Jiyu ippon kumite often referred to as `semi-free sparring' is a very interesting aspect of Shotokan-ryu karate training, as different organisations now have extremely varied views on how it should be done. Needless to say, this is very revealing about their objectives!________
The most extreme example of variation is that of my late mentor Asai Tetsuhiko Sensei and his former assistant, Yahara Mikio Sensei, and the the technical director of the JKS (Japan Karate Shotorenmei), Kagawa Masao Sensei. Contrary to false publicity Asai Sensei's karate is completely different from that of the JKS, which has further transmogrified into "Kagawa sports karate", and is primarily interested in WKF competition. Kagawa Sensei himself has excellent karate but despite this, and the photo of Asai Sensei on the dojo wall,`his' Japan Karate Shotorenmei has melted down into little more than a money making endeavour outside of Japan. Inside of Japan, it is a small sports karate group, primarily focused on funding the Teikyo university karate club.
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And whilst Asai Sensei's karate shares the same objectives with that of Yahara Sensei in the bujutsu sense, he emphasised two points beyond Yahara's KWF (Karatenomichi World Federation) spectrum... Namely, `natural technique' and `technical diversity'.
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Returning to jiyu ippon kumite it becomes readily understandable why there are different versions. Some for the sportification of karate; some religiously packaging specific techniques for actual combat; and some for technical diversity, to allow practitioners to develop skills, specific to their own unique physiques and attributes.
© André Bertel. New Zealand, 2010.
