Amerikado Karate

AMERIKADO Karate the Modern American Karate

Modern Karate is of recent origin and systematized from parts of Chinese Kung Fu, Okinawa-Te, Japanese Ju-Jitsu and Karate. Master Gichin Funakoshi created the Shotokan style of karate and helped combine the arts into one system. Funakoshi is considered to be one of the early fathers of modern karate with Master Choke Motobu. Both of them, around the turn of the century, helped spread the early systems of today's karate. Master Funakoshi's most significant contribution to karate is his introduction of karate to Japan, sometime around 1920.

The fathers of American Karate who introduced karate to the United States in the 1950s were Masters Robert Trias and Ed Parker. Then, in the late 1960s, American Karate started to change into today's more powerful offspring of the traditional styles of the Chinese, Okinawan, Japanese and Korean arts. Traditions of some older styles are still preserved in most dojos.

Master Paul Lacusky founded 1974 what we call American Karate, a genuine system of martial arts. is a way of thinking and interpreting the arts, a modern way of looking at the old fighting disciplines from the east.

The American Karate Revolution is all about making karate (and its kindred martial arts) suitable and relevant in today's society. Taken in this light, AMERIKA-DO Karate is a martial art for the modern world; made up of techniques of several styles, like America made up of many different people.

The AMERIKA-DO KARATE Patch is uniquely American.

The AMERIKA-DO patch serves several meanings. The patch provides inspiration to young and old students alike while showing the uniqueness of our style.

The Tiger represents tenacity and earthly strength developed during the early stages of learning. This is the stage where the individual is impressed with his own physical skill.

The Dragon represents wisdom and inner mental strength, which comes from seasoning. This mental attitude is reached during the individual's later years of training. The individual at this stage has developed humility and self-restraint.

The Eagle represents confidence, alertness and readiness to defend one’s self. The Eagle commands respect and admiration from those who see it. A powerful and noble bird, noted for prowess, keenness of observation, swiftness and grace, which all AMERIKA-DO karate students follow. Like the balance of nature we can live in harmony and without conflict.

The Circle is symbolic of several things. It depicts life itself, which is a continuous cycle with no beginning or end. So it is with the art of AMERIKA-DO, also a cycle of perpetual and unending movement or motion. Physical prowess, humility and self-restraint are no more than ingredients of a progressive learning cycle. All movements evolve from the circle whether they are offensive or defensive. The circle surrounds the patch and represents the bond of friendship that exists among members of AMERIKA-DO.

The Diamond shape represents hardness and beauty rolled into one. It is flat on top for support and balance. The sides shield the student from wrongful influences on the outside. The pointed bottom penetrates the defenses of the opponent.

The Thirteen Stars represent the freedom, fought for by the thirteen original United States, and our freedom to choose any style or technique we want.

The White Cloud of AMERIKA-DO represents the mystique of our style. White is for purity. As a cloud, it has substance, yet it has no substance.

The Lighting Bolt coming from the clouds and signifies the motto, "FAST AS LIGHTNING, BOLD AS THUNDER," which brings swiftness to your techniques and defeat to your opponent.

The Starburst represents how the techniques in the art of AMERIKA-DO can move in all directions. All movements find their beginning and direction in the Starburst.

The Yin and Yang symbolizes part of life itself. The white and the black, the good and the bad, exist as opposites and yet they are together. There is a little white in the black and there is a little black in the white, so we should always remember, we can find good in the bad.
The RED, WHITE, AND BLUE: Red represents the red from the flame of early morning dawn, the beauty in the flame and how deadly the techniques of AMERIKA-DO can be. As in the dawn of a new nation the dawn of a new karate system ... White is the pure snow, as at Valley Forge the night George Washington crossed fighting for freedom ... white is purity in the hearts of all AMERIKA-DO style students ... The Blue is the free open sky ... clearly executed and expansive are the techniques of AMERIKA-DO ...Black is for the black belt level, expert in mental as well as physical ability."

REFERENCES:

1. Lacusky, Paul (1993). Amerikado Karate The Next Generation Vol 1 Training Manual, pg 11-13.

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