| Shotokan Karate |
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History and Traditions The Shotokan style of Karate, as well as most other styles, is not Japanese but Okinawan in origin, a small island located between China and Japan. Unfortunately, this made the island vulnerable to invasion by both larger countries but also made a great influence upon the island’s martial arts. From the middle-ages, there was a culture of no weapons carried, that was further strictly enforced by the Japanese overlords who ruled brutally from the early seventeenth century. Therefore, a need for unarmed combat was needed. Up until the early 19th Century, the White Crane style of Kungfu was popular but this started to change as the bodyguards of the puppet-Okinawan kings, based in Shuri Castle, started to develop the style to further suit their needs. One pioneer of this was Matsumara, a long serving bodyguard to the Okinawan royal family. He realised that the essence of powerful punching and striking wasn’t necessary brute force, but lay in the speed of the technique, making it possible for a smaller fighter to defeat a much larger opponent. This in line developed a more linear style of fighting, and developing the Kata as a result. Other important players in the development of the Okinawan fighting arts were bodyguards and friends, Azato and Itosu. Between them, they developed and refined the katas, amongst other masters, but they also taught and mentored their student, Gitchin Funakoshi; who took Karate, developed it into the Shotokan style and brought it to Japan. Too see further information on Funakoshi, choose the link to his biography. But in short, what Funakoshi did do, after mastering two Okinawan fighting styles of Shorin-ryu and Shuri-te, was to merge and refine them both to come to his own version of Karate; Shotokan. The name of Karate and Shotokan were officially agreed upon in 1936, with the Japanese Karate Association (JKA) inaugurated in 1955. From there on, further additions were made to Shotokan’s repertoire, including Masatoshi Nakayama developing the free-style kumite (sparring) rules. It was during the post-war period that the choices of kicks were expanded to include the round-house (mawashi-geri) and side kick (yoko-geri-keage) to make the style more dynamic and stylized. Nowadays, Shotokan Karate is one of the most popular martial arts practised with associations all over the world. Training Shotokan Karate is a traditional hard style martial art that includes both kata (patterns) and various forms of kumite (sparring). It is based around a rank system of discipline and courtesy that includes the colour belt system borrowed from Judo for the kyu grades and black belts for the dan grades. Most schools have a white uniform called a gi and the training hall is called a dojo. Kata These patterns of movement form the basis of Shotokan Karate. They are a sequence of Karate techniques that are organised into a prearranged fight against a range of imaginary opponents. These kata are supposed to be performed with the speed and power of intent to execute the techniques as if they are defending themselves against attack; they are also noted for always beginning with a defensive move as Funakoshi’s intent for Shotokan Karate was as a defensive device, never to precipitate attack. The 26 traditional katas that are laid down into the JKA’s training syllabus are, in increasing difficulty:
Kumite (sparring) This aspect of Shotokan training has increased in importance during the latter half of the twentieth century. This can take the form of several stages, with the beginner starting with five or three step sparring. Two people are required for this, one to step forward to attack with a series of stepping punches and the defender to block and counter attack. This moves onto one-step sparring for the intermediate student, whereby the pair practise only one punch but use more combinations of blocks and counter attacks. They may also practise freestyle one step, which is the same, only with the practitioners moving around more freely. Finally, there is the jiyu kumite, or free sparring. This is where the two participants are free to move around, attacking and defending at will. It is tradition that the free sparring uses controlled contact (not hitting with full force) so as to enable a greater range of techniques to be used, therefore, very little padding is generally worn. Useful Links www.jka.or.jp/english/e_index.htm Share Our Martial Arts Features With Your Friends:     |
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