If It’s Not Real, Why Are You Teaching It? Tradition Isn’t an Excuse for Ineffective Teaching.

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on MAY 15, 2025

If It’s Not Real, Why Are You Teaching It? Tradition Isn’t an Excuse for Ineffective Teaching.

(Approx 2 minute 40 second read)

Kata, kihon, and two-person drills are part of the language of karate. But none of these should be practiced in isolation or merely for tradition. They should all have a connection – each part serving a purpose, forming a blueprint for learning how to deal with violence. If it doesn’t – especially in terms of real-world function – it doesn’t belong.

Partner drills, in my opinion, should not be stylized sequences of block-punch-kick. They should be based on common assaults and pressure-tested concepts.

Nothing should be practiced just for the sake of tradition. Even with children and beginners – and let me be clear, because too many people still miss this – you don’t have to start by teaching them how to fight. If your goal is self-protection, there’s far more to address before it ever gets physical.

Every drill, every lesson, should be connected to that purpose. If it doesn’t fit, if it doesn’t work in the real world, then why is it still in your curriculum – if that’s your goal?

When people think of self-defense, they often imagine just fighting. For beginners – and especially children – self-defense starts long before anything physical. It begins with awareness, confidence, and the ability to make smart choices to avoid danger in the first place.

That means teaching them to notice what’s going on around them, to understand what feels safe or not, and to know when and how to get help.

Children can learn to recognize when something isn’t right – like if someone makes them uncomfortable, asks them to keep a secret, or tries to get them alone. They need to know these feelings matter – and that it’s okay to speak up or walk away.

A strong voice, saying “Stop!” or “No!”, and staying near safe adults – these are simple, effective tools. So is knowing how to get away, where to go, and when to avoid a situation entirely. These are real-world skills – and they can be taught through calm, age-appropriate role-play and clear, practical guidance.

All of this is far more useful than teaching a child a fighting drill they’ll never use – or worse, one that gives them a false sense of security.

Real self-protection is about staying safe. Teaching children how to avoid the fight is far more valuable than having them perform unrealistic drills that wouldn’t hold up under pressure.

And yes – functional drills can start simple, but they evolve. When taught properly, they progress through realistic sequences that reflect real threats.

In short, we’re not trying to preserve karate in a glass case. We’re trying to make it work for the goals we’ve chosen. That includes understanding the original work of the pioneers – while also recognizing that change is not a threat to tradition, but a part of it.

The foundation of practical training is life protection – even beginners and children can start to learn the basics of that. And when the time is right, we introduce pre-arranged drills that reflect the realities of self-defense: proper distancing, realistic timing, and sound tactics.

We’re here to give our students tools that actually keep them safe, right? That means constantly looking at what we teach and asking, ‘Does this truly serve their self-protection needs?’ For me, it’s about learning function over form – even at a young age.

It’s about getting the core understanding in there, so they can actually use it to navigate potentially dangerous situations, not just look pretty doing a drill with no real-world value.

This isn’t about throwing tradition out the window, but about making sure that it makes sense in the face of real-world threats. To focus on what genuinely contributes to their safety and well-being, right from the start. That’s not just good karate – it’s responsible teaching.

Written by Adam Carter

Photo Credit: two young students from the Shuri Dojo