Abstract:
This white paper compares teaching Karate for self-protection using a conceptual framework versus a rote learning frame work. The paper will comprehensively explain conceptual and rote learning in Karate while providing detailed examples of both. Through a systematic examination of the two systems, the paper will explain why the conceptual learning process is the better of the two approaches to learn Karate for self protection & combat.
Introduction:
Today, practitioners of Karate gain little except a black belt, which translates to simply memorizing forms and drills. What the Black Belts means varies from school to school. For most, it shows that the student has performed specific kata & drills.
While Karate schools struggle to encourage adults to join, other fighting arts like BJJ and Muay Thai seem to attract more students, this is because of the teaching approaches offered in the various schools. This paper will illustrate that Karate can offer the same level of physicality found in the other, more sought after, combat arts if the method of teaching changes to a conceptual based system.
Background:
Karate’s effectiveness in self-defense has declined for decades. Other martial arts are preferred over it, like BJJ, Muay Thai, Judo, and Wrestling. Karate’s teaching methods differ from other martial arts, and are a contributing to the decline of Karate.
Karate focuses on teaching complex Kata. Some systems have 4, others have can have over 100! This isn’t counting the various predefined drills called Yakusoku Kumite, which have been gaining popularity with large organizations and used to replace free form sparring, further eroding what Karate was.
Technique is taught and self-paced practice with feedback is provided in other systems. They introduce the student to a clinch, strike or kick routine and are then partnered up to practice the combinations with a more senior student who gives feedback and corrections. In both scenarios, the student is working hard to learn what is required.
The public & those interested in the fighting arts view Karate, with its Kata and Yakusoku Kumite as nothing more than dance & not affective for serious self-defense training. Karate lacks practical hands-on training. [ Link : Loyal Martial Arts “The 5 Best Martial Arts for Self-Defense & Why” ].
Defining Conceptual Teaching and Rote Learning:
Discussion:
Origins of Rote Learning in Karate
In the 1970s, Karate grew from the U.S. Gi’s who brought it back from Okinawan. At that time it was a fighting discipline to be reckoned with. Students learned Kata, kicks, punches, and then they learnt to practice what they had learned on one other. As time went on, instructors concentrated on cash flow and selling their courses. In Okinawa, where many of the early innovators studied their the arts, they did not worry about making a living on Kaate, as a matter of fact they disapproved of it, it was preferable to have a job and teach karate in your backyard. However, Schools started in America had to adapt to a different mindset, rent had to be paid and the instructors had to eat. Balancing work and Karate, as free endeavor, took the instructor from the family with no financial reward. In the U.S. this is a tough pill to swallow.
The law of unintended consequences
Instructors observed that ballet schools had developed a method to monetize the art and teaching of ballet. They adapted the ballet schools model to karate training. It was a matter of keeping the doors open as well as income. This need for cash flow began to watered down and corrupt the essence of karate, just what the old masters of Okinawan feared most.
In order to monetize, Karate schools had to look at what could be charged. Tuition rates were the first, but these rates were adjusted into “programs”. Month to Month, Quarterly, bi-annual and yearly, there is also a Black Belt club rate, pay one fee up front until you earn a black belt. The qualifications to earn the black belt were pared down so that the next program can be implemented.
Like ballet, Karate is a non-tangible, it can’t be touched. The tangible aspects of Karate, like belts representing ranks, offer 10 opportunities additional pay points that could be leveraged, it didn’t take long to add levels between levels that could also be charged for, commonly identified as stripes on belts . The difficulty is getting the students through each of the various levels.
To advance in the ranks, these schools adopted the teaching requirements of public & higher learning. Instead of reading books students had to learn Kata and drills. At the end of each chapter, or series of kata, students had to pass quizes, tests & final exams with a 75% or higher score to advance, just like in school. This placed a higher emphasis on memorizing routines rather than understanding the concepts and principals being taught. Unlike math, science, history or English, where the work can be easily corrected, testing and grading karate is strictly an arbitrary grading scale from the viewpoint of those administering the test. Further, each test for rank can be a costly charge, but passing allows the pupil to advance to the new “secret knowledge” which requires memorizing more kata and drills.
