(Approx 1 minute 35 second read)

Recently I was sent a video to view of two high ranking Goju-Ryu dan grades practicing step-kumite (again). Forwards and backwards, blocking and punching.
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Why punch, block, counter, punch, block, counter, moving backwards and forwards in a prearranged manner, with no basis in reality?
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I’ve yet to find anyone who can give me a logical reason for using this practice. I’m told repeatedly that it is for timing and distance, and to prepare a new student to face an attack.
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Having written about this extensively, I have come to believe that it is practiced and staunchly protected because ‘this is the way it has always been done’.
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If a high dan grade seriously believes that this practice is of any use other than itself, then they need to think again, and for themselves.
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Come on, guys, anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that these drills only work when you know what type of attack is coming. It is just choreography, it is not karate.
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Modern karate has become hollow when it comes to real application. So much of what’s practiced today is dogma wrapped in ceremony, this was a perfect example. It teaches you to deal with tidy, straight-line attacks at a safe distance and predictable timing.
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But the world doesn’t work like that. Real aggression doesn’t step forward neatly on cue, only for you to step back and counter.
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Too many cling to old drills without asking why they’re doing them, or what they’re for beyond the drill. There’s a kind of blind faith in someone’s methods, repetition for its own sake.
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I’m not here to tell anyone what to practice. If you enjoy step-kumite, that’s fine, as long as you’re honest about what it is and what it isn’t. Context matters.
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But the truth is, you won’t be attacked by a karateka lunging in from six feet away with a perfect Oi-zuki. You’ll be grabbed, sucker-punched, ambushed, or overwhelmed, maybe with a weapon, by someone who doesn’t care about tradition or aesthetics.
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I was kind of disappointed with this video, even more so than usual, as it was from a very respected traditional Goju-Ryu lineage. I don’t know, perhaps I was expecting too much. Tradition alone isn’t enough, karate deserves better.
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Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo