The K Is On The Way - 2020

“The K is on the way - 2020” is a frequently-heard ‘battle cry’ these days.  This is part of the campaign to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include Karate as an Olympic sport in the 2020 Games.  While I applaud the effort and truly hope that Karate makes it to the Olympics on this, the third time it tries for inclusion, I sadly predict: it ain’t gonna happen.

I’ve always been good with concepts and terrible with facts, so I can’t really give much more than my opinion.  The story of Karate’s attempts at Olympic inclusion can be found on the internet, so I’ll just rough it out here.  ‘Karate’ is a generic term for many different Japanese and Okinawan styles with many, many associations.  Different organizations wanted to be in charge of the bid for Olympic status.  The general feeling was, “Everyone, come under my banner”.  Of course, everyone else said to come join them under their banners.  As a result, nothing got accomplished.  Tae Kwon Do (an equally generic term for many Korean styles) got their act together under the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) and was introduced as a demonstration sport in 1988 and 1992.  It became a full-medal sport at the 2000 Games.  The Olympics only have ‘kyorugi’ (sparring), and not ‘poomse’ (forms).  Our kumite is almost the same as Korean kyorugi: blocks, punches, and kicks.  We both wear foam sparring gear and score on the same target areas.  As it now stands, there is absolutely no need for the IOC to let Karate into the Olympics.  Nothing to get upset about – Tae Kwon Do simply beat us to the punch (pun intended).

The solution is simple, but karateka seem to be too proud to do it: compete in Tae Kwon Do events.  Sparring is sparring.  Qualify for Olympic Tae Kwon Do competition.  It’s as simple as that.  Ah, but suppose someday they allow forms into Olympic competition?  This answer is just as simple, but again, karateka don’t want to do it.  Learn WTF-approved forms.  But … but … they’re KO-RE-AN, not Japanese!!!  Big deal.  Many karateka are already doing it, just not admitting to it.  The World Karate Federation (WKF) is the international governing body of Olympic Karate; the United States National Karate Federation (USANKF) is the US national governing body.  Many of my Shotokan kin compete with Goju Ryu kata, or change their Shotokan kata to conform to WKF/USANKF standards.  It seems the unwritten goal of international competition is to eliminate different styles and homogenize all of Karate, rather than acknowledge their differences.  I’ve spoken to more than one sensei who tells their students, “This is how you do kata in tournament, but if you do it this way on your test, you fail.”  Students/competitors just blindly accept it.  They don’t think to question, “Why are you teaching me kata two different ways?  Especially if each way is considered 'wrong' by the other’s standards.  What a crock!”

UPDATE - MAY 30, 2013: After a presentation before the IOC yesterday, the decision was immediately reached not to include Karate in the shortlist of sports candidates that will travel to Buenos Aires in September for the final decision of the IOC Session.

UPDATE - AUGUST 3, 2016: It was announced today that Karate will be included in the 2020 Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo, Japan. I don't mind being wrong since this will only help the Karate world.

'OSS', 'OUS', or 'OSU'? 押忍！

In the world of social media, most people must type out what they would normally say. So many speak well but are terrible spellers and have atrocious grammar. That said, there is a great divide among martial artists to acknowledge something with a strong ‘OSS!’, 'OUS!', or ‘OSU!’ Which spelling is correct? The biggest problem is that Japanese words are not ‘spelled’; each kanji character or katakana or hiragana represents a sound or word, not individual letters making up that sound or word. Many ‘experts’ have their opinions, but with a little research, here are my findings:

America and other countries sent fleets to Japan in the 1850s, opening Japan up to the Western world. Language was a major problem, as Japanese could not be read or written in the modern Roman alphabet. Dr. James Curtis Hepburn published a Romanization system in 1887 at the urging of the Romanjikai (Romanization Club) in 1885. Hepburn, an American, recognized that the majority of languages using the modern Roman alphabet do not pronounce their vowels: A, E, I, O, and U, rather AH, EH, EE, OH, and OO. The system translates words en español, ou en français, not in English. All Japanese words end in a vowel EXCEPT for the letter N. If you doubt this, go ask your ShihaN in ShotokaN, or any good SaN DaN can tell you. ‘OSS’ and 'OUS' end in an ‘S’, which is incorrect according to Hepburn’s system. Though partially swallowed up, there is a soft ‘U’ sound at the end of the word pronouncing it more like 'OSu'. It seems that ‘U’s frequently get swallowed up. Look at the word ‘shuto’ (sword hand). It’s not pronounced ‘Shoo-Toe’, but ‘SHuTO’. Strange concept? Not really. Look at words like ‘didn’t’, where the second ‘D’ gets swallowed up and we say ‘di-nt’, or 'bottle', with it's glottal stop we say 'bo-le'.

