Old Concepts- New Ideas

Itosu's Ten Teachings Karate does not derive from Buddhism or Confucianism. In olden times two styles, called Shorin style and Shorei style, came from China. We consider that both have distinct advantages and should not be altered or combined - they should be left as they are.

1. The aim of karate is not only to train the body. If you train at karate eventually you will gain the spirit to be able to sacrifice yourself for your ruler or nation. Never fight over insignificant matters; do not fight ruffians or villains. Avoid such people as often as possible.

2. Training in karate will make your muscles powerful and your body strong. As a result you will develop a courageous spirit. If you train at karate from childhood you will find that you are able to make a great contribution to society, even as a soldier. For example, the Duke of Wellington said after his victory over Napoleon the First, "Our victory was because we exercised and played disciplined games when we were at school.

3. You cannot master karate easily, or in a short time. The process is like a herd of cows grazing across a field. No matter how slow the herd moves it will eventually reach the end. Even if it moves slowly it could cover 100 miles. If you train one or two hours every day, your body will change after 3 or 4 years - you will get to the core of karate.

4. The most important point in karate is "Ken-soku" (fist-foot), so use the makiwara to develop these weapons. Keep your shoulders down, expand your chest and develop your power. Root your stance to the ground. What you have to do is 100 to 200 punches every day.

5. In the upright stance of karate you must keep your back straight and your shoulders down while keeping your legs strong and then focus your attention on the tanden.

6. There are many movements in karate. When you train you must try to understand the aim of the movement and its application. You have to take into account all possible meanings and applications of the move. Each move can have many applications.

7. When you train in karate you must study in advance whether the application of each move is more useful for training or defence.

8. When you train in karate you should train as though you were in the battlefield fighting the enemy. You should keep your shoulders down and fix yourself in the stance. When you block or thrust you should picture the enemy. In so doing you will gradually master how to fight in a real battle.

9. Your training must be according to your bodily strength. If your training is too great for your condition, it is not good for you. Your face will turn red, as will your eyes, and you will damage yourself.

10. People who train at karate usually enjoy a long life. This is because the training strengthens muscles, improves the digestive organs, and strengthens the blood circulation system. I think that from now on karate should be introduced to the curriculum of the Elementary Schools and in doing so we could produce men capable of defeating ten enemies single-handed.


Ankoh Itosu.

My Friend Scotty

Scotty

A few years ago I attended the World cup, a prestigious martial arts tournament held in Hungary. A large group from the U.S.A. attended including some physically and mentally challenged students. We trained for several months and were looking forward to visiting Europe.

I chatted with many of the people on the team. The group had a lot of age ranges including children, teens and adults into their fifties. There was a big group of teens flying over with us. One boy in particular I had met before and his name is Scotty. Scotty was one of the challenged members.

He suffered from spina bifida as a child and used crutches to make his way around. His balance was very compromised and his legs had very little strength but he had the heart and courage of a lion. Scotty is a Black Belt. Maybe not a Black belt in the traditional sense, but for a person with his means he knew all the requirements as well as a person with his challenges could. This kid was an absolute charmer. His personality was all sunshine and people were attracted to his charm and outgoing attitude.
As we got to know Scotty better we began to see him more from the inside than from the outside.

At the tournament Scotty was going to perform in a category called forms where a person is judged on power, speed, and balance as they execute kicks, punches and blocks in a choreographed individual routine. Scotty, who boldly entered in a teen category, fared not too well. Teenagers with strong bodies were tough competition and Scotty didn’t come close to winning a medal.

During the course of the day his American teammates did well and Scotty was the first one there to congratulate them. He shared in the excitement of other teammates victory even though he hadn’t been able to win anything himself. Later that afternoon there was another division for the teenage Black Belts to compete in. The self defense division was a competition where an individual would defend himself against an attacker.
The same standards were required as before, speed, power and balance. Scotty had passed on competing in a handicap division, saying, “That was for people with real challenges”!

The division was under way and Scotty was ready. There were many other contests going on in the auditorium but when Scotty went up it seemed that everyone stopped what they were doing to watch. Here Scotty went, awkwardly walking up to the judges to introduced himself and his partner. The judges nodded with approval signifying that it was all right to step back and begin. As Scotty and his partner began I saw a change. Scotty stood a little straighter, his eyes became as focused as a laser beam, his face was deadly serious and then the attacker came at him.

A punch was launched at his face and he used a crutch to block it away and then turned it into a strike doubling his opponent over. The audience just gasped! The attacker rose again and again but the deft strokes of Scotty’s crutches blocked and struck again with unerring precision. After about a minute of constant attacks Scotty’s finalized his defense by sweeping his attackers legs out from under him and pinned him to the ground with a crutch.

Silence, not a word or sound from any one.

Then it began. Clapping. More clapping. Then a thunderous roar of clapping resounded from the rafters. All the Black Belt teenagers in his competition ran over and started hugging Scotty like a long lost brother.
The kids hoisted him up onto their shoulders and paraded him around like he was Babe Ruth hitting a homerun to win the world series. The applause went on for fifteen minutes straight.

That weekend we got to hang around with the World Cup Black Belt self defense gold medalist. We called him Champ but he said we could call him Scotty.