Karate has been taught outside of Japan for almost 40 years, and was exported to the rest of the world along both stylistic and organizational lines. By now, the namesof most karate styles have become familiar to martial artists everywhere.

Of all the traditional karate systems Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Wado-ryu, Shorin-ryu, Kyokushin, Isshin-ryu, and Shito-ryu among them Shito-ryu remains the most obscure. Several of its leading practitioners, such as the charismatic Fumio Demura and the prolific Touro Hayashi, do have widespread fame, yet Shito-ryu remains little understood outside its own schools. Shito-ryu had been most often described as a combination of Shotokan and Goju-ryu. It is also generally known that its teachers utilize formal exercises (kata) from many Okinawan sources. Unfortunately, such explanations fail to adequately describe just what Shito-ryu really is.

In truth, Shito-ryu, along with Goju-ryu, Wado-ryu and Shotokan, is one of the four major karate systems of Japan proper (the Japanese islands excluding Okinawa). It was founded by Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952), who, like most of karate’s old masters, was descended from Okinawa’s so-called warrior (bushi) class or aristocracy. Members of his family served Okinawan lords for hundreds of years. Mabuni started karate training at the age of 13 under Anko Itosu (1830-1915), the man who organized early karate in the Okinawan school system. Itosu was a student of one of Okinawa’s most famous karate masters, Sokon Matsumura (1792-1887), the forefather of Shorin-ryu. Itosu took a strong liking to his young pupil and Mabuni learned some 23 kata before the elder man died. Itosu’s death so grieved Mabuni that he built a shrine in front of the master’s grave and stayed close by for a year, practicing his kata daily.

Itosu was not Mabuni’s only teacher, however. While still in his teens, Mabuni was introduced by his friend, Chojun Miyagi (the founder of Goju-ryu karate) to Kanryo Higashionna (1853-1915). From Higashionna, Mabuni learned Naha-te, a Chinese-influenced karate style. Mabuni also trained under the reclusive Arakaki Kamadeunchu (1840-1918), who taught a style similar to Higashionna’s. Arakaki also taught Tsuyoshi Chitose, the founder of Chito-ryu, Gichin Funakoshi of Shotokan, and Kanken Toyama of the Shudokan school. Arakaki, who was an acknowledged bo (staff) expert, taught Mabuni the unshu, sochin, niseishi, arakaki-sai and arakaki-bo forms. During the 1920’s the insatiable Mabuni participated in a karate club operated by Miyagi and Choyu Motobu, with help from Chomo Hanashiro and Juhatsu Kiyoda. Choyu Motobu was a master of Shuri-te (the antecedent of Shorin-ryu) and gotende, the secret grappling art of the Okinawan royal court. Hanashiro was also a Shuri-te expert, while Kiyoda came from the same Naha-te background as Miyagi. Known as the Ryukyu Tode Kenkyu-kai (Okinawa Karate Research Club), this dojo (training hall) was one of history’s gems. Experts from diverse backgrounds trained and taught there, and it was there that Mabuni learned some Fukien white crane kung fu from the legendary Woo Yin Gue, a Chinese tea merchant living on Okinawa.

By this time, Mabuni had become a highly respected police officer and made several trips to Japan after Funakoshi introduced karate there in 1922. Mabuni spent many of his early traveling years with Koyu Konishi, a friend and sometimes student who later founded Shindo-Jinen-ryu karate. In 1925 Mabuni and Konishi visited Japan’s Wakayama prefecture where Kanbum Uechi, the founder of Uechi-ryu, was teaching. It was after training with Uechi that Mabuni devised a kata called shinpa. But Mabuni actually spent most of his time in Osaka, where he taught at various dojo, including the Seishinkai, the school of Kosei Kokuba. Choki Motobu also taught at Kokuba’s dojo. It was Kokuba who later formed Motobu-ha (Motobu faction) Shito-ryu. In 1929, Mabuni moved permanently to Osaka. Shortly thereafter, the Japanese martial arts sanctioning body, the Butokukai, pressured all karate schools to register by style name. At first, Mabuni called his style hanko-ryu (half-hard style), but by the early 1930’s Shito-ryu was the official name. It was coined from alternative renderings of the names of Mabuni’s two foremost teachers, Itosu and Higashionna. Not everyone agreed with separating Okinawan karate into factions through the use of style names. In fact, shudokan headmaster Toyama questioned Mabuni and others about their use of what he called “funny-sounding names.” Mabuni countered that giving the style a name would not only satisfy the Butokukai, but would give people something they could identify with and feel a part of.

Among Mabuni’s earliest students was Kanei Uechi (not to be confused with Kambum Uechi’s son of the same name), who by 1935 was also teaching in Osaka. In 1950, Uechi returned to Okinawa and established the Shito-ryu Kempo Karate-do Kai. On Okinawa, Uechi is considered the true successor to Mabuni’s art, but internationally, Mabuni’s eldest son, also named Kanei, is acknowledged as the head of shito-ryu and runs the Shito-kai. Younger brother Kenzo Mabuni (1927-2005) also aknowledged as the head of Shito-ryu was asked by his mother Kamae Mabuni to take over the style. Kenzo Mabuni was unsure and could not decide at the time what to do. So he went into seclusion in the city of Nagoya to train diligently and contemplate the great responsibility of carrying on the karate of his father. At the end of what became a two year retreat - most of it spent living in a utility-less dwelling, though he did spend some time training with Ryusho Sakagami and Ken’ichi Watanabe, Kenzo Mabuni decided to accept this great responsibility and hence became the inheritor of his father’s lineage. Kenzo Mabuni lived in the original family home in Osaka, where it is still headquarters for his organization the Nippon Karate-Do Kai.

Kanei Mabuni and his younger brother Kenzo head the karate programs at several universities, a task inherited from their father. Still other early students of Mabuni have their own distinct organizations and

followings. Ryusho Sakagami, a contemporary of Kanei Mabuni, established the Itosu-kai just after Mabuni’s death. Sakagami’s son, Sadaaki, now oversees the Itosu-kai from the Yokohama area. In 1948, Chojiro Tani organized the Shuko-kai, where he taught Tani-ha Shito-ryu. Ever innovative, the Shuko-kai, under the present leadership of Shigeru Kimura in the United States, appears somewhat different in technique from the other Shito-ryu groups.

Since the 1970s, several other Shito-ryu factions have formed. Most prominent Hayashi-ha Shito-ryu under Teruo Hayashi. Hayashi was a protégé of Kosei Kokuba and also trained directly under Mabuni. Hayashi became president of the Seishin-kai sometime after Kokuba’s death. For awhile, he co-led that organization along with Motobu-ryu style-head Shogo Kuniba. Together they integrated the Tomari-bassai kata into their systems. The assertive Hayashi even studied in Okinawa under Kenko Nakaima, head of the longtime secret family art of Ryuei-ryu. Ryuei-ryu is derived from the same Chinese teacher who taught Kanryo Higashionna, a man named Liu Liu Kung. Another, younger member of the Motobu-ha group, Chuzo Kotaka, established Kotaka-ha Shito-ryu in Hawaii, revising all the kata and devising many new ones which he taught to his American students. And in Europe, a Tani-ha Shito-ryu student named Yoshiano Nambu broke off on his own, first founding the Sanku-kai and later the Nambudo. But possibly the world’s most famous Shito-ryu exponent is Fumio Demura, a former sparring champion who has taught Itosu-kai Shito-ryu in southern California since 1965.

Technically, the karate of most Shito-ryu factions looks pretty much the same. Not surprisingly, there are minor differences in the kata between the various groups, mostly due to the proclivities of their founders. Regardless, all Shito-ryu looks a lot like Shorin-ryu in application. A long, linear style, even its Goju-ryu-type kata (those derived from Higashionna) are performed in a lighter, more angular and rangy fashion than they are in schools derived from Naha-te alone. Shito-ryu is much like Shotokan in that it relies heavily on the reverse punch and front kick. The style also seems to place a strong emphasis on sparring. In so doing, Shito-ryu stresses speed, and fighting is generally initiated from a higher, more upright stance than Shotokan employs. On the other hand, because the style has so many kata, a great deal of time is spent perfecting any one of its 40 to 60 forms.

Shito-ryu has never forsaken its Okinawan roots when it comes to kobujutsu (weapons arts). While Mabuni trained under weapons experts such as Arakaki, many of today’s Shito-ryu teachers learned most of their kobujutsu from Shinken Taira, the man responsible for popularizing kobujutsu during a time when interest in this peculiarly Okinawan art was at its lowest. It seems that Shito-ryu schools were the most receptive to Taira’s art. Both the younger and elder Sakagami, Demura, Hayashi, Kuniba and Kanei Mabuni all trained with Taira at one time or another.

SHITO-RYU HISTORY

Mabuni Grave Site - Hattori Cemetery, Osaka

Shito-Ryu...

Karate originated as a martial art thousands of years ago and was brought to Japan from China, Taiwan and Okinawa. Many of the famous Karate-ka, or Bushi, as they were known in Okinawa, experimented and developed their skills in such provinces as Shuri, Naha and Tomari. But unlike Judo and Kendo, Karate was a secret art, unknown to the general public. There was no fixed system until approximately 1907, when Yasutsune Itosu of Shuri and Kanryo Higaonna of Naha -- both of whom are regarded today as two of the most influential teachers of Okinawan Karate -- gained a good following for both of their own special styles.

