Post Preface

Well, after my Preface article I had a couple of discussions and had myself some thoughts. It seems that we need to stop a little more on the Olympics saga. I will try to repeat my monologue I produce whilst discussing the matter with one of my brothers-in-arms so to say.

Why am I so disappointed with the karate World heading towards Olympics? Here is how I see the issue. By the way you do not have to agree with me.

In order to win competitions athletes need to follow the rules. Rules are made up in a way that allows to defend organizers and participants in case of injuries. Therefore all dangerous techniques are removed and prohibited. This approach is good and makes sense. Of course we do not want to have accidents at the competitions especially lethal ones which are quite possible considering the essence of the activity. So, what is the problem than? - you should ask. Well, the problem is in interpretation. As usual "lost in translation" case.

When coaches ( SENSEI is a wrong term when it comes to sport I believe) train their sportsmen for competitions they choose the best winning strategy for them meaning excluding prohibited techniques from the training agenda. Also they deliberately avoid "simple" KATA and choose the ones that impress public and the most important judges. What does it lead to? It leads to training sessions limited to KIZAMI and GYAKU TSUKI practice only, limiting practitioners from entire arsenal of truly efficient KARATE-DO techniques (remember they re removed from the competitions for the same reason?) and to practitioners choosing a very complicated KATA that they cannot fully understand but believe in making a perception.

Why coaches do that? Because winning medals gives them credibility for claiming their clubs (not DOJO) successful and from of the public (parents, kids and some adults) and more important in front of the local and national authorities. Both factors lead to financial success of the clubs: bigger crowd and financial support from the government.

Nothing new there. It was. Until now. Now there will be a competition between clubs for sport money from the state. There is a budget for the sport development if the sport is Olympic. And that is an ultimate goal of any sport oriented KARATE club. Now read above and guess what is going to happen with KARATE-DO in the next dozen of years. Nothing good from my point of view.

Ego (sport is driven by Ego and eager to win) is not what should be developed through true training. GICHIN FUNAKOSHI, the founder of SHOTOKAN KARATE-DO was against even KUIMTE (known fact). By the way he was not a member of any federation. Neither he was given any grade. My understanding of KARATE-DO is very simple and rather not exciting. The only purpose of practicing KARATE-DO is practicing KARATE-DO. This is supposed to be a life journey. And it is to make you a better person. Winning or loosing is far from its idea. Choose one-two KATA and make them your own through practice and through deep dive into meaning of each and every technique. No matter how simple and useless it might look. It doesn't matter how slow or fast your progress is. Neither your belt matters. Just practice!

Respect to those who practice KARATE-DO and good luck to those competing in KARATE!

MAKING A FIST

I have been helping teaching kids (and adults) and watching children (and adults!) I realized that step number #1 in karate, regardless of the style, school, dojo etc., should be actually a lesson of HOW TO MAKE A FIST.

About 4-5 years ago I went through a very dramatic self-revision of my karate and one of the fatal mistakes I had identified in my own karate was the actual fist formation. With a weak fist a punch will never be powerful enough. Makiwara is a good test for it and I am planning to write about it later.

So, what was the issue? Little finger was not tight enough and the thumb was not in the right place. It has been fixed since. I believe I need to review it again. Therefore I am asking for your help and advice regarding any issues my theory and my application currently has. 

Making a fist (as I see it) should be happening in the following sequence:

1. Open the palm

2. Bend all four fingers (no thumb included) to their base in a way that the highest level of tension is created by your little finger, yes the "pinky" :-) Stay focused on that one during the rest of the procedure.

3. Roll them further towards the base of the palm creating a fist with a thumb still pointing out.

4. Now bend your thumb in a way that it makes a latch preventing the first two fingers (index and middle) to get released from the tight hold.

The way I see it is if the pinky is not tight enough the whole fist will be weak and if the thumb is not in place creating a latch the elements of the fist will be disconnected. All these lead to a weak fist, potential injuries, impossible work on makiwara and punching the air as the only use of one's karate.

And of course all this is supposed to be done as one and very fast. So, the more you practice the better. Nothing new, right?! It has to become as hard as a stone. Test it on the even flat surface (I use wall). Do not hit it (why would you do it?) but rather just softly put your fist against the wall the way you punch and see how strong or weak your fist is. Now imagine when you hit an opponent who is approximately 90 kg and potentially moving towards you throwing his attack at you... Right? Your fist should be extremely strong and placed correctly to survive the impact and create some damage to the opponent. Considering the fact that it is weak in connection to your arm point anyway.

Please feel free to comment, advise, criticize and just give any input you wish. This blog is the right place for it. Thanks in advance. 

Ossu!