I don't know, maybe I'm not understanding something, but I believe that the real measure of a martial artist lies in whether or not their perceived skill actually functions in a "live" setting. I'm wary and tired of seeing a countless parade of martial artists who seem to eagerly cite their "belt" credentials on their websites as evidence of their skill. What does that frayed and old-looking black belt matter if you've never been "battle-tested" so to speak? Who cares if you're a 20th dan; does your experience in dealing with physical violence come from your imagination? Or from reality? Part of a living karate lies with the art being informed by actual live experience with physical violence (a.k.a "fighting"). I mean the whole reason we have karate today is because of the kata; and those kata were created based upon the real experience of the kind of violence that was common at that time (see HAPV). I mean, how can you learn how to cook except by doing it? Martial arts is no different than any other field of human endeavor that requires skill development. The only thing is, what skills is your art developing? Functional fighting skill? Or athletic performance?
Elbow SMASH!
- Hiji Até
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