André Bertel is a prominent figure in the world of traditional Shotokan karate. Known for his dedication to the teachings of Master Tetsuhiko Asai, Bertel has achieved international recognition for his technical expertise and deep understanding of karate principles. He holds a high Dan rank and is often sought after for seminars and workshops worldwide. His approach to karate emphasizes precision, fluidity, and the integration of traditional techniques with modern training methodologies. Bertel’s contributions to the martial art continue to inspire karate practitioners globally, maintaining the legacy of his mentor while advancing the practice of Shotokan karate.
Main Points for Full-Body Weight Techniques in Karate
Kime (Focus) Maximize power at the moment of impact.
Hara (Center of Gravity) Use core muscles for balance and stability.
Kinetic Chain Coordinate body parts to generate power.
Proper Breathing Exhale sharply at impact for energy focus.
Oizuki (Lunge Punch) Drive from the back foot, rotate hips, snap punch.
Mae Geri (Front Kick) Thrust hip forward, snap kick, retract quickly.
Gyaku Zuki (Reverse Punch) Rotate hips/shoulders, back heel grounded, punch.
Mawashi Geri (Roundhouse Kick) Pivot, swing leg using hips, contact with instep/ball.
Age Uke (Rising Block) Step forward, drive arm up with body momentum.
Stance and Footwork Stable stances and precise footwork.
Hip Rotation Use hips to add power.
Relaxation and Tension Relax before impact, tense at contact.
Visualization Visualize target and technique path.
From the archive: Martial Arts Gala 1994 of the “Kampfsportschule Aarau”.
Karate demonstration by Dieter Lüscher and Sivathana Samedy. This gala was organized by the Aarau Martial Arts School. 2500 spectators were present in the packed Aarau hall.
The Heian (peaceful mind) kata are derived from the older Okinawan Pinan kata (which also means peaceful or calm mind). Sensei Gichin Funakoshi changed the name of these and many other Shotokan kata when he took karate to Japan in the early 1920s in a bid to make them more accessible to a Japanese consumer base. An interesting karate history fact is that the kata we know today as Heian Nidan was originally the first of the Heian kata until in the 1930s, Funakoshi switched Nidan with Shodan. Some styles still practice it the original way around though what Shotokan karate calls Heian Shodan is arguably a lot easier than Nidan, which is probably why they were switched in the first place.
Tatsuya Naka demonstrates the shotokan heian (pinan) katas with his personal bunkai explanations.
They are practiced and seemingly designed so that students can learn increasingly difficult techniques as they progress in the art of karate and they were developed by Okinawan Master Anko Itosu at the turn of the twentieth century. However, the Heian kata probably have their origins in much older forms from China known as Channan or Kushanku (Kanku Sho and Dai may also originate from these kata). Legend has it that Master Itosu (or perhaps an older teacher, Tode Sakugawa) learned a kata called ‘Chiang Nan’(pronounced Channan in Japanese) from a Chinese diplomat and Kung Fu expert who lived in Okinawa called Kung Hsiang Chun. Though the original kata is lost, it is believed that it was very long so Itosu divided it into five as they would be easier to learn.
Another theory is that Itosu, who took the previously secretive martial art into the schools in Okinawa, found that children had difficulty learning kata so he devised the Pinan kata group to aid this. It is believed by some that he took moves from the Bassai and the Kanku sets in particular and arranged them so they gradually got more difficult through the various Pinan kata.
Learn what pioneers like Funakoshi Gichin, Mabuni Kenwa and Motobu Choki thought about the practical applications of karate kata, bunkai, throws and joint locks. Their words paint a picture very different from modern sports Karate.
Jesse Enkamp reveals Karate quotes from Okinawan and Japanese masters .
Quotes
We must avoid treating Karate as a sport. Your fingers and toes must be like arrows, your arms must be like iron. If you kick, try to kick the enemy dead. If you punch, punch to kill. This is the spirit you need to progress in karate.
Chibana Chōshin (1885-1969)
Once a kata has been learned, it must be practiced repeatedly until it can be applied in an emergency. Knowledge or just the sequence of a form in karate is useless.
Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957)
We should open karate to the public and receive criticism, opinions and studies from other prominent fighting artists.
Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953)
The techniques of kata have their limits and were never intended to be used against an opponent in the arena or battlefield.
Choki Motobu (1870-1944)
The karate that has spread to Tokyo is incomplete. Those who believe that karate consists only kicks and punches, and think throws and joint locks are exclusive to judo or jujutsu, have been misinformed. We should have an open mind and strive to study the complete art.
Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952)
My old ways of karate was not accepted by everyone. Maybe my training methods were too hard or severe. Whatever it was, it was the way I learned and thaught. It was only later, when the Americans came, that I changed my ways.
