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Editorial.

I’ve wanted an interview with a young instructor for some time now, and this one with 30 year old Stuart Amos does not disappoint. He started his karate journey from a very young age. Stuart stated: “I’ve competed for 20 years, now I want to take my Karate in a whole new direction. Trying to move away from this focus on the ‘shape’ at the end of a technique, rather than the movement itself.”

You can sense the hunger for learning and improving in Stuart’s words throughout the interview. It was good to hear the perspective of a young instructor with a very open-mind. Hopefully, many young students and instructors have Stuart’s ethos, work-effort and humbleness, then the future of Traditional Shotokan Karate-do will be in extremely safe hands. Thanks to interviewer, Simon Bligh 6th Dan for his continued input for SKM.

The articles by Matt Price and Clive Young are on a similar theme, namely the ageing process with regards to training karate. I’ve decided to use both articles for the simple reason that there’s a 22 year age-gap between the two experienced karateka, where we see the slight variance between the thoughts on the subject of Matt Price as a 50 year old karateka, and Clive Young, as a 72 year old karateka.

There is a comprehensive difference in the amount of ‘hard-training’ output/volume the ‘average’ karateka can do after 70/75 years of age. Then it’s about quality over quantity! At around 50 years old I felt virtually the same physically as when I was 30 years old, in terms of fitness, speed, stamina, flexibility etc. I think that goes for quite a lot of karateka who have trained continually from their teens or early twenties or younger. But that second 20/25 year leap from age 50 to 75 is mega for most karateka. If you can still train with the high-intensity, speed and stamina of a 50 year old at 70/75 years old, you’re a one-off! Once the wear and tear on knees/hips kicks-in after 50 plus years of training, you realise, it’s totally impossible to comprehend at 50, what it’s like to be 70/75 years old and still training!

Scott Middleton’s story details his visit to the famous Hoitsugan dojo in Tokyo, the former home and exclusive dojo of the late JKA Chief Instructor, Master Masatoshi Nakayama. It’s been a pilgrimage for many Shotokan karateka over the years.

David Stainko’s article states, “Those that advocate choosing to go to the ground in self-defence training should litter their training surface with rocks, broken glass, vomit, food and dog waste etc., to simulate the reality.” Then there’s Slavko Bubalo’s ideas focussing on the ‘hidden techniques’ within our Kata. And Mike Clarke’s take on Kata, shines a very different light on the topic. The ongoing dissimilarity regarding karate Kata, makes for reflective thinking.

Apart from bunkai/oyo, Kata is also the ‘aesthetic element’ of Traditional Karate-do. Gaining ‘total control’ of Kata, physically/emotionally, for many, is equally relevant to the obviously ‘invented application’ ideas.

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Good training, Editor.