Branching out in Martial Arts

I've been training in Shotokan karate on-and-off for the past 15 years or so.  The original Okinawan curriculum, dating back to Itosu in the late 19th century, consisted exclusively of katas. Hence, the katase must be taken as the core representation of the art form and combat system.

The modern curriculum tends to focus on sharp strikes, punches, and kicks. This is great, but the modern curriculum tends to under-emphasize the joint-locks, grappling, throws, and takedowns found throughout the katas. In fact, the kihon [basics] and kumite [sparring] curriculum tends to look quite different from the katas. One interpretation of this discrepancy, is that the katas are antiquated, mysterious, or impractical. My preferred interpretation is that we're missing something in our basics and sparring training. The grappling/throwing aspect is often under-emphasized.

I'm not the originator of this interpretation. Established practitioners and writers like Bruce Clayton, Iain Abernathy, and Kousaku Yokota have been popularizing this under-emphasized portion of the curriculum for many years. The under-emphasis comes from an over-emphasis in training in a way that complies with tournament rules. Throwing an opponent will not gain points under standard karate tournament rules, but punching or kicking him will.

Anyway, from time-to-time, I've started leading classes at my local shotokan dojo. I make sure to emphasize the grappling and throwing, and make sure the students practice these in pairs, as well as practicing how to fall correctly. I'm also taking a beginner's course in Judo, to get a more systematic treatment of throwing.

At the end of the day, there is nothing mystical about martial arts technique. It's just physics and anatomy. This is why there is great commonality in punching technique across art-forms, from boxing to karate to muay thai.