is sometimes perceived as irrelevant, old news, lacking in fighting effectiveness. The remake of The Karate Kid for example employs Jackie Chan's kung fu rather than Okinawan-Japanese karate.

The essence of Shotokan karate has roots in Okinawan unarmed combat. It is made up of approaches to executing strikes and parries with an emphasis on timing and distance and body mechanics. It has been systematized into a body of standardized instruction under its Okinawan then Japanese caretakers from Itosu to Funakoshi to Nishiyama and now to current Brazilian experts like Lyoto Machida. Mr. Machida is a third degree black belt in JKA Shotokan karate. He is featured (see front cover image above) in the latest issue of Shotokan Karate Magazine.

Does this mean the perception of Shotokan karate will change? Not for me or the people who love Shotokan karate, but maybe perceptions will change a bit in the eyes of non-practitioners. Will Shotokan karate be the Rodney Dangerfield of martial arts, not get any respect because it gets whoped in the brawling research laboratories of the UFC, or will it continue to flow on because its essence is true, and beautiful, and dangerous too?

Again, the answer to all these questions is yes.