(Approx 2 minute read)

Recently, I wrote an article about “Keiko Saki, Rikai Wa Ato” (稽古先，理解 後) – “Practice First, Understanding Later” – a concept in traditional karate.
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One comment stood out, saying, “Thru [sic] the technique…the doctrine shall be revealed.”
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The person explained that his belief that principles will reveal themselves, comes from being taught this method, passed down through his instructor, and his instructors teacher. The idea is that if you practice technique long enough, the doctrine will eventually become clear.
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I have to disagree, and my article clearly pointed this out. My belief is that principles should come first, guiding the technique.
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Without understanding the principles, technique can become just empty movement, with no real purpose or depth behind it, which unfortunately is highly prevalent in today’s karate.
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In response to my reply, he said, “Two things can be true…”
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He went on to say that practice comes first, and understanding follows. Of course, while practice is important, I don’t think it fully explains the relationship between principles and technique. It’s like trying to build something without knowing how it works.
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I followed up by asking, “How long do you study technique before the understanding shows up?”
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The truth is, without knowing the principles behind the technique, you won’t be able to adapt, they become rigid and limited.
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As an example, let’s say you are practicing ‘Jodan age uke’. If all you know of this is that it translates to ‘upper rising block’, then that is all you will use it for. The principle of its movement in totality will have been lost and you will not be able to view it as anything else – hence locked, unadaptable, stuck in your method of practice.
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So, how long are you willing to practice ‘Jodan age uke’ hoping the principle will reveal itself to you? 100 times, a 1,000 times, 10,000 times. In all that time you have, by rote, ingrained into your nervous system that this is ‘just’ an upper rising block unable to use it as anything else beyond the repetition, waiting for the reveal.
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To me, principles must come first. They are the foundation that allows you to truly understand how and why techniques work.
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I pointed out that too often, the ‘why’ behind it often gets lost. It’s not enough to repeat the movements over and over – you need to understand their purpose.
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The value of principles doesn’t rely on famous names or reputations as he quoted to me. They are universal truths, like math – they don’t need validation from famous figures. You don’t learn addition by doing calculus, and you don’t become proficient in karate just by focusing on technique waiting for some magic to happen.
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First, understand the principles, the ‘why’ not just the ‘how’, and only then will the movements become truly effective. For some of course, with the waiting, it never will.
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Written by Adam Carter