Okinawa absorbed many fighting traditions from China in a very haphazard non systematized manner. Who can tell how much of which particular systems were passed on to the locals and in what sort of manner this happened? Unfortunately today, even most of the Okinawan karate has been highly Japanized.
Karate was brought to Japan primarily as a discipline to encourage nationalistic spirit and physical culture - hence the adoption of judo like rank and uniform. The original and true self defense application was removed prior to it entering the education system. These students graduated, went to university, started teaching and all of a sudden you have something that is suited to “tag” style sporting contests with little true self defense application (no qinna, no tinhsueh, no contact, no real understanding of the applications of the forms).
The good japanese are amazing at what they do, but it’s very far removed from original Okinawan practices.
There is actually quite a strong movement afoot at the moment to bring back to karate the bigger picture that has been missing for so long. Of course, this is ****ing off a lot of the “traditionalists” and it seems as though the main people trying to do this are not Japanese, which for some folks seems to somehow mean they know nothing.
I think the initial supposition is incorrect.
There are many linear and circular arts from both countries. And of course, many aspects of linearity in circular arts and circularity in linear arts. There are only so many ways the body can move. And in general, the Japanese and Chinese having shorter arms and legs, they neither of them can move so many ways.
Ahem :o .
Vash also appear to be sneaking up on the correct, if not actually taking a hold of it and scaring it out of its tiny mind. Kendo for example, is a lot more linear than the old-school sword aspects of kobudo: partly due to its sport aspect (sacrificing technique for speed), and partly due to the necessity of teaching it en masse to school kids and the like… silly though it may sounds, I think it’s quicker and easier to teach a linear art than a circular.
The other thing to bear in mind is that an ikkyu in kendo is taught big circular motions for understanding energy generation, as are lower kyu grades in aiki and the like, whereas a shodan is expected to do the movements faster and with more linearity for directness. Not saying I agree, but sometimes it makes sense, and to look at a higher level practitioner of a truly Japanese art, often you are seeing straight lines where the practitioner is feeling circles.
Originally posted by berserker so i think the best ways to see the difference is to watch a lot of japanese ad chinese movies and see how they beat each other up.
:rolleyes: Nonsense. Chinese actors play the Japanese portrayed in most Chinese movies, and Japanese actors play the Chinese portrayed in most Japanese movies. You can not seriously believe that you can learn anything about the real differences between Japanese and Chinese martial arts by watching movies?
Why is it so different? Because the japanese didn’t want to be like the chinese…They felt a very great surge of nationalism when karate was brought over by various masters.
Why so linear? Because the quickest way between one point is a straight line,it makes striking quicker and only one attack is need to stop your opponent.
Originally posted by Surferdude
[B]Why is it so different? Because the japanese didn’t want to be like the chinese…They felt a very great surge of nationalism when karate was brought over by various masters.
Why so linear? Because the quickest way between one point is a straight line,it makes striking quicker and only one attack is need to stop your opponent. [/B]
Please tell me you don’t believe that you can stop your opponent with one hit?
Originally posted by Surferdude
[B]Why is it so different? Because the japanese didn’t want to be like the chinese…They felt a very great surge of nationalism when karate was brought over by various masters.
Why so linear? Because the quickest way between one point is a straight line,it makes striking quicker and only one attack is need to stop your opponent. [/B]
While I disagree with the one hit thing, if Japanese changed it because the fastest way between 2 points is a straight line, why didn’t the Chinese do that to all systems and thus defeating the circular movements?
While I disagree with the one hit thing, if Japanese changed it because the fastest way between 2 points is a straight line, why didn’t the Chinese do that to all systems and thus defeating the circular movements? [/B]
They did.
It’s called Wing Chun and it defeats all!
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