The desire of these pioneering institutions to standardize and commercialize karate prompted the early implementation of a Rote Learning method, the instructors were left with no other option, few if any were educators, most were U.S. GI’s from the Vietnam war, they only learned a rudimentary subset of what the school in Okinawa taught, and were never taught how to teach, so they were left to their own devices, mimicking to the best of their ability how they were taught.
Can we perceive the drive to monetize karate as comparable to constructing an inflexible educational stronghold, where creativity, exploration, and analysis are barred from entry, while instructors assume the role of stern gatekeepers enforcing an exclusive “do as I say only” mindset?
The Objective
The aim of karate also shifted, it was no longer to learn the skills to defend yourself, or others, but instead to “earn a black belt”. Today, the assumption is that those with a Black Belts are fighters and able to hold their own in brawl, nothing could be further from the truth. Numerous Youtube videos show Karate Black Belts being knock-out. To respond to this, it is common to hear schools, or see posts reading that a black belt is nothing more that student who is ready to learn. What has the student been doing for the last 12 months prior to receiving the black belt? Has he not been learning? This is a distraction from the truth, that karate is not being taught for combative reasons but for enlightenment and cash flow, the latter is how the public and those interested combative arts see karate.
Two categories of belt testing
Knowledge based test: The student will be required to perform all his kata, kicks, and various techniques he has learned up to that point. He may be required to defend against a variety of attacks and to recite history and vocabulary.
Physical based tests: The student will have to show his understanding of the material covered up to this point in knowledge-based examination, as well as do many physically demanding tasks like pushups, pullups, and running. Schools that use the physical test defend it as a martial art and teach and test students as if they were in the military.
The test mirrors the particular training used in the school. All schools use knowledge-based training, but not all use physical based training. This paper will focus only on knowledge based and the students ability to memorize and perform.
Karate schools teach classes in 45 minutes blocks on average, 3x’s per week for adults and teens. A typical class will comprise Kata and Kihon, or Kata and Yakusoku Kumite.
What are the tools used to teach karate?
Karate is taught using Kata, Kihon, Partner Drills & Kumite.
Kata: These are complex predefined forms that include blocks, strikes ( punches& kicks), stepping and stances. Further Kata, is the heart of Traditional Karate.
To solidify kata, and the meaning of the movements, instructors show students what the moves mean. Kata serves several among them are: Strengthens the body, develops balance, coordination, focus, spatial awareness, and mental visualization.
This document will focus only on Okinawan based martial arts in the following the schools: Shorin-ryu there are 14 Kata, in Gojo-ryu 12 kata, Uechi-RYu has 8. Each of these schools has a foundation kata. In Shorin-ryu it is Nahanchi shodan, in Gojo Ryu & Uechi-ryu it is Sanchin.
How are Kata taught and practiced :
On the dojo floor, there are two general, but not exclusive, methods in which kata are taught. By-Count and No-Count
Because kata focuses on moving the body, as if in combat, the student can’t be too soft or too tense. The body has to transition through various degrees of tenseness while allowing the body to move without resistance. Gojo-ryu is known has a Hard-Soft system as is Uechi-ryu, however, Shorin-ryu is more soft-hard. Depending on the school of thought, the student has to learn to apply the proper body tension in the kata. The tenser the body, the harder it is for the body to move against itself, but the softer the more likely for the body to take damage.
Another method of training kata is referred to “Honto Kata” meaning the “real” or “true” kata, this concept will be expanded upon later in the paper. However, for this section is the truncation, or reduction using first principle thinking to kata. Many instructors consider this short changing or short cutting kata, violating the idea of Chosin Chabana founder of Kobayashi Shorin-ryu, to “Never change kata”, but as a consideration for this paper we interpret the idea as “Never change the concepts, or intent of the kata”
Kihon, these are more simplistic forms that are usually Block, Punch & stepping sequences in one or two stances. It can also me simply punching or blocking in a stationary stance such as a horse stance. Kihon, focus on specific movements. Unlike Kata, these are not simulated fight sequences . Like Kata, kihon practice affords the instructor an opportunity to address corrections that need to be made.
