IS KARATE IN NEED OF A MAKEOVER?

Like most martial arts, karate originated as a system that was designed for hand-to-hand combat. However, things gradually changed over the ensuing decades. As the style began to spread around the world, more and more emphasis was placed on the sport aspect. Meanwhile, its combative side was downplayed.

In 2020 karate will debut at the Tokyo Olympics, which many practitioners worry will amplify its sport orientation. Karate’s usefulness on the street, it’s feared, will be minimized even further.

Shotokan, perhaps the world’s most popular style of karate, has not escaped this transition toward competition. That’s precisely what motivated me to create “combat shotokan.” This back-to-basics system reverses that troubling trend away from self-defense. As one might expect from its name, it emphasizes effectiveness in personal combat rather than effectiveness in sparring — which puts it in line with the reason most people take up martial arts in the first place.

Outlined here are the facets of karate that were most in need