Karate ni sente nashi?
Introduction There is an old debate that has been raging in karate for years. As my friend Ryan Parker says, it really has its genesis in the philosophical (among other) disputes between the two karate masters who first brought karate to Japan: Gichin Funakoshi and Choki Motobu. Almost every karateka knows Funakoshi's famous "golden rule": "Karate ni sente nashi" - there is no first "attack" in karate ("sente" literally means "initiative" - in this case "aggressive initiative"). Many karateka also know Choki Motobu's response: "Karate is sente" - in other words karate is about (aggressive) initiative. So who was right? My answer is: both of them! If this seems weird, stay with me. A little bit of background Motobu was a practical fighting man. Funakoshi manifestly was not. If you haven't, read this article by (the always fabulous) Jesse Enkamp and you'll get a feeling for what kin...