Deciding who is the winner and who is the loser is not the ultimate objective. Karate-do is a martial art for the development of character through training so that the karateka can surmount any obstacle, tangible or intangible. Karate-do is an empty-handed art of self-defense in which the arms and legs are systematically trained and an enemy attacking by surprise can be controlled by a demonstration of strength like that of using actual weapons. Karate-do is an exercise through which the karateka masters all body movements, such as bending, jumping, and balancing, by learning to move limbs and body backward and forward, left and right, up and down, freely and uniformly. The techniques of karate-do are well controlled according to the karateka’s willpower and are directed at the target accurately- ly and spontaneously. The essence of karate techniques is kime. The meaning of kime is an explosive attack on the target using the appropriate technique and maximum power in the shortest time possible. (Long ago, there was the expression Tekken hissatsu, meaning “to kill with one blow,” but to assume from this that killing is the objective is dangerous and incorrect. It should be remembered that the karateka of old was able to practice kime daily and in dead seriousness by using the makiwara.) Kime may be accomplished by striking, punching, or kicking. but also by blocking. A technique lacking kime can never be regarded as true karate, no matter how great the resemblance to karate. A contest is no exception; however, it is against the rules to make contact because of the danger involved. Sun-dome means to arrest a technique just before contact with the target (one sun, about three centimeters). But not carrying a technique through to kime is not true karate, so the question is how to reconcile the contradiction between kime and sun-dome. The answer is this: establish the target slightly before the opponent’s vital point. It can then be hit in a controlled way with maximum power, without making contact. Training transforms various body parts into weapons to be used freely and effectively. The quality necessary to accomplish this is self-control. To become a victor, one must first overcome his self.
