Karate: Art or Illusion? No – Let’s Get Back to Reality.

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on NOV 01, 2024

Karate: Art or Illusion? No – Let’s Get Back to Reality.

(Approx 2 minute 35 second read)

Has karate become nothing but a demonstration art?

Many people send me messages asking my thoughts on various karate videos, as I often write about realism and practical karate. This week, I watched a video of an instructor from Okinawa, demonstrating applications from kata.

To be honest, I usually cringe when I get these messages because, in most cases, I already know what to expect. And this time was no different. I’m at a stage now where I almost don’t know what to say anymore – well almost.

What amazes me is watching this instructors black-belt students, who have obviously traveled thousands of miles to learn from their head instructor in Okinawa, being shown nothing but impractical applications. They were respectful, patient, and eager to learn, showing humility toward their instructor. Yet, even as they demonstrated interest, there was a look on their faces and in their eyes that betrayed their thoughts – they knew that what they were being shown just didn’t make sense and wouldn’t hold up outside of a demonstration setting.

Where is this type of karate being used? It’s not for competition, it certainly isn’t for self-protection, so is it purely for fun or for entertaining untrained spectators?

Karate was never meant to be a show. It was developed as a means of self-preservation, a practical and gritty art for real situations. The emphasis on practicality has been lost, even on the birthplace of karate, Okinawa. Instead, we have kata application and technique that, although visually impressive, fall apart if used anywhere outside of the dojo.

There’s a balance here that’s worth considering. Yes, it’s essential to honor tradition, and instructors, particularly those with decades of experience, represent a lineage that we should respect. They carry knowledge and techniques passed down through generations. But we also owe it to ourselves to ask if this knowledge has a place in our training today. We have so much information available to us, do these techniques have any real value in situations when we may need them, or have they simply become performance pieces?

It seems that in some cases tradition has become an excuse for impracticality. I think we need to reflect on whether we’re truly respecting the art or simply paying homage to an illusion. If our aim is self-defense, karate’s original remit, then our training should reflect that. It should be real, tested, and adaptable – not a performance art.

Ask yourself: is this really what karate should be? Or have we traded the reality for a spectacle? Karate deserves more than that. It deserves to be taken seriously as a martial art, not a martial performance.

Of course karate can be many things to many people, but karate was not created to entertain; it was developed to protect. Surely our training should reflect that purpose.

There is also the sporting side of karate, which many practitioners enjoy for its competition, discipline, and athleticism. Sport karate has its place, offering a structured environment to test skill, speed, and precision within specific rules. It’s a way for practitioners to push their physical limits and build confidence, camaraderie, and respect.

But even within this sporting context, there’s an understanding that what happens in competition differs from the realities of self-defense. And the video I watched wasn’t aimed at sport; it was presented as ‘real’ karate, meant for practical application. This is where I draw the line – because if we’re training with the purpose of self-protection, then surely our techniques and mindset should reflect that purpose.

Practitioners owe it to themselves to question what they’re learning and why, to seek techniques that can stand up to real-world application, and to demand instruction that prioritizes practicality over performance. After all, our art wasn’t designed to put on a show – it was designed to save lives.

Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo.