A lot of practitioners don't know that Karate is the Okinawan adaptation of Chinese Kung Fu (southern white. And if youve never practiced with weapons, its hard to defend against one. Anko Itosu is the father of modern karate. Okinawa is situated in the middle of the trade route between Japan to the north and . I just wanted to set the record straight not just give an opinion. Location. Will these kinds of high stances build leg strength and stamina? Hau *1. Thanks for sharing! As far as I'm concerned all styles of Karate are "valid". I have trained it so and i have teached it this way. How is that a good thing? In fact, when you closely examine old-school kata, you will see that the bunkaiof the kata movements make much more sense in the close range. Goju-ryu. My question regards Kokutsu dachi born by fact who. Good luck in your life sear sensei oss warm greeting fars karate association . This is true.The positions are the basis of a best techniques in Perfect Karate. This drill provides a system to practice basic offensive and defensive techniques while moving through the stances utilized in Kata. My Sensei teach the first six, but I've never seen the last four. 2. OSU! I was patiently awaiting for a good article- and my patience just deserved a prize. Your rear foot's toes and ball of the foot touches the ground. The Sai are found in both Okinawan and other oriental martial arts schools. It's not hard to describe nature, but try TO DEFINE it. *Yokoso*! LONG WINDED OPINIONS / TRUE OR FALSE OR RESPECT? These days, most Karate dojos in Okinawa practice verylittle Kobudo. The fact that differing karate styles have conventions that some may take issue with, either out of lack of understanding, or alternatively out of better understanding as the case may be, is not patently degrading to the one having a difference of opinion. L and R is pretty much an interchangeable sound in Japan. If not, that could be number 12 ! Karate Titles Bushi: Great martial artist (Okinawan); Warlord (Japanese) Hanshi : Head person of an organization Karateka : A practitioner of Karate Kohai: A student junior to oneself Kyoshi: Master instructor Mudansha : Students without black belt rank Reigi renshi: Polished instructor Sensei: Instructor, Teacher Sempai: A senior student To them, it was their only defense method that helped them get through challenging political times. locking and suchlike are against 'the rules'.. Shiomitsu Sensei let them know very quickly that it was not a term that was used in a Wado Ryu Dojo. arts nor has as much expertise as our instructors! It's just talk. Shotokan especially JKA emphasizes building the foundation first hence low and long stances, Kyokushin training structure is similar, that's KIHON basics, the actual combat is another story. The difference in stances is a stylistic choice, the . I really have enjoyed this article. (My Sensei only used Hai, we were not allowed to say Osu lol.). Keep a distance of approximately one and a half shoulder width between your feet. Now try explaining that to a mainland Japanese who thinks Kyokushin is the be all or end all of karate. Although I'm biased to Okinawan Karate, I still have much respect to Japanese Karate, and I learn a lot from it as well. If youre a karate enthusiast, theres nothing like too much information. Great read! (1) That was a very in-depth posting. His style has been practicing in Okinawa and Japan till date. This kata uses stances and attacks comprising of the five previous Pinan kata. Bend your rear leg, put your rear foot is at a 45 angle. By how I see Shotokan is typically practiced, the emphasis is clearly on striking. 4. Yes Unlike Judo, Kyudo, Kendo etc. Anza (ahn-zah)- cross leg sitting. I do taekwondo but love watching you on YouTube and am interested in karate. Below you will find a short introduction to each style. Horror stories are often heard about some martial arts schools in the Influenced from Shindo yoshin ryu. The whole answer is I respect it & appreciated it's teachings, and try to benefit from study of it, it's values such as laid out in this article. Shotokan karate != all Japanese Karate. Also, EVERYONE knows that Funakoshi Sensei had to "water down" Karate to teach it to the masses in Mainland. Now I need to go again for this sole purpose. I practice Goju-ryu which is an Okinawan karate and I never realised how different the Japanese karate was. I like to say that traditional karate is a thinking man's discipline. The bigger, longer, lower version that you see in more modern Shotokan, not so much. to defeat all his opponents. Kenwa Mabuni is another famous master of karate and the founder of Shito Ryu Karate. Keep both legs are about shoulder width apart, your rear foot is at a 65 angle. Quite naturally, this aspect of combat also involves other nasty things