Natural Style (karate-InFi)

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(karate) InFi by Tanaka
Have you ever noticed that many karate practitioners' styles look completely different in a real fight compared to traditional karate? Have you ever observed that during spontaneous free fighting, it's nearly impossible to guess a competitor's traditional style—unless it's already known? Isn't it interesting how the structured, classical styles often seem to evaporate in real combat? The reason is simple: unpredictable situations are the domain of InFi. No external system has dominance over the power of InFi in that space.

My friend John once said that the body reacts naturally using movements and techniques that have been instilled over time. That’s true. It’s the result of learning—repetition creates automatic reactions. But does that directly connect with the personal style I’m talking about? Yes, but only partially. Part of an individual's style is learned—copied or invented—and the other part is inborn. I would say the base of a natural style is inborn, then shaped, developed, and refined through life experience, starting from birth. Sometimes, it's very difficult to modify this natural, individual style through conscious learning alone—especially without encountering real, unpredictable situations.

Karate (standard) by Kanazawa
After all the conscious learning—exercises, workouts, repetition—two distinct styles remain (at least): one is the individual style, and the other is the consciously performed style representing a particular system. Put another way, a karateka may exercise and demonstrate standard karate as a kind of performance or role-play, while also demonstrating InFi in a street situation or competition—albeit within limitations. These two styles can be radically different. One is an act; the other is a natural, automatic expression.

If someone's InFi happens to look like beautiful, standard karate (which is rare), we might call it karate-InFi. However, if the standard karate practiced is far removed from that person’s natural, inborn, and evolved style, then what surfaces during real fighting—InFi—won’t resemble karate much at all.

If someone were to act “naturally” by strictly adhering to a preset, standard form, they would be more like a programmed machine than a human being. That’s why karate practitioners always exhibit individual fighting styles that diverge—sometimes slightly, sometimes significantly—from the idealized version of karate. Simply put, if you’re a karateka, you represent that system—but you also have your own InFi. These two—InFi and the traditional style—may overlap in appearance, but they are never identical. The same is true for a kung fu practitioner, or anyone from any traditional system: you represent that art, but you also have your InFi.

Furthermore, those who have studied several different systems are often more aware of their personal fighting style. The influence of many styles can illuminate the presence of InFi more clearly. However, this doesn’t mean that others don’t have InFi—everyone does. You have InFi!

In conclusion, traditional systems can help improve individual fighting skills and styles—but only to the extent that they include situational, dynamic practices. No one’s InFi is identical to any traditional system. And the more classical styles a person has studied, the stronger their awareness of InFi becomes. In my examples above, "karate" can be replaced with any style—Wing Chun, Savate, Taekwondo, Shaolin, kickboxing, and so on.




 











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