Shotokan Myths: The Forbidden Answers to the Mysteries of Shotokan Karate
While practicing Karate, I realized there were a
lot of moves that were just slight variations of the arts I practiced. I mean, come on, there are only so many moves
a human body can do. A kick is a kick is
a kick. Change the angle a little and
change the power generation a little…
Call it something else? But it’s
really not that different.
The thoughts I had while picking up Karate were
very similar to what this book has to offer.
My first impression taking up Karate was, “Wow, everything I thought was
wrong with Karate is summarized here.”
The offensive thought I had was, “Just make Karate more Chinese and all
problems are solved.”
After after this month and a half of learning
and studying Karate, I realized the problem is NOT Karate needing to be more Chinese – instead, a lot of
training material were probably lost in translation or left out
intentionally. Then, monkey see monkey
do, a lot of instructors pass on what is “right” without challenging anything
they were taught.
The top Karate-ka (I’m thinking Rick Hotton,
Rika Usami) all demonstrate skill levels outlined in this book whether they know
it consciously or not. I think a long-time
Karate-ka that constantly challenges and questions their path will eventually reach
the same conclusion. At that time, one
may wonder, “Is this still Karate?” And
having an authoritative figure put it in writing is very reassuring.
The book does two things very well:
1. Clearly points out what is being lost due to
modern adaptions. E.g. How modern
practitioners train, how tournament affects techniques being emphasized
on…etc.
2. Starts to push the boundaries and challenge
Karate from a foundational level
I find this book highly valuable mainly due to
two reasons:
1. Stimulates me to reflect and introspect my
own understanding of martial arts
2. Has an authoritative figure to confirm my
suspicions and challenge a martial arts on its fundamental issues that many
instructors blindly follow without question
This isn’t great literature. It’s not a story book. It’s more like a technical information
discussion. Parts of the book were kata (form)-specific
that I had to yawn over. But this is a
strong baseline for a Karate-ka. Many
instructors and schools impose restrictions on how you should do certain things
(and yes, rules are important when you start out). This book helps answer some of those
questions, and challenges you to use your head when you’re training your body
to question even more ideas.
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