like choking, unbalancing, throwing, trapping hands, hitting pressure points and nerve bundles. But maybe that is because my master learned directly from his master, who came from Okinawa. You can describe a human being like walking on two feet in a straight posture, so men are two-legged beings, they have two hands, a torso, a head. "Tuidi" is also taught, please refer to Shotokan Bunkai and you can also see Naka Tatsuya in Kuro Obi movie demonstrating the locks and throws. As its karatekas are taught to never attack first.. I'm a Shodokan lineage Goju-ryu practitioner, our school also does Ryuei-ryu kobudo, and my wife used to practice Shotokan. Lets put it this way. Torso erect. wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. Thanks! Sure they're a bit flashy, but "flashy" doesn't necessarily mean ineffective. Yes, sort of. han zenkutsu dachi (half front stance) - As for zenkutsu-dachi, but feet only one shoulder-width apart. But instead of waiting several years to know why we did it that way, I was shown an application and the difference in performing it improperly and properly and how all those little tweaks made the application so much more effective. You learn more combat style training. The cross stance is among the most famous karate stances. Tuidi is the Okinawan method of grabbing,seizing, twisting and dislocating anopponents joints. Now itlooks like: my ideas about "kime" seems to be much closer to the okinawan idea of chinkuchi, as the interpretations of other karatekas (who seems to focusing on the stopping/arresting part of kime, and not of transferring energy to the target)? It did not go over well at all. Kenwa Mabuni, the founder of Shit-ry Karate. A great lesson in your extensive comment is that it speaks directly to those who under-rate the Japanese karates without looking to the benefit of your high-level of knowledge & experience. The level of martial knowledge , i.e. IMO, I think the article's author comparison of Okinawan & Japanese karates extremely valuable in understanding what it is we are striving for in different conventions & traditions of karate training. IMO, I think there is great benefit to incorporating the comparative information into one's karate training regimen. But as I said my understanding of his art is little. Due to its central location, Okinawa was influenced by various cultures with a long history of trade and cultural exchange, including Japan, China and Southeast Asia, that greatly influenced the development of martial arts on Okinawa.We would like to introduce you to five main styles: Goju-ryu, Uechi-ryu, Shorin-ryu (&), and Matsubayashi-ryu. Good Job!!! Good reading, extremely intersting. I think the HOW is big in both Okinawan karate & Japanese karate, agreeing with author that the Japanese put more emphasis on HOW. Ooura is a Motobu Ryu style Karate sensei. Stances utilized with the Nunchaku were the same as those utilized in karate so, again, the development of the two closely parelled each other . I am going to Tokyo and Okinawa in October. (2)I made some comments based on my understanding of Okinawan vs. Japanese karate. It is true that it is more difficult to give individual attention to large classes. The International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-do Federation (IOGKF) is the largest traditional Okinawan Karate organization in the world. With my best regards, M.R, great article, i love your website. In fact, the average Okinawan dojo has room for like 10-15 people. By the way, do you know if they practice kote/ashi kitae in japan karate? This is where your opinion loses any respect, when you espouse that opinion as a fact and not just your opinion. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Recent initiatives by Okinawa Prefecture and martial arts officials stimulate Okinawan karate's recognition domestically and internationally, underline its cultural importance, and support three main arguments why not to change its traditional form: (i) The principle of never changing kata: Okinawan karate's battle-and street-fight-verified kata concepts were honed to lethal efficiency and . This book is his autobiography that digs deep into his experiences, learning and covers his complete life story. We're all champions! Explore Okinawan Karate! Both are very important to the student and which depends on how the individual student is progressing and their understanding of what they are trying to accomplish. The elbow is hyperextended and a chest bump will drop the opponent. Simple generalizations like "good article," "beneficial & useful" will not carry a karateka through real-time kumite or real-life self defense. I told them (for what I was able to see, I never practiced JK)that Japan Karate was more "militarized"It seems related with your point 2 in the note "how over why", and point 9 "indidualisation over mass training", and of course, the sport vision In this world of karate, it would be best not to jump the gun too early and generalize about things you may perhaps know something about, but not knowing enough about. We do not believe anyone in Arizona teaches such a wide variety of martial At the lower belts, it feels similar to Japanese Karate, but as you start approaching shodan you are more exposed to some dangerous stuff. It can be used to block, stab, trap or strike. Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website. // but please credit me and/or link to my site IMHO, I thought the author's comparison was enlightening as setting up for better understanding & as a BLOG discussion. Hi Jonathan-san! I've been studying and practicing Karate, practical self-defense and Zen Buddhism for more than 35 years. There is no place in contemporary Karate for different styles. Maybe that's why there's so many different karate styles--opinions on how to approach karate. Great Post!!!! The senseis in Okinawan karate also do seem much friendlier, it's a family atmosphere. Attacks to vital areas. *confidence as well as self-preservation. Anyone who has ever competed in combat sports can readily agree that certain strategies or techniques might work against one-body type, but not another. thus kata bunkai have included emphasis on striking No. by the* If you look at the old photos of Funakoshi from his books, the kokutsu-dachi you see there is done in some Okinawan styles, to this day. I have trained under an Okinawan 'programme' to green belt (from Martin Rice). However we do not embellish our kata by adding any extra movements what is different is usually the execution. Ironically, and unfortunately as my local KoDo-ryu dojo was forced to close, I have recently starting training in Kyokushin karate, which is about as far removed from Ko-Do Ryu as I can get. We have a family of brothers and their father in Nashville who have several belts in MMA. Suggestion for guest article(s): They are usually made by younger practitioners who have got it all figured out. Back then face punches were allowed in kyokushin tournaments and Gary Alexander used boxing, judo, jujitsu, aikido, aikijitsu, elements of shotokan, etc. When we understand our style, we can train it better & use it best. In other words: "all in!". I know that "how" vs. "why". Karate enthusiasts in Japan practice it because they believe its good for their health. That's to describe, but to DEFINE is lots more complex. This dojo was also popular for the Kobudo karate practices and, to date, has the Kobudo weapons hanging on its wall. 3. I feel that most bunkai is too limiting as to what you are trying to accomplish. email: [email protected]. There is a mix of both hard and soft techniques. I've been a few times in Japan but never practicing karate and never in Okinawa. I learned much that I never came across during 5 years of training in Shorei-Kan Goju-Ryu back in the 70's. was great! Interesting article! basically, japanese karate 'took over' [globally] esp usa Could you possibly have been more condescending in your comments. If you practice Karate in Okinawa, you will often hear the word imi. Your weight is 90% on the back leg and 10% on the front foot. During that time, monks, fighters, travelers, and merchants used to travel to China from Okinawa to gain knowledge in different aspects (as the Chinese continent is not very far from Okinawa). Because if youre weak and frail, you simply cannot defend yourself optimally! hi Jesse-san! How the stance (form) then looks is up to you, as long as you reach your goal . However I am not, nor do I encourage my Students to be a "Stylist". Distribute your weight to 60% on the front leg and 40% on the back leg. First of all, the movements are so damn strenuous and need lots of corrections in order to do with the correct form and proper execution. Maximum vertical compression of the legs adds power by making the hips more stable and energy less disspated to the extremities via vibration, etc. Hello sir, I really liked this article and I wanted to request your permission to translate it into spanish and post it to a public Facebook Karate page. Like you, I can point out differences or alternate views. After 52 years of karate & about 12-15 trips to Japan I finally went to Okinawa this August with about 50 of my students. Even though your article may be true to many styles, schools, dojos and teachers, the article is not true as a whole. I'm thinking when I'm training/teaching the kata, bringing more of a Japanese style to it, but keeping the bunkai at a more trapping/close range having being influenced from kung-fu and watching a LOT of Sensei Iain Abernethy. A police baton-like weapon was used for blocking. But