Introduction
To Karakido Karate
Karakido Karate came about because I could not
get my students to fight effectively
by using the movements I was teaching them from Japanese, Korean and
Okinawa styles.
These oriental styles were developed to simulate
the Samurai warriors of old and were based on using sword movements
with the hands and arms. Since we practice "open hands",
"Karate" it didn't make much sense to spend time practicing
something we would never use. If I were no longer going to teach these
oriental systems, then I needed a substitute. My background in the
Chinese systems as well as my experience in Judo, Ju-Jitsu and Aikido
helped. I recognized that if a boxer and a Karate fighter of equal
ability were to fight and the Karate fighter could not use his feet,
the boxer would win. So we use our hands more like a boxer. But we
use more than just boxing techniques. Our blocks are much different
and more functional than the block and hand positions posed by traditional
styles. The same is true of our kicks and stances even though many
of them remained the same. The basics of Karakido break down into
four groups of seven. The seven stances are prepared, formal, straddle,
back, cat, crane and crouch. The seven blocks are double forearm,
high-low, raking, scooping, inverted forearm, lower and rising-X and
knee blocks. The
seven punches are jab, back fist, reverse punch, ridge hand, palm
heel, chicken neck and elbow strikes. The seven kicks are front, roundhouse,
stomping heel, side, back, crescent (inside and outside), and hook
kicks. All of the techniques are functional and natural to the fighter.
Each of these areas are broken down by chapter with photos showing
the correct approach to their use. The word Karakido comes from three
base words. Kara meaning open, Ki for inner power, and Do, the way
of. Thus Karakido means "Open yourself to the way of inner power."
It is important to me that the inner power be stressed and it is the
underlying reason that all people respect Karate and other martial
arts. It is this inner power of Ki flow that makes an ordinary person
seem to have super natural power and ability. We will discuss this
further in one of the advanced chapters on Ki flow. I formally began
teaching Karakido in 1977 in Asheville, North Carolina, even though
I had been working on it for some time. With life running at such
a fast pace and with people having such a small amount of time to
work out, Karakido began to fill a need in American Martial Arts.
If a person is going to work out twice a week on the average for one
to two hours in each class, then the classes and the material taught
should be structured so that the person practices what he or she will
be actually doing in a real self-defense situation. Many people practice
one form of blocks and punches in drills or in Kata, but when they
fight, they do not use the techniques they studied. My thought was
that if a person is not going to use what they practice, then why
practice those techniques? I agree that one style or system is no
better or worse than another. It is the person who makes the style,
but Karakido simplifies their training and teaches only functional
techniques that can and will be used in the street. It has always
been my intention that Karakido be used for defense only and should
never be misused by anyone. Karakido should never dictate anyone's
life, but rather be a supplement to make a person's complete life
more fulfilled. If you can conquer yourself, then you can conquer
the world. You are the worst enemy or best friend you can ever have.
Hopefully, Karakido will help you attain happiness and good health,
both physically and mentally, along with a positive attitude. You
are but one drop of water in the ocean of life, but the ripples you
make on contact with others will have a lasting impact.
