What is Karate?
There are three fundamental part of karate training - kihon, kumite, and kata. Kihon is basics, the equivalent of learning a jab, double leg, etc in MMA. Kumite is sparring, using the discipline’s basics developed during kihon. And then there is kata; the word means form in Japanese. It;s a rigidly choreographed sequence of offensive and defensive martial arts movements, designed to be practised alone. It is something like shadow boxing, but far more formalized.
Another central aspect of traditional karate training is the kiai. This is a short, loud yell, typically done while striking. If you have seen a powerlifter yell while attempting a personal best lift, that’s about the same thing. The kiai can be used to increase power, to startle or intimidate the opponent, or to express victory, among other aims.
The USA is home to a well-developed karate tournament circuit, where participants can take place in forms and fighting. The largest of these is called NASKA. The fighting division is typically point sparring, where a kick or punch is landed relatively lightly, and then the action is stopped to determine if all judges agree the blow was clean.
The practice stems from a time when there was a widespread belief that a well-placed karate blow could kill, and had to be pulled substantially. The experience of Kyokushin wherein full power kicks and knee to the head, body, and legs are allowed, as are full power punches to the body, categorically proves that karate strikes don’t kill anyone, but the point (some call it what’s the point) sparring practice remains.
Although it is not a high-percentage route to mixed martial arts excellence, with alterations - as happens with all base martial arts - karate can work. Lyoto Machida, son of a traditional karate master, used his karate base to fight his way to a UFC title, without ever losing a round. Sparring in USA tournaments was hugely influenced by what worked under the point rules set rather than a predetermined view of what a good strike is, and a product of that approach, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, fought twice for the UFC welterweight championship. He drew once, and lost a majority decision the second time, putting him a razor’s edge of being the best in the world in the weight class
The value of kata is more ambiguous, but remains a major part of karate competitions. Does it actually matter if you can formally shadow box really, really well? It seems unlikely.
Never the less, there will typically be different kata divisions for skill level, for age level, for sex, and for type (these tend to fall into two broad categories, traditional or freestyle/creative, with further divisions possible).
What is Shuri-Ryu Karate?
Robert A. Trias opened the first karate school in the mainland United States, in 1946. Over time he created Shuri-ryu, a style of karate with roots in Chinese martial arts.
Trias’s Shuri-ryu has 15 core kata, including one named Go Pei Sho, also sometimes written as Gopei Sho. In English, it is called “Advanced Peacock Form.”
Loudest Kata Ever
A former top forms competitor, Sarah Calande, belongs to a large association called the American Karate Association (AKA). At the NASKA 2011 Dixieland Nationals, she got first place in women’s traditional forms, performing an interesting interpretation of the Advanced Peacock Form (Go Pei Sho). Then she entered the overall forms grand championship, performing the same kata; you can watch it below.
She really, really, really got into it, even kiaiing during the bows. If you rewatch with the sound off, it remains just as weirdly compelling, or perhaps even more so.
Yelling this way in a fight is profoundly irrational, as you have to keep your teeth together, to keep your jaw from breaking. Karate performances like this appear to be so extraordinarily far removed from any practical use that they descend deep into unintentional comedy. However, in good news, there is a major effort underway to bring a high degree of realism to the practice of karate; for more information, check out Karate Combat.