Kenwa Mabuni, who had studied under both Master Yasutsune Itosu and Master Kanryo Higaonna, devised the Shito-Ryu system. Born in 1889, Mabuni was the 17th generation son of a famous samurai named Onigusuki. Mabuni was keenly aware of the accomplishments of his brave ancestors and, wanting to overcome poor health, began intensive karate training at the age of 13. He also studied weapon techniques of the Bo, Sai, Tonfa, Kama, and Nunchaku.

After learning from other masters like Master Aragaki and Master Matsumura and by mixing the teaching of Master Itosu and Master Higaonna, he developed a new system, originally named 'HANKO RYU' (Half-Hard style), but later changed it to reflect the deep respect he felt towards his two great masters and called his new system Shito-Ryu. (The Japanese government's martial arts sanctioning organization, the Dai Nippon Butoku-Kai, began to demand the different groups applying for membership, be more specific in the description of their Karate systems, and pressured them to name their systems).

The name 'Shito' is the combination of 'shi' and 'to' , the two

first characters of the names of Master Itosu and Master

Higaonna .

In 1929, Master Mabuni made a permanent move to Osaka to teach at universities and police departments. Over the next few years, Master Mabuni dedicated himself to the further development and promotion of Shito-Ryu Karate-do in the Osaka area. He was faced with an extremely difficult task due to the unwillingness of the population to accept him or this strange looking system of self defence, resembling an ancient 'Okinawan-Fist Dance'. In order to bring Shito-Ryu to the general public's attention, Master Mabuni would perform many demonstrations where he would break bricks and boards to show the power of karate. Continually trying to gain acceptance of his art, Master Kenwa Mabuni would give free instruction at various police stations across western Japan.

Shito Ryu Karate-do became more accepted after this time, and Master Mabuni began to teach many students at his home and at many Universities that were forming clubs. Among his many students was his son Kenzo Mabuni, Kosei Kuniba (founder of Seishin Kai), Chojiro Tani (founder of Tani-ha Shukokai), Ryusho Sakagami (founder of Itosu-Kai), Yoshiaki Tsujikawa, Ken Sakio, Jun-ichi Inoue, Manzo Iwata, Toshiyuki Imanishi, Tokio Hisatomi and Ryusei Tomoyori. At first he taught his own students pure Shuri-te, then pure Naha-te, but he also gave instruction in other master's styles.

In Japan, Shotokan-Ryu, Wado-Ryu, Goju-Ryu and Shito-Ryu are the four main styles of Karate. Shito-Ryu is the style that preserves most of the original Shuri-te techniques, compared with other styles such as Shotokan and Wado. It also preserves original Naha-te techniques together with Goju, although each style places emphasis on different points. Technically, Shuri-te and Tomari-te have rather fast and straight movements, while Naha-te has circular and supple movements.

Master Mabuni died in his 64th year on May 23rd 1952, but his system remains one of the four major styles in Japan.

Shito-Ryu

Master Kenwa Mabuni

Master Kenwa Mabuni wearing

protective equipment

A Brief History of Shito Ryu Karate

Kenwa Mabuni

Karate is a method of fighting using blocks, punches, hand strikes and kicks to disable or defeat an attacker. Karate originated in the Ryukyu islands south of Kyushu (one of the four main islands of Japan). Okinawa is the largest of the Ryukyu islands and since early times has been a center for trading and commerce. Traders from mainland China, Korea, the Phillipines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan etc., often stopped at Okinawa to barter or sell goods and take on supplies. Thus, as with any trading center, the ideas of several cultures were exchanged. China, in particular, had a profound influence on the culture and social customs of Okinawa. Therefore, as the indigenious population developed a set of martial arts for self defense and police activities, they naturally had a strong Chinese flavor and incorporated may Chinese unarmed techniques. In fact, the original kanji or characters for Karate meant "Chinese Hand".

The true origins of Karate probably will never be fully determined because of a lack of written documentation. However, starting in the 1700's, some Karate experts do appear in various records. The exploits of individuals such as Sakugawa and later Marumura were noted and the unarmed fighting prowess of such men has taken on almost legendary proportions. For a more thorough discussion of these early experts and the history of early Karate, the reader is refered to John Sells' excellent book Unante: The Secrets of Karate (available from The Martial Source ).

Shito Ryu Karate was founded by Kenwa Mabuni (November 14, 1889 - May 23, 1952). When he was 13 years old, Mabuni Sensei began training with Anko Itosu, a noted Karate master in the Shuri area of Okinawa. Itosu Sensei was not only highly skilled in Budo but also a great innovator in teaching the martial arts. Around 1905, Itosu Sensei introduced Karate into the Okinawan public school system. Among other accomplishments, Itosu Sensei created the Pinan (Heian) kata which are still practiced today as introductory or intermediate forms in many schools. Itosu Sensei had an important effect on Karate in the 20th Century. Evidence of this can be found in the number of ryuha or Karate styles that trace their lineage back to him. This includes notables such as Gichin Funakoshi, who was responsible for starting Shotokan Karate, Chomo Hanashiro, Kentsu Yabe, Choshin

Chibana and others.

About 1909, through an introduction by his friend Chojun Miyagi, Mabuni Sensei started to also train with Kanryo Higaonna (sometimes known as Higashionna). Higaonna Sensei was a expert form the Naha region of Okinawa. Through Higaonna Sensei, Mabuni Sensei learned kata such as Saiha, Sanchin, Seienchin, Seipai and others. Miyagi Sensei went on to found the Goju Ryu style of Karate.

In 1915, both Itosu Sensei and Higaonna Sensei passed away within a short time of one another. Mabuni Sensei continued his training. Ultimately, he and Miyagi Sensei joined with other students of Karate to start a research group aimed at practicing and spreading Karate. During this time Mabuni Sensei also trained in and taught various forms of Okinanwan weaponry or Ryukyu Kobudo.

In 1929, Mabuni Kenwa Sensei moved his entire family to Osaka. There he established a small dojo and began teaching his unique art. Hanko Ryu or Half-Hard Style. In the 1930's, the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai (the Japanese martial arts sanctioning organization) began to demand the different groups applying for membership, be more specific in the description of their Karate systems, and pressured them to name their systems. Originally, Mabuni Kenwa Sensei thought to name his system Hanko Ryu or "half-hard" style. However, ultimately Mabuni Sensei decided on the name SHI TO which was formed by taking the first characters (kanji) from the names of his two primary teachers, Itosu and Higa(shi)onna. Thus, the name Shito Ryu has no literal meaning but rather honors the two main teachers in Mabuni Kenwa Sensei's life. In the same context, the kata syllabus of Shito Ryu is still listed as having two lineages, Itosu Ke and Higaonna.

Mabuni Kenwa Sensei worked tirelessly to teach Karate throughout Japan. His efforts brought him into contact with other people who were essential to the growth of Karate in Japan. The impact that Mabuni Kenwa had on the development of Japanese Karate was tremendous. Many groups trace an element of their lineage back to him. Mabuni Kenwa died on May 23rd, 1952.

November 14, 1889 - Born in Syuri,

Okinawa.

1903 - At age of 14,he became a disciple of

Ankou Itosu Sensei, the great master of

Syuri-Te.

1908 - At age of 19, he learned Naha-Te at

Kanryou Higaonna with an� @introduction

from Tyoujyun Miyagi.

After graduation from junior high school, he

became an police officer,and learned Bou-

Jyutsu, Sai-Jyutsu, and Sueishi-Ryu

Boujyutu of Ryukyu's traditional martial

arts.

1915 - At age of 26, full mastership in

Karate was given to him by both his

teachers, Itosu Sensei and Higaonna Sensei.

1916 - At age of 27, he opened Do-Jo at his

house.

1918 - He established Karate Study Society.

Later, he changed its organization and name

to Okinawa Karate Study Club.

April, 1929 - At age of 41, he moved to

Osaka, and opened Do-Jo on Tsurumi Bashi

Dori, Nishinari Ward. He eagerly diffused

Karate.

1934 - He opened Karate Do-Jo, You Shu

Kan in Osaka and he named Shito-Ryu after

both his teachers, Itosu Sensei and Higaonna

Sensei.

March, 1939 - He registered Shito-Ryu with

Dai Nippon Butoku kai.

In July, the title, Karate Trainer, was given

to him by Dai Nippon Butoku Kai.

May 23, 1952 - Passed away at age of 63

The head of school Kenei Mabuni.

Soke Kenei Mabuni

February 13, 1918 - Born in Syuri as a first-

born son of Kenwa Mabuni, the founder of

Shito-Ryu.

From his childhood, he got Karate lessons

from his father, Kenwa.

1945 - After WW2, he taught and practiced

Karate with Kenwa.

May 23, 1952 - On Kenwa Mabuni's death, he

succeeded to the second head of Shito-Ryu.

