Shito-ryu Evaluation

As described on the previous post, I recently attended a Shito-ryu black belt testing. This is my evaluation of Shito-ryu and the differences I saw between Shito-ryu and Taekwondo. Granted I only saw a portion of the students from just one school, but the school was taught by a master of the art and the testing had senior color belts and other senior black belts participating.

Hand Techniques

Of course, the most obvious difference between Taekwondo and any style of karate is karate’s emphasis on hand techniques. Shito-ryu is no exception. Shito-ryu teaches and uses kicks but stress hand attacks; just as traditional Taekwondo teaches and uses hand techniques but stresses kicks. There is nothing wrong with either method; it is simply a matter of style preference. However, as I have stated in TKDTutor.com, while kicks are deadly, hands can kill you in numerous ways. Therefore, the most effective fighter is one who defends well against kicks, uses kicks when opportunities present themselves, but primarily uses hand blocks and attacks.

Kicks

That said, the Shito-ryu kicks I saw used by all the fighters, regardless of age or rank, were weak when compared to Taekwondo kicks. The karate side snap kick is an annoyance, similar to a jab. It keeps the opponent at bay and too busy to set up an attack, but it is not a threat to an opponent unless you get in a lucky shot or you hand a lot of them in the same location. A sliding side kick performed by stepping the trailing foot across in front of the leading foot is a useless movement, and yet, from what I saw, this is the preferred way to perform a sliding side snap kick in Shito-ryu. This movement is similar to executing a reverse punch behind your lead arm guard instead of in front; it ties up body movement and slows and weakens the technique. A sliding side snap kick would much more power by stepping behind the leading leg instead of in front.

Fist Chamber

As I have stated in TKDTutor.com, patterns are an expression of the art part of a martial art and have little relevance to the martial part of a martial art. Shito-ryu, as has Taekwondo, has its share of techniques used in patterns that are aesthetically pleasing but practically useless in applications. However, even though most of the techniques used in a pattern are not used in sparring or self-defense, the techniques should still be natural. When chambering the non attacking hand, it should pull back naturally to the waist or hip just under the rib cage, depending on a person’s body structure. It appears that Shito-ryu uses the high chamber, where the fist is chambered high next to the upper ribs. It takes a conscious effort to pull the fist up to this location and keep it there. Teaching a student to chamber naturally at the waist is much easier than teaching them to chamber high, and the high chamber has no significant advantage over a low chamber.

Patterns

Shito-ryu students kiai when executing each techniques in their patterns. I love this! It shows determination and focus. They use breathing sounds and facial expressions to acknowledge the imaginary opponents they are fighting. Pattern performance gets high marks in my evaluation of Shito-ryu. However, I do not remember a single kiai used by anyone while sparring. Hey guys, there is a reason the Indians yelled while attacking the quiet cowboys.

Hip Action

As stated above, Shito-ryu emphasizes hand techniques; however, I saw no hip movement in their techniques. Hand speed was quick, but there was no power behind the punches, it was all arm action, with no body rotation, hip snap, or even body dropping. The kicks did not use hip thrust, hip roll over, or high tight chambers so the only power generated was from the leg itself. All the kicks I saw from all ranks were unimpressive.

Weapons

Shito-ryu teaches traditional weapons. This is a matter of style and taste. If you want to learn a weapon, that is fine, it is a part of the art of a martial art. My only problem with learning impractical weapons is that they use up a lot of your valuable training time that could better be used in perfecting the practical aspects of your martial art.

Sparring

Shitoryu sparring is similar to traditional Taekwondo sparring. As usual, no matter the style, when it comes to sparring, people revert to what works, basic kicking and punching, Shito-ryu is no exception.

This was a black belt testing I was watching, so the testee had to spar all ranks and exhibit appropriate control for the rank and ability of each person being fought. Since it was a testing, opponents were supposed to challenge the testee’s ability, but they were also to remember it was the testee’s day to shine, not theirs. Students who spar a testee at a testing are there to bring out the best, or expose the worst, in the testee’s sparring abilities, not to show off their own abilities All the color belts and lower black belts at this testing did this. They made their matches tough on the testee but they did not try to show off and one-up the testee. When the testee sparred his sensei, the sensei was relentless, but his techniques were well focused and he did not try to take advantage of or embarrass a tired student who had been testing for two hours.

However, there was one exception. As a spectator at a testing, I saw the usual group of dedicated black belts who were at the testing to participate in the testing process and to welcome another student into the black belt ranks. However, amongst all the black belts, a sixth degree black belt stood out because of his size.

After the testee had tested for two hours and sparred ten different people, he sparred this sixth degree, who was a foot taller, 70 pounds heavier, and had a much longer arm and leg reach than the testee who was obviously at the limits of his energy reserves. One would expect the sixth degree to spar appropriately to the circumstance, and I expected to see Shito-ryu techniques performed at their best. However, this was not the case.

Instead of exhibiting humility, the sixth degree strutted around as if he were the king of the mat. On the command to fight, he attacked with a frenzy of swinging punches and kicks reminiscent of a wild kid in a playground fight. There was no control, no focus, and no precision of technique; just a big man trying to whip up on a much smaller, tired opponent. The out of shape sixth degree burned out very quickly and was gasping for air, so the frenzy of attacks stopped. Then he just strutted around, posturing as if he was the biggest and baddest kid on the playground, while using his extreme reach advantage to stay away from any attacks from the testee, which, even though weak and slow due to fatigue, were still getting in.

I did not see a sixth degree sparring a student to test the student’s abilities; I saw an egotistical jerk out to impress the spectators for his own glorification. I not only was unimpressed with his techniques; I was ashamed, not just for his behavior but also ashamed for the testee, for the school, and for the art of Shito-ryu.

Lower belts look up to senior belts for guidance and inspiration. They want to be black belts, so they think that if they emulate a black belt, it will aid them in their quest. God help any student who emulates this black belt. He exemplifies all that we teach students not to be: arrogate, egotistical, and a bully.

Conclusion

Shito-ryu is one of the many styles of karate and, overall, does not appear to be unique; it is just another version of karate. This particular school has very good students, probably attributable to having an outstanding sensei, Bill Daniels. If I were seeking a karate school in the Forsyth County/Davidson County area of North Carolina, I would probably choose—Bill Daniels Karate.