Come See The Difference REAL KARATE Makes!
Why Okinawan Karate?
We believe that the Karate of Okinawa provides a rich, comprehensive, and effective means of personal self-defense. Okinawan Karate was developed as a response to the need to defend common people against the aggression of various invaders and tyrants, and as such provides a realistic and conclusive set of solid self-defense techniques. Okinawan styles of Karate are not sport forms; this is a combat art.
Okinawan Karate had its origins in a rudimentary form of boxing. This was brutal, but not very refined; the point was basically to thump the other guy into submission. In the mid-1800’s Okinawa experienced great cultural interaction with neighboring China, which had the effect of bringing that country’s rich fighting traditions to Okinawa. The Okinawan people, being eminently practical, took what they found useful from the Chinese fighting systems and incorporated it into their native art. The sophistication of the techniques the Okinawan's came up with is amazing. Never fighting force with force, all techniques deploy your strongest capabilities against the opponent’s weakest defense. When force is used, it is |
the maximum you are capable of generating versus the most vulnerable parts of the opponents' anatomy. This is what you get with a system that was developed to quickly deal with people who are trying to kill you. |
How we train
We follow traditional training methods as established directly from Hanshi Nakazato in Okinawa. Every Shorinkan affiliate school must conform to a strictly defined course of instruction which covers all the fundamental components of our art.
Okinawan karate is not a sport form of the art. We have little interest in sport-related artifacts such as point sparring . All of our techniques are designed to end a fight in the most efficient possible manner, which tends to make sport competitions a rather brief undertaking. We do spar occasionally, but not to see who can score the most points; we use it to develop timing, distance, and the understanding that in a free-for-all environment, techniques do go awry.
We do practice kata. A lot. Kata are the database of Karate, and we constantly work our kata to refine our techniques and understanding. Nearly every technique we employ can be found in one or more kata, along with the proper body positioning, timing, angle and direction. Every move in every kata has multiple distinct applications and it takes years to begin to understand them all. That said, every technique in every kata also has basic applications that can be employed immediately by a beginner. So the kata has something for everyone.
Many schools see kata as a hurdle to be endured simply to rise to the next rank. We don’t see it that way. Kata is our database, and a tool for better understanding. Only incidentally are kata tied to ranks.
We strive at all times to be as accurate and true to the fundamental techniques as possible. We don’t change techniques to make them “look better”. Our philosophy is that the Okinawans have developed this to a fine degree of sophistication, and we need to strive to understand what they have given us, not try to change it into something we think looks better.
Okinawan karate is not a sport form of the art. We have little interest in sport-related artifacts such as point sparring . All of our techniques are designed to end a fight in the most efficient possible manner, which tends to make sport competitions a rather brief undertaking. We do spar occasionally, but not to see who can score the most points; we use it to develop timing, distance, and the understanding that in a free-for-all environment, techniques do go awry.
We do practice kata. A lot. Kata are the database of Karate, and we constantly work our kata to refine our techniques and understanding. Nearly every technique we employ can be found in one or more kata, along with the proper body positioning, timing, angle and direction. Every move in every kata has multiple distinct applications and it takes years to begin to understand them all. That said, every technique in every kata also has basic applications that can be employed immediately by a beginner. So the kata has something for everyone.
Many schools see kata as a hurdle to be endured simply to rise to the next rank. We don’t see it that way. Kata is our database, and a tool for better understanding. Only incidentally are kata tied to ranks.
We strive at all times to be as accurate and true to the fundamental techniques as possible. We don’t change techniques to make them “look better”. Our philosophy is that the Okinawans have developed this to a fine degree of sophistication, and we need to strive to understand what they have given us, not try to change it into something we think looks better.
Kata List
About our kata Shorin-ryu Shorinkan has a comprehensive set of standard open hand and weapons kata, which all member clubs are expected to make a fundamental part of their curriculum. The kata are standardized in Okinawa and promulgated through the hierarchy to all Shorinkan schools worldwide. A great benefit of this approach is one of consistency of style; everyone performs a given kata the same way, from the Grandmaster down to the noobiest white belt.