1962 - He visited Mexico to teach Karate. He

also taught in Guatemala,Honduras, USA and

in many countries of the world from that

moment.

1972 - He became an first grade referee of All

Japan Karate-Do Federation.

January 15, 1984 - The Japan Martial Arts

Distinguished Service Medal was given by

Nihon Budo Kyougi Kai.

March 17, 1993 - World Shito-Ryu Karate-Do

Federation was established and he became its

president.

Soke Kenei Mabuni

Mabuni Kenei was born on February 13, 1918 in Shuri Okinawa.

He is the first born of 3 children of Master Mabuni Kenwa, founder of Shito-ryu Karate-do. Beginning at an early age Kenei received personal instruction from his father throughout his childhood.

After the Mabuni family moved to the Kansai district of Japan in 1928, Kenei would sometimes accompany his father at various Karate related functions. He would be asked sometimes to participate in the demonstration with his famous father throughout Japan during the 1930's.

It was also during this time, March 1934, that Grandmaster Mabuni Kenwa first established a dojo in Osaka naming it Youshukan. Many times young Mabuni Kenei stayed with the Konishi family and was treated like a family member while his father continued to teach around Tokyo the Kanto district.

In March, 1939, Mabuni Kenwa would officially register the name of his Karate style called 'Shito-ryu' with the leading

martial arts organization, the "Dai Nippon Butoku Kai", that governed all martial arts in Japan at the time. Kenei knew many of the famous karate teachers who came to study with his father including Master Motobu Choki, Konishi Yasuhiro, Moden Yabiku and Funakoshi Gichin.

After the end of World War II he continued to help his father teach and spread Shito-ryu Karate throughout Japan.

Shortly after Master Mabuni Kenwa's sudden death from a heart attack on May 23, 1952, Mabuni Kenei succeeded his father as the Second Soke, or 2nd designated Master of the style.

In November of 1960, Kenei sensei became the Western (Kansai-President of the Shito-ryu Federation, while Iwata Manzo was named the Eastern (Kanto-President).

During 1962 Kenei Mabuni sensei travelled around the globe continuing to instruct in Shito-ryu Karate. He visited Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and the USA.

Kenei Mabuni at the age of 13. (left) Kenwa Mabuni,(right) Kenei Mabuni.

During the Inagural 1970 Ist World Union of Karate-do Organizations (WUKO) World Karate-do Championships Mabuni sensei first demonstrated the 'Nipaipo' kata of Gokenki sensei.

In 1972, he was certified by the Federation of All Japan Karate-do Organizations (FAJKO) as a first class examiner.

(Lef to right, standing): Funakoshi Gichin, unknown,

unknown, Konishi Yasuhiro, and Mabuni Kenei(

when he was at 13th), Master Mabuni Kenwa

(seated).

On January 15th 1984, Mabuni sensei was presented 'The Distinguished Service Medal' for his contribution to the Martial Arts presented by Japan Martial Arts Council (Nippon Budo Kyougi Kai).

On March 17th 1993, in Osaka, Japan, Kenei Mabuni sensei helped establish the World Shito-ryu Karate-do Federation and was named it's 'Governor" (Sosai).

What Does a Black Belt Really Mean?

Reverend Kensho Furuya

Through the popularity of this column, I get correspondence from all over the country.

And the most commonly asked question is, "How long does it take to get a black belt?" I

don't know how this question is answered in other schools, but my students know that

asking such a question in my dojo would set them back several years in their training. It

would be a disaster.

Most people would be overjoyed if I would say it takes just a couple of years to get a

black belt, but unfortunately it does not. And though I am afraid most people would not

be happy with my answer, I thinkthe general misconception about "what is a black belt?"

should be clarified as much as possible. This is not a popular subject to discuss in the way

I am going to. Indeed, I warn my students not to ask the question in the first place. The

answer is not what they want to hear.

How do you get a black belt? You find a competent teacher and a good school, begin

training and work hard. Someday, who knows when, it will come. It is not easy, but it's

worth it. It may take one year; it may take ten years. You may never achieve it. When

you come to realize that the black belt is not as important as the practice itself, you are

probably approaching black belt level. When you realize that no matter how long or how

hard you train, there is a lifetime of study and practice ahead of you until you die, you are

probably getting close to a black belt.

At whatever level you achieve, if you think you "deserve" a black belt, or if you think

you are now "good enough" to be a black belt, you are way off the mark, and, indeed a

very long way from reaching your black belt.

Train hard, be humble, don't show off in front of your teacher or other students, don't

complain about any task and do your best in everything in your life. This is what it means

to be a black belt.

To be overconfident, to show off your skill, to be competitive, to look down on others, to

show lack of respect, and to pick and chose what you do and don't do (believing that

some jobs are beneath your dignity) characterize the student who will never achieve

black belt. What they wear around their waist is simply a piece of merchandise brought

for a few dollars in a martial arts supply store.

The real black belt, worn by a real black belt holder, is the white belt of a beginner,

turned black by the color of his blood and sweat.

Training Pattern

The first level of black belt in Japanese is called shodan. It literally means, "first level".

Sho (first) is an interesting ideograph. It is comprised of two radicals meaning "cloth"

and "knife". To make a piece of clothing, one first cuts out the pattern of the cloth. The

pattern determines the style and look of the final product. If the pattern is out of

proportion or in error, the clothes will look bad and not fit properly. In the same way,

your initial training to reach black belt is very important; it determines how you will

eventually turn out as a black belt.

In my many years of teaching, I have noticed that the students who are solely concerned

with getting their black belt discourage easily, as soon as they realize it is harder than

they expected. Students who come in just for practice, without concern for rank and

promotion, always do well. They are not crushed by shallow or unrealistic goals.

There is a famous story about Yagyu Matajuro, who was a son of the famous Yagyu

family of swordsmen in 17th century feudal Japan. He was kicked out of the house for

lack of talent and potential, and sought out instruction of the swordmaster Tsukahara

Bokuden, with the hope of achieving mastery of the sword and regaining his family

position.

On their initial interview, Matajuro asked Tsukahara Bokuden, "How long will it take me

to master the sword?" Bokuden replied, "Oh, about five years if you train very hard."

"If I train twice as hard, how long will it take?" inquired Matajuro. "In that case, ten

years," retorted Bokuden.

Finding a Focus

What do you focus on if you don't focus on attaining your black belt? It is easier said than

done, but you must focus your energy on practice. However, to think, "I will concentrate

on my training to get a black belt," is simply playing mind games with yourself and will

ultimately lead to your own disappointment.

Can you simply think, "I forget about rank completely?" Can you simply say to yourself

that you will never achieve it? Will you always be attached to your black belt, allowing

the idea to linger in the back of your mind? In other words, can you simply concentrate

on your training without regards for anything else? Can you finally realize that your black

belt is nothing more than "something to hold up your pants?"

You should also realize that although you master all the requirements, the correct number

of techniques, all the required forms and put in the appropriate amount of hours training,

you may still not qualify for black belt. To achieve black belt is not a quantitative entity,

which can be measured or weighed like buying string beans in the market. Your black

belt has to do with you as a person.

How you conduct yourself in and out of the dojo, your attitude to your teacher and fellow

students, your goals in life, how you handle the obstacles in your life, and how you

persevere in your training are all important conditions of your black belt. At the same

time, you become a model to other students and eventually reach the status of teacher or

assistant instructor. In the dojo, your responsibilities are greater than the regular students

and you are held accountable to much, much more than those junior to yourself. You

responsibilities are great as a black belt holder.

Achieving Training Focus

How do we focus on our training? Successful training means, to a great degree, that we

look at what we do from a reasonable and realistic viewpoint. More often than not, we are

not looking at realistic goals but dreams and delusions. Do you want to excel in martial

arts as a way to improve yourself and your life, or are you motivated by the latest cops

and robbers movie? Is your practice motivated by a strong desire to enlighten yourself, or

do you simply want to imitate the latest martial arts movie stars? Although experienced

martial artists may snicker, it is amazing how many inquire about martial arts saying they

want to be just like Chuck Norris or Steven Seagal. But those people are themselves by

their own efforts. You are yourself. We all have our hero, role models, and our dreams,

but we have to separate out fantasies from reality if our training is to be meaningful and

successful.

Reality

Training has nothing to do with rank or black belts, trophies or badges. Martial arts are

not simply playing out our fantasies. It has to do with your own life and death. It is not

only how we protect ourselves in a critical, lethal situation, but how we protect the lives

of others as well. You cannot be another person, whether he is a movie star, great teacher

or multi-millionaire. You must become yourself - your true self. As much as John Doe

dreams about becoming James Dean, Bruce Lee, or Donald Trump, he can only be John

Doe. When John Doe becomes John Doe 100 percent, he has become enlightened to his

true self.

An average person only lives 50 percent or maybe 80 percent of his life and never knows

who he is. A martial artist lives 100 percent of his life and becomes impeccable. This is

what the true black belt holder must come to realize within himself. He is no other than

himself, and his practice leads to enlightenment into nature of his true self, his real self.

This is the essence of our training in martial arts.

Achieving your Black Belt

Think of losing your black belt, not gaining it. Sawaki Kodo, a Zen Master, often said,

"To gain is suffering; loss is enlightenment."

