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Why Train in Karate-Do?

Many have tried to understand the attraction of Martial Arts training. Many, who train, try to express the reasons they train. Often times, the speakers’ words fall short of expressing the true feeling we have for our training.
Art takes many forms. Painting, music dance etc. and the point of art is to takes the mind somewhere beautiful in a world where beauty can be hard to find. We are inundated from all sides with stories of how people take things beautiful and make them ugly. Family, love, children all become victims of the fear that is rampant in the world.
As a practitioner and teacher of Karate-Do, it is my responsibility to take a thing that is ugly and feared and create beauty with it. It is true that martial arts are based on acts of physical violence. Through the centuries, the responses to these acts have been refined to the point of art. That has been the evolution of the martial arts so far. In Karate training, we break down the art into moving drills, and forms called ‘kata’. sparring and self-defense. Through analysis of self-defense scenarios, a student has the opportunity to see himself in control of a situation that would normally instill fear. In moving drills and kata, the ungraceful person develops fluidity, balance and grace. While sparring, the student learns the beauty of speed, motion strategy and timing and a smaller person can feel powerful and in control.
So you see that while Karate holds the appearance of violence, it is only an appearance. As such, upon deeper inspection, it is possible to see that what seems apparent at first glance is not what is at the heart of our training. The goal as a Karate practitioner and my duty as a Sensei is to guide the students through the doubt, awkwardness and fear to a place within that is strong and beautiful. That place is within each of us. Some just need a different path to get there.
Michael Zinck
February2002

Karate-Do - Role playing for Conflict Management

As we start along a path towards enlightenment, striving for self-improvement, it is unavoidable to walk our new path without conflict. It seems that the path we just left is just as difficult as the one we now travel. However, there are resources available that help us balance the spiritual and the physical impasses we encounter. Exercising our bodies makes for great stress relief, Yoga helps stretch the body and mind and Tai Chi helps stimulate energy flow in the body and calm the mind. But what if we could give the body a physical challenge, increase our flexibility, increase energy flow and get practice dealing with the stress that we must endure each and every day of our lives.
The answer for you may lie in an ancient Asian system that has evolved and grown over many centuries and come to be known as Karate. The art is Okinawan in origin and the word means ‘empty (Kara) hand (Te)’. The ‘kanji’ or Japanese characters used to write the word have many connotations. The Asian idea of emptiness can mean to remove all impurities from the self, leaving only the pure spirit. ‘Te’ means hand, skill or person. ‘Kara’ means ‘empty’ and can be interpreted as the Void (God) or the place where only spirit exists. So the word karate can be read as ‘empty hand’ or ‘skill of being one with the Void’.

Today it is practiced widely as a combative sport and so holds little or no appeal to those on a spiritual path. However, if Karate is practiced as a "Doh" or "Way", it becomes a method of self-improvement that has real world applications. Self-defense applications aside, Karate-Do can be thought of as a metaphor for life training. I personally, think of it as Tai Chi for the hyperactive! Indeed, it contains the same elements as Tai Chi, repeated movements and forms, but while Tai Chi promotes calm through slow movement, Karate requires that emotions be set aside in order to correctly execute each movement.
Role-playing has become an excellent tool for conflict management in recent years, and Karate-Do can be learned as a model for just that purpose. Many people drawn into martial arts training do so with the hope that they will learn some kind of skill for an unnamed reason. Ask a student who has practiced for a few months and is still enthusiastic, "Why do you train?" Many times, the answer is "I don’t know, I just love it!"
The real answer may well be that the training allows the student to look his/her fears in the face and realize that he is learning to bring fear under control and develop strategies for conflict management. Karate-do is not something you do. Rather, it is an extension of oneself. Mastering Karate-Do requires self-mastery and self-empowerment. This kind of mindset brings an inner calm that is only realized when the practitioner understands the reasons for his or her training. It also brings about the realization that the real battleground is in the mind.
By keeping certain things in mind as you train, Karate-Do can become as much an esoteric practice as a physical one. First, training can teach us how our bodies and minds function. We can learn the body’s strengths, weaknesses, how to exploit these weaknesses for self-defense and how to heal and strengthen it. Secondly, we can learn about acts of violence in a controlled atmosphere for the purpose of cultivating our ability to deal with various aspects of self-defense for the purpose of protecting ourselves and loved ones should the need arise. Third, we can develop a moral and spiritual base for our new-found knowledge that envelopes not only the physical techniques, but the cultural and social aspects of the arts origins and how those cultural and ethical differences impact our perception of today’s society. Finally, as I mentioned earlier, our Karate training, above all, should focus attention on the fact that our ultimate weaknesses lie within and that by visualization or "role-playing" during our practice, we can discover the source of that weakness. If we understand these things as the true reason for martial training, we can then improve the outward aspects of our lives.

