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Оглавлениеchapter 2 What is Karatedo?
1. Principles and Aims of Karatedo
In essence, karatedo is a set of techniques and mental attitudes systematized and codified in a martial art which, through a rigorous and systematic training of the mind and the body, strive to achieve knowledge of oneself and others to ultimately create a state of complete harmony between oneself and the universe. It is a discipline which advocates the development of a strong body and the awakening of the mind by a constant search for self-perfection both physically and spiritually in order to fully realize oneself.
But karatedo is also one of the most efficient fighting arts. Initially it was developed as a training method for personal combat and war, where vanquishing the adversary was the only important goal. However, like the other martial arts of the budo, the need to win over oneself is inseparable from the goal of combat and has become an end in itself. Thus, karatedo is an all-encompassing way of life which, far from being a violent method of fighting, teaches humility with confidence and courage, and self-defense with respect for life and restraint. It contributes to giving man a placid mind by surmounting his fears and his pride. At peace with himself and others, and in possession of a strong mind and body, man can thus fulfill his commitments to himself and to society. To reach these goals, the mind and body are trained and developed through use of the punching, kicking, striking, throwing, strangling, and armlock techniques which constitute karate-ho (the empty-hand techniques), and through the use of long and short weapons as an extension of the hands to thrust, throw, sweep, and strike buki-ho (the weapon techniques). Karate-ho and buki-ho together constitute karatedo.
2. The Meaning of Karatedo
The word "karatedo" is composed of three ideograms: kara () te () and do (). Kara (in Japanese) refers to one of the most brilliant periods in Chinese history when the T'ang dynasty ruled China (A.D. 618-907) and has come to represent China itself for the Japanese. Te means “hand" or "technique". Do signifies "philosophical way" or "principle" with which to realize oneself.
Thus karatedo literally means "the way to self-perfection through the practice of techniques originating during the T'ang period."
The word “karate" was first introduced in Okinawa to designate "Chinese fighting techniques" which included both bare-hand and armed techniques (karate-ho and buki-ho). But, as is often the case in the Japanese use of Chinese ideograms, kara can also be written(), pronounced ku or sora, meaning "empty", “free like the air", or “infinite like the sky.’’
Thus, another sense of karatedo is “the way to self-perfection through the practice of techniques of emptiness," emptiness being understood both physically (without weapons) and mentally (with an empty or free mind).
It is unfortunate that when karate was introduced to Japan, the rising nationalism and antagonism against China at the time of the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) led some karate instructors to deny karate its first meaning, retaining only the sense of "empty-hand fighting." By doing so they excluded from karatedo one of its important components, buki-ho.
3. The Value of Karatedo
Karatedo is essentially a martial art (budo) and as such it is also a means of reaching the "way" (do) by the ‘‘practice of weapons" (bu). As in any other martial art, karatedo is, and requires, a solid discipline. The body must go through long and strenuous exercises for many years. This develops not only a strong body but also great strength of character. Control is required over not only one's techniques but also emotions such as fear, pain, and hate. As a fighting art, karatedo involves the confrontation of two wills, each determined to win. This develops such qualities as fortitude, but also humility and respect for oneself and others.
Karatedo is also a formidable means of self-defense which does not require any particular weapon. Weapons are always available when needed. A considerable advantage of karatedo for self-defense purposes is that the defense can be matched exactly with the aggression; if you use a firearm for self-defense, you can not do anything but shoot your opponent. With karatedo, you can completely dispose of your opponent without maiming or killing him. Self-defense attitudes help the individual avoid many natural diseases and accidents by developing a more careful approach to everyday life.
The physical value of karatedo is unique. It is an all-around activity which equally develops every part of the body without having to worry about some muscles being underdeveloped or overdeveloped, It can be practiced anywhere; there are no particular requirements as to the place of practice. It can be practiced alone without a partner; this being a definite advantage over most other sports. Anyone can practice karatedo and benefit from it. There is always the possibility of matching your training with your physical condition or goals. It has now become a very popular competitive sport and as such can satisfy the need of younger people to discover themselves.
4. The Origins of Karatedo
The origins of karatedo are lost in antiquity. In all times and places in the world, people have learned to defend themselves and fight with bare hands first, and then with weapons.
They first relied only on their strength, but then developed fighting techniques and weapons to give even weaker persons a chance to survive in a hostile environment. Perhaps the weakest of all creatures, man not only succeeded in surviving but also in establishing his supremacy over the animal kingdom. Methods of fighting came to be codified through the course of the centuries, reflecting the specific characteristics and needs of peoples and their environments. However, the first fighting techniques were mostly defensive. Their purpose was self-defense against animals and other men. The Sumerians, who had created a brilliant civilization with flourishing arts and philosophy some 3,700 years ago, practiced a form of combat reminiscent to our modern wrestling and boxing scenes of hand-to-hand fighting. Similar depictions are found on the base reliefs of Egyptian tombs 3,000 years old. Statues of Buddhas' guardians in fighting stances are found at the doors of Indian temples also several thousand years old.
Before the advent of Buddhism in India, medicine had already discovered and codified the vital points of the human body. It is said that their practical applications to fighting were made on live subjects by local fighters.
In ancient Greece, where courage and physical development were valued at their highest, it is said that around 800 B.C. every Greek male was adept in pankration, a very violent form of fighting which often ended with the death of one of the contestants. Pancration was then a basic training for war as well as a popular sport.
a. The Chinese Origins: Kempo
One of the most influential forms of fighting was begun in China more than three thousand years ago during the Shu period when the Yellow River district was unified. This fighting art, ch'uan-fa, or kempo in Japanese (the way of the fist), is illustrated in the Kansho, an old Chinese book. Later, around 770 B.C., when nomadic Mongolian tribes invaded Northern China, they introduced a form of fighting which was to influence the development of both Chinese wrestling and boxing. This form, called sumo, was a test of strength between two contestants wearing ram heads, thus its first meaning, "evaluating the strength of the horns."
Sumo was then performed ritually as a preparation for war in a dance-like fashion, from which comes its second meaning of “bare hands dance." Sumo became very popular and its influence is still apparent in Chinese opera. Later still, during the Chi'in and Han periods, sumo came under the influence of kemari, a kicking game designed to develop the feet for war, and gave birth to another form of fighting called shubaku. Both kemari and shubaku are documented on scrolls from this period, rich in wars and upheavals, which also saw the development of the principles of war by a warlord named Sonshi. It is interesting to note that in China today, modern martial arts are still called shubaku.
During the enlightened T'ang dynasty (A.D. 618-970) , kempo was restored to favor. Huge competitions were organized on the steps of the Imperial Palace and in every public square throughout the country. The winner, Ruidai champion, was the one who survived all of the fights held on the stage (ruidai). Champions were crowned inside the palace and became immensely popular.
About 1, 400 years ago a monk named Bodhidharma (Daruma in Japanese) traveled from a kingdom in southern India, of which he was the third prince, and settled in the Shaolin temple (Shorin Ji in Japanese) in the Hao Shan mountains. He was also the 28th descendant of Shaka (or Shason), the founder of Buddhism. At the Shaolin temple he undertook the teaching, of Zen Buddhism, a form of contemplative religion aimed at creating a state of grace by sudden illumination (satori). Asceticism and meditation in sitting positions (zazen) are the two main forms of Zen practice and it is said that the monks were so weakened by the harshness of their training that many passed away. To enable them to recover their health, and to strengthen their bodies so that they could keep on with the practice of Zen, Bodhidharma developed a training method which encompassed both the spiritual and physical development of the monks. He asserted that mind and body are inseparable and have to be treated as a whole. Soon the physical condition of the monks improved and Zen was spreading throughout the country. This physical aspect of Zen, I-chin-ching, was further refined to include methods of self-defense, as the monks were often confronted by highwaymen who were ransacking a country shaken by civil war. As their religion prohibited the use of weapons, the monks had to rely on these methods of empty-hand fighting which were known as shorinji kempo. Scenes of monks practicing kempo are depicted in the wall paintings of the hakuiden room in the temple. The techniques are long and supple, and performed mainly with open hands. The movements are fluid and inspired by the Zen philosophy of non-violence and harmony and also by the fighting attitudes of animals such as the tiger, crane, monkey, snake, and dragon. Shorinji kempo also included methods of fighting with "natural weapons" such as the bo; a walking stick carried by monks in their peregrinations. Kempo was taught only to monks but its fame spread to the whole country when the monks were driven out of the temple and the temple was burned. During the Sung period (A.D. 960-1279), most revolutions were led by kempo Masters. In A.D. 1280's, 100,000 kempo practitioners rebelled against the ruling Mongolian Genghis Khan in an attempt to restore a purely Chinese dynasty.