If someone were to ask the difference between martial artists of previous generations and

martial artists today, I would sum it up like this. Martial artists of previous generations

looked upon training as "loss". They gave up everything for their art and their practice.

They gave up their families, jobs, security, fame, money, everything, to accomplish

themselves.

Today, we only think of gain. "I want this, I want that." We want to practice martial arts

but we also want money, a nice car, fame, portable telephones and everything that

everyone else has.

Shakyamuni Buddha gave up his kingdom, his palaces, a beautiful wife, and everything

else to finally seek out enlightenment. The first student of Boddhidharma, considered the

founder of Shoalin Kung Fu, cut off his left arm to study with his teacher.

We don't have to take such drastic measures to learn martial arts today, but we should not

forget the spirit and determination of the great masters of the past. We must realize that

we have to make sacrifices in our own lives in order to pursue our training.

While the student looks at his training from the standpoint of loss instead of gain, he

comes close to the spirit of mastery, and truly becomes worthy of a black belt.

Only when you finally give up all thought of rank, belts, trophies, fame, money and

mastery itself, will you achieve what is really important in your training. Be humble, be

gentle. Care for others and put everyone before yourself. To study martial arts is to study

yourself - your true self. It has nothing to do with rank.

A great Zen master once said: "To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is

to understand all things."

SEAGULLS AND KARATE MASTERS

Brian Tune

Sheffield Hallam Dojo

Some time ago I read a book about a Seagull. In fact, a Seagull by the name of Johnathan

Livingstone Seagull. Now, this book is only a small book of ninety odd pages (and half of

these are taken up with pictures of Johnathan himself) and yet, nonetheless, it is a very

profound and informative little book. I can tell you are puzzled. "What? "I hear you ask

yourself," has a Seagull got to do with karate-do?" Well, I'll tell you - quite a lot actually.

It is because Johnathan Livingstone Seagull is a discontented Seagull and discontented

Seagulls can tell us a great deal about why we practice something as difficult as karate-

do.

First of all let me tell you a little about Seagulls, particularly Johnathan Livingstone

Seagull. Richard Bach (the author of the book) points out that "most gulls don't bother to

learn more than the simplest facts of flight - how to get from shore to food and back

again. For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating". However, for Johnathan "it

was not eating that mattered but flight". In fact Johnathan Livingstone Seagull wanted to

learn how to fly better than any other Seagull in the entire history of Seagulls.

Consequently, he set about practising the art of flying.

Many of the other gulls, including his parents, severely criticised him for this to the

extent that Johnathan, on occasion, stopped practising. He tried to behave like other

Seagulls. He could be seen "…screeching and fighting with the flock around the piers and

fishing boats, diving on scraps of fish and bread". (The human equivalent, of course,

would be the January sales). Indeed, on one particular occasion Johnathan becomes so

disillusioned that in a fit of despair he gives up practising how to fly altogether. "I am a

Seagull", he says, "I am limited by my nature", he says, "I am a Seagull like every other

Seagull and I will fly like one".

However, his passion for flying will not die and soon he begins his training again. Then,

one day, he makes an incredible breakthrough. He learns how to fly at 214 mph which is

regarded as "terminal velocity" for a Seagull. In fact it is faster than any other Seagull has

ever flown before. He is ecstatic! He sees life in a totally different light, he sees how

much more there is to life. He says "instead of our drab slogging back and forth to the

fishing boats, there's a reason to life! We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find

ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can

learn to fly!"

I should point out at this stage that Johnathan receives no certificate, is awarded no rank

and certainly is not given any badge of honour. In fact, Johnathan Livingstone Seagull is

called to the "Council Gathering" of Seagulls and is declared an "outcast" because of his

"reckless irresponsibility", that is because he behaves differently to other seagulls,

because he has a passion, because he wants to learn how to fly.

Of course Johnathan protests - well who wouldn't? This is what he says: "who is more

responsible than a gull that finds and follows a meaning, a higher purpose for life? For a

thousand years we have scrabbled after fish heads, but now we have a reason to live - to

learn, to discover, to be free". But, as you might have guessed, the "squares" in the

"establishment" just can't get their heads round it and he is expelled from the flock.

The parallel then, between Johnathan Livingstone Seagull's attempts to learn how to fly

and our own attempts to learn karate is quite clear. When seen in this way it becomes

obvious that rather than training to pass our next grading we should in fact be seeking to

improve ourselves through training. Training in karate is a way of developing our minds,

improving our bodies and becoming more spiritually aware. It is not simply a way of

gaining popular acclaim by amassing a huge number of Dan grades. The rank we hold in

karate should be an indicator of how we are progressing as individuals, it should not be

an end in itself.

This disregard of the grading system may seem to be based on a lot of lofty ideals but, as

we all know, things are not always what they seem. Let's leave Johnathan Seagull for a

moment and consider what modern, up to the minute, western psychologists have to say

about motivation and exercise adherence. More importantly, let's see if we can link what

they have to say to our karate training.

Research by social psychologists has shown that we can categorise motivation behaviour

in three distinct ways. Firstly, psychologists have identified the type of individual who is

"competition orientated". This type of person compares him/herself to members of their

peer group and competes with them. The goal or objective of this type of competition

orientated individual is to become "better" than other group members at performing the

groups tasks or duties. With regard to karate, clearly this type of individual would attempt

to become faster, stronger, and more technically proficient than other members of the

club. This type of approach t training is solo orientated and in fact individuals who adopt

this approach have least adherence to training. When competing with others the

competitive individual may soon find that he/she has improved his/her performance to

such an extent that other group members no longer provide a challenge and as a

consequence this individual may stop training or train elsewhere! Indeed this would also

be the case if this type of individual found that they were unable to improve their

performance to the extent that they could beat everyone.

The second category relates to those individuals who are socially orientated and work

well within a group. They strive to co-operate with, and be accepted by, their peer group.

At first glance it would appear that this group member would have the highest adherence

to training since they are provided with the support and feedback which is typical of

group membership. However, adherence to training only lasts as long as the group stays

together. Thus, for example, if two or three of the group start missing training it may lead

to other members leaving the club. Consequently, it may be stated that although exercise

adherence lasts longer than with the competitive individual it is not as long as the

adherence of those individuals who are concerned with task mastery - the third category

of motivation behaviour.

The type of individual who is concerned with task mastery is independent of their peers

and is solo orientated. These individuals are concerned primarily with "mastering" an

activity and are thus self-supporting. They do not require group acceptance, for example,

to be well liked by other members of the club nor are they influenced by external rewards

or punishment, such as passing or failing gradings. In fact, the actions, attitudes and

behaviour patterns of other club members is subordinated to the goal of task mastery (in

our case of mastering karate itself). An individual who is primarily concerned with being

accepted by their peers may leave the club if they felt they were not receiving the

'acceptance' or 'recognition' they require. This is not the case, however, with people who

are concerned with task mastery and consequently it is this type of individual who has the

highest adherence to training.

However, this is not the whole story. A key element in the interpretation of motivation

and training adherence is the 'origin' of motivation. Motivation can be internal ('intrinsic')

or external ('extrinsic'). Internal motivation comes from within individuals themselves,

whereas external motivation is that which comes from an independent source such as an

instructor or teacher. Individuals who are socially orientated derive external motivation

whereas individuals who are concerned with task mastery are motivated from within.

Beyond doubt motivation which comes from within ourselves is to be preferred over

external motivation since each individual is in control of their own feelings and

behaviour. The internally motivated individual is not subject to the preferences, attitudes

and indeed the capriciousness of others. In our karate training then, our goals and

objectives should be based upon our desire to improve ourselves by mastering karate

techniques and kata, etc., in preference to simply passing our gradings.

In April 1998 a presentation was given at Loughborough University by D Harris entitled

"The Motivation to Change". In his presentation Harris outlined the 'steps to intrinsic

motivation'. Here is an adapted version of these steps:

STEP 7 Intrinsic Motivation

"I do it because I want to!"

______________Threshold of Intrinsic Motivation ____________________

STEP 6 Integrated Regulation

"because it symbolises who and what I am"

STEP 5 Identified Regulation

"because it is a means to an end I value"

______________ Threshold of Autonomy ___________________________

STEP 4 Interjected Regulation

"because I feel guilty if I do not do it"

STEP 3 External Regulation

"because I am rewarded"

STEP 2 External Regulation

"because I am forced"

_____________ Threshold of Motivation ____________________________

STEP 1 Amotivation

"I do not believe it is worth it"

This model clearly lays out the "steps" to intrinsic motivation - the optimum type of

motivation. On the lowest step we can see that an individual is apathetic toward training

but as we move up the steps we can see that the motivation to train becomes more and

more internalised. Step two indicates an individual who is pressured into performing an

activity, for example, by a parent wanting his/her child to do well at a particular sport or

karate, etc. Although a individual is 'motivated' to practice it is the worst kind of

motivation. By step three an individual continues his/her training because he/she gains

some type of reward for doing so, such as passing gradings. It is very interesting to see

how low this type of motivation appears on our stairs to the 'best' motivation method!

