NICE GYMNASTIC ROUTINE, BUT...

 by Phillip Starr

I am often disappointed to see alleged martial arts practitioners/teachers commend performances by other practitioners demonstrating a set that includes various forms of twirling, backflips, sword-tossing and twirling, and the like. Although those who perform these feats are no doubt fine athletes, such exhibitions are not martial arts. Not by a very long shot.

If the performance involves a sword, the “form” is supposed to represent combat with a sword-wielding opponent(s). Why on earth would you toss your own sword into the air? Any half-competent swordsman would cut you down instantly. And performing fancy spinning and jumping kicks in a swordfight? It would be a very short skirmish.

Standing balanced on one foot and doing high roundhouse kicks repeatedly, without putting the foot down, while turning to kick to all 8 points of the compass is cute. Totally ineffective as far as martial art is concerned, but it's a nice display of balance and flexibility. That's all. It has no place in a martial arts setting. Yet, such displays of semi-gymnastics and baton-twirling are often touted as martial arts nowadays.

Years ago, I was seated on a judging panel at a competition held at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. We were to judge a black belt weapons division. The first competitor stepped forward. He wore a glittery hakama that looked like it'd been made from the curtains of a New Orleans cathouse and carried a katana (carried it improperly). When he announced his name and told us that he would perform a particular “katana kata” (that I'd never heard of), he grimaced menacingly. I began to stand up and grab him by the collar and gently, lovingly explain the concept of “manners” to him, by the judge seated next to me (a famous taekwondo teacher they call “Tiger Kim”) stopped me and whispered, “It's okay. It's just part of the act.” ACT?? I settled back down and watched as the young man knelt down to sit in seiza, striking the inside folds of his hakam with a sword-hand as if he was trying break bricks (there is a proper way to kneel in a hakama and move the inner part of the wide trousers so that you don't end up tripping over them) and place the sheathed sword in his belt. He wasn't wearing a proper obi – just a karate-style belt underneath his hakama, and the placing and handling of his weapon was totally off.

The rest was a total disaster. Everything he did was wrong, from his grip to the cuts and the kiai with every movement. And, of course, we were treated to his display of setting his blade on the floor (in a swordfight?) just before he jumped up with a flying, spinning kick with a half-twist...and when the horror was over, I gave him a score of half a point just for having the guts to get up in front of God and everyone and openly display his ignorance.

His instructor was furious and came up to me after the competition was over to ask why I'd given his student such a low score. I told him that everything, from the way he was attired to the handling of his sword, was wrong. The enraged teacher informed me that he'd been training since 1958 and had trained in Okinawa with the founder of Isshin-ryu karate, Tatsuo Shimabuku. I replied that to the best of my knowledge, Shimabuku knew little or nothing about Japanese swordsmanship and he certainly never tried to teach it. The wannabe master left in a huff.

I've been told that judges should score this kind of performance on level of difficulty. Apparently, correct technique is out the window. It's time to stop applauding such exhibitions and call them what they are – cute gymnastic routines (although that's admittedly a slap in the face to those who practice competitive gymnastics). It certainly has nothing whatsoever to do with martial arts.