Have you seen the History Channel's new Show Human Weapon yet? Her beautiful friggen well.
The concept is that these two athletic dudes (a MMA fighter, the other a former footballer and wrestler) travel around the world to train with, and then test out different cultures martial arts.And while only two episodes have aired as of this writing, the show has already proven itself to be a very revealing diagnostic tool for those who are able to look beyond the romance and isolation of the truth. Let me explain ...
Last week's episode was on karate. and not the kiddie Karate crap you see on the street corner. No, the Human Weapon boys traveled directly to Okinawa (birthplace of Karate) to train with three of the world's most respected toughest and best teachers.
The show showed great performance of human strength, discipline, air conditioning, and training.And the Okinawa Sensei's were absolutely incredible to watch, and even of learning through the miracle of the television. in other words; It was pretty darn cool.But why I really loved the show that while the respected the individual doctor, it was not afraid to an impartial, accurate history of art (like me).
Karate is a peasant art of farmers. The name learned from the Chinese and in combination with their own cultural martial art from "To", the change did not found "To" Kudo (Chinese hand) to the Karate (empty hand) laying down the Japanese language after occupation.Did you catch that? OCCUPATION.(That means that they were conquered)
Karate do not stop with the Japanese Samurai from coming in and the occupation of the island, nor was there a successful peasants ' revolt in order to overthrow the Samurai.Sure, there were a few isolated cases of well-known karate guys successfully to defend against an armed Samurai, and karate training is grueling (by the way, I have a black belt in Goju Ryu Karate), but the facts are facts ...Okinawa, once an independent Kingdom, is now part of Japan.
Now, what's great for modern practitioners of karate, is that the Japanese influence on Okinawa in their native martial art was administered.(Karate has even implemented Japanese Judo uniforms and belt rankings) While Okinawa Karate still primarily a striking art, Japanese Samurai methods of Jujitsu Karate become part of the standard curriculum. So almost making it a perfect martial art ... except for one little detail.
Due to the fact that each technique of karate is a complex motor movement (using multiple muscle groups), would it take 2 or 3 lifetime good enough to guarantee victory in karate under dead or killed against stress conditions.
The perfect example of this brings us back to the Human Weapon TV show such as the height of each episode is one of the two hosts actually compete against a qualified practitioner of the art that they have studied during the show.
In case of Karate was to participate in a Kumite (full contact fighting-no safety equipment, no punches on the face, kicks to the head allowed) against a second degree, 225 pounds, Okinawa black belt champion. Let's break this situation…
A karate man who has trained all his life versus a not very flexible, but difficult former footballer had studied karate for just a few days ...Both about the same weight ...Fight under Karate rules ...Should be a no-brainer right?You'd think the Karate man would easily win.
WRONG.
Not only did the struggle towards a deadlock after a full time contest, but the football player at one point in the struggle still managed to the Karate man from his feet with a heavy handed punch. believe me, the Karate man was a tough cookie (at one point he shrugged off get hit square in the jaw), but how can a life duration of the training can't beat someone just large, difficult and average?
Because, as we discovered before ...Karate is simply a method of conditioning farmers themselves to survive, not to win. When the occupying Samurai of the farmer rice, livestock, or daughter, Karate certainly would have helped temporarily to ward off the oppressor ... but is that enough?
It is good that a thin trained, big "tough guy", could go toe-toe with a so-called "Human Weapon" and walk away unscathed? no, it's not.
While I'm looking forward to the rest of the Human Weapon television series watching an impartial professional point of view, I have the distinct feeling that the fanatics of each cultural martial arts presented will defend and excuse for their methods even when beaten by the shows hosts. Pity ...Maybe they would actually learn something useful.
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