Many systems lack this consistency as the schools are not closely affiliated with a central authority, and tend to mutate over time. In Shorinkan, however, the leadership from Okinawa has a strong influence on each school and keeps us all punching to the same drummer.
At Hughes Karate-do, we train with as much fidelity to the Okinawan way as possible. Sensei Hughes and senior students travel to other Shorinkan schools and special events several times a year, where techniques are honed and polished by high-level members of the organization. We frequently host visits by senior Shorinkan practitioners as well. It's a fact of martial arts life that left to our own devices our techniques will tend to get sloppy over time, so these events and visits are a great way to regain accuracy (not to mention being a wonderful source of new techniques).
We don't mess with the kata. What we train in are straight from the Grandmaster's living room, executed as accurately as possible. Here's the list:
Open-hand kata
Many systems lack this consistency as the schools are not closely affiliated with a central authority, and tend to mutate over time. In Shorinkan, however, the leadership from Okinawa has a strong influence on each school and keeps us all punching to the same drummer.
At Hughes Karate-do, we train with as much fidelity to the Okinawan way as possible. Sensei Hughes and senior students travel to other Shorinkan schools and special events several times a year, where techniques are honed and polished by high-level members of the organization. We frequently host visits by senior Shorinkan practitioners as well. It's a fact of martial arts life that left to our own devices our techniques will tend to get sloppy over time, so these events and visits are a great way to regain accuracy (not to mention being a wonderful source of new techniques).
We don't mess with the kata. What we train in are straight from the Grandmaster's living room, executed as accurately as possible. Here's the list:
Open-hand kata
- Pinan Shodan
- Pinan Nidan
- Pinan Sandan
- Pinan Yondan
- Pinan Godan
- Naihanchi Shodan
- Naihanchi Nidan
- Naihanchi Sandan
- Passai Sho
- Pasai Dai
- Kusanku Sho
- Kusanku Dai
- Gorin
- Chinto
- Gojushiho
Additional Kata
In addition to the standard Shorinkan kata we also teach a simple kata named "Basic Form #1". This kata has only two unique moves, and is a simple H pattern. We find it is a good kata for beginners as it introduces them to the concept of a pattern without trying to stuff in a bunch of complicated techniques.
That said, one could easily spend a year studying this kata. Every rank level can learn something from it. Indeed, if all you learned was Basic Form #1, and you really studied it, you could probably handle 80% of the opponents out there.
For the other 20%, well, that's what we have the other katas for.
That said, one could easily spend a year studying this kata. Every rank level can learn something from it. Indeed, if all you learned was Basic Form #1, and you really studied it, you could probably handle 80% of the opponents out there.
For the other 20%, well, that's what we have the other katas for.
Weapons Kata
Weapons kata Shorin-ryu Shorinkan has a number of weapons kata using the bo, tonfa, kama, and sai.
Yakusoku
Yakusoku, roughly translated, means "I promise" in Japanese. At Hughes Karate-do, we practice a kind of two-person kata called Yakusoku kumite, which is a multi-step, prearranged sparring drill.
In Yakusoku kumite, what each person is promising is to hit the other person. Each person learns quickly how effective (or not) their techniques are by whether or not the promised blow arrives on target. A variety of punches, kicks, and turning movements are executed in quick succession, with each person getting a chance for attack and defense.
It may seem strange that we do kata-like maneuvers with the serious intent of actually landing a strike on our partner. Some people might find this whole idea outrageous. Indeed, acting like this in many dojos would get you tossed out in short order. But there is a method to Shorinkan's madness.
A shortcoming of many schools is the fact that the training does not emphasize real-word attacks. We have all heard stories of martial artists, who when assaulted by a bad guy, executed a flawless reverse spin kick, perfectly aimed at the air one inch away from the bad guy's nose. All those years in the dojo trained their body to launch a perfect, powerful kick-- Without killing the person they are training with. If every kick they threw actually connected with their fellow student's face, the school would soon run out of people willing to train there. So, many styles pull their punches, deliberately miss, and otherwise avoid serious contact to keep from injuring their fellow students.
