My time out of the dojo is spent reading and tracing the history of our karate and our teachers.  I have been trying to find the BUNKAI (applications) of KATA (forms) and the way the old masters train.

To quote karate historian Patrick McCarthy, “Not only to follow in their footsteps, but seek what they were seeking”.

Did they know more then what they were teaching, and did they keep their secrets to themselves?

We have had 100 years to analyze and do a careful examination of these Masters’ words and kata.  When I read old books from the 1920s and 30s, I notice that their BUNKAI are very basic, compare to what we teach now. Blocks are shown just as blocks, nothing more. I teach at least three different applications to all blocks.  Did they know more? Were they just holding back their knowledge?

We have had all this time to come up with our own BUNKAI or KATA, and to make up our own applications. Also, we have been very open with other styles by sharing and trading our “secrets” with one another.  Of course, some people say that the true way to learn KARATE, is to keep training until you discover the secrets of KATA.

Athletes have been getting bigger, stronger, and faster in the past years, all sports and olympic records have been broken and keep getting broken.  Do you think that the old Masters could step in a MMA cage and keep up with the fighters now?  Mr. Choki Motobu was one of the best karate fighters of his time, but at 5’6″ and 140 lbs. would he be able to fight our modern champions?

Today, too, we have the most modern information on training and nutrition to help us grow bigger,stronger, and faster.

I always think back on a conversation I had with Master Takazawa; I was telling him how I like to train the way the old Masters did, with rocks for my weight training and make the old style Chishi (dumbbells), along with kicking trees and MAKIWARA (striking post), thinking that by training this way I could be closer to the true way of karate.  Sensei’s response to me was “I think that if the old masters were alive today they would be at the gyms and using the new style of weight machines”.

Karate, like all other arts and sports, has evolved along the way. Books and internet communication has given us a huge advantage on our karate training. The masters of the past lived on a small island, some never left or traveled far from home. All the information they had was from their teachers, or what they could pick up from other students. We can google all kinds of styles and teachers, contact them, and watch their training.

I have over 200 books on karate, plus hundreds of magazines, and have read for more than 35 years about karate.  I have been putting the puzzle of karate together for years, learning from all styles and teachers.  I have more information then the old master could have ever had, but does that make us better? The real question is better at what? Sport karate? Self-defense, kata?  Do you think that the old master could compete in a modern day karate tournament in kata-and win?  I don’t think so, but does that mean anything? The “best” at anything has to do with the individual anyway.

Even with all my books and DVDs and the internet, I have learned the most by just working out and being in the dojo.

So what did the old masters know?   EVERYTHING.  They taught us the principles and methods of kata and fighting.

We would not be were we are today without them. We could not see what we are seeing today without them.

We are definitely standing on the shoulders of giants.

see you in the dojo