The problem with Karate organizations (and why I went independent) I’ve trained Goju-Ryu for close to 30 years now, and for most of those years I have been a member of several Japanese and Okinawan organizations. In the beginning, I mostly just trained and didn’t think too deeply about these things. Over time, however, I began to notice a number of recurring issues. Perhaps the biggest problem is that many so-called “traditional” karate groups can be quite narrow in their view and are often not receptive to independent or critical thinking. Members are generally expected to adopt a particular historical narrative, one that is not always well-supported and to follow a single way of performing kata. Other legitimate versions (from other students of Miyagi) are often dismissed as incorrect, modified, or watered down. This mindset tends to be absorbed by the students and members.…