Step four is the last step before we move from external motivation toward internal

motivation. It is the phase where we know we should go to training in order to achieve

our aims and objectives and we feel guilty if we do not. When we reach step five

motivation begins to come from within ourselves. We train because it is 'a means to an

end'. It should be stressed however, that the 'end' is an aim that we have set ourselves, for

example, to master a particular technique or kata. It is not an 'end' which could be

regarded as an external reward such as passing a grading. The penultimate step of

integrated regulation signifies that an individual associates himself or herself with a

particular task or activity. Some people would say that "I am a mountaineer", "I am a

footballer", or indeed "I am a karateka". In the final step the individual becomes

convinced that those activities they perform, e.g., karate training are "who they are". The

individual no longer thinks about why they train, they train because that is what they do.

It is as natural as breathing, eating or going to the loo!

Based on research evidence by social psychologists it is clear that our aims and objectives

should be within our control and not dependent upon the actions of others if we are to

maintain our training over a long period. In terms of our karate training simply being

rewarded by being awarded grades is not sufficient in itself to motivate or encourage an

individual to enjoy and continue their training. True motivation comes from within

ourselves.

With this in mind let us return to Johnathan Seagull who, later in the book, becomes a

teacher. By a simple twist of fate, Johnathan begins teaching other seagulls how to fly.

However, the important thing to note is that he does not seek praise or honours for his

labour. He simply wants to help other gulls improve themselves. His behaviour is

completely selfless as he wants nothing for himself. His only reward is to watch as

ordinary, regular seagulls find a higher purpose in their lives and become better, more

complete seagulls. Contrast this with the local Neanderthal that you sometimes get paired

with on a training course. The Instructor says things like "make light contact," "Do not

hurt each other", "be careful", etc. The first thing our Neanderthal does is try to cut you in

half with a reverse punch and then nearly breaks your elbow with an arm lock. One

reason for this is that your new friend is simply out to prove that he is better than you!

His ego demands it. He is a competition orientated individual who will stop training as

soon as he comes up against someone he cannot beat. Moreover, it is not possible to truly

master karate with this type of attitude, as it is ego-driven, selfish and thoughtless

behaviour - the total antithesis of the true karate master. Chojun Miyagi Sensei knew this

and he reprimanded his successor An'ichi Miyagi for "throwing his partner around the

dojo" (taken from "The History of Karate" - Morio Higaonna Sensei). In fact Chojun

Mijagi Sensei advised An'ichi Miyagi to help "his partner to develop not use his partner

as a punching bag to develop his own techniques". (IBID).

If we attempt to help our partner by performing at a level only slightly better thanhe/she

is it will encourage our partner to greater effort ensuring that they themselves will

improve. It is like being in a race. When the race leader is only a few yards ahead we feel

that we can catch him and win the race. If, however, the race leader is several hundred

yards in front we feel we will never be able to catch him, we become despondent and we

stop trying. So it is with a person who is paired with a better karate student. If the less

able student is simply overwhelmed by the better student no one learns anything.

However, if the better student performs only slightly better than the less able one then

both students can learn a great deal. The less able student is encouraged to perform better

and the more able student will learn attributes such as control and self-restraint, i.e. they

will improve their character/mind. Indeed, to improve ones character is one of the highest

ideals in karate.

Now I know that his mind, body, spirit thing is a difficult concept to grasp and even more

difficult to practice especially if, like our unfriendly Neanderthal, you have a brain the

size of a walnut and an ego the size of Mount Fuji. Most people, however, are reasoned,

intelligent individuals who would benefit greatly from following the advice Chojun

Miyagi Sensei gave to his top student. The important thing is to learn the lessons that the

sincere practice of karate has to offer not to batter your opponent into the ground for fun

or add one more Dan grade to your belt.

So, you see, Seagulls can teach us a great deal about why we train in karate and, in all

fairness, so can modern western psychologists. As we have seen it IS possible to practice

karate for its own sake, to help improve ourselves and perfect our characters in the same

way that Johnathan practised flying. We have also seen that "task mastery" is the most

important factor in motivation behaviour not reward. This led us to the realisation that

intrinsic motivation is the best way to motivate ourselves with regard to training and

indeed, that reward - the passing of gradings - is a very poor motivator!! Moreover, we

have seen that the grading system may discourage some students from training since the

awarding of grades is out of their control! In short, it is more important to train for

yourself than to do training because somebody else rewards you for it.

Wow, now that's a lot to take in isn't it? It certainly gave me a headache writing it. Maybe

I should stop all this pontificating and do some training instead. Yes, I think that's a good

idea. You know, it's no good just yearning for perfection, you must actively take steps

towards it. Remember the old saying, "if a journey of a thousand miles begins with the

first step you must take that step or you'll get nowhere fast" (or something like that!).

Basic Dojo Etiquette

Standing bow (ritsurei) Stand with your heels together, feet pointing slightly outward (like a "V"). Keep your

knees straight, elbows straight and relaxed, hands open and at the seams of your pants

(the outside of your legs), and fingers together. Bend at the waist, about 30 degrees

forward. Unbend. The whole bow takes about a breath's length.

Kneeling (seiza) Place your left knee on the floor, then right knee. Sit down on your feet. The big toes of

your left and right feet should overlap (either one on top). Keep your back straight and

shoulders relaxed. Rest your left hand (hand open, fingers together) on your left thigh and

your right hand on your right thigh, so that your fingers point inward. For anatomical

reasons, men should have about a fist or two's width between their knees, and women

should have their knees together.

Bowing in seiza Slide your left hand from the thigh to the floor immediately in front of the left knee (not

too far in front, i.e., your left elbow shouldn't touch the floor). Do the same with your

right hand, so that the right hand motion is slightly behind (in time) the left hand motion.

Your palms should touch the floor to show deep respect. Bow at the waist, taking a little

longer than for a standing bow (forehead comes close to the floor, but does not touch it).

Slide your hands back up to their initial position on the thighs, this time with your left

hand slightly behind the right hand.

Getting up from seiza Opposite of going down to seiza position, by putting right leg out in front with left knee

still on ground and then pushing yourself to the upright position. Then pull right foot

back to left foot. Bow before moving away.

Entering and exiting the dojo Bow, standing at the entrance, facing the dojo or towards the front of the dojo, whenever

you are entering or exiting the dojo.

Lateness: First of all, try not to be late. But if you are late, bow in, then quietly kneel near

the entrance. Wait until the instructor acknowledges you. Then bow while kneeling, get

up, and quickly join the group. If you arrive just as everyone is kneeling during the

opening sequence (see below), don't move or make any noise -- just wait until class

begins warming up, and bow in as when the instructor acknowledges you, in the manner

described above.

Opening sequence When you hear "Line up!" or "One line!" (Or however many lines is necessary for

everyone to line up), stand shoulder-to-shoulder facing the front of the dojo, in rank

order. Try to line up so that the instructor, standing before your line, is right in the middle

of the line. If class is so big that the senior student says to form more than one line, try to

line up so that the lines are approximately the same length.

"Seiza!" Sit down in seiza, so that knees are aligned with the person on your left.

"Mokuso!" Quiet meditation -- just lower your gaze, relax, and breathe.

"Mokuso yame!" End meditation.

"Shomen ni rei!" Bow to the front of the room (which shows respect for your training

space, to the institution of karate, and to the line of instructors).

"Sensei ni rei!" Bow to the instructor. When you're bowing, you can say

"onegaishimasu," which, roughly translated, means "Please," i.e., please teach me, please

help me, please hold class, etc. (You may also say "oss," the ubiquitous sign of respect in

karate.)

"Otaga ni rei!" Bow to each other. This shows respect for each other. At the signal of the

instructor, get up quickly, without necessarily waiting for the person on your left to rise.

Closing sequence This is the same as the opening sequence. During the bow to the instructor ("sensei ni

rei!"), you may say "arigato gozaimashita", which means "Thank you." "Thank you" in

English is fine, too. At the end, the instructor will get up. Wait until the person on your

left bows and gets up before you do the same.

Clean-up After the class finishes, there is usually some sort of dojo-cleaning process. During this

time, actively participate to the extent you can. Don't sit back and stretch when others are

still cleaning.

Kiai Don't say any words when you kiai. "Kiai" itself, being a Japanese word should NOT be a

kiai. Common kiai include "Ya!" and "Ei!" Don't be afraid to kiai! In general, people tend

to kiai too softly rather than too loudly. If you have a strong kiai, it will often spur others

to work harder, as well. The overall tone of a class is set by the level of spirit of the class,

which can be raised with better kiai. On the other hand, if your spirit is poor or your kiai

weak, you might bring down the class spirit.

General etiquette during training

• The moment class starts, your mind should be on karate and on trying to improve

your own technique. Concentrate, give spirited kiai, don't talk unnecessarily, and

practice hard! (This is under "etiquette" because doing otherwise would be

disrespectful to the instructor, as well as to yourself.)

• Don't wear jewellery, watches, etc. Don't chew gum. This is for personal safety

and also for the safety of everyone training in the dojo.

• Whenever you're told to move from one part of the room to another, do it quickly

(i.e., run or trot, at least). Also, don't pass in front of anyone -- go behind and

around.