Hohan Sōken (1889-1982)
There is no place in karate for differen styles, I’ve heard myself and colleagues refferred to as the “Shotokan” school, but I strongly object this attempt at classification. My belief is that all styles should be amalgamated into one, so karate my orderly progress into man’s future.
Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957)
It is necessary to drink alcohol and pursue other fun human activities. The karate of someone who is too serious has no flavor.
Choki Motobu (1870-1944)
Kata must be practised diligently, but you must not be constrained by them. You must withdraw from the kata to produce forms with no limits, or else it becomes useless.
Hironori Otsuka (1892-1982)
Karate does not have any styles. It molds an individual to be the object of defense or offense and, through this process, karate teaches you the fundamental concept of self protection.
Kanken Toyama (1888-1966)
A kata is not fixed or immoveable. Like water, it’s ever changing and fits itself to the shape of the vessel containing it. However, kata is not some kind of beautiful competitive dance, but a grand matrial art of self-defense, which determines life and death.
Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952)
Karate was never meant to be used against a single opponent. Rather, it’s a method of avoiding injury by using the hands and feet, should one happen to be confronted by a vilian or a thug.
Anko Itosu (1831-1915)
You may train for a long time, but if you merely move your limbs and jump around like a puppet, learning karate is not very different from learning a dance. You will never have reached the heart of the matter; you will have failed to grasp the quintessence of Karate.
Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957)
Nothing is more harmful to the world than a martial art that is not effective in actual self-defense.
Choki Motobu (1870-1944)
Karate has no philosophy. Some people think it came from the Buddhism and has a connection with the space and universe, but I don’t belive in that. My philosophy is to knock my opponent out with a single blow!
Mikio Yahara (1947)
Do not fall into the trap of thinking that just because a kata begins to the left, the opponents ist attacking form the left.
Kenwa Mabuni (1889-1952)
In the past, roughly three years were required to learn a single kata, and usually an expert of considerable skill would only know three, or at most five katas.
Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957)
Techniques should not be practised merely so they can be performed in a kata. Since karate is a fighting art, each technique has its meaning. You must consider their meaning, how and why they are effective, and practise accordingly.
shigeru egami (1912-1981)
Many karate instructors today teach a watered down style – no hip and shallow punching. It’s easy to say that these teachers have no dept to their knowledge.
Yuchoku Higa (1910-1994)
There are many kinds of postures in karate. While learning these postures should not be totally ignored, we must be careful not to overlook that they are just forms or templates. It is the function of their application which needs to be mastered.
Choki Motobu (1870-1944)
Punching, striking and kicking are not the only methods in karate. Throwing techniques and submissions holds are included. All these techniques should be studied in basic kata.
Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957)
Regardless of how many kata you know, if your training is inadequate they will be useless.
Between Japan and China, this island was a strategically important point. So it happened that at different times the island was under Chinese or Japanese influence. Therefore, a martial art developed on Okinawa, which contained its own self-defense experiences and experiences of the Japanese samurai as well as Chinese boxing. In the last three centuries, the Japanese maintained the upper hand on Okinawa.
The possession of weapons was strictly forbidden on the island. However, the people living there wanted to protect themselves against attacks by the occupying forces. This is how karate and kobudo came into being. The new martial arts were initially called Okinawa-te (Okinawa hands). Some masters of Okinawa-te traveled to China to gain experience for their martial arts. When they returned, they passed on their knowledge to their families.
Shotokan karate meets Okinawan Karate. Tatsuya Naka begins a long journey to reach the origin of Karate through technical exchanges with the Okinawan karate masters.
Founder of Shotokan
Gichin Funakoshi(1868 – 1957) broke the family spell at the beginning of the 20th century and traveled to Japan to teach Okinawa-te. In the years 1917 – 22 he drew attention to this martial art through karate demonstrations at universities. In Japan, the ancient martial arts were just experiencing a period of renaissance. This had a positive effect on the spread of Okinawa-te. It was around 1900, when on Okinawa the value of the martial art Okinawa-te for education was recognized and this art was introduced to the middle schools. It was then that the name Karate was chosen for the first time. Under this name, this art spread very quickly.
Funakoshi founded Shotokan Karate, as it was later called. It contains all the great styles of Ch`uan-fa (also called Kung Fu or Kempo) known to him at that time, which can still be seen today in the differences of the master katas that have been handed down. Master Itosu developed student katas (Pinan) from these master katas for better learning of the arts. Gichin Funakoshi then renamed them “Heian“.
