I recommend not to apply high kicks or low kicks or punches or using your fingers in a fight. I also stated that traditional techniques like throws or weapon techniques aren’t taught in karate (空手) outside of Okinawa anymore. But I also describe karate (空手) as an awesome martial art. So what are the things, which you should learn if you found a good instructor? The peculiarity of karate (空手) is that learners undergo a development process, while they discover the real foundations of the martial arts:

1. You learn to move arms and legs synchronously. The breath must be synchronous with the movements of the arms and legs, too. You also learn to move always both arms at once, but in different directions. The perfect synchronicity of all movements is the basic of the basic of all martial arts. It can be learned fastest when the example techniques are blocks and punches. This is a reason, besides karate (空手) spreading as a combat sport, for learning blocks and punches first.

2. You should actually learn something about physics, but there aren’t any theoretical lessons, so your understanding of the laws of physics has to grow gradually by applications. What makes a stance stable or how a thrust is defined by its momentum has to be understood by experience.

3. You learn to perform the forms for beginners. These aren’t traditional forms, but much simplified forms. They have the advantage of demonstrating concepts like the unity of defense and counterattack in an easily understandable way. But they have also the disadvantage that they get altered much to fulfill the purpose of looking more artistic, in worse cases more athletic, when demonstrated at events. The forms are actually not meant for being demonstrated in public, so it is another advantage that most times the beginner forms take this burden. Thus traditional forms are better conserved, but also less frequently learned. You should develop a curiosity towards them!

4. You learn a lot of foot techniques. Mainly because karate (空手) spreads as a combat sport. They can still be useful in some situations, but techniques, which are only taught in the traditional forms, are more useful. It takes a while to understand this. But when you understand this, then you will be happy that the traditional forms still exist and didn’t get altered too much, while modern forms took this burden.

5. You learn to counter kicks and fist thrusts from a rather wide distance. You change gradually to closer distances until you reach a fist fighting distance, which other martial artists think is still quite far. You should pay attention on training distances closer than this, too, but most people want only to exercise for matches. Karate (空手) spreads as a combat sport. On the one hand this is an advantage because you have a much greater chance to find an instructor this way and you can also learn from the advancements made in sports. On the other hand you are much on your own while you are searching for effective techniques and a deeper understanding. This can be a disadvantage, but actually doesn’t need to.

6. You learn some self-defense techniques, which every martial artist in the world knows, and some superficial explanations of the kata (形) or forms. Three levels (called obvious, hidden, and secret) of the applications of kata (形) are distinguished. They traditionally reflect the advancement of a learner, but most modern instructors know only the most superficial level. You will discover deeper levels only if you love to read much and otherwise only from experience gathered in real fights, which you should avoid.

7. You learn the tricks applied in combat sports and will most likely participate in some matches. You can learn a lot about human psychology this way, also if combat sports isn’t your way. It is also not mine, but I learned a lot about effective training, the one or other lousy trick (not helpful in real fights), dealing with different opponents, and the difference between combat sports and real martial arts. More advanced sportsmen will also tell you not to use any of the fancy foot techniques if you didn’t specialize in one of them. In this case you will still be recommended not to use too many other fancy foot techniques because they can easily turn out to be a disadvantage also in a sports match.

8. Besides taking part in matches will you most likely also get opportunities to participate in demonstrations at festival events. These are welcome opportunities to watch other martial artists. All capable martial artists, who I know, as well as the more successful sportsmen are always interested in the techniques, tactics, and training methods of other people. Watching what other people are doing results sometimes in a better or even first real understanding of what your own kata (形) are trying to teach you. You will find tosses and chain techniques and so on. You will also find that the sticky hands of the Chinese martial arts are known as hooking hands in karate (空手). This is really the very same, although practitioners of Wing Chun claim it would be unique to Wing Chun. There is nothing unique to any martial art. At least karate (空手), too, will always have it!

9. You will meanwhile have noticed that sportsmen always repeat the same patterns. If you don’t participate in matches, then you will most likely still watch them and take part also in the special training for matches because you should have meanwhile understood the value of the training. If you are smart, then you will understand here that everybody has an individual fighting style, but otherwise you will still understand it some time later. You should then analyze your own fighting style and know your strengths and weaknesses.

