Three Triads of Traditional Karate

Physical - Kihon, Kata, & Kumite

Moral - Mercy, Compassion & Justice

Ethical - Duty, Honor & Loyalty

All parts of the three triads make up nine perfections. The nine perfections are the whole rounded person focusing on human character as a whole being.

Traditional Karate provides a means to defend yourself against an aggressor. It gives self-confidence and stimulates a sense of awareness when in difficult situations. It heightens your consciences of environment and the very nature of unjust aggression.

“The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants ”

― Gichin Funakoshi

Why We Do What We Do

The first thing visitors notice about our Traditional Karate School is its atmosphere. Students bow when they walk in the door. Parents observe silence with the student body during the opening ceremony.

The attitude of the students during practice is intense, energized and focused. Day in and day out the atmosphere of our school is unvaried.

By design we work to create something different from our normal daily experience.
To certain extent the feeling of our environment is created by what exists and does not exist.

To a greater extent our atmosphere is created by the behavior and demeanor of our students, parents and guests. In a very profound sense our dojo is recreated every day by the will and intention of those who inhabit it.

The karate mindset is composed of many ingredients. If we are unfocused we create in the body an object of focus. If we are distracted we demand consistency and repetition to build mental endurance. If we are passive we cultivate responsiveness. If we are anxious we encourage analysis. In all cases we are looking to improve upon weakness, reinforce strengths and create within ourselves a baseline mentality that will serve us in all our endeavors.

From an Instructor’s perspective our training is nothing more than building, maintaining and strengthening this mindset. We are creating something practical here – something that can enhance our ability to live each day fully and successfully.

We come to the dojo to train in this mindset. By training correctly we will carry it with us when we walk out the door. We want our training to be strong and enough to withstand daily use.

Life within our society and culture presents many challenges – the greatest of which is not to be influenced to our disadvantage. To ward off the negative and strengthen the positive requires that we have a strong core, that we know who we are and are capable of moving with certainty.

The instructor uses every aspect of training to point us in the direction of ourselves. Developing a strong karate basic is nothing is nothing more than the creation of will and endurance.

The instructor measures the student’s karate by the development of these qualities. The underlying imperative of Traditional Karate is to create a mentality impervious to attack and able to prevail against insurmountable odds – in other words, to live each day full of potential.

“The Karate philosophy of calmness and confidence is the antithesis of aggression and inhumanity.”

Author Unknown

Technique Principle Application

Kihon, Kata, Kumite

Kihon:
Movement seeking technique

Kata:
Technique  seeking principle

Kumite:
Principle  seeking technique



R. Johns, Hanshi
9th Dan Dai Ichi Shotokan Karate-Do International

Karate Techniques & Principles

Karate technique are external

External techniques are block, punch, Kick, and strikes
A karate technique can be defensive or offensive

Karate principles are internal

Internal principles are Contraction expansion, Vibratory hip rotation, Rhythm and Timing

A karate principle can make your technique more effective

Karate principles cannot be defensive or offensive

10/14/12/jrg

Three ways to Study Kata

The Study of Kata using Taikyoku Shodan

1. Kata Wa Kumite Kata is fighting

2. Kata is technique seeking principle

Studying beginner kata should help understand more advanced kata. The style of martial arts should not matter. Here are three ways of studying beginner Kata. 

1. Reverse, 2. Stationary 3. Linear 

Hanshi R Johns 9th Dan

Dai Ichi Shotokan Karate Do

http://www.dska.org/index.htm

Taikyoku Shodan in Reverse 

To understand the kata

To reveal the application of bunki in between the techniques "bunki in transition" 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfTfb1ZK-2E&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Taikyuku Shodan Stationary. 

Ko Waza short distance technique. Self-defense & close quarters fighting, Quick Footwork & reaction timing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqeFQ11rYEk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Taikyoku Shodan Linear 

Toma - long range technique Requires excellent footwork, the ability to be effectively at long range techniques through properly using timing & distance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-8TKf0NKl4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The importance of a straight posture

We learn and practice Karate to be able to control ourselves physically and psychologically. A karate practitioner should in fact focus more on getting that self control rather than being preoccupied about winning over an opponent. The reasoning behind this thought is that once one has mastery over his or her own body and mind, one has already won the battle; due to the physical agility and the self confidence that one acquires.

 The Karate practitioner trains over and over to be able to unlock the secrets and limitation of his/her own body. He or she learns several ways to use legs, hands, arms, torso, and head to both block and counter-attack. Karate practitioner also learns to use his or her body to gain reach and tactical advantage.

 It is important for the Karate practitioner to be able to move in and out of the opponent’s reach as easily and as quickly as possible. Although in Karate there are many different stances the practitioner should have the same agility and capability to move back and forth, and side to side. This should allow him/her to move out of harm’s way or to gage the proper distance for a strike. All the stances in Karate share one common thing and that is a straight back or a straight posture. In fact a straight back is such a common thing in Karate that one can notice it in the Karate practitioner’s stance out of practice. Thanks to Karate it is rare to see a “Karateka” slouching; he or she would usually be standing or sitting confidently with a straight back ready for action at all time.

 The beauty of physics is that it works as follow. With a straight back, perpendicular to the ground, a human body’s center of gravity is projected at the waist. The only effort the body has to do in this case is to lift its own weight up with the legs (the biggest muscle of the body); every other movement (back and forth, side to side) should be performed almost effortlessly. When the body is bent forward the center of gravity slides forward of the waist. In this case the body has to apply a greater force just to stand still. The body now is using different muscles just to gain balance. The weight of the body is not sitting neatly on top of the legs; it is rather spread past the waist requiring the help of the back’s muscles to keep the whole body from falling over. The same principle applies when the body is leaning backward, except that in this case the abdomen’s muscles are going to be called to help keeping the body from falling backward.

Bottom line, in Karate we try to optimize the use of our bodies to gain advantage over our opponents. With a straight back or straight posture the body seems to be easily manageable. Self inflicted injuries should automatically stop taking place because the body is using the proper muscles for the proper circumstances. With an incorrect posture one is asking the body to perform tasks using weaker muscles that were not supposed to be used for that specific action. Self inflicted injuries are not the only outcome of an incorrect posture. And incorrect posture physically limits the mobility and the agility of the fighter rendering him/her vulnerable to the opponent’s attacks.

It is important for a Karate practitioner and probably for all martial artists to keep a straight back while practicing their art. One has to be watchful and aware of his or her posture. There is a trick one can use to be able to put his or her back in the right position. If one makes it a habit to push the chest forward and up one can almost guaranty that his/her back is at the proper position.

The way we stand up should show confidence and should, to a certain extent, show intimidation. The bad guys or the bullies attack those that appear weak or those that are not capable of portraying confidence. It is a way to avoid conflict.


Maher Hedhili
06/01/2012

Inside and Outside of Kata & Kumite

Kata uses outside techniques to seek inner principles Kumite used inside principles to seek outside techniques Hanshi R. Johns  Dai Ichi Shotokan Karate Do http://www.dska.org/index.htm