ETKF Manifest
Main values, principles, goals and messages
Traditional (Dento) Karate-Do characteristics
The martial art of Karate-Do has its roots in Okinawa and has been further established in Japan. Karate-Do includes the three main practice characteristics of Kihon, Kata and Shi-Ai with a clear envelope of BoDo principles maintained around any practice always keeping rai-gi (warrior conduct and manners) of dojo behavior including neat and clean uniform with a custom rank belt, polite speech, quiet and respect among all students yet emphasized toward their teachers according to seniority and rank.
All ETKF-organized events are conducted according to the above BuDo code à we all train in a Dojo and not in a sports center, keeping dojo atmosphere and proper conduct, our teachers are referred to as Sensei rather than the instructor or coach.
Umbrella organization for all Traditional Karate styles in Europe
The ETKF was formed to accommodate and serve as an umbrella organization for all traditional karate styles in Europe under the following assumptions and concepts:
- All original Karate-Do styles share common basic principles in terms of efficient human body use, timing and strategy as well as BuDo mental principles and conduct.
- These common principles are well reflected and demonstrated in the ETKF coaches’ manual and competition rule book.
- The ETKF welcomes the diversity among styles and considers those “style-differences” as an opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and mutual enrichment of all ETKF members.
ETKF competition concept
The concept of competition in traditional karate, as expressed in the ETKF competition rule book, is based on the ancient BuDo concept of Shi-Ai, which means “testing each other” for the purpose of guiding future development rather than simply for the purpose of winning. While competition is definitely not Traditional Karate’s essence or goal, we recognize the value and contribution that competitions can provide as one more form of training as long as such competitions are based on traditional karate principles as manifested in the judging rules, event atmosphere and the proper “BuDo behavior” of all competition participants. Unlike other sports Traditional Karate is not defined by its competition rules rather it is those core principles of the art that serve to define the competition rules.
“BuDo for Life”
The ETKF considers Traditional Karate’s centuries-long accumulated knowledge, wisdom and experience as “tools for life” that are of much value in human life beyond the well-known self-defense context.
Through its global presence, accumulated experience and world experts the ETKF leverages this Traditional Karate treasure of knowledge to globally promote next generation education, harmony among people to create a better society and enabling individuals to lead a meaningful life.