I’ll be 50 years old in a few months. Next week, the karate school where I train – CNY Karate – is hosting masters from our home dojo in Okinawa City, Okinawa, Japan. Some of these people have been training in karate longer than I’ve been alive. As I was talking with one of the classes a couple nights ago, they asked me what the Okinawan karate-ka would be going over with us. Advanced techniques? Spinning jump kicks? Breaking boards while flying through the air?
No. They’ll be drilling us on the basics. In karate, that’s a small handful of blocks, punches and kicks. These basic building blocks can be put together in nearly endless combinations to achieve a martial artist’s goals. These can range from simple protection, repelling an opponent, causing limited physical damage, serious damage, or even death. Overall, the practice of the physical aspects of karate are really about learning to control your own body, mind and spirit.