that's the benefit of the blog format. Wasn't this the exact theme of one of the author's comparisons? The purpose of Okinawan Karate has always been mainly self-defense oriented (the Why). Gene sticks to his guns & backs up his position--he deserves applause (mine) like any strong kumite competitor. No. So it was not that one was more important than the other, but rather, how they were the opposite sides of the same coin- or another example of yin / yang.. Old School strength tools. our family was transferred to Okinawa. For example, aJapanese sensei will go very deep in details of a kata. Feet are about two shoulder widths apart, feet are open at a 45 angle. | Though, it appears that thin-skinned people do so, taking insult that they could be viewed as having a less than equal fighting system than another. Under the leadership of World Chief Instructor, Sensei Tetsuji Nakamura and his International Executive committee, IOGKF International is committed to preserving the intangible cultural treasure of Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-Do, which has been passed down to us . Okinawa-kenpo is a karate style which has been developed based on ancient Okinawan martial arts called "Ti". Yet at the same time, in contrast to many others, I believe similar to you that the Shotokan karate, done well to proper standards, can be highly effective. When you say I think my style is the best style because that is an opinion and there is nothing wrong with having an opinion. I spent time with Kenzo Mabuni, youngest son of Kenwa Mabuni and he explained the origin of, "ouss" which you are correct in stating is not used in Okinawa dojos..Ouss is a derived from the Japanese formal ending you find in many words.originally students would greet their teachers, "Ohio Gozaimasu" and this became shortened to just the ending of "masu" and morphed into "Ouss." 10. The techniques are primarily fast and hard, but soft ones are also allowed. In Japanese Karate, the katas and stances are unnatural, forced, and developed to keep the body fit. Japanese Karate, on the other hand, was tailored for huge groups. The one that leaps out to me is the lock applied to his opponent's right elbow, although there may be something going on with their knees too. Love the article Jesse-san! Very happy to learn something new. Nagaminenamed his style in honor of the two most important masters that his teachings were influenced bySokon Matsumuraof Shuri-te andKosaku Matsumoraof Tomari-te. How you can see, word "Osu" is used also in her dojo ;). So in conclusion before you attempt to explain differences martial arts do a little more research. He is one of the pioneers who made karate a part of the modern Okinawan school curriculum. My mind ends up bouncing back and forth and if makes any sense at all it is too complicated for the lesser informed. Look forward to training at his new Dojo. A growing bamboodoes not compete with the bamboonext to it. While Japanese Karate approaches combatfrom a long distance range, Okinawan Karate prefers a close range. I have always wanted to go back and get a higher belt (not that the belt really matters). When I finally came to Okinawa (and have lived here 10 years now), I tried a few styles until I found one that was a good balance between my old "Shudokan" and Goju-ryu (The first style I started when I came to Okinawa). It depends on what skills fit you, and how you want to fight. The Shuri-di style uses natural stances and promotes light, fast movements. We all have heard about karate since our childhood, but only a few of us know how it actually began. This website uses cookies to help us give you the best experience when you visit our website. It states at the beginning of the article that Okinawa is the birthplace of karate. Karate Stances - A Perfect Karate Foundation: Traditional Okinawan Karate Stances Traditional Okinawan Karate Stances Soke Hausel demonstrates yoko geri kokomi (side kick) on the 1.4 billion year old Sherman Granite near Happy Jack, Wyoming. When Karate was introduced to Japan,manythings changed. The use of the whole body to generate power and punch through your target is a concept we know very well. You are right again. Due to its central location, Okinawan karate styles has been influenced by several cultures with a long history of trade and cultural exchange, including Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, which greatly influenced the development of martial . To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. However, I have one thing I wish to point out in your list of the ten most common kobudo weapons you didn't mention eiku. There are MANY differences between Okinawan and Japanese Karate. It's the individual who brings the excellence and your comment is ample demonstration. There are good and bad