“Modern karate has been modified as a competitive sport. The spirit of karate has been somehow misinterpreted.” – Iken Tokashiki 10th dan Gōhaku Ryu
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When people don’t understand something, they need to come up with an explanation, and most of the time that explanation does not make much sense, or at the very least, is not practical.
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Which says a lot about how we have gone wrong in the development of Karate as we progress towards a more physical fitness, “Olympic”, sport oriented type of modern Karate, where the original dirty, raw, Okinawan self-defense Karate techniques have been removed, or, not shown in the first place.
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For many karate practitioners, one of the most challenging components of karate is learning the nuances found deep within. Few have the time or the inclination to delve into the depths that karate has to offer and even if they do, finding an instructor with the knowledge to help them can be very difficult. There is often a misunderstanding of the application behind techniques, which comes from just physically training in karate and not really studying karate.
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In our modern world the Youtube sensei rules and many students are utilizing the instant “knowledge” that the Youtube sensei gives you. Using this method to learn can be beneficial in helping you to remember “which direction to turn”, but to find the deeper meaning of karate techniques, you need a teacher who can help you to understand. ??
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“When you cease to strive to understand, then you will know without understanding.” – Chinese proverb
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With thanks to Jesse Enkamp