The Japan Karate Association
The Japan Karate Association (JKA; jap. 本空手協会, Nihon karate kyōkai) is the world’s largest and most renowned karate style organization. Guiding principle of the Japan Karate Association (JKA) is: “The supreme goal in the art of karate is neither victory nor defeat, but lies in the perfection of the character of the practitioner.”
Okinawa had many masters of the Okinawa-te. All of them had their own ideas and experiences. When they realized Funakoshi’s success, some followed him to Japan. Thus, other great styles emerged, such as Gojo Ryu, Shito Ryu, Wado Ryu, etc.
Shorin-Ryu karate applications using direct force from the hip, lats, quads muscle, allowing compression of the body to easily execute punches or palm strikes.
A central point can be recognized very well. Whoever controls the central area has a decisive advantage over his opponent.
Maeshiro Morinobu 9. Dan Hanshi is performing the kata Gojushiho.
In some styles of karate, there are two versions of this kata – Gojūshiho Shō and Gojūshiho Dai. An advantage of the two versions of the kata is to better master the difficult techniques presented therein, but not without facing some confusion, for many sequences are the same and others only slightly different. Gojūshiho Shō and Gojūshiho Dai are two versions in Shotokan of the same, single Shōrin-ryū kata called Useishi (54) or Gojūshiho.
Gojūshiho (五十四歩, lit. 54 steps) is a kata practiced in karate. Gojushiho was developed by Sokon Matsumura, one of the key founders of Okinawan martial arts and named it “Uesheishi”, which literally means 54 methods in Chinese. In some styles of karate, there are two versions of this kata – Gojūshiho Shō and Gojūshiho Dai. An advantage of the two versions of the kata is to better master the difficult techniques presented therein, but not without facing some confusion, for many sequences are the same and others only slightly different. The embusen of both Gojūshiho Shō and Gojūshiho Dai are nearly identical. Gojūshiho Shō begins straight off with a wide variety of advanced techniques and, as such, is highly recommended for study. Gojūshiho Dai consists of many advanced open-handed techniques and attacks to the collar-bone.
Gojushiho movement is quite similar with Aikido grappling technique in terms of flowing knife hand or “tate-shuto-uke” or vertical knife hand block. “Tate-shuto-uke” does not resemble other shuto uke which resemble as “block technique”. Rather it was throwing technique in “aiki-jujutsu”. Another “shuto” technique as “shuto-nagashi-uke” or “knife-hand-flowing-block” has become the unique characteristic of Gojushiho because of flowing movement which is not merely interpreted as “block”, but “throw”.
Gojūshiho Shō and Gojūshiho Dai are two versions in Shotokan of the Shōrin-ryū kata called Useishi (54) or Gojūshiho.
Traditional karate is one of the most efficient self-defense systems. The basis of karate is formed by simple basic techniques that are internalized automatically and are quickly retrievable under extreme psychological pressure. Women have a realistic chance with Traditional Karate even against physically superior opponents.
However, Traditional Karate is much more than self-defense:
“Karate is a holistic training for body and mind. It incorporates a higher philosophy, hundreds of years of tradition, a code of honor, and many health, energy, and even spiritual aspects of a traditional martial art.”
Kata, the foundational element of Karate, serves as the bedrock upon which the entire art is built. These choreographed sequences of movements are not mere rituals to be practiced mechanically; instead, they serve as repositories of martial principles, tactics, and strategies handed down through generations. The essence of bunkai lies in deciphering the enigma woven into each kata—extracting real-world applications from seemingly choreographed patterns. This process transforms kata from a mere routine into a dynamic tool for practical self-defense, promoting a deeper connection between traditional forms and modern combat scenarios.
Self defense applications for the Kata Kanku Dai Produced by Tom Leeman.
These videos were shot in Freiburg in 1968 and made possible under the direction of H.D. Rauscher (Deutsches Karate-Do Archiv).
Kumite Combinations
Hirokazu Kanazawa (jap. 金澤 弘和, Kanazawa Hirokazu; b. May 3, 1931 in Iwate Prefecture, Japan; † December 8, 2019) was one of the most distinguished karate masters of the present day. He was a holder of the 10th dan. In 2012 he was awarded the honorary title of Meijin, making him the only living title holder of the highest honors in Budō at the time. He was one of the last active masters to train with the legendary Shōtōkan founder Funakoshi Gichin.
Shotoryu Goshinjutsu is a system of self defense based on the kata of Shotokan. Basic Premises:
Traditional Karate is an art of self defense
Historically karate was taught primarily through kata
Therefore kata should teach self defense
To be of practical value, the primary defenses should be against the most likely attacks. Evaluating Applications
Traditional Training Tips
Here are a few changes we should make to traditional training in the Shotokan style. Honoring and respecting tradition does not mean to follow it blindly.
