American Karate

American Karate is a generic term usually referring to a system based on one of the traditional Asian karate styles but with a more eclectic (whatever works) approach typical of a Western instructor. So-called American karate has been both vilified and exalted depending on the views of the observer.

Critics suggest it is a watered-down version of authentic styles popularized by Americans who never stayed with their original teachers long enough to truly know the intricacies of the art. They went out on their own and claimed to practice an “American” approach to karate but in reality were only able to teach the most rudimentary techniques.

Supporters, on the other hand, claim that Asian instructors are bound by traditions that are both antiquated and impractical in the modern world. Americans, the argument goes, are open to learning modern methods of training without misplaced loyalties to a certain nationalistic approach, such as the Japanese vs. Okinawan martial styles.