The Problem with Classical Karate Forms As They Are Done Today

By Al Case

Classical Karate Kata have degraded over the decades. In truth, you won't ever hear Karate even mentioned as a viable martial art worthy of inclusion in the Mixed Martial Arts octagon. This is a shame, because that is not the way Karate began as a martial art.

In the beginning Karate was designed to take the sword away from a samurai and spank him with it. There are actual instances of just this happening. Karateka, back then, trained differently, and the forms, the Karate Kata, were different.

The Heian Kata are one of the mainstays for most styles of Classical Karate Forms. However, if you look at the forms you will see that the stances are usually wide and low. This gives the feeling of great power, but it, in fact, robs the martial art of power.

If you get low you get more power, and this is what the horse stance is about. Do this to a back stance and you will split the intention of the stance, because the feet are now facing in two different directions. You will also rob the stance of mobility, and herein is the real crime.

Over the years the Japanese training practices have concentrated on commitment by having the practitioner move into a front stance. This looks like it has more power, and referees in some contests will not even count a point delivered by any other method, or with any other stance. Several things occur as a result of this training.

One, the Karate fighter is forced to over commit himself. Two, he becomes relatively immobile and locked in position. And the sad thing is there is an alternative to these two problems.

The ability to shuffle, forward or back, will allow the fighter to stay in a more mobile stance, and he will still have the full weight of the body behind the punch. Further, he will have more weapons, as the legs aren't too busy holding on to the earth. This introduces a whole new potential of motion to the martial artist.

When this humble writer was learning martial arts near fifty years ago, the back stance was used. It was simply a superior stance, and it got the job done. The misguided desire for more power, however, has resulted in classical karate Patterns being changed, and there has been a resultant loss of technique and art.

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