Partner Dirlls:
Additionally, this process of teaching takes from the school systems the idea of Correction Based teaching. If the student is performing the required drill, or kata correctly, there is nothing for the instructor to “correct”. However, when the instructor sees the student has made a mistake, he can then make a correction. These corrections come either as an interruption, or it is explained after. There is a phenomenon that has been observed, that many who train in traditional karate want, and almost keep tally of how many corrections they receive from those in higher positions.
Most students who stick with Karate are seeking the elusive BLACK BELT and fewer will continue to the subsequent ranks. In order to attain this covenant belt the student must progress through a series of tests starting with the Kyu ranks 10-1, white belts being 10th Kyu and Brown belt being 1st Kyu. Each test comes with a fee, allowing the schools to monetize the testing. The black belt falls into the Dan Grade. Like the Kyu ranks there are 10 grades, and each grade is a substantially higher testing rank.
What’s tested: Everything that has been learned to date. 10th Kyu will test for basic khions, punches, kicks, stances and possibly a kata. As the rank increases, the testing material increases as well. The student remains responsible for the old material and the new material.
A common black belt test may include 9 Kata, 5 or so Yakosuku Kumite and 6 Kihon, including terminology spanning 10 Kyu ranks (lower ranks below black belt) . In order for the many Traditional schools to keep students, the students only need know roughly half of the systems kata, this allows the schools to divide the remaining kata into various Dan levels 2nd Degree and 3rd Degree black belts.
While all the traditional Kata are on-line and can be openly viewed by anyone, they are essentially Open Source and are not owned by any individual or organization. With that in mind, Traditional schools will discourage any student who attempts to “jump ahead” without the grace and blessing of their instructor.
This process has similarities with public and higher education, students can see the syllabus and have access to the books, but are not allowed to jump forward. They are not encouraged to question the material. What matters is memorizing each chapter, passing each chapter quiz and then finally passing the last test to receive the diploma, or black belt.
This common approach shows a Rote Based learning system utilized in many Karate Dojo. This approach requirs only that the student memorizes and recalls all aspects of the curriculum, taught in the TRADTITIONAL, CLASSIC OR AUTHENTIC karate dojos. The goal of these schools, and their associations, is not to teach members to fight or even develop self-defense skills, despite the fact that their websites, signage and literature all say that they teach Self Defense. A system once practiced to protect the royal court, and to provide security, is now only a hollow shell of what it once was, but we can revitalize the essence of Karate with a change in teaching philosophy and objectives.
How can the prevalent use of a rote-based learning system in many Karate Dojos claim to prioritize self-defense while neglecting the actual development of fighting skills?
Generational loss
When a student has achieved a high proficiency in a given school teaching in this manner, he has become a carbon copy of his instructor in the sense of movement, execution, and knowledge. There is no glimmer of individual thought, ideas, or understanding.
Copies of any information show the effects of generational loss. The precision and depth of knowledge that is passed down from teacher to teacher with each consecutive copy are eventually lost. Over time, the original teachings lose some of their initial impact. The inverse-square law, which is evident in disciplines like photography and other sciences, might be compared to this idea. This law states that as the square of the distance from the original source—the instructor—increases, the quality of information decreases.
Schools focusing on “the do as I say”, method of teaching do not foster an inquisitive environment for students to explore, test and analyze ideas and concepts. What is left of a combative system when the art of fighting and combat is eroded, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell of kata, yakosuku kumites, and kihons?
Redefining, rewriting and making reborn Karate
Modern Karate lacks practical hands on training that is common in other combative sports. A practical hands on training approach allows students to work together, with minimal interruption and correction from the instructor. Instead, the students learn to make adjustments by providing each other the needed residence and physical feedback while testing technique, and ideas.
