Appearance and Presentation

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It just dawned on me that in some of the modern karate practices the focus is directed on how the practitioner appears when performing as if the presentation is indicative of what is best about karate and other martial arts. It seems that even when the teacher and student work toward force and power they tend to make assumptions that force and power are also demonstrated through the presentation, performance and over all appearance in the eyes of the observer. 

Reality and principles tell me that this is just not true. What appears and is presented as force and power through a performance of this nature actually look, feel and appear powerful but are not - force and power look different, feel different and are often detected as something else other than what looks like, “Muscling it.” 

This is not to say that such renditions are not useful and effective but it must be understood that they are not the primary generators of force and power but merely what I term as, “Enhancers,” to the actual physiokinetics that truly are forceful and powerful in applications of karate and other martial arts. 

As an example when a practitioner is performing and presenting a kata with the appearance of force and power, actually strength and muscling action, is when they, “Set their stance,” then “Assume a particular posture toward a particular technique to be demonstrated like a strike with the fist,” then they use the waist twist and the dynamic tension of tightening all the requisite muscles at the end the strike” they assume that is power and force. It is a form of power and force but the actual energy is caught up in the body with the dynamic tension. It still hits well but it is not the kind of power and force that would arrive if one were to apply other aspects of movement in physiokinetics when striking. 

Setting the stance in such demonstrations has its purpose but once you set that stance forward movement of the body mass tends to stop and that is a huge drop in energy toward force and power. Granted there is this one instance where mass movement like the proverbial “Drop Step Punch” technique along with structure, balance, body and skeletal alignment, etc. when done correctly will culminate in that one instance when they all “Align so to speak like the planets in the Universe,” and achieve maximum force and power to a target. You see, it is that movement, structure, alignment, balance, centeredness, etc. that dissipates when you set a stance. 

Setting a stance is one of those lessons that when taught at the novice level when the instructor fails, forgets or just doesn’t know needs adjustment once a certain level of proficiency is reached so that stances fall away from a setting mind-set to a more fluid one where the stance or rather rooting of legs to the Earth are accomplished in just that very small “Instance” when all the physiokinetic sub-principles align properly to apply force and power appropriately in defense. 

This will seem inadequate as an explanation but this is one reason why such information and knowledge must be tempered and forged through hands on practice and training with a qualified and knowledgable Sensei who has a focus on student teaching model over the subject teaching model used more often in karate and other martial arts. 

Appearance and Presentation and Performance as often judged in kata competitions is great, wonderful, and the absolute greatest way to demonstrate sport karate and other martial arts but when it comes down to the essence of karate and other martial arts as to its combative aspects, not so much. 

Note: The reason this continues and is propagated the way it is comes from perceptions toward what feels like hard hits and kicks in sparring and competitions such as tournament kumite. Think of it this way, if the force and power is proper you will either be totally knocked off your game where you will stagger around while your brain and body try to understand things or you will be down, out and under attack unable to do anything, etc. We get hit, it hurts a lot, we even may lost our breath but in reality it is not real damage and it does not truly disable our bodies but our mind-set in such training and the training itself often causes us to stop, say to self that was hard and hurt, then our mind-state tells us we should stop, back up, reform and start again - sounds like tournament sport to me. 

The efforts of the current models of martial arts, etc. as seen in sports like MMA and UFC, etc. are much better in teaching and learning to actually apply force and power. It may or may not be what you need in self-defense situations but along with its exposure to adrenal stress-conditions will get you there a lot faster and better than this form of teaching and practicing that relies on presentation, appearances, and performance oriented thinking, viewing and perceptions. 

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p.s. Now, admittedly, if the Sensei is teaching the distinctions and actually elevating the training and practice with goals I try to indicate in this article along with other principle based models then it serves a huge purpose and is great but often those distinctions and trainings tend to be lost or forgotten, etc.