Proper Practice and Attitude

Karate training is intended to develop stability, freedom, responsiveness, endurance and effective power. It will enable a student to use technique instinctively. Various methods of practice follow:

Basic Exercise
•Stationary Exercise: This is a method for acquiring correct technique by oneself, or with another student. Without changing position, one emphasizes basic techniques, concentrating on accuracy and stability. Stationary blocks and strikes are good examples.
•Mobile Exercise: One practices each basic technique while moving in a straight line back and forth. Both stability and freedom of technique are stressed.
•Rotation Exercises: Performed repeatedly while turning, such that one faces in each of four different directions. Both freedom and responsiveness of technique are emphasized.

Reciprocal Exercise
•Pattern Exercises: Students perform various techniques from a series of positions on the basis of set patterns. They practice offensive and defensive moves in each situation, and in doing so enable themselves to see technique effectively.
•Free Exercises: Students freely confront each other with various movements, standing at fixed positions and using a continuous series of offensive and defensive techniques.
•Game Exercises: Students pay the utmost attention to gaining points while using simple, continuous, and complex techniques. It is designed for learning tactics for game maneuvers in each position.
•Form Exercises: Students actually come to practice the series of motions that make up a particular form. One student takes the role of performer, the other of assistant.

Supplemental Exercise
•Special Conditioning to raise the degree of skin toughness and bone resistance. This training uses various tools and instruments to strengthen particular parts of the body applied in certain movements.
•Strength Training to increase the muscle’s absolute strength, sustenance, and contractile power necessary for a particular technique.
•Speed Training to increase the ability to recognize and anticipate an attack. An awareness of movements as well as stance is a key requirement during all phases of speed training.

Methods Depending on Differences in Physical Strength and Goals
Low Stance where one’s feet are spread at shoulder length, with the knees bent, and the arms and upper body stretching freely. This is adequate for basic training and for a young person. It will help one to understand precisely the correct use of space and technique.
High Stance involves practical application, where the feet are set narrowly, and uses fine movements.
Middle Stance is an intermediate posture, ideal for a middle aged or physically weak individuals. Such individuals should never push beyond his or her ability, but may attempt gradual development of a Low Stance. A lazy person cannot cannot cultivate strength, health, or good technique without effort.

One must develop and apply techniques according to one’s physical capacity and characteristics. A person who is small and quick should learn offensive moves where he turns aside his body and performs from a lower level. One who is light with springing power should develop jumping. Thirdly, a big heavy person should develop offensive moves that reverse his opponent’s actions.

Eliminate Bad Habits
Bad habits can ultimately cause disaster later. Typical habits become associated with particular actions, and if they show up often in competition your opponent will learn to recognize them, putting you at a disadvantage.

Mental Preparation and Attitude before Practice and a Contest
The practice of correct karate must follow fundamental principles. It is important to start practicing with a relaxed mind, to acquire strength with the correct posture and to gradually increase strength so as to apply techniques freely. There are some people who believe that one performs karate vigorously and with all one’s power, but this is not true. Putting all of one’s power into performance is the sign of a beginner. Anyone who does not fully bear in mind the methods listed here will fall into error.

Mental Preparation
Correct technique should become a habit. For this purpose one should faithfully practice each technique, advancing from one stage to another, and then move to the next point in the technique. This method of perfecting one technique at a time is more effective than trying to acquire many techniques at once out of curiosity and impatience. One should start advanced and applied techniques only after fully mastering the basic techniques. Over-ambitious actions will bring on poor results and within two or three years one’s capacity to improve will be exhausted.

On Teacher and Student
Karate cannot be acquired with money but with heart. Only if a teacher and student respect each other and make contact, without forgetting courtesy between each other, will their relationship be long-lasting. It is important in learning karate that the teacher instruct the student sincerely, and the student sincerely learn from his teacher. The basics should be learned well and taught with care. Once the basics are achieved firmly, one can add as much as he or she wants. A good teacher will withhold none of his knowledge from a good student.

Some suggestions for Karate Clubs in Schools and Colleges
Because the school club member is already a student, he should value karate more for its discipline and training than for fighting.

Studies should always take precedence over karate. But if you practice karate in your free time, you will acquire something that will serve you for your entire life. During your participation in the karate club, once or twice try to push yourself to the limits of your physical abilities. This will help you to know your limits and will help you in overcoming hardships later on in life.

How to learn
In Karate-Do, first you learn technique. Next, you begin to apply correct breathing to your technique. As training continues, you gain physical strength. Finally, you gain mental strength. Try and combine your mental and body strength, which will help you obtain a “heavenly power.” The Japanese term that describes this power is “mu.” At this level, you do not have to defeat your opponent; rather, you let him defeat himself. Your technique comes out naturally, without thinking. Your opponent will seem to move slowly.