‘Oss’, 'Ous', and ‘Osu’ are all recognized as acknowledgement, but technically ‘Osu’ is more correct. As martial artists, we strive to be as technically correct as possible. If you agree, respond with a strong ‘Osu!’

"Gakuin"? 学院?

I once had a conversation with a Japanese master who questioned our using the term 'gakuin'. Gakuin means: an academy, or learning institute; a term that might be too lofty for a Karate dojo. I told him that we were founded at New York Institute of Technology, and that I train at Black Belt Academy. I also explained that words like 'academy' and 'institute' are often used in business and advertising to make a subject seem deeper than it actually is (e.g. 'American Bartender's Institute' and 'Wilfred Beauty Academy'). Not wanting to be brash, I did not point out to him that his own dojo was named at that time '(his name) Karate Institute'. He said he understood, and his concerns were allayed.

What's My Rank?

I recently had an experience with a new member who had trained in Chinese martial arts. There have been similar incidents in the past, but this one is fresh in my mind. The gentleman, a Kung Fu black belt, was now intent on learning Shotokan. ‘Intent’ is putting it too mildly. He phoned the dojo at least a dozen times before he joined, each time vowing to be the most dedicated student imaginable, to train hard and learn Shotokan, to stay loyal to me, the dojo, and the style, to be with us for the next ten to fifteen years. It reminds me of the 1954 Bugs Bunny cartoon, ‘Bugs and Thugs’, with Rocky the mobster: “Rocky: SHUT UP!” “Bugs Bunny: Shut up? Why soitainly! You don't tink I'm da type dat would keep on blabbin'? Some people never know when to stop. When I'm told to shut up, I shut u-up...” “Rocky: [sticks gun in Bugs' face] Shut UP shuttin' up!” Whenever a new member is this ‘gung-ho’, a red flag goes up in my mind. I felt this new member would not stay long with the dojo. Hey, prove me wrong. I have no problem being wrong if the new member sticks with it, but I’m almost always right. One of our brown belts is a music teacher and says he experiences the same thing: when a new student is too gung-ho, they burn out and disappear quickly. This new dojo member was assured he’d be given all the privileges of senior rank; he would spar (only color belts spar in our dojo), and he’d be taught advanced kata as soon as he’s ready for it. I (or one of my senior senseis) would give him a simple practice pattern to assist him in developing body movement we use in Shotokan. Within three minutes we’d see he abandoned the practice exercise and instead would work a step-over, spinning kick/backfist combination. Good technique, but it’s not helping him learn the way we move in Shotokan. I’d correct him, show him the practice pattern again, explain the importance of staying with it to develop Shotokan movement, and leave him on his own to practice while I worked with other students. Repeatedly, within three minutes, he would abandon the exercise and practice his same step-over, spinning kick/backfist combination. Meanwhile, he didn’t develop the basic movements of Shotokan. This member missed many more classes than he attended. Through no fault of his own; he had family emergencies and work schedule problems. He’d always return to class swearing his allegiance all over again. I never called him out on his dedication; he was doing the right thing and taking care of responsibilities, but it didn’t change the fact that he missed many more classes than he attended. By test time, this member had only learned Taikyoku Shodan, Nidan, and Sandan, but still couldn’t move in a Shotokan manner. He seemed disappointed that he’d be eligible for ‘only’ yellow belt, being a black belt in Chinese martial arts. On his test, he knew almost no Japanese terminology, despite being given fact sheets weeks earlier. He had difficulty performing the basics within his kata, never having developed the Shotokan way of movement. Rather than pass judgment on his performance, he was told by two instructors that his test was incomplete and he could demonstrate his knowledge of Japanese terminology and movement at his next class. He never returned.

Imagine having a heart ailment and going to the doctor, but it turns out the doctor’s degree is in dentistry. Is he a doctor? Yes. Do you give him all the respect a professional deserves? Yes. Do you want him treating your heart? Hell no! Similarly, a black belt in another style should be shown due respect and courtesy in another dojo, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a white belt in this new discipline. Can he fight? Yes. Does he have effective moves? Yes. Can he demonstrate higher than white belt katas? No.

I am a card-carrying member of the Ryukyu Bujutsu Kenkyu Doyukai (RBKD) since 1990, having taken Yamanni Ryu seminars with Oshiro-shihan since he first came to NY in 1984. I know several katas, but never fully developed the ‘bounce’ unique to the style. At seminars they allow me to wear my Shotokan black belt, show me all due respect, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m a white belt in Yamanni Ryu. This doesn’t bother me: different style, different requirements; in fact it makes sense that I’m ‘only’ a Yamanni Ryu white belt after 28 years.

