We are closing on nearly a century of when Japan began to export its martial arts of karate, judo and aikido to the wider world and much of their customs have become widespread. Whatever art or organization you associate with, it has been several generations since the modern era of martial arts began, and there’s no doubt that much has changed since that time. There are myriad interpretations for many of the hyung (forms) that are practiced and depending on which instructor lineage you studied under, your application of a particular move can be very different from what the school down the road teaches. Now I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having different interpretations; human beings come in all shapes and sizes and not every application is usable or useful for everyone. The question would be: why does it matter if one set of techniques came from Japan, and another came from China? What is the point of tracking tradition when it’s far more important to know whether or not a technique is effective?
I believe it matters because tradition is a history of not just a collection of techniques, but the history of the culture and philosophies that shaped that tradition. The perspectives that shaped and cultivated the techniques provide an insight as to how the techniques came to be. Tae Kwon Do practitioners heavily emphasize kicks and point sparring, Judo focuses on break falling and throws, Jiujitsu focuses on joint locks, etc.. Within each style there can be branches that form their own traditions. Those who trained in Motobu-ryu karate (via Motobu Choki and his son, Chosei) focus almost solely on the Naihanchi hyung and heavily practiced kumite (sparring), while Shotokan practitioners (via Gichin Funakoshi) practice a wider variety of forms and have a more balance between forms, basics and sparring. Not to turn this into a “The Meaning of” article, but “ryu” literally means “flow” which points to a fork or a branch in the river that “flows” apart, creating a different but connected tradition. If you trace the flow back to the “main” source or the origin of your tradition, you will be tracing the history and obstacles each flow encountered and overcame.
Another reason why I believe tradition matters is that without comparing to what came before, we will have no idea if what we practice has been improved or been done before. We would be constantly reinventing the wheel, so to speak, and we as human beings tend to create systems to help categorize and remember all the techniques that we have learned or developed. Tradition provides a framework and a template for this categorization to be built on and allow it to be passed on to the next generation. Tradition can sometimes be stifling, and if an organization is not careful it can grow to be restrictive or even oppressive, but if done well it can regulate and promote future generations of practitioners effectively.
What does your tradition say about you? Each one of us has our own unique story to tell and tradition unique to ourselves. Tradition isn’t limited to the style or school you train in, but your upbringing, those significant individuals in your life who influenced you, and your own perspective and applications of your training. Remember who you were when you first started training, trace your own history and see how far you’ve come. You might come to realize you have overcome much in your martial arts journey, and no matter what comes next you know you’ll be ready. I think that is the most important part of traditions; it helps us look at the challenges that our forefathers faced and know that the troubles they encountered were not that much different than the ones we have today.
