Shotokan Karate Magazine Issue 159
Featuring JEAN PIERRE LAVORATO 10th Dan FKF.
March 2024
Shotokan Karate Magazine Issue 159
March 2024
Contents
Editorial.
JEAN PIERRE LAVORATO 10th Dan FKF. Interview By Jean Marc Lopez.
KATA: LEGACY vs EVOLUTION. (PART TWO): By Mike Clarke.
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF BASICS AND REPETITION. By Martin J. Smith PhD.
KARATE-JUTSU, KARATE-DO & SPORTS KARATE. By Dr Wolf Herbert.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
LET’S TALK ABOUT – ‘TORQUE’. By John Cheetham.
THE HEIAN KATA STORY. By Massimo Braglia.
THE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF SHOTOKAN KARATE MAGAZINE.
EDITORIAL By John Cheetham.
Another SKM milestone has now been reached this year, namely that 2024 represents SKM’s 40th Anniversary.
WOW! I myself can hardly believe that. I’m proud that it’s something of a record for a Karate Magazine and not just in this country but worldwide. I could not have done it without the tireless efforts of the other two members of the SKM team. So, a huge thank you to both Clare Worth and Graeme Armitage who have trained with me throughout those years.
Sensei Jean Pierre Lavorato is one of the most senior Shotokan instructors in Europe, having started training in France in the era of Dominic Valera and Henry Plée. He later came into contact with Kase sensei who arrived in France in 1967 and who became a massive influence on Jean Pierre’s future in karate. Still training and teaching at the age of 79, Lavorato sensei has been a true inspiration for countless Shotokan students over the past 55 years.
My own article deals with a topic not debated in SKM for many years, namely the subtle principle of using the body like a compressed spring. I’ve discussed this with experienced karateka who had never heard about it, or experienced it before. It’s quite different to the strictly ‘athletic’ movement of modern karate. The point is that it’s a body ‘feeling’ not a technique as such. A principle championed almost exclusively by Hidetaka Nishiyama sensei.
I had a very interesting conversation recently with 75 year old Jim Wilson a former student of the late Enoeda sensei. Jim Wilson was the author of the book; ‘A Pictorial Guide To The Martial Arts’, published in 1974. Jim has retired from karate now due to health problems. It was like a blast from the past talking to him. He started karate in 1965. He said, he can hardly recognise today’s karate from what he’s seen on YouTube etc. One of the things that brought back memories for myself was when he said that old-style karate was about strong, powerful ‘blocks’, used as a finishing blow, where you actually attack the attack! Everyone had huge bruises, great lumps on their arms and shins from the strong contact from various blocks. The block was the attack. I remember it well from the 1970s. He also said it was pointless having strong counter-punches, if you couldn’t decisively stop the attack in the first place!
This was a time before the lighter-parrying, evasive actions took over, mostly due to competition-karate. I very much doubt that today’s students would tolerate such austere training using this concept. It may not have been to everyone’s taste but it toughened you up; like it or ‘lump’ it!
In SKM Issue 140, ‘Uke: As Ikken Hissatsu’ by Michael Busha, describes this training method perfectly. A quote from the article: “The first goal needs to be on “receiving” a punch or kick with a strong, focused, devastating attack, using powerful spirit. This means that ‘uke’ is an offensive technique to put an end to the confrontation immediately, not a defensive move that forces secondary action before it is finished. It is hard to fight effectively with a defensive mindset.” – ‘Good point’!
Good training, Editor.