Trivial Tidbits

A contingent of Koreans trained under Gichin Funakoshi in the 1950s, returning to Korea to establish their own brand of martial arts. My first instructor, Korean War vet Rudy Illowsky, taught Moo Duk Kwan-Tang Soo Do. Karate was little-known, but Korean martial arts were almost unheard-of, so his school used mostly Japanese terminology and was named 'Karate School of Self-Defense, Inc.' We practiced Taga 1, 2 & 3, Pinan 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5, Chukki, and Passai - sound familiar?

We had a celebrity in our dojo. Jerry Samuels (a.k.a. Napoleon XIV) wrote and recorded the 1966 novelty hit, "They're Coming to Take Me Away - Ha Haa". By our lower-middle class standards he was considered rich. While we wore the $8 Lion Brand gi from Honda, he could afford the extra $3 and wore a fancy red gi. He being bearded and heavyset, wearing a red gi with green belt, Jerry always reminded me of Santa Claus. New Kiai: 'Ho'?

Max Gottwirt – February 5, 1919-December 28, 1983

Today marks the 28th anniversary of the passing of my first influence in the martial arts – my father, Max Gottwirt.

Being very young when I heard this story, and being old now with a shaky memory, here is what I remember: My father joined the Army during WW II. Having bad eyesight, he was kept stateside, where, besides being a clerk, he assisted in training the troops in hand-to-hand combat in the Maryland-Virginia-D.C. area.

As a young child, I had no indications whether my family was poor, lower-middle class, or middle class, I just knew we weren’t very well off. From 5th grade thru high school we lived in a cooperative housing development called Rochdale Village in South Jamaica, Queens. We could only afford carpeting in the living room, the kind of room that was off-limits to family, for ‘company-only’ use. When I would misbehave my father would say, “Come, Steve, I want to talk to you in the living room.” Once on the carpeting, he would say something like, “You didn’t listen to your mother, huh?” and the next thing I knew I was laying on the floor staring up at the ceiling. He’d then tell me to stand up so he could ‘talk’ to me some more. Each time I’d end up with a lovely view of the living room ceiling. As I lay on the carpet I’d think, “I gotta learn this stuff.” This was a literal meaning of the phrase: ‘being called out on the carpet’.

Before you go off screaming ‘child abuse’, keep in mind that my father was foot-sweeping me very lightly onto plush, padded carpeting, not slamming me down to the ground. Also keep in mind that this was the 1960s, when ‘child abuse’ was called ‘parenting’. You may doubt his ways, but there’s no doubt that he got my attention. I don’t think my generation turned out t-t-too b-ba-bbba-badd for being raised this way.

Less than a year after my first personal introduction to the living room carpet, I discovered a Tae Kwon Do program being offered in the Rochdale Village Community Center. I signed up in 1967; thus began my (to date) 44 year career in the martial arts.

On this, the 28th anniversary of his death, I honor the father, salute the veteran and bow to my first martial arts influence. Osu!

Okuru

Many American martial artists live and die by titles. They insist on calling themselves ‘Master’, ‘Grandmaster’, etc. One martial artist who used to associate with me would always introduce himself as ‘Sabumnim so and so’ (name omitted to protect the innocent – or is it the guilty?). The Japanese take a very different view of titles. Others may call you a specific title, but you never refer to yourself by title. If ya gotta tell folks how important ya are, mebbe ya ain’t as important as ya think.
A while ago, when ordering a new obi for myself, I had correspondence with Hamid, a very knowledgeable gentleman from www.kuroobiya.com in Japan. Here are excerpts from him on the subject:

“I would like to discuss something with you and please don't take this as a sign of disrespect to mention but at kuroobiya we don't just want to make any old product for customers, just to make money, but we want to make sure that they can wear their products with confidence that they are as accurate as possible and do not embarrass the wearer or the reader. That is why I feel I must inform you of the following:

I know the place where you got the belt embroidered before probably didn't tell you, but to be honest, it is considered incredibly arrogant or not humble by Japanese to have Hanshi on your own belt. In Japan, as a sign of humility, one never refers to oneself by title. Titles are conferred upon you by others, so teachers (sensei), doctors (sensei), masters etc. never refer to themselves as such and would never write the title next to their own name. If someone else writes it on an invitation lets say, they will even go as far as to cross it out as a sign of humility and their humbleness.

However as I said masters do not have their titles on their belts UNLESS the belt was given as a gift. In this case it is OK to wear the belt, and this is indicated on the belt with an additional kanji before the name on the belt to "signify" it was a gift. I really recommend getting this on the belt if any Japanese people are ever likely to read your belt. (In fact I recommend this to all foreign hanshi I serve. So far everyone has agreed).

Please let me know if you would like this and I will adjust the embroidery for you and resend before you order. You are of course free to ignore my advice (though my very-Japanese wife will not be happy about it when ordering the belt for you!!! Just kidding!)

Hamid Abassalty”