Fighting After Winning

The second method of winning involves complete preparation of all the conditions needed to win beforehand, which is considered the immediate level.  This is the area where students train in kumite ( 組手 ) and practical applications with their partners to learn the various possible attacks and counterattacks.  In this way the students train in a controlled environment allowing them to fully understand the potential outcome without injury or having repercussion from the law or retaliation.  This is the level where majority of karate students spend years perfecting their skills.

This phase is not about transforming the karate-ka into a better fighter in a sense that they will be able to defeat other skilled opponents, but rather developing an awareness and learning how to control one’s own actions in order to avoid a fight.  In an actual encounter, other factors besides physical responses come in play, such as, psychological and emotional impact to the body.  Any form of surprise attack causes one’s nervous system to respond without thinking, which also heightens one’s emotional level of anxiety.  Training in the dojo with various partners at different skill levels enables the practitioner to learn how to control the stability of their own emotions during encounters.  It also means continuing to train to improve even after we win or able to maintain control of our emotions in the dojo or at tournaments, thus fighting after winning.