Between 1840 and 1900 China, undermined by internal dissension, became the prey of foreign colonial powers (the Opium War with England in 1840-42, wars against France in 1884, Japan in 1894-95, etc.) This led to the Boxer Rebellion (the boxers were a sect of ultranationalist kempo practitioners) which was crushed by the Ch'ing dynasty in 1901. The boxers were executed in great numbers; dojos (training houses) were closed and kempo was completely eradicated. This truly Chinese fighting art was never to revive in China but before dying out kempo had spread to the Ryukyu Islands where it was to give birth to karate.
b. The Development of Karate in Okinawa
China had established a flourishing trade relationship with the Ryukyu Islands during the Sui dynasty around A.D. 607. In 1372 King Satsudo of Okinawa (the largest island of the archipelago) became the vassel of the Ming Emperor. An exchange of officials between the two countries resulted and in 1392 Chinese families emigrated to Okinawa, introducing kempo to the islands. In 1429 the Okinawan King Shohashi unified the islands under his rule and banned all weapons. This prohibition led the people into overt opposition and gave a tremendous impulse to the arts of empty-hand fighting. Moreover, in 1609 the Ryukyu Islands were conquered by the Japanese warlord Shimazu of the Satsuma clan. Because the Okinawans had refused to help Shimazu and the ruler of Japan, Toyotomi Hide-yoshi, in their unsuccessful war of 1592-96 against the Chinese protectorate of Korea, Shimazu issued strict laws prohibiting all weapons and martial arts practice. Once again the Okinawans went undercover and developed the art of empty-hand fighting to a formidable degree of efficacy, developing a parallel practice of using farm implements as defensive weapons against the samurai swords. Hands and feet were turned into deadly weapons by assiduous practice on maki-wara, a vertical board covered with straw. This fighting art became known as Okinawa-te (te means "hand" or "technique") and it was not until 1722 that Saku-gawa, who had studied kempo and bo fighting in China, started to teach in Shuri what he called karate-no-Sakugawa. This is the first time the name karate was used; kara is a reference to the T'ang dynasty and for the Okinawans, as for the Japanese, had come to mean China itself. Karate thus meant "the Chinese techniques."
Later, around 1830, an Okinawan official, (Bucho) Sokon Matsumura, was sent to China where he mastered Shorinji kempo and after returning to Okinawa founded in Shuri the "Shorinryu-gokoku-an-karate", the original name of Shorinryu karate. One sidelight of this history is that he also introduced to Okinawa the Chinese form of checkers called 'go'. In 1848 Master Matsumura was named Chief Martial Arts Instructor for Okinawa. At that time Okinawan karate emphasized hard blocking techniques in reaction to an offensive action, and this often resulted in severe injuries when the attacker was armed. Master Anko Asato, a student of Master Matsumura, brilliantly demonstrated the superiority of dodging over blocking by defeating one of the greatest swordsman of that time, Toshiaki Kirino. A number of masters became famous during this period and were to greatly influence the development of karate in Japan. They were Master Chojun Kyamu, himself a student of Master Anko Asato and one of the instructors of Shinan Kori Hisataka, founder of Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo; Master Anko Itosu and Master Kanryu Higaona, foremost instructors respectively of Shuri-te and Naha-te (karate from Shuri and Naha, two of the biggest cities in Okinawa); Gichin Funakoshi, Chojun Miyagi, and Kenwa Mabuni, themselves students of Masters Asato, Itosu, and Higaona, who were later to develop, respectively, the Shotokan, Gojuryu, and Shitoryu styles of karate in Japan.
