Often times karate is thought of as simply kicking and punching. Sparring is thought of a couple guys bouncing around, unrealistically, and trying to tap each other with those techniques. But, like boxing and wrestling, karate has its own style of dealing with things. That style is more than simple kick and punch.
I've pulled out an oldie, but a goodie, for this week. This is the final 14 minutes of the first Karate Kid movie someone posted on YouTube. I link to it below.
Points of reference:
1. Be a Black Belt; don't have a black belt. Mr. Miyagi goes to sign-in Daniel-san in the karate tournament. The tournament organizer wants to know Daniel's rank. Now, from a promoter's stand point, this makes A LOT of sense. You don't want people of terribly different skill levels facing off and someone getting humiliated or hurt. A black belt is suppose to indicate great skill.
Now, in this scene, Mr. Miyagi defends that Daniel is a Black Belt, but he is speaking to his true skill level, not what's around his waist. He then conveniently "borrows" a non-descript black belt. I don't recommend mimicking this at a tournament (or any place, for that matter- borrowing without someone's knowledge might be perceived as stealing).
2. Martial Spirit: The martial spirit is more than simply aggression and offensive mindset. A great fighter may also be a great jerk. Don't be this. The martial spirit, while intimately tied with fighting, is also one of respect and of courage. The locker room scene at the beginning demonstrates what I mean.
3. Sweep the Leg: In the montage you see a lot of the fights finished with a kick or punch point scored (and note, in this tournament they are real kicks and punches, not taps). But, you also see a great number of trips, or "takedowns." This speaks plainly to my claim above: karate is more than kick this and punch that.
After outlining these three points, please keep an open mind and open eyes. Look for scenes that speak directly to these three points. If you find more, please, put them into the combox (comment box), below.
I've pulled out an oldie, but a goodie, for this week. This is the final 14 minutes of the first Karate Kid movie someone posted on YouTube. I link to it below.
Points of reference:
1. Be a Black Belt; don't have a black belt. Mr. Miyagi goes to sign-in Daniel-san in the karate tournament. The tournament organizer wants to know Daniel's rank. Now, from a promoter's stand point, this makes A LOT of sense. You don't want people of terribly different skill levels facing off and someone getting humiliated or hurt. A black belt is suppose to indicate great skill.
Now, in this scene, Mr. Miyagi defends that Daniel is a Black Belt, but he is speaking to his true skill level, not what's around his waist. He then conveniently "borrows" a non-descript black belt. I don't recommend mimicking this at a tournament (or any place, for that matter- borrowing without someone's knowledge might be perceived as stealing).
2. Martial Spirit: The martial spirit is more than simply aggression and offensive mindset. A great fighter may also be a great jerk. Don't be this. The martial spirit, while intimately tied with fighting, is also one of respect and of courage. The locker room scene at the beginning demonstrates what I mean.
3. Sweep the Leg: In the montage you see a lot of the fights finished with a kick or punch point scored (and note, in this tournament they are real kicks and punches, not taps). But, you also see a great number of trips, or "takedowns." This speaks plainly to my claim above: karate is more than kick this and punch that.
After outlining these three points, please keep an open mind and open eyes. Look for scenes that speak directly to these three points. If you find more, please, put them into the combox (comment box), below.
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