The 20 main instructions of Karate – Also known as Niju Kun

In 1868, Gichin Funakoshi was born and would go on to found Shotokan Karate. Although he has long since passed, his legacy lives on and he is often called the father of modern Karate. During his life, he also created 20 instructions or principles that could be applied to Karate and other areas of life.

The point of these principles was to learn how Karate can benefit your mental and physical growth and then use these lessons for everyday living. Overall, these principles are very spiritual and are genuinely good ways to live. Whilst some are more geared towards the physical act of performing Karate, others are based on the mentality of living a peaceful, yet purposeful life.

By reading these instructions, you should gain a greater understanding of how Karate and martial arts can help you and others. These principles have been loosely translated from Japanese into English.

Karate begins and ends with a bow

The term for ‘bow’ in Japanese translates to ‘rei’ and this is done out of respect. Bowing is a polite way to greet people and your fellow training partners. In brief, this is a nice formality whereby you show respect before and after training. Remember, traditional martial arts such as Karate are big on honor and discipline, so it’s unsurprising to see bowing given such a priority during training.

Don’t strike first in Karate

Remember, Karate is primarily taught as a way of self defense. This means you should never attack someone in public or initiate a fight. Instead, always remain careful yet vigilant. In all walks of life, it’s not good to be aggressive, which is why Karate teaches you to restrain from starting violence. At the same time, if you are attacked, you can then use your Karate as a way of self defense.

Those who train Karate must stand for justice

When training Karate, the idea is to impose justice whenever available. For example, if you see someone getting bullied then you should speak up and try to help those who need it. As a Karateka, you’re not just meant to train to get physically stronger. Mentally, you’re also meant to grow as a person and uphold justice if possible.

Know yourself, then others

The point of this guiding principle is to be aware of your own limitations and personality type before judging others. In other words, you should be at peace with yourself. After achieving this, you can then start to help others. Self-improvement always starts within and then you can do the same for others.

Mental state is better than technique

As Bruce Lee once said, “don’t think, feel.” In Karate, this means that you should try to focus on being as fluid as possible, compared to thinking about moves and techniques in a static way. Outside of the dojo, it also means that you should focus on being the best person possible, which is more important than being good at Karate.

Release your mind

When training and also in wider parts of life, it’s best to think freely without hesitation or doubt. This can be a hard skill to master, but it results in peace and clarity. Too often, people aren’t mindful enough when training which can hold you back. This principle is especially important when thinking about everyday life and isn’t just relevant to Karate.

Problems come from carelessness

Everything should be done to the highest possible degree. If you do something with a sloppy technique then you will fail or make it much harder to fulfill. In Karate, this means focusing on technique and making it as sharp as possible through kata. In wider life, it still applies and teaches you to be as professional and hard-working as possible, otherwise you may bring problems to your door.

Karate applies outside of the dojo

This instruction can be seen in all of the other principles. Basically, it’s pointless to learn the structures of Karate and not apply them to other areas of life. For example, there’s little use being a successful Karateka – yet struggling in your personal life. The beauty of Karate is improving your technique. Apply the same principles to areas such as your career and personal life and you will become much happier and more successful.

It takes forever to learn Karate

Like all martial arts, the learning never ends. Sadly, some people think the black belt is the ultimate goal and quit upon achieving it. This is a bad mentality and means that you won’t stick around very long. As the saying goes, true perfection doesn’t exist. In Karate, there are always new avenues to explore and ways to improve.

Karate applies to everything

As you may have gathered by now, many of these instructions aren’t just about Karate. They’re about its wider teachings and how it can be used elsewhere. This means stuff like justice, confidence and adversity can all be skills learned in Karate that make life easier.

Karate is like hot water. If you turn the tap off then it will stop

This principle is similar to the idea that Karate takes a lifetime to learn. In short, the point is to keep training and keeping your skills sharp as a result. There’s no point in having the goal of gaining a black belt only to quit months after. Like everything in life, Karate needs to be nurtured otherwise your skills will become stale. If you go years without Karate then naturally, you’ll forget a lot of its techniques – both mentally and physically.

Think not to win, but not to lose

If you win a fight then great, but if you lose the consequences can be awful. In some extreme cases, this could even mean death. The idea of Karate is self defense, so if you do lose then this idea makes sense. Furthermore, if you try too hard in the gym to win then it may create ego and personal problems. If you’re good enough, winning will come naturally.

Move to your opponent

Karate isn’t just about techniques and moves. It’s also about tactics and strategy. In short, you’ll want to read what they’re doing and then act accordingly. This is a skill in itself and can take years to develop. Remember, Karate isn’t about having a set menu of moves, but instead it’s about acting and reacting. If you can successfully read your opponent and adjust, then the chances are you’ll win.

When fighting, you must recognize when to attack and defend

Continuing with the theme of fighting literal Karate, another important philosophy is the ability to recognize when you’re meant to attack or defend. Too often, Karateka go charging in and try to attack straight away. Sometimes, this strategy may work. However, it may be foolish and end in defeat. By the same token, you should also recognize that sometimes you’ll need to be offensive too. If you’re too passive during kumite then you may get punished.

Your hands and feet are like swords

It goes without saying that Karate can be a violent martial art. Getting hit by a Karate black belt is no joke and can literally knock you out. With this said, it makes sense that this principle is based on using your body as a weapon. Although it sounds cliché, the point is to use your feet and hands like swords to inflict damage on the opponent.

Be wary of multiple opponents

Always be wary and cautious of outside threats. No matter where you are in the world or how tough you feel, you can get defeated in battle. This is especially relevant when you’re facing multiple attackers. Even if you can beat one or two people during a fight, the result will probably be defeat. Whilst there’s no shame in this, you should always have your wits about you and try to avoid such confrontations.

Beginners use formal stances, experts use natural stances

Beginners should use the formal stances taught to them in Karate. The point of this is to improve your form and focus on the basics. If you do this enough, then at some point you will naturally turn to other stances without even thinking about it. This ties in with the idea of training in a fluid motion, rather than trying to do set, predictable moves. It also means that beginners should train differently from advanced Karateka.

Practicing Kata is useful, but fighting is different

Even if you have the best kata in the world, it still doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to pull it off during Kumite. This proves that drilling a move is completely different from doing it under stress. It also doesn’t mean that you should neglect kata either. Basically, there’s a difference between practicing moves and doing them in a real scenario.

Never forget strength and weakness of power, push and pull of the body, and fast and slow techniques

In Karate, there are hundreds of different moves to choose from. Within those moves, there are even more variations. The point here is to try and have a varied game that isn’t predictable or dependent on certain moves. It’s also important to remember that Karate can be practiced in a number of different ways. One person’s style may be completely different from someone else’s, but ultimately it’s still Karate.

Always be creative

Following on from the last principle, it doesn’t hurt to be creative. This is how progression is formed and by taking risks and experiments, you will grow as a martial artist. Don’t get too stuck in your ways or become arrogant and stubborn. Like many of the principles on this list, this doesn’t just apply to Karate either and can be used in all walks of life.