c. The Development of Karate in Japan
Sumo was introduced from China around the year A.D. 200, at the end of the Han period, the same time as the origin of chikara kurabe, a brutal fighting method which already included kicking techniques as testified by the relation of the fight between Nomi No Sukune and Tagima No Kehaya, the oldest fighters recorded in Japanese history. Tagima was the champion of the Yamato region (now Nara) and his fame was such that it reached the Emperor who chose Nomi to challenge him. Tagima lost the fight for the Yamato region when his ribs were crushed and his hips broken by Nomi's kicks. These fights to the finish became extremely popular and were organized, like the ruidai in China, in almost every city. Chikara kurabe was also practiced as preparation for war and this explains the fact that there were no restrictions on the techniques used. As the centuries passed, chikara kurabe evolved and became codified under the name of kumi uchi. Some restrictions were introduced in the fights as human life became more highly respected. It was at this time that the tradition of burying all of the Emperor's court in his tomb at his death was abandoned and hauiwas (dummies) were substituted. At the end of the Nara period (A.D. 784) the advent of armor on the battlefield made the use of punches and kicks preposterous and kumi uchi was soon replaced by the more practical jujitsu which advocated throwing techniques, armlocks, and strangulations.
Kempo (ch'uan-fa) was introduced to Japan under the name of karate (the Chinese fighting art) or kempo, the way of the fist, around 1627 or 1644 by Chen Yuan Ping (or Gen Pin Chin), a well educated Chinese who, besides karate, introduced also the sai, which adopted and slightly modified by the police became the jitte-sai with only one branch. Gen Pin Chin was also a poet and an artist who has left his name in ceramics (the famous Gen Pin pottery).
The beginning of the Meiji era (1868) marked the end of Edo, the feudal age. The samurai had to lay down their arms and cut their chon mage (the tress, symbol of their status). The kimono was abandoned for western-style clothing. Japan opened itself to the foreigners while the popularity of jujitsu and kendo declined. Master Jigoro Kano introduced a new art, judo, which eventually superseded jujitsu after its decisive victory in a competition held in 1886 at the Tokyo Police Department. In 1879 the Ryukyu Islands became Japanese provinces and Okinawan karate went to Japan. In 1886 Master Anko Asato toured Japan, defeating every other martial artist, including Sakujiro Yokoyama, the strongest judoka of the Kodokan at that time.
In 1911 Admiral Dewa, commander of the 1st Fleet of the Japanese Navy on station in Okinawa, selected ten of his officers to learn karate. The first official karate demonstration outside of Okinawa* was held at the Kyoto Martial Art Center in 1916 by a number of Okinawan experts including Gichin Funakoshi. In 1921 the Crown Prince of Japan stopped in Okinawa en route to Europe and was given a demonstration by karate Masters which led to their invitation to give a demonstration the following year at the first National Athletic Exhibition in Tokyo under the auspices of the Ministry of Education.
In 1922 the first karate book was published by Gichin Funakoshi under the title "Ryukyu Kempo Karate." The following year Motobu went to Osaka to teach karate, followed in 1929 by Chojun Miyagi, founder of the Gojuryu style, and Kenwa Mabuni, who founded the Shitoryu style. The first university karate club was established by Keio University in 1924. The University of Tokyo was the first to introduce the use of protective equipment for competition in 1930.
Shinan Kori Hisataka introduced karatedo to Taiwan in 1929. In 1932 he reintroduced karatedo to China at the celebration of the creation of the Chinese Confederation of Manchuria, the first official recognition of Japanese karatedo by China. He then introduced karatedo to Thailand, Korea, Burma, Afganistan, Russia, and Mongolia.
Karate was introduced for the first time to the United States by Norimichi Yabe who had been invited to demonstrate it on the west coast in 1920; but it was not until shortly after World War II that karate became popular in the U.S. when Masutatsu Oyama gave a series of impressive demonstrations, fought against professional wrestlers and boxers, and confronted bulls with his bare hands.
In 1963 Shihan Masayuki Hisataka introduced Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo to the United States where he began to teach and demonstrate. In 1964, he officially represented Japan at the New York World's Fair, the first official presentation of karatedo at a world event. He again was asked to represent his country at Expo' 67 in Montreal, Canada, following which he instructed there for several years, thus introducing Kenkokan Karatedo throughout North America.
In ways such as these, karatedo soon spread throughout the world and is now practiced in almost every country.
5. Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo
Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo was founded by Shinan Kori Hisataka soon after World War II. Born in Shuri (in Naha City, Okinawa) on April 22, 1907, he is a descendant of Kyowa, the 56th Emperor of Japan. Shinan Kori Hisataka studied Okinawan karate including studying with Master Chojun Kyamu, and then returned to Kyushu Island, where he had spent his infant years, in order to study jujitsu. He then entered the army where he learned soldiery, bayonet handling, and was exposed to true fighting. He continued his training in the martial arts but could not satisfy himself with the dojo practice and was always looking for an opportunity to increase and test his knowledge with other Masters. In 1929 he toured Taiwan for almost a year with master Chojun Kyamu, never losing a fight to the local kempo practitioners. He returned to Japan where he sudied judo at the Kodokan with Master Sanpo Toku, attaining the rank of fourth dan in only one year. . . a truly remarkable achievement. He also studied kendo and traveled throughout Japan competing in every police department against local fighters without losing a single encounter. In one of his many demonstrations, he was challenged by a swordsman, in a test of strength. He defeated him by breaking a hardwood board that even the sword could not cut.
As a result, a duel between he and the swordsman evolved. He, weaponless, defeated the swordsman. Continuing his search for other martial arts, he returned to China to master Shorinjiryu kempo.
During World War II he worked as a Station Master in Manchuria, at the same time teaching karate. At the end of the war, when the Japanese were evacuating Manchuria under pressure from the Allied Forces, he saved the lives of countless civilians working in one of the two stations he was supervising. These station employees had been bombed and were in shock. A suspension bridge was thrown over a deep precipice but no one dared to venture on to it. Shinan Kori Hisataka helped them cross the bridge one by one, carrying some who had become almost hysterical with fear, after having knocked them down. He credited this act of composure and bravery to his years of training in karate which had given him complete control of himself, allowing him to keep this placid state of mind called "heijoshin" when others were overcome by fear and hysteria. This event was of immeasurable importance in displaying to him the virtues of karate. So much so that upon his return, to find his country demoralized and disheartened by the aftermath of war where people living in poor conditions of health and without food, he undertook to help them rebuild their lives and a better society.
With the systematic and scientific method of karatedo he had developed over the years, and by the disciplining of mind and body, he assumed this undertaking. He founded the Kenkokan School of Karatedo in Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu, naming his art Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo after his two main sources of inspiration: Shorinryu karate, and Shorinjiryu kempo, placing the suffix “do” on karate to emphasize that it is a "way" of reaching the highest mental state.
In addition to this greater emphasis on the spiritual development of the individual, Shinan Kori Hisataka has introduced into karatedo a number of other innovations:
a) In basic techniques, he has placed a greater emphasis on the use of the feet, and in particular the heel, which is more solid than the toes. The whole body is put into action when executing a technique in a follow-through fashion.
b) This also led to the use of the vertical fist (tate ken) which is stronger, natural and also safer for the wrist.
c) Also, stress is placed on the practice of yakusoku kumite, where two or more karatedo practitioners execute a sequence of prearranged offensive and defensive techniques. This type of kumite is one of the best forms of training in karatedo, as it teaches the most effective techniques of attack and defense against actual opponents.
d) The use of protective equipment (bogu) which allows karatedo students to really test their techniques in a safe way and without having to hold back their blows.
e) The practice of weapons (buki-ho) is an integral part of Kenkokan Karatedo, along with karate-ho, the art of empty-hand fighting. These two facets are inseparable in Kenkokan Karatedo, weapons being an extension of the arm and their practice having the same virtues as the empty-hand practice, as well as helping to "bring to life" the karate techniques by displaying the actual clear-cut degree to which the limbs are true weapons.
All these points will be treated in more detail in subsequent chapters.
6. Prelude of Karatedo Training
a. Place of Practice and Equipment
The dojo is the place of practice for karatedo. Dojo literally means “training" or "learning" place, (jo) means place, (do) the way. Its name comes from Buddhism where it designated a place of worship. Later it came to denote a place for the practice of martial arts. It is not necessarily a closed practice hall or gymnasium but any area where one trains one's mind and body in the way of karate. As such a dojo should be respected almost as a temple, and one should always observe a correct attitude and act with proper decorum. Anything which disturbs the concentration of karatedo should be avoided. Smoking should be prohibited and spectators should observe the silence. An atmosphere of mutual respect and of mutual aid between the students, who are in fact helping each other develop themselves, should reign in a dojo.