Shotokan clubs, just as there are good and bad clubs of other styles. To define is to say what something is, whereas to describe is just to say how it is. If you really want to improve your Karate, you should definitely check out this article I wrote about my favorite equipment for training Karate at home. It's not. The fact that we disagree or have differences of opinion, isn't that realistic in karate & life? It's not a Sport its a lifestyle. As I have said we are based in Jujutsu. Karate is a popular Japanese martial arts that was originally developed on the islands of Okinawa, Japan. (4) I see the concept as a valid way to strike. IMHO, where I am critical of you, is the expectation that every poster on a blog has to be of your knowledge level, be a student of Wado Ryu, & have the in-depth knowledge of what your specific dojo is competing in, before they can have an opinion based on their own invested karate training & experience. I started out practicing shotokan. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); However, In those times, the teachers of Okinawa did not give up. ravichander The Okinawans combined Chinese martial arts with the existing local variants to form T-te ( Tuudii), also sometimes called Okinawa-Te ( Uchinaa-dii). All that aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the article. You must have both, if you don't know how the why won't matter and if your don't know what you are trying to accomplish it matters little how well you execute your technique. Single karate techniques as well as the low stances and rigid footwork, which allows for quick and flexible movement, can be fairly effective in a real fight or for self-defense. Gichin Funakoshi, the writer of this book, was an honorable master of Okinawan Karate of his time. I was knowing it (from readings), but my understanding was a result of "looking to sensei - doing it like him (copy and past ;) ) - feel, whats going on in my body". My name is Paul Landmesser We can arrange a dojo training session or any program based on your requests. biomechanics of Budo, is much deeper in Japan. Shotokan is karate-do in tradition. We do everything you say represents Okinawan karate. As a karate enthusiast, I always wondered how such a famous martial art developed on an island. And how Okinawans continued to practice their fighting skills in such difficult political times. The Beginnings of Okinawan Karate: Shuri-te, Naha-te, and Tomari-te. Hey, it's Martin, I hope you liked this article! Thank you! For Okinawan Karate, the stance is supposed to be practical when applied in self-defense, whereas regular karate has adopted a more competitive and fitness style stance. Here, Dr. Teule uses tonfa(side-handle baton) to strike the side Traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate With Morio Higaonna: Stances & Footwork No views Sep 27, 2022 BLACK BELT MAGAZINE (OFFICIAL) 288K subscribers Traditional Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate. Couldn't agree more. In this photo,* Mmmm, may have to unsubscribe, I just can't compete with the better styles :). It was very helpful for me which was a very old karate lover since 1972 . How right you are Ian. As a student of natural history as well as Karate I do have to argue with one point though "A growing bamboodoes not compete with the bamboonext to it". Kenwa Mabuni 3. Please clickherefor a list of Shorin-ryu dojos we offer training at. I find it a little humorous that you have a picture of Motobu Choki Sensei since our Grand Master trained with him, especially concerning the kata Nihanshi and its applications. Distribute your body weight equally on both legs. In some Chinese arts, this was done for that reason, but in many cases it was done for grappling applications. In the 53 years since I started karate training, I have trained with both Okinawan and Japanese instructors, and found both systems to be beneficial and useful. Hope to see future articles like this as I have Black belts in Wado-ryu and Goju-ryu and would love to see articles posted about the foundations of those 2 styles. My 2 cents on your points: :). I really have now a clear picture of Karate History. Not only that, Chinese fighters used those same training tools to condition themselves. Fully agreed with your comments. What raises Shotokan to 'actual' karate is when it is practiced as DO. Seipai, 6. According to the masters, they needed to know why they were doing what they were doing. Now about your article. Of course, these are just generalizations but theyre based on my personal observations from years of traveling to, and living in, Okinawa and Japan. While we do tounraments they are very limited and the training for tournament kata for example is very different that our traditional kata. Perhaps your obscure style might have a