10. You learn to counter patterns instead of single attacks. Pattern versus pattern is what is shown in most kung-fu movies. Fighting this way can be faster than you are able to watch. So this is a very important step.

11. You understand that combinations, patterns, and chain techniques are all the same. Once you see a pattern, you will always know what comes next. You will also understand that awareness, which you were certainly told is a part of every technique, is much more important than it ever seemed. Your colleagues are as able to look through your patterns and to identify your strengths and weaknesses as you do with theirs.

12. You get influenced by Japanese philosophy of the 19th century and zen a lot. The more you research on your own, the deeper the influence. As a martial artist, you want to practice karatedō (空手道), not simply karate (空手). You find reasons for not using weapons. You could be wrong with this reasons. You should understand that zen is a philosophy and a religion and there is no guarantee that zen knows any truth. But it is an impressing philosophy and the meditation exercises are effective at least for wellness. Some martial artists develop a big interest in Buddhism, a few become Buddhists. Other martial artists develop only a disinclination because they are held back by their own religion. This will seriously hinder them to understand the martial arts in their depth. I gained a big interest in other cultures, languages and also other religions from the martial arts.

13. The steps, which I describe here, do not necessarily follow one on another, although there is progress from basic to intermediate to advanced. You learn as soon as possible how things should be done ideally. But everything will then unfold only slowly and gradually and only after tons of training. This process needs years. You will even need years to understand how you could always have improved your training. How well you understand the laws of nature, which are important for the martial arts, depends additionally on when you learn physics in school. I can tell you that the momentum of every attack is a vector, but if you didn’t learn yet or have already forgotten how to calculate with vectors, then this won’t tell you much. But if you have the good luck to learn both at the same time, then you will immediately understand on the one hand for what vector calculation is good and on the other hand how you can influence by angles or additional momentum, generated by yourself, an opponent’s momentum. A skill so useful that every martial artist will sooner or later develop it.

14. You will develop a similar interest in anatomy, physiology, psychology, and the training methods of sportsmen. I gained a big interest in different branches of science and in medicine from the martial arts. The correct application of techniques had a big influence on this, but my many injuries as well. They kept me so often from training that I never was exercising “correctly” with thrusting my fists on a makiwara and so on. I had always wished to do this kind of training, too, but I had the good luck that I learnt why it is wrong before I had any opportunity for exercising this way. The makiwara looks traditional because it isn’t as modern as a punching ball, but it actually means to specialize in fist thrusts only. If you want to specialize in fist thrusts only, then you should do makiwara training and at best in an age, while your body is still growing. The true purpose of the makiwara training is to make your tendons, which are over your knuckles, move to the sides of the knuckles. Famous combat sportsmen, who do many demonstrations, have much deformed fists. You should look at them if you get an opportunity! You have good luck if your interest in anatomy develops quicker than your interest in “better” or “correct” training methods. But of course some people still have really better training methods than other people.

15. You look to other martial artists in order to see how you could improve your training. Some have good ideas, for example a special awareness training. You begin to understand how important is awareness. You also begin to understand what disqualifies a fighting style as a martial art, for example headbutts. Hence you will drop many things, which you have learned. The perils of fist thrusts is most likely what you understand only last because they were built in later also in many of the traditional kata (形). Foot techniques can you drop quite quickly because you should meanwhile have learnt where they come from and that many other martial artists don’t exercise them. If you have good luck, then you see some quite old masters and will learn by simply watching them that a real martial art comprises only techniques, which old people, too, are able to perform.

16. You understand the concept of “the beginners’ spirit”. You have learned to identify and counter patterns of other martial artists and it is even easier with those of combat sportsmen. If you had the opportunity to watch experienced soldiers fight, then you would most likely also be able to predict their moves, too. But rowdies and rookies with many years of experience less are somehow always able to hit you. This is because they are themselves not knowing what they are doing. The less intelligent a rowdy, the more certain he will hit you.

17. You understand that the knife hand was never invented or meant for breaking items. The knife hand isn’t applied for chops like in pro-wrestling. The knife hand is always meant to initiate a grab because karate always means to grab, to pull, to toss, to lock, and to twist. These actions are much more karate than kicks or punches could ever be.

18. The traditional kata teach to apply locks and tosses, pulling and twisting to counter punches or attacks with weapons. The traditional kata, but in this case more likely good instructors because you should meanwhile also learn from other instructors in advanced courses, teach you that a fight with a weapon is the fight for a weapon. But if you are attacked with kicks, then the traditional kata teach you to answer them with throws and take-downs. These are all based on the sukui-uke and result in adversaries falling really hard, although the sukui-uke is usually taught as only a strange relic, which couldn’t be understood anymore. I did once accidentally throw a colleague on his head in an advanced course. This isn’t boasting, but embarrassing and hence necessary to tell it as a warning.

19. You remove most foot techniques and punches from your active repertoire and keep those techniques and also learn more of them, which can’t be used as attacks. Although you once certainly learned that all attacks are also defenses and all defenses are also attacks. This is a half-truth. Although many blocks are in fact hammer-fist attacks and hammer-fists can be used for blocking. This is also something, which you probably understand rather late. You are still glad to have learned the kicks and punches because understanding them as an expert makes you able to predict other persons’ moves. You are also glad to have learned the so-called hard techniques before the so-called soft techniques because the soft techniques take many more years to master them than the hard techniques. You feel also bright to have chosen karate, which knows all the techniques if you are patient and self-reliant enough to discover them.

20. You understand that having learned the so-called soft techniques means to have gone half the way at best. There is still much more to master. You certainly know some of the old legends about martial artists meanwhile. Maybe they inspire your training. Maybe you want to increase your awareness at least. Maybe this is an influence of zen philosophy. It could also be an influence of practical experience. I heard once in a making-of of a movie that using the environment would be a female fighting style. Nothing could be further from the truth than this. Using the environment is one of the main features of the martial arts and a main difference from most of the combat sports. You should always pay attention to your environment. Some of the environments want to be avoided, other environments want to be exploited, but all environments need to be considered! You learn or already understand that every environment must influence the techniques, which you could use in a fight.

21. If you have forgotten that running away is sometimes better than to fight, then you will most likely recall it when you have learned to consider the environment. Whether it is better to run or better to fight depends on many conditions outside of your control. If you are smart, then you understand also that the distinction between flight and fight is only a modern and unnecessary hindrance to a natural reaction. A real situation could be that you get encircled. Then you have to flee, but before you can flee you have to create a gap by choosing the weakest member of the gang and destroy him as cruelly as you are able to. You mustn’t leave any doubt that chasing you would be fatal for any chaser.

22. You understand that the image, which other people have of you, is important. You understand why many warriors and terrorists have a nom de guerre. You also understand why pro-wrestlers, too, perform under pseudonyms. This isn’t specific to karate. This only means that your understanding of psychology advances. Already understanding the laws of nature or considering different environments aren’t specific to karate. Such advancements only mean that you enter higher levels, which are the very same in all of the martial arts. The more you advance, the less are the things, which you learn, specific to a martial art. You learn general things instead. You will also learn to correlate specific techniques, teachings, philosophies, or tactics with the martial arts, to where they belong most. So had a master of aikidō once surprised me with the statement “You’ve done karate before!” after he had only watched me doing one basic exercise of aikidō.

23. Your awareness increases. You pay attention to everybody and everything around you. You become able to predict the behaviour of other people and in a fight you are able to predict every move. Rowdies and rookies can’t get you by surprise anymore. But you could do it in the opposite direction anytime. This could very well make you want to understand the human nature much better. Maybe you expect now that I gained my interest in astrology this way, but this was only a minor influence. Not understanding girls was the major influence for my interest in astrology, before I learnt that and how biology explains female behaviour.

24. You don’t depend on defined techniques anymore. You know that you could well invest some more incarnations only to explore the secrets, which the martial arts still have for you. But you don’t need to because you reached the art of non-fighting, the highest goal in the martial arts. I had really not any serious fight since many years. I have also very much neglected any training, but this all doesn’t mean that my way or development process in the martial arts would have ended. This journey continues!

By my own experience can I tell you that you are never safe from being bullied and also never safe from being betrayed or falling victim to crimes. But as certain is that rowdies don’t dare to mess with you after you reached a certain level in a martial art. This must only be a real martial art because those people, who call themselves streetfighters, develop a sixth sense for identifying serious opponents. While the process of development is really the core of karate, other martial arts have their own advantages, but more difficulties in teaching you that there is a level, where you can’t distinguish between different martial arts anymore.