The front wall of the dojo, called shomen, is the place of honor. In most dojos there is a picture of the founder of the school hanging on the wall. In Japan, where Shintoism is the main religion, the shomen is a kind of altar called a Shinzen “the place of god." The instructors sit on the shomen's left side, joseki, while the students sit on the opposite side in descending order of rank from the shomen.
The karatedogi is the training outfit for karatedo; it consists of a jacket (uwagi) and trousers (zubon) made of white canvas and a belt (obi), the color of which indicates the rank of the student. The lower ten ranks (kyu) of non-black-belt holders (mudansha) are divided into the following belt colors: white, ranks 10 and 9; yellow, 8 and 7; orange, 6 and 5; green, 4 and 3; and brown, 2 and 1. The upper ten ranks (dan) of black-belt holders (yudansha) all wear the black belt for ranks (dan) 10 to 1; though on special occasions, ranks 6,7, and 8 wear a ceremonial red belt with white stripes, and ranks 9 and 10 wear a red belt, symbolizing their respective levels of achievement. Junior students (under age 14) are ranked in the same way but half of their belt remains white while the other half indicates their rank; on becoming seniors, they are reclassified.
On special occasions, advanced instructors may also wear the hakama’ the black pleated traditional trousers worn by the samurai of old. The hakama is worn over the trousers of the karatedogi with the obi on top.
The karatedogi was originally the underwear worn by monks. Its white color was a symbol of purity. The belt ranking system has been derived from the monks' ranking system according to the surplice (kesa) worn around their necks.
How to wear the karatedogi
The karatedogi must be large enough to allow complete freedom of movement. The jacket must completely cover the hips and its sleeves must cover more than half of the forearms. The trousers must be long enough to cover more than half of the calf, and the belt long enough to be wound twice around the hips, tied with a square knot, and leave about one foot hanging down on each side of the knot. The trousers must be pulled on first with one end of the drawstring passed through the loop in front before tying them up at the waist.
The jacket is then put on with the left flap coming over the right flap (this enabled the samurai to draw their swords more easily). The strings on each side of the jacket must be tied. To put on the belt, hold the middle in front of your navel and wind it twice around your hips; tie it up with a square knot, after having pressed the loose end under the first turn of the belt so as to avoid constricting the stomach when someone pulls on your belt.
In Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo as in the Koshiki Karatedo competition system, the preferred dogi is the authorized Supersafe karatedogi, which is plain white in color, with red and black stripes along the sleeves and down the legs of the trousers. Alternatively, a totally white dogi can be worn. The dogi should have no further designs, except that the mark of the training style can be worn on the left chest, and that of the World Koshiki Karatedo Federation can be worn on the right sleeve. Names can be written on the right flap of the jacket and on the upper left part of the trousers. Belts can be marked with the names of the person and the school.
To undress, take off the belt first, then the jacket and trousers. The karatedogi should then be folded in the following way: lay the jacket on he ground and put the trousers inside; fold in the sleeves of the jacket, and then fold in about one third of each side of the jacket. Fold the jacket and trousers once lengthwise and once again in the other direction. Hold the belt in its middle and tie it around the karatedogi with about one-third of it open so that you can pass your arm through to carry it.
In Shorinjiryu Kenkokan Karatedo and the Koshiki Karatedo competitive system, protective equipment is used for practice and in competition. Known as Supersafe anzen bogu, this gear was developed by Master Masayuki Kukan Hisataka at the request of the Technical Research Committee of the World Union of Karatedo Organizations in order to provide a greater level of safety and realism to karatedo training.
Supersafe gear consists of the men, or face guard, the do, which protects the chest and stomach, and the kin ate, which protects the groin. The men is made of durable translucent material allowing for complete vision while offering protection for the face. The do is made of fiberglass with padding to stop skin abrasions. The equipment is light and flexible, affording maximum protection without hampering movement.
The equipment requires proper care so that it maintains maximum protection for its entire life span. After use, the equipment should be wiped clean and the men checked for scratches. It should be replaced when cracks appear or serious scratching has occurred. The equipment should not be struck by full contact, uncontrolled techniques, nor by weapons.
