Kissaki-Kai Karate

Kissaki-Kai is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Vince Morris, in Britain in 1993, based upon the concepts of original defensive Okinawan Karate. The style is characterized by the emphasis on the practical applications instead of practicing as a sport orientated form, as in Shotokan. From this the applications from Kata are interpreted with realistic applications, based upon ‘Rules of Combat’. The focus is on a complete martial art, based upon Atemi-waza but incorporating levels of combat
Kissaki is the name that was chosen as it is a representation of the qualities of the style. A ' kissaki ' is the extreme tip of a katana, a Samurai sword. The philosophy behind this is that the sword was the soul of the Samurai, an object that is both beautiful and deadly efficient, a merger of harmony and function. Just like a katana forged is in water and fire, so the karateka in the dojo overcome challenges and setbacks.
Characteristics

Kissaki training has five parts: Ground work, wrestling (Ne-waza) , throws (Nage-waza), vital point striking (Atemi-waza), chokes and strangles (Shime-waza) and joint locks and manipulations (Kansetsu-waza )

Philosophy
Real karate is self-defense! Modern karate has become a sport, using techniques which win championships in competitions, where rules and regulations prohibit the use of real, effective and dangerous techniques. However, the original purpose of karate was to provide a system of defensive techniques to defend against real attacks, where there will be no referee present.. 'Real techniques' and 'real karate' therefore have to incorporate the often forgotten and neglected aspects of the martial art that karate was originally intended to be.
Ranks
Rank is used in karate to indicate experience, expertise, and to a lesser degree, seniority. As with many martial arts, Kissaki uses a system of colored belts to indicate rank. Based on the kyÅ« / dan system, the initial approach when Kissaki was first developed was to only have two belt colors of white and black.

Kata
The simple description of a kata is a pre determined set sequence of karate moves organized into a pre-arranged fight against imaginary opponents. The kata can consist of a combination of strikes, punches, blocks and kicks. In Kissaki, kata is not a performance or a demonstration, but is for individual karateka to practice full techniques—with every technique potentially a killing blow (ikken hisatsu)—while paying particular attention to form and timing (rhythm). As the karateka grows older, more emphasis is placed on the health benefits of practicing kata, promoting fitness while keeping the body soft, supple, and agile. Kissaki kata is primarliy based on the root Shotokan kata, and also incorporates several other Okinawan based kata.

History

Kissaki-Kai founder Vince Morris 8th Dan ISOK and 8th Dan Kissaki Kai, has over 50 years of Martial Arts experience, and is widely regarded as a leading authority in the karate world with his effective no-nonsense approach that has earned him worldwide respect. Vince has always been concerned with making the art of karate as effective as he knew it should be.
By utilizing his knowledge of the rules of combat and combining that with his understanding of pressure points, Vince developed Kissaki-Kai Karate, and has seen it grow and flourish into the well-rounded system it is today.
Throughout his many years of training and teaching Vince Morris has reached out and influenced many of today’s leading instructors through his writings in many books on applied karate and directly through his teaching methods.

Kissaki locations USA, Canada, England, Wales, Ireland, Belgium, Russia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand

Verifiable Book References of the system and Author

• The Karate-Do Manual - Stanley Paul 1979
• The Illustrated Guide to Karate - Stanley Paul 1979
• The Advanced Karate Manual (with Aidan Trimble) -Stanley Paul 1989
• Shotokan Kata 4 vols. (with Aidan Trimble) - Random Century 1990
• Zanshin - Stanley Paul 1991 - Samuel Weiser Inc. 1992
• Kyusho Secrets ( I & II) - PBS Publications
• You or Him - PBS Publications
• Rules of Combat - PBS publications 2000
• Law Enforcement Training Services Defensive Tactics Training Manual - Kissaki-Kai 2007
• Teartime - Kissaki-Kai pub - 2011 (1st Fiction - Novel
• Karate for Kids - Stanley Paul 1991
• Go-Shin Jutsu (with Paul Pauwels) - EPO Antwerp 1994
• The Secret Art of Pressure Point Fighting - Ulysses Press USA 2008
Impartial external sources of the system and author

• http://www.theshotokanway.com/interviewwithvincemorris.html
• http://www.karate-shotokan-kata.com/Shotokan-Karate.html
• http://www.karate-shotokan-kata.com/basic-Karate-moves.html
• http://www.thekiissue.co.uk/TheKiIssue14pginteractive.pdf (Page 11)

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