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Showing posts from September, 2024

What Happened to Karate?

 There’s been a lot of online discussion lately about what has happened to karate, always from the perspective of degeneration. Clearly, karate has become diminished and lost something since its Golden Age, right? ( I haven’t seen it specified, but I think this Golden Age is either the 1960’s-1970’s when karate was taking the West by storm or possibly the 1860’s-1870’s when it was a pure backyards-and-graveyards art for self-protection from thugs and pirates.) Today everyone thinks karate is for children. No one thinks it is deadly or powerful anymore. Thanks Daniel LaRusso! If you can’t tell, I’m on the opposite side here. I think karate training today is the best it has ever been. We are living in the karate Golden Age right now! The art has grown, it has been refined, but still has preserved its spirit. Even more importantly, I think students and teachers are more empowered in their training today than they ever have been. Of course there are problems. I don’t think every ...