We believe this is does a disservice to the students. The best way to learn whether your technique will actually avoid a strike is to have someone actually trying to hit you. If your technique works, you don't get hit. If your technique doesn't work, you get immediate feedback, and you can adjust your technique until it does work.
The point is not to kill each other; it is to make contact. If we actually get through and are about to nail the other guy, we are careful to pull the strike as much as possible. We are not at all interested in hurting our training partner. We have a completely diffrent set of objectives.
The person defending gets to see if their technique works against a strike that is assuredly going to hit them if they screw up. The person attacking gets to learn how to get inside the opponent's defenses. Also, the attacker gains valuable feedback and knowledge of the length of their limbs-- They discover exactly how far they can punch or kick. Martial artists whose punches always end 1 inch away from their uke's body have a fundamental, innate knowledge that they can punch exactly one inch short of hitting something, every time. In a combat situation, will they overcome years of training to punch that extra inch? and will their technique stand up to that unnatural extension? Will their punch or kick be as hard?
Yakusoku are not just simpleminded sparring drills, either. As usual in most things Shorkinkan, the simple techniques used in Yakusoku kumite contain some of the most joint-ripping, bone-crunching, eyeball-bursting techniques found anywhere. When the defender does a chudan uke, what looks like a "block" might actually be removing the other guy's gallbladder. When techniques actually land in Yakusoku, they train the body to expect the impact, like punching a makiwara or heavy bag. That is training one does not get by punching the air.
In Yakusoku kumite, what each person is promising is to hit the other person. Each person learns quickly how effective (or not) their techniques are by whether or not the promised blow arrives on target. A variety of punches, kicks, and turning movements are executed in quick succession, with each person getting a chance for attack and defense.
It may seem strange that we do kata-like maneuvers with the serious intent of actually landing a strike on our partner. Some people might find this whole idea outrageous. Indeed, acting like this in many dojos would get you tossed out in short order. But there is a method to Shorinkan's madness.
A shortcoming of many schools is the fact that the training does not emphasize real-word attacks. We have all heard stories of martial artists, who when assaulted by a bad guy, executed a flawless reverse spin kick, perfectly aimed at the air one inch away from the bad guy's nose. All those years in the dojo trained their body to launch a perfect, powerful kick-- Without killing the person they are training with. If every kick they threw actually connected with their fellow student's face, the school would soon run out of people willing to train there. So, many styles pull their punches, deliberately miss, and otherwise avoid serious contact to keep from injuring their fellow students.
We believe this is does a disservice to the students. The best way to learn whether your technique will actually avoid a strike is to have someone actually trying to hit you. If your technique works, you don't get hit. If your technique doesn't work, you get immediate feedback, and you can adjust your technique until it does work.
The point is not to kill each other; it is to make contact. If we actually get through and are about to nail the other guy, we are careful to pull the strike as much as possible. We are not at all interested in hurting our training partner. We have a completely diffrent set of objectives.
The person defending gets to see if their technique works against a strike that is assuredly going to hit them if they screw up. The person attacking gets to learn how to get inside the opponent's defenses. Also, the attacker gains valuable feedback and knowledge of the length of their limbs-- They discover exactly how far they can punch or kick. Martial artists whose punches always end 1 inch away from their uke's body have a fundamental, innate knowledge that they can punch exactly one inch short of hitting something, every time. In a combat situation, will they overcome years of training to punch that extra inch? and will their technique stand up to that unnatural extension? Will their punch or kick be as hard?
Yakusoku are not just simpleminded sparring drills, either. As usual in most things Shorkinkan, the simple techniques used in Yakusoku kumite contain some of the most joint-ripping, bone-crunching, eyeball-bursting techniques found anywhere. When the defender does a chudan uke, what looks like a "block" might actually be removing the other guy's gallbladder. When techniques actually land in Yakusoku, they train the body to expect the impact, like punching a makiwara or heavy bag. That is training one does not get by punching the air.
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