Isshinryu Karate

Philosophy (The Spiritual Aspect)megami

Karate is not about blocking, striking and kicking – it is simply the study of “empty hands.”  The empty hand, or open hand, is a symbol of peace and friendship, not conflict.  The “One Heart Method” is a path one can take to unite the mind, spirit and body in balance and strength.

The path to peace through development of fighting skill is a journey very few people understand or can endure for very long.  Karate is a life-long struggle to develop our own awareness, physical fitness and mental acuity.  As karate training develops the body into an effective fighting tool, the training itself is a tool we can use to refine our own character.

In an interesting way, karate training helps us to understand ourselves because we must submit to painful and difficult challenges.  We must be willing to test our own mental toughness and courage.  Karate training does not force us to become a karateka, nor do we learn to force our opponent to submit to our will.  Karate simply asks us to be aware of ourselves.  And with that awareness, we develop our strengths and confront our weaknesses in everything we do – not just in the dojo.

The Physical Aspect

In the midst of this complex journey, we can also develop physical skill and recognize the attributes of karate that help us go forward in our training.  Isshinryu Karate is unique because of its moderate movement style as compared to other hard-style martial arts.  In Isshinryu, although footwork is minimal and relaxed, the training develops excellent striking power and standing grappling defenses.  The vertical fist has great significance because it transcends Isshinryu Karate and generalizes to Wing Chun/Jeet Kuen Do and various Filipino martial arts.

The Mental Aspect

As with any other martial arts system, it is easy for the mind to dominate our studies.  Many people want to analyze every karate lesson and question the life out of the training process.  We must always strive to find a deeper understanding for the things we value, but some things are not for the mind to understand.

Karate-do is the mind of Isshinryu.  The “way” we train, or the “way” we teach is our karate.  The mind can be part of our way and sometimes it can be obstructing our way.  If we can learn to recognize the difference between these two realities, we can then see beyond ourselves and into the One Heart Method.