FISHER SHOTOKAN KARATE

AUTHOR'S COMMENTS

By Charles Rhodes, P. Eng., Ph.D.

PERSONAL VIEWS:
This web page contains the personal observations and opinions of the author of this website. The content of this web page does not come from Sensei Malcolm Fisher

ORIGIN OF FISHER SHOTOKAN:
Fisher Shotokan is a systematic departure from JKA Shotokan. Fisher Shotokan optimizes shotokan techniques for maximum energy delivery to the target within a 0.5 second time interval. Fisher shotokan incorporates into shotokan the rapid turning and energy accumulation techniques used by elite figure skaters. The authority for the superiority of a Fisher Shotokan technique lies not in traditional dogma but in proper application of the laws of physics.

I was first impressed by the successful application of Fisher Shotokan in karate tournaments. Then one day Malcolm Fisher explained to me his use of force vectors for optimum foot positioning. In a flash I understood what he was trying to explain, because I am an expert in vector related mathematics. Up until that moment I had never thought of optimizing karate using mathematical techniques.

Sensei Malcolm Fisher deserves credit for having the initiative to depart from conventional JKA teaching, for using the best available information for upgrading shotokan and for demonstrating the utility of the result. His work in this area is most impressive considering that he was never formally trained in the area of physics known as mechanics.

The features of Fisher Shotokan that are most obvious to the casual observer are the speed of the turns and the large energy delivery. However, the feature of Fisher Shotokan that gives it much of its speed and energy advantages is superior footwork. Malcolm Fisher has used his analytical skills to identify and adopt superior foot work. He has commented that superior competitors are often unaware of the superiority of their footwork.

REVERSE PUNCH ISSUE:
The JKA preaches that an ideal reverse punch at the point of impact has a linear force vector extending from the rear heel to the striking fist. However, the problem with this gospel is that most people simply do not have sufficient rear foot ankle flexibility to execute a long reverse punch in this manner without either lifting their rear heel or turning their rear foot to the side. In either case a karate-ka's rear leg is not well positioned either to deliver maximum energy during the reverse punch or to execute a rapid followup technique.

During the early 1970s Ted Jungblut, under the guidance of Sensei Masami Tsuruoka, was the dominant karate competitor in Canada. I attended many of Ted Jungblut's classes and in later years I attended some of his clinics when he spoke about the details of his technique. The issue is that Ted's reverse punch did not adhere to JKA gospel.

Sensei Ted Jungblut kept both his feet pointed at his opponent. To enable pointing his rear foot forward his stance was slightly shorter than recommended by the JKA. The first three quarters of Ted's reverse punch was thrust off the rear heel as recommended by the JKA. However, during the last quarter of Ted's reverse punch his rear leg was fully unloaded and his rear foot slid forward along the floor, still pointing forward. This portion of his reverse punch was actually powered by his hips using his front leg as a focrum. This action extended Ted's effective reach and increased his power. Immediately after impact Ted's hips again used the front leg as a focrum to move his center of mass backwards and reload his rear leg, which he could do because his rear foot had slid forward closer to the target.

Ted's concepts of ignoring JKA dogma, of keeping both of his feet pointed at his target and of rapid reloading of his rear leg are the foundation of Fisher Shotokan. These concepts lead to a more aggressive kumite stance from which high energy techniques can be delivered with either arm or either leg.

For complex historical reasons I do not think that there was much direct interaction between Ted Jungblut and Malcolm Fisher. However, Sensei Masami Tsuruoka instructed Ted Jungblut in the early 1970s and instructed Malcolm Fisher in the late 1970s. It is my belief that even before Malcolm Fisher went to Japan he had learned the value of keeping his feet pointed at his opponent.

ICE SKATING ISSUE:
Commencing about 1968 the sport of figure skating underwent major rule changes to make it more attractive to a television audience. One of the effects of those rule changes was to promote hip spinning skills amongst ice skating teenagers. It is of historical interest to note that Malcolm Fisher was a superior ice hockey player before he mastered karate. He likely transferred some of his hip spinning skills from his ice skating to his karate.

LEARNING FISHER SHOTOKAN:
Fisher Shotokan contains two essential skills that many karate-ka find difficult to learn. Both of these skills must be continuously practiced until they are second nature so that under adrenal stress a karate-ka's body automatically defaults to them. These skills are referred to herein as Foot Pointing and Hip Spinning.

Foot Pointing:
Foot Pointing sounds simple. "Keep the foot of your loaded leg pointed at your opponent." In practice many karate-ka, especially those who have extensive experience in a pure JKA Shotokan setting, find learning this skill extremely difficult. Their bodies habitually default into a position in which the rear foot points sideways and does not provide maximum available energy during forward motion. In my view the single biggest obstacle to them learning Fisher Shotokan is breaking this habit. This habit infects not just kihon reverse punches but extends throughout their karate and is pervasive amongst many sempai and dojo heads. This habit frequently leads to long term knee problems.

This habit stems from lack of discipline regarding loading the rear leg. Too many JKA Shotokan karate instructors dwell on a long stance instead of a loaded stance. As a result their students tend to adopt a long kihon stance with the rear foot pointing to the side. This stance causes unnatural knee stress and reduces the potential energy that is available for an explosive forward movement. This habit may be further reinforced by a desire to use a classical rear leg jodan mawashi-geri in order to take advantage of the WKF rules that give three points for a successful jodan mawashi-geri as compared to only one point for a successful jodan suki.

In my view this WKF point issue perpetuates mediocre karate competitors because in high level competition the speeds are so great that a classical jodan mawashi-geri is seldom used because it is too slow. The jodan kicks that are successful in high level competition are Bill Wallace (Superfoot Wallace) style kicks that start from a forward knee high position. The kicker does not decide whether the kick will be mae-geri, yoko-geri, mawashi-geri or ura-mawashi-geri until after his knee is raised in front of him and his thigh is pointing above his opponent's head. His opponent usually does not have sufficient lead time to appropriately block this kick before impact. If the opponent simply guesses as to the direction of the attack the opponent has only one chance in four of being correct. However, this kicking technique can only be mastered by an elite athlete who has an exceptional range of motion. A modern Canadian competitor who perfected this kicking technique is Nassim Varasteh-Reyhanian.

Thus in my view the very first step in learning Fisher Shotokan is learning to keep the foot of the loaded leg pointed at the opponent. This skill must be maintained during daily kihon practice.

Hip Spinning:
The turns in Fisher Shotokan involve a skill called "Hip Spinning". Hip Spinning is a technique used by elite figure skaters just prior to a jump in order to gain sufficient angular momentum to achieve multiple turns in the air. It is a skill that is unfamiliar to most karate-ka. There is no alternative but to practice this skill daily so that the karate-ka's body defaults to it under adrenalized conditions. Daily kata practice should include katas, such as Heian Shodan and Taikyoku Shodan, which contain multiple large angle turns that should each be executed at maximum speed. Performing Heian Shodan and Taikyoku Shodan at slow speed promotes bad turning habits. However, these katas should be executed with sufficient time between successive sequences of movements to allow maximum energy delivery at the end of each sequence of movements.

FISHER SHOTOKAN FOOTWORK:
Part of the superiority of Fisher Shotokan is related to superior footwork. It is my hope that in the future this website will include daily exercises related to improving foot work.

This web page last updated January 23, 2011.