Fighters - Goju-ryu Karate- The Sleeping Giant
December 2000 edition

Christian.gif (34991 bytes)

Cont.'.

and the Mater's that train and teach it. They view their art as a way or method of handling life. And not just a method of coping with someone in a bar room brawl. They see karate training as a way of developing their character, discipline, perseverance, patience and probably another hundred and one points that make up the human being. In the Japanese Master's and the Okinawan Master's viewpoint they see the opponent as "life". Their training methods have deep underlying philosophies that exemplify this at every point in training. As I see it, for instance, if you take the ball away from football there is no game, but if you you take the kicks and punches away from Karate-do there is still something going on, there is the philosophy. That is why Karate is termed "Karate-do" (the way of the empty hand) it is a "way" which indicates a method or perhaps better phrased a journey".

"Chinon Sensei was always telling me that I thought too much, and he was right. I was always trying to be one step ahead, thinking, what should I do next? What club should I open next? Yet Chinon Sensei's philosophy was just to be alive. To be breathing, to be happy, to be contented. I think that the great karate Master's like Chinon Sensei are more interested in the quality and happiness of life, than the ability to beat people up. I think that Goju ryu is such a fierce vicious art with so many dangerous moves in it and being so totally combat effective, it has to have balance. So there has to be a quiet side to it, a harmony; a Ying Yang aspect. Which is the true essence of Goju ryu karate. The word Goju means hard and soft."

"People will always see in the martial arts what they want to see. Being a Liverpool lad I always see karate as a way or method of defending myself if somebody is out to do me harm. And I think that you should defend yourself in the most ruthless way possible. A person who is not involved in violence who lives a quiet life would perhaps not understand

Next Page