Purposeful Practice: Conditioning Supports Karate – It Doesn’t Replace It.

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on OCT 15, 2025

Purposeful Practice: Conditioning Supports Karate – It Doesn’t Replace It.

(Approx 1 minute 50 second read)

In a recent article, I wrote about the difference between ‘sweating in a karategi’ and ‘learning karate’. The response was interesting, and it’s clear that many instructors don’t understand the distinction.

There has always been a place for conditioning in the martial arts. Okinawan karate, for example, has long included hojo-undo: chi-ishi, nigiri-game, kongoken, ishi-sashi, makiwara, and more. Each tool was carefully designed to support the techniques practiced in kata and kumite.

These aren’t random fitness drills. They build bodies that can strike hard, resist force, grip effectively, and withstand impact. Every movement has a purpose.

Some people argued that fitness is essential and that classes need a focus on conditioning. One comment said, “Problem is, most people these days really need that fitness training.”

Another wrote, “Being physically fit and active makes karate easier for the individual. Today too many clubs ignore the fitness aspect and body conditioning of their students.”

And another explained, “I always insist on a good stamina/fitness workout in class; otherwise, unfit karateka techniques can be too weak and meaningless. Anyone in a fight situation that doesn’t possess reasonable fitness is going to be in trouble.”

These points all have merit, but they also risk missing something vital. I don’t disagree with those comments — fitness matters. However, there’s a critical distinction: conditioning should always support karate, not replace it.

General fitness exercise is not karate.

There has to be what I call purposeful practice. Any exercise should build strength, precision, and structural awareness, directly tied to the techniques of karate that students are learning.

One instructor even commented that for beginners, he starts with mostly health exercises and stances before introducing real combat techniques later.

Why? This highlights that conditioning alone does not teach the art. Doesn’t a beginner need something of value to take away from a lesson? Something about karate, about self-defense — probably what they signed up for.

The key takeaway for students is this: ask yourself, “Does this exercise improve my karate, or am I just getting sweaty?” And for instructors, every drill, every movement, and every minute in the dojo should directly contribute to learning the art, not simply burning calories.

Supplementary exercise only becomes meaningful when it is integrated with technique and understanding.

Time is limited. Every minute in the dojo should either develop your skill, your understanding, or your body in a way that directly supports karate. That’s the difference between being busy and actually progressing.

Let’s get back to training with purpose – and training karate.

Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo

Photo Credit: Masanobu Shinjo – Goju-Ryu, training with the ‘nigiri-game’.