• Whenever you're asked to stand back or sit back and watch, do so in a normal

standing or kneeling position, silently, without leaning on walls or distracting

others.

• If you're ever in a kneeling position and you're uncomfortable, it's generally okay

to bow and then switch to sitting cross-legged.

• Whenever you stand from a sitting position, switch to kneeling, bow, and then

stand.

• If you ever need to leave a class early, let the instructor know beforehand. This is

so that the instructor will not have to look for you needlessly because he/she

thought you have injured yourself seriously!

• Every time you get a new partner for any exercise, bow. Every time you're about

to switch partners, bow to your old partner before moving on to the next.

• When "Yoi" is called, come to attention rapidly and without fuss. Also there

should be no extraneous movement whilst in "Yoi", such as looking around,

scratching, fidgeting etc.

• Similarly when Yame is called everyone should stop training immediately and

await the instructor's next command. For example, "Yame! Ok 5 minutes to relax

now..." or "Change Partners". Students should NOT carry on training after the

"Yame" has been called as this can lead to accidents and injury especially during

pair work.

• Don't make overt displays of how tired you are, no matter how tired you are.

• If you're ever asked to count, count in whatever language you feel comfortable

with, but make the counts short, sharp, and spirited.

• Do not hesitate to ask senior students and instructors for help before or after class.

Time permitting, you should try to learn kata outside of class so that during class,

the instructor can spend more time making comments about your technique rather

than what move comes next.

• Check fingers and toenails are cut and clean before training.

• Don't eat or drink too much before the training.

• Don't push yourself too hard if your body is not in good condition.

• Do not practise free sparring without the permission of the instructor in charge.

• Respect your partner and help each other in the learning process.

• Follow the normal rules of etiquette that apply

Basic Japanese Terminologies

Japanese

Numbers Titles and Honorific Suffixes

1 Ichi Karate-Ka Karate Student -san Mr, Mrs, Ms

2 Ni Kohai Junior (not used) -sama Superior honorific

3 San

Sempai Senior (never

used for oneself)

-chan For children, young

women and friends

4 Shi Sensei

Teacher (never

used for oneself) -kun For young men

5 Go Shihan

6 Roku

Master (never

used for oneself)

7 Shichi

8 Hachi

9 Ku

10 Ju

Ranking System Dojo

Instructions Start-End Salutations

Mudansha No Dan title

holder Hajime Start Suki Attention

Haopkyu 8th Kyu Yame Stop Rei Bow

Nanakyu 7th Kyu Yasume Rest Naotte Relax

Rokkyu 6th Kyu Yoi Get

Ready Seiza

Formal seated

position

Gokyu 5th Kyu Hai Yes Mokuso Meditation

Yonkyu 4th Kyu Iie No Mokuso Yame Stop meditation

Sankyu 3rd Kyu Kiai Shout Shomen Ni Rei Bow to front

Nikyu 2nd Kyu Seiretsu Line Up! Sensei Ni Rei Bow to Sensei

Ikkyu 1st Kyu Mawate Switch Otaga Ni Rei Bow to each other

Yudansha Dan Title Holder

(Black Belt) Hantai Opposite Onegaishimasu

Please do me the

honour

Shodan 1st Dan Migi Right Arigato

Gozaimashita Thank you

Nidan 2nd Dan Hidari Left

Sandan 3rd Dan Shomen Front General Terms

Yondan 4th Dan Ushiro Back Hikite Pulling Hand

Godan 5th Dan Tsuki Punching

Rokudan 6th Dan Uchi Striking

Shichidan 7th Dan Geri Kicking

Hachidan 8th Dan Uke Blocking

Kudan 9th Dan

Judan 10th Dan

Karate Terms and Concepts Geri (Kicking)

Wa Peace, Harmony Mae Geri Front Kick

Do The Way Yoko Geri Side Kick

Kai Association Ushiro Geri Back Kick

Ryu Style Mawashi Geri Roundhouse Kick

Karate Empty Hand (Tang

Hand)

Ushiro Mawashi

Geri Reverse Roundhouse

Dojo Training Hall Migazuki Geri Crescent Kick(out to

in)

Hombu Head Office Soto Migazuki

Geri

Crescent Kick (in to

out)

Hara Centre Fumi Komi Stamping Kick

Kime Focus Hiza Geri Knee Strike

Maai Distancing Mae Tobi Geri Flying Front Kick

Oss Strong "Yes" Kesageri/Tobi

Sokuto Flying Side Kick

Waza Technique Tobi Ushiro

Mawashi

Flying Spinning

Mawashi

Taisabaki Hip Shifting Ushiro Geri Back Kick

Zanshin Remaining Spirit

(Awareness) Jo/Chu/Ge Dan High/Middle/Low

Budo Way of War Keage Snap

Bushido Way of the Warrior Kekomi Thrust

Shuhari Maintain, adhere,

improve

Go No Sen Defense then Attack Ido Kihon (Moving Basics)

Sen No Sen Block/Counter

Simultaneously Jun Zuki Lunge Punch

Sen Strike Before

Attack Kette Jun Zuki

Front Kick Lunge

Punch

Ikken Hissatsu One Deadly Strike Gedan Barai Uke Downward Block

Ki Energy Age (Jodan) Uke Rising Block

Kamae Guard Ready

Position Jodan Uchi Uke High Uchi Uke

Chu Tanden Centre of Lower

Abdomen Chudan Uchi Uke

Middle Block (out to

in)

Jo Tanden Centre of Head Jodan Soto Uke High Soto Uke

Ge Tanden Centre of Groin Chudan Soto Uke Middle Block (in to

out)

Senchusen Centre Line of

Body Gyaku Zuki Reverse Punch

Chikara Power Shuto Uke Knife Hand Block

Nage Waza Hip Throw Oi Zuki Forward Punch

Ashi Waza Leg Throw Tate Ken Zuki Vertical Fist Punch

Te Waza Head Throw

Sutemi Dropping Throw

Shime Waza Strangulation

Kansetsu Waza Dislocation

1. "Why techiniques in katas are seldom seen when pratising kumite?"

Depends on what kind of kumite you see. I think you are talking about the free sparring

you see in the dojo or at competitions. These are more in line with sports karate which are

confined within many rules. These rules are written for safety of the participants and a

relatively easy way for officials to judge who wins. Other than the basic punches, blocks

and sweeps, you will see that alot of techniques in kata which are not used e.g. eye

gouge, knee break, wrist locks, elbow strikes, knee strikes, neck breaks, grappling, vital

point disruptions etc. As Chris says, these other ones we don't practise in sports karate,

because eventually you find there will be no competitors, only injured or dead bodies. ;-)

2. "Does the bunkai in katas only applicable during upgrading exam?"

A resounding No. Bunkai is self defense. Self Defense is applicable when you or your

friends/relatives are in danger. Bunkai should be practised with this in mind. That you

must try and train so that it can be as close to the real thing without maiming and killing

your partner. Maiming and killing your partner would be a bad move. One thing is that

no-one would ever want to partner with you again. ;-)

Exams are only a small part of Karate. It shows an improvement that can be "measured".

Have a read of the article I posted up at the SKA website title "What Does a Black Belt

Really Mean?". (http://ska.org.sg)

3. "How can we efficiently perform these techniques during kumite session or in the

real world?"

Without hurting your partner badly or going into a bar full of gang members to try out

your skills, the problem of how to practise bunkai for real can be solved by practising it

slowly at first and to understand the level that you and your partner will go to, in terms of

reality combat training. Understand the techniques and how they should be performed,

understand the consequences of these techniques and practise, practise, practise. Having a

good partner goes a long way to training for something that you may be able to use in the

real world.

4. "I have seen many kung fu movies and I am guessing that they are using almost

every single techniques in their martial arts' katas. Why not karate too?"

As you say it's a movie. But in a real fight, you want to take the person down as quickly

as possible. The effective technique that you use to disable the opponent will depend

upon the environment, the opponent and what you have trained hard on. If you practise

bunkai dillengently and understand the concepts, there is no reason why you could not

use them in the real world.

Remember, in most fights, it may only last a few seconds. Using the most effective

technique is the key.

Karate and Kung Fu are no different when practising forms (kata), it is the analysis and

application (oyo/bunkai) that differentiates the true martial artists from the sports oriented

or "pseudo" martial artist.

5. "Shouldn't there be a fusion between kata and kumite?"

I hope the above has answered this one for you.

Some final points:

* Sports Karate has it's place in Karate-do as a medium for people to test themselves in a

rules environment and to understand what it takes to compete. It is also a good medium

for promoting the art, an excuse for a big get together and for encouraging contact with

other stylists. But for a serious martial artists, one should always keep in mind that sports

karate is only one part of the equation. They must understand that sports karate is just as

it says, sports. Know the boundary and draw the line.

* It all boils down to what you want out of Karate. Some people like the sports side and

compete. That's fine. There are numerous reasons for training in Karate, suffice to say

that they are all valid in their own way. The only exception to this is when someone

comes up to me and say that they do Sports Karate and it's the only real karate that should

be done. Now that I would not agree with.

* For me, I have competed for many years. I wouldn't say I was any good as I am not.

But I find that Sports Karate was fun, but for me now, the interest lies beyond Sports and

more on the "traditional" side of Karate. The karate that hurts, kills, maim, and breaks

bones. Now for me, that's more interesting... ;-)

Why should I exercise? Just listen to commercials and they’ll tell you: Just do it! Too

bad, but that’s not good enough anymore. What drives crowds and crowds of women into

spandex every day? What is the attraction for the middle aged man to strap on a pair of

roller blades and take to the hills? Why can’t everybody just be content to sit down with

their Haagen-Daz and enjoy watching their favorite athletes pound the court. They are

professional. They get paid more money than I’ll ever see to exercise. So why should I

exercise? If the recent health kick has left no one unbruised, then why do we keep

coming back for more? Exercise does more for you than just wear you out. Before we

ever were the intellectual giants (Ha!) that we have become, human beings were

functional physical organisms. Whether you believe in evolution or creation, our bodies

were built for action. The instruction manual to the human body is not that complicated:

Use it or lose it! Our bodies adapt gloriously to exercise, even after we’ve hit warranty.

Exercise is the most fundamental celebration of the beauty of the human body. Although

sometimes we may feel like we have woken up with a mean hangover, our bodies

ultimately reward us for living an active vigorous life. But what are these rewards? How

does the body let us know "Exercise does a body good"?

Exercise causes some real physiological changes in your body. A lot of people are

motivated to exercise to burn off the extra calories that they have eaten. Depending on

your age, heredity, and many other factors, your body burns somewhere around one

thousand calories every day just to carry out the basic functions of life. These calories are

used for things like heartbeat and breathing. The calories your body burns just to keep

itself alive is called your resting or basal metabolic rate. The total number of calories that

your body consumes is the sum of calories consumed by your resting metabolic rate plus

the calories burned from the food you eat plus the calories consumed during exercise.

What people don’t usually realize is that exercise burns calories during the exercise

period itself, as well as the during the hours afterward when the body is recovering. The

amount of muscle mass also independently determines the resting metabolic rate. An

athlete at rest will burn more calories than a couch potato at rest. This is why some

athletes you know may eat and eat and eat without ever putting on weight. The idea is

really pretty simple. When you exercise, you use up energy. Your muscles and your liver

are exhausted of sugar and some fats. It then takes energy to replace that energy (the

glucose and fats). Your body must replace what you have lost. So in a sense, exercise

gives your body a double whammy. When you ride the exercise bike for thirty minutes

the machine may tell you that you have burned something like 400 calories. This number

is only a calculation of how much work was done by cranking the pedals around and

around against a measured resistance. What it doesn’t tell is that your body actually burns

at least that much during the period of rest just after you finish working out. The exercise

activates your metabolism to burn more calories.

How does your body burn more? Where does the food get "burned"? Some of you may

have learned what mitochondria are from ninth grade biology. Mitochondria are basically

the power plants found inside the cells in your body. They take sugar (glucose molecules)

and break them apart until all that is left is a bunch of carbon dioxide. If you exercise on a

regular basis, you can actually double the amount of mitochondria in your body! The

more mitochondria present in your cells, the more little power plants there are demanding

fuel to burn. If you have twice as many power plants, not only can you burn more

calories, but you also produce more energy. This is why people who are out of shape may

complain that they always feel tired, lazy, or sluggish. They may be lazy, but that is

another story. People who exercise on a regular basis often report having more energy

throughout their day than those who rarely exercise.

So far we have seen that exercise increases your resting metabolic rate as well as your

energy levels by doubling the amount of mitochondria in your body. How does it do this?

Increased mitochondrion also improves the rate at which you can consume oxygen.

Because you burn 5 kcals (1 kcal is the same as 1 calorie) for every liter of oxygen

consumed, if you can consume more oxygen, you can burn more calories faster. This

allows access to energy faster. More mitochondrion also improves the rate at which your

body metabolizes fat. Exercise will jump start your body into action.

Exercise not only improves your body’s ability to process fuel, but it also improves your

body’s ability to circulate fuel. A trained athlete’s heart can pump about 20% more blood

with each contraction than an untrained person. In comparing a cross-country skier with

an average man during intense exercise, both have hearts that beat at about 185 times per

minute. However, during that 185 times, the untrained man only pumps 16.6 liters

whereas the skier pumps 32 liters! In addition to improving the amount of blood your

heart pumps with each beat, exercise has a number of other effects on the circulatory

system. Your body does not circulate blood through every one of its blood vessels at all

times. This is painfully obvious if your leg falls asleep. Exercise opens up many of the

unused capillaries to improve circulation and allow more oxygen to get to your muscles.

Because exercise improves the body’s ability to circulate blood, as someone gets more in

shape, they are able to supply their body with oxygen for longer periods of time. This is

why someone in shape is able to workout for so much longer than someone who is out of

shape.

Improved circulation and training also improves the body's ability to clear away the lactic

acid produced during exercise. This way, when a muscle becomes fatigued and releases

lactic acid, your body can clear it away faster so that the muscles keep working. The

lactic acid makes you feel tired and exhausted. Lactic acid also prevents the burning of

fat storages, so if you can clear away the lactic acid faster, you improve the amount of fat

that you burn. This slows the burning of all the muscle glycogen (sugar) thus preventing

muscle exhaustion. If you haven’t noticed already, everything is related. Exercise

improves ability to process energy, as well as the ability to circulate energy. Improved

circulation prevents exhaustion and improves fat utilization which accesses the huge

banks of energy storage in the adipose tissue.

If you are trying to lose weight, all these things are important. Another thing that exercise

does that will help you lose weight is it will reduce your appetite. Not only does it occupy

time that you are not browsing the refrigerator, but it also draws all the blood from your

stomach to your muscles. This way you forget about being hungry and concentrate on

exercising. This is also the same reason that it is not safe to swim just after you have

eaten. Your body has sent blood to your stomach to digest the food. Then it must take the

blood away from the stomach and supply the muscles with enough fuel to keep you from

drowning. Then your muscles cramp up and refuse to work because they are not getting

the oxygen they need.

Another effect that exercise has on your body is to mobilize your joints. "Use it or lose it"

is no joke. If your joints and muscles don’t go through normal range of motion on a

regular basis, they stiffen up. Even on as little as a three hour car ride, when you stand up

your legs may be stiff and your back will probably be sore. Exercise stimulates blood

circulation to all the parts of your body keeping everything well regulated and well

supplied with the nutrients needed for growth and function.

Faster metabolism will not only break down carbohydrates and other fuels faster, but it

will also metabolize cholesterol and low density lipids faster. Cholesterol and low density

lipids are responsible in part for deposits on the walls of the arteries. Exercise will help

prevent excess deposits of cholesterol on the walls of the arteries. It also lowers high

blood pressure. Overall it may be one of the most effective means of fighting heart

attacks, atherosclerosis, and strokes.

For many people, exercise is a release. Many people go into the gym just to get away and

forget all the stressful problems they have to deal with. The physical labor itself actually

helps relieve mental stress and anguish. It may have something to do with some of the

endorphins or other hormones released, but exercise definitely helps relieve

psychological tension built up and often stored in muscles in your body such as your back

or shoulders.

In our extensive coverage of physiology and adaptations to exercise, I have left out the

most important and most rewarding aspect of exercise: It is fun!! There is nothing more

fun than a great game of basketball or a beautiful bike-ride through the mountains.

Exercise is not a chore. If you are exercising just to burn calories or just for any of the

other physiological effects, you are missing the biggest reward. Exercise to be alive! Be

alive to exercise! Don’t exercise for maintenance, or to improve your aerobic capacity,

exercise because your body loves life!

Your muscles should feel sore on some days after you exercise. If you go out and jog the

same two miles at the same pace, day after day, you will never become faster, stronger or

have greater endurance. If you stop lifting weights when your muscles start to burn, you

won't feel sore on the next day and you will not become stronger. All improvement in any

muscle function comes from stressing and recovering. On one day, you go out and

exercise hard enough to make your muscles burn during exercise. The burning is a sign

that you are damaging your muscles. On the next day, your muscles feel sore because

they are damaged and need time to recover. Scientist call this DOMS, delayed onset

muscle soreness.

It takes at least eight hours to feel this type of soreness. You finish a workout and feel

great; then you get up the next morning and your exercised muscles feel sore. We used to

think that next-day muscle soreness is caused by a buildup of lactic acid in muscles, but

now we know that lactic acid has nothing to do it. Next-day muscle soreness is caused by

damage to the muscle fibers themselves. Muscle biopsies taken on the day after hard

exercise show bleeding and disruption of the z-band filaments that hold muscle fibers

together as they slide over each other during a contraction.

Scientists can tell how much muscle damage has occurred by measuring blood levels of a

muscle enzyme called CPK. CPK is normally found in muscles and is released into the

bloodstream when muscles are damaged. Those exercisers who have the highest post-

exercise blood levels of CPK often have the most muscle soreness. Using blood CPK

levels as a measure of muscle damage, researchers have shown that people who continue

to exercise when their muscles feel sore are the ones most likely to feel sore on the next

day.