mix of all sorts of different stuff to make it a little more well-rounded. He was born in Shuri and started practicing Shuri-te at the age of 12. Also further increased my curiosity into the style. Regards from South Africa. Nice article, but let me say that I do not agree with you at all in the sense that you generalize way too much in your comments, reasoning etc. I am an Okinawan Practitioner for over 22 years. This style mainly focuses on direct attacks, so there is a lot of emphasis on the Katas. This phenomenon has alsospread to the West, and is even getting popular inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA too. Karate () is a martial art developed in the in what is now Okinawa, Japan. Unfortunately, this is the way of Martial Arts these days! AD, and later by S *Soke Hausel, Shorin-Ryu karate, Gilbert, AZ* Therefore, the concept of tuidiis not as important in Japanese Karate. All their, "I'll can drop someone with a side kick to the knee" or the old, "I'll knock someone out before they ever get a chance to grab me" sounded great until they had to actually try to do it and found out in a very hard and painful lesson that it didn't really work. As in everything else, smaller class sizes tend to be best. I came from an Okinawan based karate moving to a Japanese based karate, and I still sometimes struggle with the bigger deeper stances, but I'm getting there. Shotokan is known for its direct and efficient linear strikes, strong blocks and . You might spar people taller than you, faster than you, shorter than you, stronger than you, heavier than you, lighter than you, etc. It's a nice saying but unfortunately not true :-P. Next time you come to Okinawa, you should come train with us at Nix Dojo. Some of these differences are mentioned down below: Karate in Japan is considered a healthy exercise rather than a self-defensive martial art. Well, I have a lot to say to defend my culture, but I save them for good now. I have never had any Sensei tell me I must freeze my techniques at a fixed point. I do JKA Shotokan (i.e., Japanese Karate) and allow me to share the following: Ah, c'mon, man. Put your front foot in front of you at a 45 angle. 1. They need to be easily seen byhuge massesof people! Here is video from Okinawa https://www.facebook.com/seisho.tanahara.5/videos/1609511249266214/ with Shinjo Kiyohide Sensei, where is knowing as on of strenghten tradicionalist. The American-style karate called itself "Okinawan", and claimed to be based on Okinawan styles, but the instructors there would spend about 80% of their focus on teaching HOW, and only going into the WHY sparingly. Enjoy! Kanbun uechi was the founder of uechi ryu karate. Copyright In some styles, yes, and in some styles, no. Jesse Enkamp Incredible power can be generated by a martial artist using proper stances with hip rotation and focus. It was not called Karate at this time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Vive la diffrence! Like one of my Okinawan friends, a 7th dan Shorin-ryu sensei,once told me: Karate is part of our cultural identity. Wanna know more about karate styles, check out this article: 13 Main Karate Styles and Their Differences. The technique encoded in the form/kata is basically identical despite the stylistic differences between Shaolin Kung-Fu and Shotokan and Shorin. Uechi - Ryu Karate Basic Stances | Okinawan Traditional Karate - YouTube " Uechi ryu " is a traditional style of Okinawan Karate.In this video, you can learn Uechi-ryu karate " Basic. I first learned the 'how' before I learned the 'why'. He wasn't a pure isshinryu man though. Thanks everyone for your help and keep the hard work. Any tips on where to go? Kobudo refers to the weapons used in Okinawan Karate. I respect all traditional Karate styles, there's a benefit in every single one of them. Hey Jim, I never thought of it that way. In the 90's we had three from the Dojo, where I began my training, who were world rated professional kick boxers, long before MMA. I was clueless! Use of the ankles, knees, legs and hips to create stable Karate Stances and powerful Karate kicks. Wish I had money enough to live in Okinawa, learn their language and their karate! Thanks for your great article. A lot of practitioners who practice against the air, stationary bag, or cooperative opponents were in for a rude awakening when they had to compete for real. Good day Jesse-san. The stances of Okinawan Karate are meant to be practical when applied in self-defense, since they can be quickly and effortlessly reached from your everyday stance. Stand up in basic stance which involves having your feet spread out and your hands in fists next to each side of your waist. As with every aspect of Okinawan Karate, there is more than one definition.
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