A gentleman named W.R. Mann has written extensively about traditional karate.
He doesn’t think a lot of it, but he’s very smart, and he’s very experienced, and he writes very well; and therefore his thoughts deserve attention.
One of the dozen or so criticisms of karate he argues is that practicing traditional karate can make you stiff and rigid.
I certainly agree that it can.
Huh?
Well, I’ve already written about the thing that all martial practices have in common, that being trying to teach the correct balance between tension and relaxation.
So one traditional style of karate, Goju-ryu, is famous for working to make you so stiff and hard that you can barely move, in the practice of the first Goju-ryu kata, Sanchin.
But ultimately, if you persevere in your study of Goju-ryu, you turn into Morio Higaonna, and you hit like a cannon and move smoothly and with relaxation when you are no longer young.
The reason I use Goju-ryu as an example of traditional karate and stiffness is the syllabus of Goju-ryu tries to make you stiff in the beginning, and then builds the correct balance from there; and in exactly the same way, Tai-chi Chuan builds excessive relaxation in the beginning, and then puts some starch in the techniques when you become a little more advanced.
And how about my instructor in traditional Shotokan Karate, JKA 8th Dan Shojiro Koyama?
Well, now we’re moving in an area where I have both knowledge of facts, and preconceived ideas and prejudices, and they work like this: Sensei Shojiro Koyama is a very smart guy. He realized early in his practice that he wanted to be a little faster than most folks, so he’s always emphasized speed and “whipping” movements in his practice and his teaching. That is, relaxation in technique is a special interest in his dojo.
The good news here is that my opinion isn’t evidence, but the magic of motion pictures means that I don’t need to be a good witness!
So please take a look at Sensei Koyama, and you can judge for yourself whether karate makes you flexible, strong, coordinated and healthy. At 73 or so, when this film was made:
