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INTRODUCTION

Karate is facing a crisis. Well perhaps not a crisis but it is certainly reaching a turning point. This is because of the rather unfortunate way in which karate was set up. Gichin Funakoshi et al. could have had no idea just how big karate was going to become when they first set up karate as a Japanese Budo. As a result of their actions karate is now a worldwide phenomenon. However, just because karate is popular does not mean that it is perfect. There are a number of factors that contribute to the overall popularity of karate and draw people into the art. Mostly they are the superficial aspects of karate but once you have been practising karate for a while you will realise that there are a number of inconsistencies within the art itself. This presents the experienced karate ka with a number of options. He¹ can ignore these inconsistencies or take action to resolve them. Assuming that he takes action to resolve them he then has a further choice. He can adapt his mindset to try and accommodate these inconsistencies or he can adapt his training thereby eliminating the inconsistencies in his own personal environment. The adventurous karate ka would even set out to change the face of karate itself to remove those inconsistencies. In a sense this is what this article is.

WHAT INCONSISTENCIES?

The inconsistency I am discussing here is the one between karate kata and effective combat techniques. There are two ways of approaching this inconsistency. Firstly, if you are experienced in effective combat then you will realise that karate kata are seriously lacking in useful content. In fact the concept of kata itself has to be questioned. Is any kata despite its design going to be useful in combat? Can you quantify the variables of combat scenarios enough to be able to produce a useful kata? I URGE YOU TO TRY IT! Answer this question yourself! Make up a kata designed for combat, test it, use it and improve it. I will provide you with one paragraphs worth of space to do this in…

If you haven't given up and you have actually designed a kata for combat you must now ask yourself, "How well does my kata compare to traditional karate kata?" Not very well I imagine. In any case, a large percentage of you will find it more efficient in terms of combat training not to bother with kata, ancient or modern. It's much better training to just get 'stuck in' and get your 'hands dirty', and forget kata; especially ancient kata. I said their were two ways of approaching this inconsistency. The second way is to forget combat and look at kata. This is my preferred option and how I have removed this inconsistency from my own training. Kata must be for something, so what are they for? We already know that they don't fit into combat, so they must be for something else. The question is what?

WHAT ARE KATA FOR?

Once you get the formula right the function of kata becomes clear. One of the elements of the Double Hand Grapping formula is that (in most cases) a fist represents a grip. Also, (in most cases) an open palm technique indicates that your hands are being gripped at the wrist. To illustrate this formula you can try this simple technique from the Shorin Ryu version of Kusanku:

Figure 1	Figure 2	Figure 3
Figure 4	Figure 5	Figure 6a
Figure 6b

Grab both of your training partners hands at the wrist in a cross hand configuration as shown in figure 4, left over right hand. Perform the movements demonstrated as solo in figure 2 and 3. The effect should be similar to figure 5, 6a and 6b. This is a sequence with no obvious combat functionality however it makes perfect sense when you look at it in terms of double hand grappling. It definitely does something, it puts the person being gripped in a rather awkward position. It would not work in a real combat situation but since we have already ruled out the possibility that kata are for combat then it doesn't matter. TRY THIS TECHNIQUE FOR YOURSELVES.

DO YOUR HOME WORK!

Take a movement from a kata, one that doesn't appear to have any obvious application. Now try to apply the Double Hand Grapping formula. Go on! It won't take you long to discover something, 5-10 minutes max. You don't have to be a genius just get a friend and have a go.

THE POINT

The implication of this is that if the vast majority of movements from kata can be understood in terms of double hand grappling. They are obviously not for combat. If you don't believe me, just try and get a double grip in a fight, you won't get very far. So what is the point of doing Double Hand Grapping? Why did people invent grappling techniques that couldn't be used in fighting? The answer is simple. Whoever first thought of the idea of double hand grappling wanted physical competition that did not turn into violence. They wanted to balance the competitive urge of human beings with the equally strong urge to live peacefully. They were creating a socially acceptable form of physical competition. What I'm saying is that double hand grappling was a intricate part of social dynamics of the society that invented it. There are thousands of examples of wrestling-like activities being an essential part of ancient culture. It's not just ancient culture either, in modern culture we have sport! Sport is a way of competing without any violence being necessary. Not only that, sport is also integrated highly into culture. Look at football, we all cheer for the home side. It is as if the players represent our nation or our city as they 'battle' on the pitch. Double Hand Grapping expresses something innate about human nature, it lifts the spirit of the players and the people watching and kata express Double Hand Grapping and give it it's structure and are as much about performance as they are about practise.

THE CRISIS AND THE CONCLUSION

I said at the beginning of the article, karate is facing a crisis. I said that karate ka had a choice. If you ignore the inconsistencies in karate and hope that they go away, they won't. If you act to resolve the inconsistencies by adapting your mindset then all you are doing is inventing clever ways to cover up the inconsistencies. If you act to resolve the inconsistencies by changing your training routine then you must choose between kata or combat. It is up to you which path you take but try to make an informed decision.

NOTES:

1) I say he in place of he/she for convenience.