Conceptually, learning Karate uses the tools already available in traditional Karate, specifically Kata. But instead of just memorizing kata, the concepts of movement is learned prior to the kata. This may include 2 or 3 movements like Chudan Uke ( Middle Block ) followed by Chudan Zuki ( Middle punch ). The student examines how he moves from the block to the strike. This small sequence is then turned into a partner drill with a more seasoned student who guides the student and offers minor corrections. Eventually, the student formulates unspoken rules and the drill progresses to include the next movements in the kata. At each stage, the student is learning the context of the movements. Going through this process, the kata is then put together, and the student learns to make the kata real.
Conceptual training focuses on the WHY and not the WHAT, it’s the opposite of Rote Learning. The concepts allow us to explain and understand what by answering why we are doing it. Conceptual training provides a framework to understanding the movements and how when they are applied. Karate begins with defense, however, only offense can subdue or stop an attacker, therefor karate needs to begin with defense and end offensively. Those practising Karate-do will say that karate begins and ends with respect, those who want to protect and defend will embrace the idea that karate-jutsu begins with defense and ends with offense.
Does conceptual training in Karate challenge the traditional approach of memorizing kata by focusing on understanding the movements, their context, and the reasons behind them, ultimately enabling students to make the kata real and develop offensive capabilities?
Karate comprises a relatively small number of movements as listed below, but it’s these movements in combination that add make up the kata, and used to manifest the concepts and ideas of self-defense. It’s no different in writing, English has only 26 letters, and books with hundreds of pages and many thousands words are written using this small assortment of letters, allowing the authors to express their ideas & emotions. The “letters”, or building blocks of Karate are the same for all striking arts.
Like Karate, Muai Thai has a few strikes and blocks:
Strikes include: the first, elbows, knees and feet
Maui Thai blocks include: The Shin Block, Covering Up, Elbow Block, Double forearm block and foot block
Traditional karate focuses on learning and perfecting many Kata, in Kobayashi Shorin-ryu we had to learn 14 kata before being able to test for black belt, other schools in the same system require only 9 kata. That is 14 Kata, of varying difficulty incorporating the above “alphabet”. If we accept that other striking arts have similar core movements, why are they more popular and sought after than Karate? This offered only as a rhetorical question, or food for thought.
In the MMA world the trio is BJJ, Muay Thai and Wrestling, almost never for 1 or 2 exceptions is Karate ever considered for striking, and when it is, its because the MMA fighter began as a Karate Competitor.
The difference is not in what the body is doing; it has everything to do with how each is being taught. Muay Thai is working on the WHY and modern Karate is focusing on the WHAT.
Karate schools that want to focus on the combative roots of what Karate once was need to step away from Kata Centric training and instead focus on Concept centric training. Changing the teaching concepts of karate that are over 50 years old now will take a lot of work.
Karate will need to transform itself and possibly even take a note from history. Those who embrace this idea, may have to rename Karate just as ToDe was renamed to Karate.
Is Karate’s emphasis on kata the reason for its lower popularity compared to other striking arts that prioritize practicality and effectiveness in fewer training tools?
Such a system would reduce, if not fully eliminate, the traditional kata found in the curriculums of traditional karate schools. By replacing the existing set of Kata, with 1 or 2 simplified kata that have been ran through a filter applying first principals. This truncated new kata can be taught quickly, and can be adapted to teach a variety of concepts making it a flexible teaching tool.
Can the traditional kata in traditional karate schools be significantly reduced or even eliminated, and instead be replaced with simplified kata that have been filtered through first principles, allowing for quick and adaptable teaching of a variety of concepts?
SOLUTION:
To offer a solution, the problem needs to be explored and understood first.
The public & the martial arts community outside of Karate organizations does not consider karate as a strong and affective fighting system. The public view karate as an activity for children and some adults to burn off energy. This is because of the methods used to teach Karate, the adherence by the old guard to maintain “traditions” from a foreign country that do not overlap with the American mindset. Most karate schools today are not teaching combat, instead they are teaching Yoga with punches and kicks, offering birthday party packages, catering and focusing on developing “little ninja programs” and testing students regularly for belt ranks for a fee.