Makiwara
The makiwara is the most important piece of training equipment in karatedo. It typically consists of a wooden board covered with straw rope. It is used to develop the power, speed, stance, and form of every technique and at the same time condition natural weapons such as the fists, knuckles, elbows, knees, and feet. Practice with the makiwara toughens the skin, strengthens the joint's articulation, and generally strengthens the technique. It used to be the only way to practice delivering blows with full force and it was used to learn proper concentration of force and focusing of the whole mind and body on the target. In modern karatedo, protective equipment allows the student to work on a moving target. This has somewhat lessened the use of the makiwara, which, however, still remains essential, especially when training by oneself.
The makiwara should be approximately six feet high (the height of a man) and have just enough spring in it to absorb the shock of the impact without generating too great a reaction force. This reaction force is absorbed by the body and may damage the joints or be detrimental to the organs, particularly the heart, if absorbed in a straight line through the limbs. If the expression of force causes as much damage to the instrument generating the force as to the target, the purpose is defeated. In earlier times, karate practitioners practicing on the makiwara over a long period of time sometimes sustained internal injuries (especially when the joints were locked and the body not fully twisted into techniques). Cyclists have discovered that using their limbs, particularly their arms (elbows and wrists), as shock absorbers to buffet and dissipate the jolts received from the ground, tires them immeasurably less than absorbing these shocks directly. Their consequent gain in stamina is obviously a sign of less body damage occurring, thus reducing the amount of energy needed to maintain the exercise, and allowing for the maximum gain with the minimum expenditure. This is a primary axiom of all athletic motion, and one of the reasons why in Kenkokan karatedo, the punching arm is slightly bent and shoulders are fully twisted so that they end up being perpendicular to the target. In this way the reaction force is better absorbed and dissipated by the arm and shoulders. For further explanation and evolution of these principles of dynamics, see Chapter 3, p. 29.
Makiwara can also be tailored for developing hand and foot techniques. After constant striking, makiwara can lose their resiliency and become slightly deformed. So it is preferable to have two separate makiwara, one for the hands and one for the feet.
Other equipment used in the practice of karatedo includes sandbags and speed bags to develop the power and speed of techniques, dumbbells and weights for general conditioning, and iron clogs or weights specially designed to strengthen kicking and punching.
b. Karatedo Etiquette
Karatedo practice begins and ends with courtesy. The politeness surrounding combative activities like kumite or shiai is certainly inherited from the origins of karatedo and is an essential element of the art because of the potential danger involved if both partners do not display an attitude of restraint, respect for each other, and sportmanship. In training, both partners are, in fact, trying to improve themselves and each other. They must therefore control themselves to avoid any risk or injury. This is true of any martial art (budo). Budo not only means "the way of weapons" but also "the way of non-violence." The true goal of karatedo is to win without hurting the opponent; that is the meaning of the bow which precedes and follows every act in karatedo. It is a gesture of respect for the opponent and a reminder to oneself of the spirit in which karatedo must be practiced. The bow is not merely a physical gesture but an expression of one's whole attitude.
There are three different forms of the bow:
a) Keirei is the ceremonial salutation used to bow to your instructor or to show your respect for others and the dojo. To perform keirei, adopt the musubi dachi stance with your hands falling naturally on each side of your body. Bend your head and shoulders 25° to 30° forward with your eyes looking downward and your hands in front of your knees. Keep this position for about two seconds then look up.
b) Kenko ritsurei is the fighting salutation used to bow to your opponent (or partner during practice). Standing in the shizen hontai stance a few feet from your opponent (3 yards in a shiai), look him straight in the eyes and bend the upper part of your body 10° to 15° forward without losing eye contact. Your arms should be extended in front of your thighs, hands closed. Hold this position for one second then straighten your body. As soon as you have bowed the fight is engaged.
c) Zarei is the sitting salutation (ceremonial and fighting bow). Standing in the musubi dachi stance, bend your left leg and put your left knee, then your right knee, on the ground (your knees should be the width of two fists apart). Put your hands on your thighs, keeping your body straight by pulling your shoulders backward. Look at your opponent; then bend the upper part of your body 45° forward, bringing your hands down in front of your knees. Hold this position for two to three seconds, then straighten your body and stand up on your right foot first in a musubi dachi stance. In the fighting form, kenko zarei, you sit down on the tip of your toes and bend your body 10° to 15° forward keeping eye contact with your opponent.
c. Hygiene, Diet, and Training Schedule
A proper diet, good hygiene, and careful planning of practice are essential in supporting efficient training regimen for karatedo. They help prevent sickness, abnormal tiredness, and injury.
