But we often teach martial arts incorrectly, in my opinion. Sometimes in our efforts to be just, upright, inclusive teachers and martial artists we forget that everything we do must work. Traditional karate CAN be beautiful, but it MUST be effective if we are to truly practice the martial arts. Whatever its flaws, the emphasis on combative efficacy is a lesson the mixed martial arts should have (re)taught to traditional martial artists. As our grandmaster, Funakoshi Gichin, said nearly a century ago in his Twenty Precepts of Karate, "Karate is like boiling water: without heat, it returns to it's tepid state”.
Our good friend, Sensei Joe Busque, a tae kwon do black belt among his other talents, recently shared this video. It demonstrates the relationship between traditional karate and mixed martial arts better than I can explain. It also shows how effective techniques can be beautiful and pacific in the hands of true karate masters. Here's a link for your viewing pleasure: Karate the Original Mixed Martial Art.