All Wado Karate Forum

Since my first post on this forum seem to have gotten some attention I thought I might as well post a new one (holding sente, ha ha). This is a totally different topic though.

Once a week I have a dojo session with our Shiai group.
I am trying my best to blend modern training methods for speed, cardio, strength and agility, with the core principles of wado kumite as Sen(te), Nagasu, Inasu, Irimi, Kuzushi, to get an edge on the competition.

I find Seiji Nishimura an inspiration for applying Wado principles in the context of Shiai.

For example watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdqedUT ... detailpage

At 20:50 - Training posture with Tsugi Ashi movement
At 23:00 - Introducing Sente
At 39:10 - More applications of Sente

There is a lot more in this video but those are some of the highlights for you who doesn't have the time or the interest to watch all of it.

Anyways...This way I hope my students more clearly can see the connection between traditional Wado values and All Style Shiai.

Sometimes I get the feeling that competition karate (shiai) and traditional Wado are living seperate lives at a lot of dojos out there.

Isn't it our job as instructors (on all levels) to show how theese "two entities" connect?

I know for a fact that a lot of you seniors on this forum have had a lot of competition experience. I also realise that the rules and certainly the applications of the rules have changed some over the years.

I remember reading some funny comments by Suzuki Sensei in Ben Pollock's book (great reading by the way) about the first competions held in the UK. I guess it was what today is called mubobi.

Ok. So what about Shiai in a wado context?
A penny for your thoughts...

Well if no-one else has any thoughts to share, I'll share mine. Note that I am not an instructor and haven't competed much at all.

Competition fills many roles. One of those is as a showcase to the outside world and a means to encourage and inspire the next generation to take up the reins and contribute to continual evolution. In my opinion "All styles Shiai" is failing in this task greatly and suffers from a serious PR problem that no-one seems too concerned about fixing. Many that took up the charge back in the day had a keen interest in fighting and I can't help think that many of those pioneers would have been lost to the world of MMA if they were born in the 1990's onwards. Personally speaking, it would make much more of a spectacle if the competitors were starved of space and had to do their thing in an area that provided very little space to move backwards -- possibly encouraging less bouncing and more 'intent' without throwing the baby out with the bathwater???

I've watched a lot of karate kumite, and it seems the idea of bouncing goes through cycles, as well as techniques (e.g. side kick going in and out of vogue) and angle of hips and shoulders (i.e. mamne vs. hamne). Still not sure what to make of it all. I've been taught not to bounce and to be only slightly bladed.

Also, I'm a big fan of Seiji Nishimura's instructional videos, especially the one on sen no sen. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WlW3PY5rdDQ

Here's a great story by Jack Slack on MMA's Machida using this strategy. http://fightland.vice.com/blog/weidman- ... n-of-speed