Karate @ FightUK.com

Bubishi.

The name Goju Ryu was derived from a Chinese Kempo poem of an ancient Chinese Text written on Military Science called “Bu-bi-Shi”.  The proper Chinese translation would be “Wu Bi Shii” and the proper spelling is something like ‘Wu pei Chih’.  The Chinese sound for ‘P’ and ‘W’ are sometimes pronounced as the roman letter ‘B’ in English (just as Kung fu is English where it is actually or truly spelled as Gung Fu and pronounced closer to G instead of K).  In the poem that follows; on the third line you can find the statement of Goju.

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Karate is a form of self defence and was developed in Japan and on the island of Okinawa. It uses punching, kicking, striking and blocking techniques on an attacker / opponent, making the most of the laws of physics to increase the damage caused by each blow.
The karate student will learn (over many years) to perfect each technique enabling him or her to deliver a knock out blow after only a few moves or even one technique.
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Hi,
I am thinking about beginning to study shotokan karate and I was looking at the philosophy posted on this site. One of the precepts listed was to avoid violence. My questions is, is it against the philosophy of shotokan to participate in competitions, particularly full-contact matches?

Re: Shotokan philosophy


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I have asked my father to allow me to take Karate in a local dojo, but he said no. “Karate is too violent, and I don’t want you breaking stuff all over the house and getting into fights in school.” I have tried to tell him that Karate is to help prevent those things. I have already shown him this site, but he does not believe that the creator has a credible opinion. Does Anyone have any ideas to help me educate my father so that he may allow me to take Karate? (more…)

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We’ve all heard of the three R’s, right? Well, karate has something similar. The Three K’s. What are they? Simple:

Kihon (Basics),    Kata ( Forms),    Kumite ( Sparring)

When practiced together, the above will help to create a more rounded martial artist. They will teach how to do the basic movements (kihon), how to put movements together (kata) and how to use the techniques in “real life” situations (kumite).

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“The best defence is a good offence!” We’ve all heard that before. And, yes, it is true, in most cases. So, does that mean we should be beating up everyone before they beat us? No, not at all.

Shotokan is a martial art. It is a fighting system. With it, we can cause serious damage to others (and ourselves if we are not careful).
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If the mind is compared to the speaker of a telephone, then the will is like the electric current. No matter how sensitive the speaker, if their is no electric current, no communication takes place. Likewise, even if you correctly comprehend your opponent’s movements and are aware of an opening, if the will to act on this knowledge is lacking, no effective technique will be forthcoming. The mind may find an opening, but the will must be activated in order to execute the appropriate technique.

Tsuki No Kokuro

This refers to the need to be constantly aware of the totality of the opponent and his/her movements, just as moonlight shines equally upon everything within its range. This means that one should watch just part of the opponents body such as the hands or feet, rather watch the entire body. With the thorough development of this attitude, the consciousness will be immediately aware of any openings in the opponent’s defenses.
Clouds blocking the light of the moon are likened to nervousness or distractions. These distractions stop the light from shining on everything. Likewise, they make comprehension of and reaction to the opponent’s moves more difficult than they need to be.

Mizo No Kokuro

When performing, practicing or using karate, one must maintain a “mind like water”. Yeah, right. What are you TALKING about?!?

This refers to the mental attitude while facing an actual opponent. It refers to the need of making the mind calm, like that of an undisturbed body of water.
Smooth water reflects accurately the image of all objects within its range, and if the mind is kept calm, comprehension of the opponents movements, both psychological and physical, will be both immediate and accurate, and one’s responses, both defensive and offensive, will be appropriate and adequate.
On the other hand, if the surface of the water is disturbed, the images it reflects will be distorted. In other words, if the mind is preoccupied with thoughts of attack and defense it will not properly comprehend the opponent’s intentions creating an opportunity for the opponent to attack.

Water also other properties. Water can be quite destructive. In fact, over time, water is one of the most destructive forces on earth. Your mind must be like water. When necessary, be as destructive as you must.