The practice of karatedo should take place in a clean dojo to avoid breathing dust and dirt. For the same reasons, karatedogi must be kept unspoiled and protective equipment kept in good order to avoid any risk of injury. Before practice it is advisable to eat lightly, preferably high energy foods rich in glucose, which provide the muscles with adequate nutrition during practice. The bladder should be empty to avoid risk of rupture. Always practice with full dedication, putting all of your body and mind into it while exercising enough control and care to avoid accidents. Because the digestion process slows down after practice due to physical exhaustion, slowly ingest high calory foods containing vitamin B and glucose to help speed up the recovery process.
The lactic acid remaining in the muscular tissues must be evacuated by doing some light exercises accompanied by deep breathing, meditation, relaxation, massages, and rest. A good sleep is the best way to recover from practice as it relaxes all the body, facilitates blood circulation, and regenerates the nervous and cerebral activities.
A training schedule should be established by any student who wishes to attain proficiency in karatedo. Such a plan should reflect the student's goals in karatedo, his life habits (such as the time he can devote to karatedo both in and outside the dojo), and his physical condition. The student should consult his instructor in setting up his own schedule. As karatedo is practiced all year round, it may become monotonous and tedious without a schedule which defines the activities and goals to be realized on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. The annual plan should reflect all of the major activities the student wants to undertake such as competitions and tournaments, training camps, and grading examinations, etc. Accordingly, a monthly plan can be derived and broken down into weekly and daily schedules. It has already been indicated that a schedule must be specifically designed for each and every student, however, examples of daily and weekly schedules are as follows:
Daily schedule
— In the morning: half an hour of running and makiwara practice or alternatively preparatory and complementary exercises and kata practice. Regular class which consists of:
— Salutation and mokuso (meditation): 5 to 10 minutes.
— Preparatory exercises: 5 to 10 minutes.
— Basic techniques and body movements: 5 to 15 minutes for advanced students and 15 to 30 minutes for beginners who have to devote more time to basic techniques.
— Makiwara, sandbag, and speed ball practice: 5 minutes for advanced students and 15 to 30 minutes for beginners (advanced students should practice more outside of regular classes).
— Basic kumites:single and multiple kumite techniques according to the technical level of the student: 15 to 30 minutes for advanced students and 30 to 60 minutes for beginners.
— Yakusoku randori kumite (prearranged sparring kumite): 15 to 60 minutes for advanced students and 30 to 60 minutes for beginners.
— Jiyu randori kumite (free sparring kumite): 30 to 60 minutes for advanced students and 15 to 30 minutes for beginners.
— Kata: 15 to 30 minutes for advanced students and 30 to 60 minutes for beginners.
— Renshu shiai (competition training): once a week or every two weeks or more often according to the circumstances (for advanced students only).
— Complementary exercises: as needed.
— Supplementary exercises: 3 to 10 minutes.
— Salutation and meditation: 5 to 10 minutes.
A regular class lasts between one hour and a half and two hours and a half. Some of the activities described have to be alternated from one class to the other; this schedule should not be repeated every day of the week. Kata, kumite and shiai should be practiced at each class but their relative emphasis should be varied. For example, if one attends three classes a week, his weekly schedule could be as follows:
| Tuesday: | — Morning: running and preparatory exercises |
| — Regular class: emphasis on kata* normal practice of kumite* some shiai* practice | |
| Thursday: | — Morning: running and complementary exercises |
| — Regular class: emphasis on kumite normal practice of shiai some kata practice | |
| Saturday: | — Morning: running and makiwara practice |
| — Regular class: emphasis on shiai normal practice of kata some kumite practice |
Objectives of a monthly schedule could be to learn a kata or a kumite, devoting a full week for each of the following: form, technique, speed, power, and finally, perfection of execution. For the basic techniques it could be to increase their practice progressively.
After every schedule, a critical review of the student's training should be made together with his instructor. In each practice one should prepare for the worst possible cases so that he will be able to handle any real-life situation.
Footnote
* The first public demonstration of katate was given in Okinawa in 1906.