Training begins with basic movement. Particular styles use different stances and execute the basic techniques in particular ways. Some styles use long stances and power-based movements while others use a more natural method of movement and breathing. One should consider these things when choosing a Dojo (Training Hall). If you are smaller in stature or in moderate physical condition, you may want to consider a style that is not power-based but technique oriented. These styles rely on timing and accuracy for the delivery of techniques rather than power and cultivate speed and flexibility in the participant. If you like the sweaty, bone jarring type of activity, the harder styles such as Shotokan or Goju Ryu may be for you. The lighter, faster styles such as Shito Ryu or Shorin Ryu may be more to your liking.

Regardless of the style you may choose, the most important aspect of training in Karate-Do for conflict management is studying with the Sensei (teacher) that is right for you. Your teacher must understand what you want from your training and be able to provide it. The Dojo should "feel" right. If the focus of the club is competition, it may not be right for you. Likewise, if the club venerates a particular person, then the goal of the teacher may be self-serving. If self-defense is also a part of your criteria, then observe that aspect of the club before committing to it. Self-defense must be simple to perform and devastating to the opponent or it’s not going to work on the street. Finally, the Dojo you choose should provide an enjoyable environment for you to train in. Life provides enough conflict, so the places you choose to improve yourself should be safe havens, a place to be yourself and enjoy the company of others.
The other thing that is important when considering Karate-Do for self-improvement is the aspect of moral and spiritual philosophy. That is not to say that your Karate-Do should incorporate religion, rather, there should be a feeling in the club that each student is important and has the genuine concern of the Sensei. The dojo should promote the moral obligation that is part and parcel with the knowledge it teaches and, above all, the teacher should regard the practice of Karate-Do as a vehicle though which we strive to, above all, understand our strengths and our weaknesses and in so, overcome them.

Michael Zinck
Sensei, Budo Kai Karate Jutsu
December 2001

What does a Black Belt mean?

If there were one misconception that degrades the value of martial arts training, it would have to be that the black belt is a symbol of expertise. The truth of the matter is that the title given with the belt, "Shodan", means, "beginning rank". The coloured or "kyu" belts that precede the coveted black belt are a very recent (past 40 years) development to satisfy mostly western students who wish to have their initial achievements recognized.
The "kyu/dan" system of rank is the brainchild of Judo founder Jigoro Kano. He created the system in 1883. Initially, students wore only the white belt and were considered to be without rank until the rank of shodan was awarded. The fact that only two colours of belt were used, the white and the black, reflected the "in/yo" or "yin/yang" symbols.
This allowed for no outward identification of status. Therefore, a noble could stand beside a janitor in the dojo and be considered as equals within the structure of "Budo", the pursuit of perfection through the medium of the martial systems.
In 1895, a ruling body for the various martial traditions was created called the Dai Nippon Butokukai (Great Japanese Martial Virtues Association). Its purpose was to oversee and standardize the various martial traditions of Japan. This body adopted Kano’s kyu/dan system and issued teaching licenses (Shihan menjo) based on certain criteria.
In the early 1920’s, when Karate was accepted as an "official martial art", the kyu/dan system was forced upon participants to ensure that the Okinawan fighting method conformed to the high training and technical standards of the Japanese.
The beginners rank of shodan meant simply that the practitioner had mastered only the BASICS of the system and was now in a position to BEGIN his training in the martial arts. In this light, the kyu ranks could be thought of as elementary school while the first few dan ranks can be thought of as post secondary education.  With a few exceptions, teaching licenses are given with the rank of Sandan (3rd dan). To review, then, the first level of black belt is called shodan rather than "ichi" (first) - dan because sho means beginning. The rank essentially means that you have a good grasp on the basics and are now ready to begin your Karate training.
It is interesting to note that Gichin Funikoshi, founder of the Shotokan system of Karate, was only ranked Godan (5th dan) by the Dai Nippon Butokukai, and until his death in 1954, no Shotokan practitioner had an equal or higher rank.
As Karate-Do spread to the rest of the world, due largely to the American Occupational forces in Japan, it was inevitable that new organizations would spring up. The western practitioners more susceptible to the prompting of ego and the lure of profit for information, allowed the standards to fall while raising the "not so qualified" to positions of rank. The first casualty of these new organizations was the upholding of the Bushido or Warriors Code of Ethics. The kyu/dan system was not intended to simply identify levels of technical achievement. It was also meant to symbolize the warrior’s goal of personal, spiritual and ethical advancement though the medium of the martial arts. Therefore, the ranking system should also reflect the students’ progress towards higher levels of discipline, honour, manners and respect.
It is sad to say though, that there are clubs and organizations that do not adhere to standards of both technical and moral codes. Words are quite cheap and caution should be exercised when we look at our instructors. Certificates can be fabricated or even purchased. Complete martial arts systems are available on video, giving all manner of unscrupulous people access to information without the hard work and discipline it takes to master ones self and ones art. A green belt from one country can show up as a Sandan (3rd dan) in another country and begin teaching unsuspecting students who will suffer in the long run as meaningless ranks are bestowed upon them for the love of money.
Let us hold high the standard!