Karate schools need to redefine what karate is and how to teach it to reposition themselves. Karate is said to focus on three primary pillars. Depending on the school, there are variations:
Both of the two bullet points are still mostly about the DO and not about combat or practical applications.
Striking systems prioritize physical and mental preparation. Kata or forms are exclusive to Karate and traditional Martial arts focusing on perfecting the presentation.
Affective fighting systems focus on only a few concepts and these concepts can, when combined, become techniques. Then, we ask, how can we reduce karate to its primary concepts, which would include:
First Principle thinking needs to be applied to all aspects of Karate. As instructors, we need to consider objectively what we are teaching and ask if it is serving any true purpose to advance knowledge & understanding. The initial step in developing a conceptual Karate training system is to apply First Principle thinking.
What is First Principle thinking? A first principle is a basic proposition or assumption that cannot be deduced from any other proposition or assumption. It is the practice of questioning every assumption you know about a given problem, then creating a new solution from scratch. In short it is the act of boiling something down to it’s core components and then using some components, while substituting and tossing out others, in order to make a better solution.
Step One: Reduce the number of kata, 1 or 2 kata suffices for teaching a fighting art. Common rhetoric from schools and large associations is that “Every Kata is a fighting system”. How many fighting systems are truly essential to teach?
Karate instructors need to ask the hard questions, what are we teaching and what purpose does what we are teaching serve? This requires honest objectivity on the part of the instructor. What follows is a framework to help along this path.
Step Two: Develop partner drills & Pad work drills.
Students like to get physical with each other. This is an import aspect of training that should consume most of the floor time.
Rank
Keep the belt system simple. 5 belts should come before black belt. Earning a belt should never be the goal, avoid phrases like “earn your black belt”, or “black belt club” instead the goal should be phrases that focus on bettering ability, increasing strength, speed, agility, throw better punches they can be abstract and not measurable by metrics. Whereas setting an objective, learn to defend and control a continuous assault. Belts and rank need to be removed from the equation and replaced by more valuable objectives.
However, belts and ranks serve a purpose on the training floor, it tells the instructors where a student is in terms of training, what his mind set is relative to others on the floor, further it provides a pecking order that is important in a group setting.
In conclusion, This essay has looked at traditional karate’s instructional techniques and the decline in the art’s capacity for self-defense. It contrasts the conceptual learning strategy, which places an emphasis on comprehension and critical thinking, with the rote learning approach, which places an emphasis on memory and repetition of knowledge. This investigation has made it clear that the conceptual learning method is the best way to learn karate for self-defense and conflict.
The traditional Karate teaching methods, centered around complex Kata and Yakusoku Kumite drills, have contributed to the perception of Karate as nothing more than a dance and ineffective for serious self-defense training. The emphasis on memorization and the testing and grading system based on arbitrary criteria have led to a decline in Karate’s practical hands-on training.
In contrast, the proposed conceptual learning approach aims to shift the focus from memorizing forms to understanding the underlying concepts and principles of Karate movements. By breaking down movements into smaller sequences and engaging in partner drills and pad work, students can apply the concepts in a practical and dynamic manner. This approach encourages critical thinking, analysis, and the development of combat skills.
The need for a transformation in Karate teaching philosophy and objectives is evident. By adopting a conceptual training approach, Karate can breathe new life into the art and regain its relevance in the martial arts community. This transformation involves reducing the number of kata, eliminating redundant movements, and developing streamlined partner and pad drills that focus on core concepts and techniques.
Furthermore, the traditional belt ranking system should be reevaluated, placing less emphasis on the accumulation of belts and more on the continuous improvement of skills and abilities. By redefining what Karate is and how it is taught, Karate schools can attract more students and position themselves as effective combat arts, rather than mere recreational activities.
It is crucial for Karate schools to embrace change and adopt a conceptual learning approach that aligns with the goals and expectations of modern students. By doing so, Karate can reclaim its status as a practical and effective martial art for self-protection and combat. The future of Karate lies in challenging the dominance of rote learning and embracing a more dynamic and concept-based approach to teaching.