So the "The Old Masters" thread is awesome, with video clips of various karate greats from the past doing their thing. But who is out there right now, doing something with karate that you think is exceptional, new, or otherwise furthering the art? Who do you think are the movers and shakers out there right now, and why? EDIT: New rule in response to Reply #7. No mention of Lyoto Machida, so this doesn't become a thread of "whether Machida does karate or just karate-looking kickboxing," "whether Machida's footwork is traditional tai sabaki or something that other karateka don't learn," etc.
Sorry, I see you already specified Karate (must read posts more carefully). How bout in Traditional karate circles or people that are taking their karate to the sporting arena? Gary
Both of the above (I personally don't think there's a strict one-or-the-other dichotomy anyway), and all styles of karate.
Arguably not, but I think there is a difference between an athlete who trains in karate and becomes world famous in the UFC ring and a Master of Karate.
I was hoping not. I actually posted this because I couldn't think of any karateka besides Machida who I know of who are out there doing something unique and awesome with karate (whether it be theory, bunkai, training methodology, whatever), and I wanted to know about other remarkable modern karateka. Edit: see original post. New rule: No mentioning Lyoto Machida. Not because he isn't awesome, but because he's been discussed to death in plenty of other threads.
Problem is, Mr Machida has a very big stage on which to perform - not too dissimilar to Bruce lee in his time with his films. Because so many people see how amazing they are, naturally if you ask a bunch of people round the world to compare them to the likes of Takamasa Arakawa or Quentin Ball, they are naturally gonna go with the famous guy. Gary
Tell me more about Takamasa Arakawa and Quentin Ball. What do they do best, and why do you consider them to be remarkable? You're right, I mention Machida and not them because I've never heard of them. I want to know more about them. That's why I started this thread.
I will stick my head above the parapet and mention Iain Abernethy. I suspect he would not like the term 'master'. But I believe that he has made a great contribution to increasing the depth of knowledge that many people have of Karate through his articles, books, and dvds.
I've never trained in Karate but I really like watching Chris Rowen train and listen to him talk about training in Japan. I've watched alot of clips and he appears on a couple of training DVDs I've got, top martial artist.
OK not Karate but AIMAA is an All-Styles Association Master John Kirkwood AIMAA-Scotland [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9GpRhY6mYY"]YouTube - Cho's Taekwondo: Master John Kirkwood Seminar[/ame]
How about John Fonseca, Elisa Au Fonseca and Eimi Kurita in the competitive circuit? Onaga Michiko seems pretty exceptional, too. I can't really think of anyone else, either. I'm stumped.
I think this is difficult because nowdays people can get away with what they like. If you have a big group, but you're crap, you don't want to let your students see what is really out ther do you? So the good guys sometimes get held back because they are an embarassment to some instructors. A lot of clubs/associations seem to be run by businessman now, not real martial artists. I think the traditional styles don't get the recognition they deserve either. People that make their own styles up will have to make an excuse why. Also, I think they (traditional)are misunderstood, especially with the realistic stuff. Somethings are there that people don't see at first. And a lot of people that shouldn't be teaching or shouldn't claim to do traditional martial arts can teach and claim what they want, and the 'proper' people get tarnished with the same brush. It seems more about giving the student what they want, ie, grades,etc, rather than what they actually need. Instructors are scared of losing students because it is their business, and a lot of students just don't want to learn when it gets tough. Unfortunately I think the very best martial artists are probably people we have never heard of, and maybe never will. Times have changed. I remember someone once said that scum rises to the top. This isn't quite accurate, but I can see their point. The biggest clubs in my area are not run by the best people. No way.
I think there is a lot of truth in this. Often the people who are perceived as masters are the people who know how to promote themselves - over and above their technical ability. This is not always the case, but as puma says when it’s more about business than it is passion for your art, then different priorities come into play. Having thought more about Mitlov’s question, probably the best example of a modern master in my style - and because of his work, perhaps better known than say Takamasa Arakawa of the Shiramizu dojo Japan -would be Shingo Ohgami. I have been fortunate enough to train with him on several occasions and he is technically un-surpassed, but that’s not necessarily what makes him a master imo. What Ohgami sensei has done however is write two very important books - Karate Katas of Wado ryu and Introduction to Karate. They are by far the best books in terms of explaining the technical details of Wado and Wado Katas. This in a style where there are few other titles available –because few are brave enough to write about Wado for fear of being frowned upon. Ohgami has broken with this order to produce a book which has helped tens of thousands of Wadoka who would otherwise still be struggling. My guess is that you would find Shingo’s black book in the bags of the majority of serious Wado-ka around most of Europe and the states. That’s quite a feat in my eyes. Gary
