subject: The Principles Behind Shotokan Karate [print this page] The Principles Behind Shotokan Karate The Principles Behind Shotokan Karate
There are seemingly hundreds of martial arts out there. For somebody who wishes to begin their practice in one of them, it may be bewildering to try and choose a discipline for themselves. The best way to choose wisely is to learn about as many different varieties as are available to them, and then to pick the one most suited to your taste. In today's article I will discuss the basics of shotokan karate, and help you decide if this martial art is for you.
Shotokan karate is a form of karate that highlights and emphasies the principle of one blow, one kill. The whole goal behind shotokan is to be able to deliver the most practical and deadly blow possible. In this it is very unlike the more aerial martial arts such as kung fu and tae kwon do, in that it does not seek to express any beauty except the simplicity and pureness of the form. While other martial arts therefor may seek to help you learn high kicks and other impracticaly forms of attack, shotokan remains focused on the basics.
Shotokan remains focused on the basics. You will spend countless hours learning how to execute the simplest of kicks and punches, repeating them long after you believe you have perfected the form, because this will allow you to ingrain that style of attack into your mind. The reasoning behind this is because if you were ever to find yourself in a fight, any thought of how to execute a blow would be driven from your mind. Instead, you would react on instinct, and those hours of training would be summoned to the fore as you instinctively executed your karate.
Therefor the basics of shotokan rely on the basic blows and blocks. You will practice and train the front kick that should not rise above belt height, you should work on the round house kick, the side kick and full side kick. You would work on a different series of punches, ranging from the jab to the straight punch to the cross. Further, you would work on your blocks so that you can defend yourself from incoming blows.
An aspect of shotokan karate that is truly beautiful is the performance of the kata's, which are the forms all karate practitioners must master. These forms are almost akin to a moving meditaiton, and can take years to complete to the satisfaction of your sensei.