Michael Zinck
Sensei, Budo Kai Karate Jutsu

Oneness (Part one)

To excel in an art such as Karate-Do, it is imperative to understand the concepts that complete the art form. An artist understands the interactions of colours, light and darkness and the various shading needed to bring realism to the painting. He also understands that certain strokes of the brush give a certain feel to his creation. So must the Karate-ka understand the implications of the broad, sweeping movements and the subtle nuances of his or her art.
We tend to break down our art into various sections in order to better understand what can only be described as a grand, all-encompassing art. It is how we as humans examine complex things. However, once broken down, dissected and analyzed, we tend to neglect putting the pieces back together to recreate the whole.
If you remember back to the first few months of your training, you may recall the Instructor showing each block and kick in a slow and detailed manner so you could see the technique in slow motion, so you could recreate the motion for yourself. Then, he or she spoke of breathing with the technique. Do you remember the first few times you moved across the dojo floor, mechanically performing the basic drills? How about that first kata or the first time you sparred with a real opponent.
Did your instructor then tell you that the breathing you use perform your kata is the same style of breathing you use to perform combination techniques during basic one-person drills? Or was it mentioned that the concepts of movement for bunkai (or kata applications) are the same, as those required for kumite (sparring)?
Was it ever mentioned once that each detail of your training is applicable to every other part of your training? I hope that the answer is ‘yes’, because the truth of the matter is that, although we break Karate-Do training up into Kihon Waza, Kata and Kumite (drills, forms and sparring), Karate-Do is really only one thing…Karate-Do.
The essential aspect of training is the assimilation of each nuance of movement, breathing and thought into the actions that define your art form. Your eyes must lead the movement, your breath must flow freely with the action and your thoughts must create the internal reality in which your actions and focus manifest externally.
It is ever true that what is shown, reflects that which is hidden. For example, if you do not visualize your lessons, your performances will be empty. If you practice your kata only as a series of connected movements, even if the execution of each technique is perfect, the kata will be meaningless movement. If, on the other hand, the kata is performed as a series of combat techniques in which the opponent is not visible, and then the performance is enhanced by the extra energy brought into it. The performance will then provide both the performer and the viewer with a substantial reward.
The performer better understands the movements that he/she has performed, is energized by the free flow of energy within the body. Also, the Karate-ka has once again practiced valuable fighting sequences at full speed. The viewer may also be energized by watching an inspired performance and be likewise inspired.
While practicing, one should practice complete breathing and understand the impact that breathing has on performance. Goju Ryu stylists should use the breathing patterns that enhance the "Naha" style of movement. Shotokan stylists should pay attention to "Shuri" style breathing patterns. Shito Ryu stylists should ask from which lineage a particular kata comes in order to determine which breathing pattern to use.
As you practice your art, be sure to keep in mind that instruction from your Sensei about stances and footwork should be applied not only in kata or classes drills, but also in kumite and self-defense practice. Breathing must compliment all areas of your training also. Visualization is important in kata and line drills as well. You must perform each technique every time as if your life depends on it, because someday, it might.
The immortal Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon" says to his young student, "Do the technique with emotion …not anger." It is the difference between a Karate-ka and a Karate player. Those who practice the art as a sport will have different motivations for performance. Those that practice for ‘Budo’ will have deeper ties to each and every movement they perform. The reason being is that ‘players’ enjoy the stimulation of the movement and derive enjoyment from outward gains. In which case, it is not as important o pay as close attention to such intangible things as breathing and visualization. The Karate-ka training for Budo, on the other hand, derives his or her reward from an internal battle, hard fought and won on the battlefield of the spirit. For them, it is essential to understand, use and live the principles of traditional Karate-Do not only in the dojo, but also on the battlefields of life, each and every day.

Michael Zinck
Sensei, Budo Kai Karate Jutsu