Many people think that cooling down by exercising at a very slow pace after exercising

more vigorously, helps to prevent muscle soreness. It doesn't. Cooling down speeds up

the removal of lactic acid from muscles, but a buildup of lactic acid does not cause

muscle soreness, so cooling down will not help to prevent muscle soreness. Stretching

does not prevent soreness either, since post-exercise soreness is not due to contracted

muscle fibers.

Next-day muscle soreness should be used as a guide to training, whatever your sport. On

one day, go out and exercise right up to the burn, back off when your muscles really start

to burn, then pick up the pace again and exercise to the burn. Do this exercise-to-the-burn

and recover until your muscles start to feel stiff, and then stop the workout. Depending on

how sore your muscles feel, take the next day off or go at a very slow pace. Do not

attempt to train for muscle burning again until the soreness has gone away completely.

Most athletes take a very hard workout on one day, go easy for one to seven days

afterward, and then take a hard workout again. World-class marathon runners run very

fast only twice a week. The best weightlifters lift very heavy only once every two weeks.

High jumpers jump for height only once a week. Shot putters throw for distance only

once a week. Exercise training is done by stressing and recovering.

In the arena of exercise, reference to lactic acid has commonly evoked the most negative

of responses. For years, lactic acid has been considered an exercise evil whose presence

was believed to induce muscle soreness, fatigue, oxygen debt, and anaerobic threshold.

No longer can such an all-encompassing and destructive label be placed on this

metabolite. While lactic acid may play a role in fatigue (3, 6), its supposed role in muscle

soreness has been disproved (9), and it is now being recognized as more of a positive

player in metabolism. George A. Brooks has described lactic acid as a key substance used

to provide energy, dispose of dietary carbohydrate, produce blood glucose and liver

glycogen, and promote survival in stressful situations (3). This paper briefly describes the

metabolic functions of lactic acid and relates the functions to recovery from exercise.

Muscle glycogen is one of the main energy sources for exercise. In order to be utilized,

stored muscle glycogen must be broken down into glucose, a process known as

glycolysis. During glycolysis, each glucose molecule is cleaved into two pyruvic acid

molecules, and energy is released to form adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Normally, the

pyruvic acid enters the mitochondria (the principal cell sites where energy is generated)

and undergoes the oxidative stage of glycolysis to produce yet more ATP. However,

when there is not enough oxygen present for this reaction to take place, the pyruvic acid

transforms into lactic acid. From this point, lactic acid can diffuse out of the muscle cell

into the blood. It is by this process (known as anaerobic glycolysis) that muscle glycogen

can be converted into energy without the presence of oxygen as opposed to ATP

production via aerobic glycolysis (6). Such a conversion allows glycolysis to proceed for

minutes, when it could otherwise last only seconds (6). Thus, energy is supplied to

promote survival in stressful times.

Once sufficient oxygen is restored, the lactic acid produced via anaerobic glycolysis can

be utilized for energy or reconverted into glucose by the liver and other tissues (a process

known as oxidation). This brings us full circle, and the rest of the metabolic functions as

quoted earlier from Brooks have been met. This process also applies to the world of

exercise.

In exercise, human bodies use energy for the purpose of muscle contraction. To

accomplish this, both aerobic and anaerobic energy-producing systems need to function.

Regardless of the system, lactic acid is continuously being formed and removed, even at

rest (2). Studies show that during aerobic glycolysis lactate production seems to increase

in proportion to our metabolic rate (2, 5). At some point, depending on exercise duration

and intensity, a workload will be reached in which lactate concentration is greatly

magnified. This is known as the lactate threshold and can usually be elicited between 50-

80 percent of a person's maximal oxygen consumption, VO2max (10). It is at this point in

which the rate of lactic acid appearance becomes greater than the rate of disappearance

(1, 10). This manifestation will often occur in anaerobic activities such as the 400 meter

dash, 100 meter swim, tennis, or soccer (6, 7). What is the significance of this fact?

When lactic acid accumulates in the cell following anaerobic glycolysis, there is potential

for problems. It is necessary to maintain the proper degree of acidity in the cell because

when acidity increases important contractile and metabolic functions are hindered. In the

case that acidity is not regulated, the accumulation of lactic acid may be a factor in

fatigue.

Coaches, teachers, and athletes can address both training regimen (including warm down)

and diet to successfully combat excessive lactate formation, glycogen depletion, and the

consequent fatigue that may result. According to Brooks, "a major goal of training should

be to minimize lactic acid production and to enhance lactic acid removal during

competition"(5). He suggests a combination of high intensity interval training and

prolonged submaximal training. Interval training will help to maximize cardiovascular

adaptation and increase VO2max. The more oxygen consumed, the less reliance on the

anaerobic breakdown of carbohydrate to lactic acid. Prolonged submaximal training can

help to induce muscular adaptations such as increases in capillary and mitochondrial

functional capacity. These adaptations will help to reduce lactic acid formation by

increased utilization of fatty acids as a mitochondrial fuel source and will facilitate lactic

acid removal (5).

Many athletes incorporate a warm down period into their training for the purpose of

decreasing blood lactate concentration. In recent times, questions have emerged regarding

the benefits of active versus passive recovery. Here, active recovery implies light exercise

while passive refers to rest. In a study by Choi et al. (4), this question was addressed.

They found that blood lactate levels decreased more rapidly during active recovery than

during rest. However, the difference was not found to be very significant. Attention thus

focuses on glycogen depletion.

Although active recovery decreased lactic acid levels faster, it may also further deplete

the glycogen stores that need replenishment. Therefore, a combination has been

suggested whereby active and passive recovery are utilized together to decrease lactic

acid levels while promoting maximal glycogen resynthesis (4). In other words, the athlete

should warm down until normal rates of breathing return and then rest. At this time, a

high carbohydrate meal should be consumed to help replace the glycogen stores, which

have been depleted through exercise.

In summary, lactic acid is not a useless metabolic by-product. It can serve as a very

important and useful energy source. However, if the lactate threshold is reached during

exercise, excessive lactic acid can accumulate, causing fatigue. Fortunately, this negative

effect can be partially offset by proper training, warm down, and a high carbohydrate

diet.

REFERENCES

(1) Brooks, G. A. (1985). Anaerobic threshold: review of the concept and directions for future research. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 17:1, 22-31. (2) Brooks, G. A. (1986). The lactate shuttle during exercise and recovery. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 18:3, 360-368. (3) Brooks, G. A. (1988). Blood lactic acid: sports bad boys turns good. Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Sports Science Exchange 1: 2. (4) Choi, D., Cole, K. J., Goodpaster, B. H., Fink, W. J., & Costill, D. L. (1994) . Effect of passive and active recovery on the resynthisis of muscle glycogen. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 26:8, 992-996. (5) Donovan, C. M., & Brooks, G. A. (1983). Endurance training affects lactate clearance, not lactate production. American Journal of Physiology 244, E83-E92. (6) Guyton, A. C. (1991). Metabolism of carbohydrates and formation of adenosine triphosphate. In M. J. Wonsiewicz (Ed.), Textbook of medical physiology (8th ed., pp. 743-752). Philadelphia, PA.: W. B. Saunders and Company. (7) Guyton, A. C. (1991). Sports physiology. In M. J. Wonsiewicz (Ed.), Textbook of medical physiology (8th ed., pp. 939-949). Philadelphia, PA.: W. B. Saunders and Company. (8) Lieber, R. L. (1992). Skeletal muscle physiology. In J. P. Butler (Ed.), Skeletal muscle structure and function (pp. 49-108). Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins. (9) Schwane, J. A., Watrous, B. G., Johnson, S. R., & Armstrong, R. B. (1983). Is lactic acid related to delayed-onset muscle soreness? The Physician and Sportsmedicine 11:3, 124-129. (10) Stanley, W. C., Gertz, E. W., Wisneski, J. A., Morris, L. D., Neese, R. A., & Brooks, G. A. (1985). Systemic lactate kinetics during graded exercise in man. American Journal of Physiology 249, E595-E602.

In 1947 after an examination he got a license for chiropractor.

When his father suddenly passed away on May 23, 1952, Kenei Mabuni became his Soke (successor ), and he

inherited the original name of Master’s Kenwa Mabuni’s personal dojo, "Yoshukan".

His knowledge and skills in Karate have made him famous and respected all over the world. Since the early

1960s, he has made numerous trips to many countries to teach Shito ryu Karate do.

During the inaugural of the 1st World Karate-do Championship (WUKO), in 1970, he demonstrated for the first

time the "Nipaipo" kata of Gokenki Sensei.

In 1972, he was certified by the "Federation of All Japan Karate-do Organization" (FAJKO), as a first class

examiner.

The Japan Martial Arts Council (Nippon Budo Kyougi Kai), presented him "The Distinguished Service Medal", for

his contribution, on January 15th , 1984.

On March 17, 1993 in Osaka, Kenei Mabuni helped found the "World Shito ryu Karate do Federation", of

which he was made Governor (Sosai).

Kenei Mabuni has devoted his entire life to training and teaching Shito ryu Karate do and has succeeded in

promoting his father’s unique system all over the world.