DKI Dojo 動的空手株式会社

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Kabega Park and Addo
074 420 2324

One of the most common questions people ask when they enquire about karate is, "What style do you do?"

It is a fair question, but perhaps the answer is more important than the question itself.

When we look back at the history of karate and the people who shaped it, names such as Anko Itosu and Kenwa Mabuni stand out. What is interesting is that karate was not originally divided into the rigid style structures we often see today. What these pioneers were doing was studying, testing, refining and interpreting the principles of combat and self-protection that had been passed down to them.

This view was echoed by many of the men who would later become recognised as founders of the major karate styles. Kenwa Mabuni, founder of Sh*tō-ryū, stated, "There are no styles of karate-do, just varying interpretations of its principles." Likewise, Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotōkan, wrote, "There is no place in modern karate for different styles... Karate does not have any styles. It simply molds an individual to be an object of defense or offense." Chōjun Miyagi, founder of Gōjū-ryū, also did not believe karate should be fractured into competing styles and famously avoided naming his art for many years.

Over time, students followed their instructors, then their students followed them, and gradually those interpretations became formalised. Eventually they became what we now call styles. People began striving to move exactly the same, stand exactly the same and perform techniques exactly the same.

The problem is that human beings are not exactly the same.

We may share similar anatomy, but our bodies move differently, our strengths differ, our limitations differ and our experiences differ. Reality tells us that two people should not necessarily look identical when applying a technique. What should be the same is the principle and the outcome, not necessarily the appearance.

For that reason, we do not define our karate by a specific style. We define it by practicality.

Our approach is often referred to as Karate Jutsu, a term that reflects the mindset of the earlier generations of karate practitioners. The focus is not on preserving a style for the sake of preserving a style. The focus is on understanding principles, developing skill and applying karate realistically.

You may see us practising kata from Shotokan, Goju-Ryu, Sh*tō-ryū or other systems. We are not limited to one interpretation or one lineage of thought. We believe there is value in learning from all those who came before us.

Our influences also extend beyond karate. We regularly draw from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, mixed martial arts and modern self-defence combatives. While karate remains our foundation, we recognise that every combat system has lessons to offer and opportunities to pressure-test our understanding.

If you walked into one of our classes for the first time, you might think you had walked into an MMA gym. You would see striking, clinch work, takedowns, wrestling and grappling. The difference is that everything we do is traced back to kata. One of our guiding principles is simple: if it is not in kata, it is not karate. The deeper you study kata, the more you realise that these skills have been there all along.

If something is practical, effective and helps us better understand self-protection, we will study it. If it does not serve that purpose, we do not feel obligated to keep it simply because it belongs to a particular style.

Our goal is simple: to train karate as a practical method of self-defence, guided by the lessons of the past while remaining honest about what works in the present.

So when people ask what style we do, the answer is simple.

We practise karate. Not a style, not a label, but a continual study of principles, practicality and self-protection. We place function over appearance, understanding over dogma and effectiveness over tradition for tradition's sake.

Great kiddies class tonight well done to all. The spirit is strong leading up to mid year grading🥋