“Sometimes though, we get too wrapped up in the way things were and worry if the changes we see deteriorate the legitimacy of what we do now. Instead, we need to focus more on the questions of the future.”
Many of you here, whether you’re a beginner, an advanced student, or someone just shopping for martial arts, have at least heard of the roundhouse kick. You might not know, however, that when it comes to the history of karate, the roundhouse kick is a 20th century innovation. I mean look at the traditional Japanese and Okinawan Kata. I’ll gladly pay you $5 if you are the first to find a roundhouse kick in any of those forms!
So where did this kick come from?
It depends who you ask!
Some will tell you that it came from the indigenous Korean Kicking Arts like Tae Kyun, while others will tell you that these techniques came from Savat, French Kickboxing (Anyone that told you that all martial arts stemmed from China is mistaken!) To me, this debate is an overrated one. What I think isn’t being discussed enough is how the martial arts evolve and change! The roundhouse kick is a perfect example.
People like to focus on the question “What is Tradition?” I am a martial arts history nerd. I get it!
Sometimes though, we get too wrapped up in the way things were and worry if the changes we see deteriorate the legitimacy of what we do now. Instead, we need to focus more on the questions of the future. “Where are we going?” is the better question to ask. We also need to ask what our principles of training are based on how our society is at the moment.
Karate used to be solely for life and death, and these skills were necessary in waging battle. For the common person in today’s age, life and death is not always a daily worry, though some of us are more fortunate than others in this regard. We can now train in martial arts for exercise, artistic expression, and even sport. Sport is how the roundhouse kick came along to Karate! When our principles change, so do our methods of training and sometimes our technique. This is an okay thing. Stop comparing 2021 Karate to 1950 Karate or even 1870 Karate because 2021 Karate is the karate we need now!
So if martial arts can shift, adapt and change, what does that say about ourselves? We need to learn and grow not just as martial artists, but also as people. Our priorities change, we become wiser, and we become better versions of ourselves. So if Karate can add a kick technique to better itself for the 20th century, you can make a change in yourself today to be the best version of yourself, whatever that means for your present and your future!
