The Most Important Part of Karate

Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.

Anton Chekhov

There is a moment during our belt ceremony where we place our old belt next to our new one to form the shape of the letter “L.” L stands for learning. That's what we do in the karate school. We learn about the art, we learn about the body, we learn about ourselves. And one of the most important things we learn is that learning alone is not enough. We must train to improve. We must practice.

The difference between knowledge and skill is practice.

Holly Marie Simmers

In the kenpo system we have a complex curriculum of techniques, sets, and forms. You will also learn a large number of drills and exercises to aid in your training. But it is not enough to simply know the material. Memorized physical movements are insufficient to the development of real skill. You could read the written curriculum and commit every move and counter and principle to memory, but what we do is more than words on a page. It is more even than the movement of the body. The method only exists in the practice. Only when you are actually standing on the training floor working with the material are you truly a karate practitioner. And only by practicing your karate will you be able to transcend the mere regurgitation of memorized performances and gain the ability to truly and spontaneously express what you have learned.

Knowledge unused tends to drop out of mind. Knowledge used does not need to be remembered.

Henry Hazlitt

You can not become skilled by knowing the movements. You can not win a fight by understanding how techniques are supposed to work. It is true that one must understand the principles in order to be effective. But principle alone is not enough. When Takuan wrote to Munenori he said, “Technique and principle are just like the two wheels of a cart.” And you only develop technique through constant and rigorous practice.

Practice isn't the thing you do when you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good.

Malcolm Gladwell

And in the case of karate, we are training to face an opponent. Specifically with regards to the karate we practice here, we are training for a life or death situation. Yes, we are practicing the development of the self and the internal journey towards enlightenment and constant improvement. Yes, the ultimate goal is never to have to use kenpo to fight. Yes, the enemies we will face most often are the ones within. But the Way we follow is that of true combat. It is not the Way of the athlete or the Way of the dancer. It is the Way of the warrior. Our style is one that seeks and teaches truth in combat against another human being. And should we ever be forced to face another, skill against skill alone, it will only be our dedication to practice which gives us any chance to survive such an encounter.

When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him he will win.

Ed Macauley

Karate is not easy. It is not a thing to be done by half measures. It is a Way without an end, a lifelong journey towards ability and understanding and no matter how long or how diligently you train, you will never, ever, finish learning. You may stop some day, but it will not be because you are done. And every day between now and then, while you continue practicing, you will continue improving. There is no technique that you can do enough times that you would not get better by doing it once more. There is no form or throw or combination that you will ever master to the point that you have nothing more to gain from one more repetition. Each time you step on the training floor with purpose you grow. Each time you step off the training floor you have become more than you were. That is the path you are on. Every step is a step up. No matter how good you are, or how bad you are, or how long it has been since your last class, every time you practice, you progress.

If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat.

Herschel Walker

Karate is hard. It is a constant challenge. Every student who has ever begun his training in the martial arts, every champion, every Master, began as a white belt. And every time he learned a new technique, no matter how long he had trained, he began again as a beginner. There is no skill you will ever learn that you don't have to do for the first time first. But that is also the promise of karate. That it works. That training makes you better. That it really is worth it. Every class. Every repetition. Every tired muscle. Every bruise. Every bead of sweat. Every drop of blood. It is all towards something. You can't always see it. But you're always getting better. Every time you throw a punch. Every time you block a kick. Every time you show up and dress out. The only difference between you and your instructors is the amount of classes they've attended. There is no place in karate that you can not go. If you strive. If you work hard. If you practice, day and night, with utmost seriousness.

I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true, hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice.

Ray Bradbury

There are no shortcuts in karate. There is no secret other than this. Practice, and you will improve. Understand that there is nothing we do more important than actually doing karate. Every question you'll ever have can be answered on the training room floor. Every academic debate or stylistic difference or training paradigm is settled without question by what happens on the mats. Everything else is distraction. There is only the practice. That is all karate is. It is not what you think or believe or want it to be. It is only what you do.

If someone asked me what a human being ought to devote the maximum of his time to, I would answer, "Training." Train more than you sleep.

Masutatsu Oyama

Drills-

Beginner: Practice each of your basic techniques 10 times on each side in the air, on the pads or shield, and on the body. Remember the F.A.S.P. training model. Form. Accuracy. Speed. Power. The more you do something correctly, the faster and more powerfully you will be able to do it. Speed and Power come from Form and Accuracy, there can be no other way.

Intermediate: Practice each of your techniques 10 times each in the air and on the body. Practice slowly, making every strike, every stance, every movement precise. Then practice it as fast as you can do it correctly. If you make a mistake, slow down, and begin again. There is no hurry. You will never be done, no matter how fast you go, and trying to rush now will only result in sloppy performance. Haste makes waste.

Advanced: Practice each of your patterns 10 times each in the air with your eyes open and your eyes closed. Pay attention to how every movement affects every other part of your body. The more exhausted and sore you become, the more your body will speak to you. You will learn how moving your arm affects muscles in your shoulders, back, buttocks, hips, legs, and feet. You will learn how even the smallest changes in orientation cause changes in balance and force you to adjust your stance and position. The body is the instrument. Listen to it. Let it be your teacher. Do not argue with the lessons your body is trying to convey.