If This Is the Standard for Practical Karate, the Bar Isn’t High – It’s Buried.

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on OCT 10, 2025

If This Is the Standard for Practical Karate, the Bar Isn’t High – It’s Buried.

(Approx 1 minute 55 second read)

A friend of mine recently sent me a video of a JKA Shotokan Dan test weekend seminar, taught by a senior JKA instructor. And guess what, five step-kumite was being practiced and taught.

Now, I have written about step-kumite extensively, and in my opinion, if you need reminding, it only has value when you’re practicing step-kumite.

It’s amazing the amount of comments and dogma I receive on this subject – though I shouldn’t be surprised.

The rhetoric is always the same: it’s great for beginners, it lets someone feel what it’s like to be attacked, it helps a learner understand timing and distance, and more.

The same phrases repeated over and over, and over, and……… well, you get the idea.

When you become proficient at step-kumite, it looks good when people are watching: the loud kiai, the locked stances, the sharp kime, the blocking of a stepping straight punch launched from many feet away.

But let’s not sugar coat it, it has no connection to reality. Do you think we can agree on that?

I’m going to ignore most of the reasons people give for performing them, except this one. It is a progressive exercise drill. It’s a place to start and move on from once experience is gained.

See where I’m going with this?

It was a Dan testing weekend. All in attendance were mainly shodan and above.

So for all the naysayers out there… do I need to say more?

Here’s the truth. If you’re still teaching step-kumite at Dan grade, you’re not teaching people how to fight, you’re teaching them how to look good. You’re preserving choreography, not passing on combative knowledge.

Kata gives us the blueprint. HAPV-based drills, paired kata study, controlled resistance, pressure testing, these are what develop real timing, distancing, and the ability to handle chaos. Step-kumite avoids chaos entirely, and that’s why people love it. It feels safe.

My writing and teaching is always in the context of self-protection first. Those who follow my page regularly have probably guessed that by now. For newcomers, it even says so at the top of the page: karate should work in this context – reality. Karate was created for self-defense, and this is where I prefer to be.

But self-protection isn’t safe. It’s ugly, messy, and unpredictable. And that’s exactly what training should prepare you for.

So I’ll leave you with this: if you think step-kumite is preparing you for violence, ask yourself, are you training to survive, or are you training to perform? Because at Dan grade, if five step-kumite is still the standard, then the bar isn’t just low – it’s buried six foot under. Keep pretending step-kumite prepares you, and that’s where you’ll end up.

Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo