Very well said, I'd even go as far as say that competition karate is not true karate.

Karate Nerd Jessie Encamp describes martial arts like multiple paths up the same mountain.  The closer you get to the top, the closer the paths get to each other.

Thank you Sensei. I am blessed to train in a dojo that focuses on traditional Shotokan, or some may say old school. Your videos represent what we focus on. Very little focus on the sport aspect of modern karate. Always learn something from your posts and have had success in my dojo because of it. Keep up the good work and thank you!

This is the style of karate I want to learn, not limiting myself to a specific sub section and rather learning every beneficial bit of karate as a whole.🥋

Many people seem to not understand the fact that there’s only so many ways to effectively hit with your body

I’ve had the exact same argument about techniques like haito-uchi (ridge-hand), tettsui-uchi (hammer-fist), uraken-uchi (back-fist), haishu-uchi (back-hand), and ude-uchi (forearm strike).
A lot of styles have quietly dropped them or barely teach them anymore, claiming “they don’t work.” The usual follow-up is that they aren’t used in ring fights, so they must be useless.
I strongly disagree.
Most modern karate (especially competition-oriented styles) has ended up looking a lot more like boxing when it comes to hand strikes. Many of the older, more destructive strikes weren’t abandoned because they don’t work — they were abandoned because they do work too well. A lot of them were banned or heavily restricted in competition, and almost all of them become awkward or impossible once thick gloves are put on.
So the absence of these techniques in the ring doesn’t prove they’re ineffective. It mostly proves that the rules and equipment of modern sport fighting no longer allow them.

Kazuya Mishima is Karate

Well said. Unfortunately a lot of people have a small amount of understanding but think they know everything

Knee and elbow strikes are an important part of my training at my dojo.  Also low kicks not high kicks.  I tell my students high kicks are for competition and low kicks, knees, elbows for the real deal on the street.

People are way too preoccupied with classifying things and saying what is and what isn't karate. You'r e allowed to be creative with karate and martial arts. People should look up what oyo is. No matter what someone practices, if they don't learn to apply techniques to make them work then they are simply artist, and what they practice is aesthetics. I think it's a good idea to listen to the guy who is in peak health, a champion martial artist, and clearly can fight.

I want you as my sensei 🥲. We’re on the same vibe.

I don’t know why this guy didn’t act as Ryu in the upcoming Street Fighter movie. He would have nailed it.

If your distance is absolutely near , you may need to use knee

Comments online dont usually come from a place of common sense. Don't take it to heart, keep loving what you do. Thats all you need, the rest sorts itself out.

I tell people that it's karate if I'm the one doing it

Knee strikes are self defence Osu!

😮 I would not of wanted to be on the receiving end of that!

I practice shotokan karate for 31 years now and i am an instructor for about 27 years. For me personally the main aspect and beauty of karate is the impovement of youself, your own way of karate, your character and your techniques.
I am really open to other styles and martial arts, because i know that they all have a similar origin and a similar purpouse. But i am also hesitant to the development of sports-karate as it is practiced and taught in many dojos. In my opinion, if you want to be a good karate practicioner, you need to start at the basics. First you need to polish your kihon (basic techniques) and only with good techniques you should start practicing your kata and start with basic kumite. Than you can deepen the kata with application (bunkai) and start  with free fighting. Skipping this process and starting with sports karate kumite and the goal to move your limbs as efficient as possible to score points is not karate anymore. And it is a shame to see black belts that are maybe fast and have good reaction but cannot perform one good heian shodan. There are many more techniques that most people do not know exisist in traditional karate. Maybe you should show them some advanced kata and bunkai with hiraken, nakadaku-ken, kakuto, haito or washide. There are many techniques that are very harmful in traditional karate and that is the main reason i dont see a motive to compare in a competition in karate. A real fight with the entire arsenal of karate would have only one purpouse: do defend youself and to hurt your opponent as fast as possible so he cannot hurt you, and that would include attacs to the throat, the eyes the joints and the goal to break bones.

Traditional Karate as trained in Okinawa was not a sport and probably more like Muay Thai with Knee strikes.  Point sparring is NOT traditional Karate.  Karate or Empty Hand includes all kinds of hand strikes, elbow strikes, knee strikes, low kicks, take downs and even grappling.

Good one John. Shotokan has a lot in it, it’s up to the student to discover them.