As Sensei Funakoshi says, there are no secrets in karate, just hard training. That’s the real secret. Master Ueshiba said that secret techniques don’t equal basic training. The secret you should know is simply to train diligently every day. It says in Bubishi that basic technique goes a long way. One idea behind the taikyoku kata is to always return to the basics. You can know the special techniques of dim mak, but in a real fight of life or death you need to be fast, sharp and accurate. Hence, the basics and austere daily training are the real secrets of fighting. There is no short-cut.
Sensei Funakoshi also says don’t spend too much time reading books. Rather spend it training. Master Gichin Funakoshi believed in education, which requires reading. You should pursue literary studies to develop yourself intellectually. However, he was also practical, according to Sensei Ohshima. So, too, training hard is the most important lesson in karate, in terms of the pursuit of understanding the ancient martial art of karate.
In my opinion, with martial arts and with life, experience trumps book-learning any day. You can read about something - anything at all - and even see it, but neither count as real experience. Why do you think employers want to see experience more than qualifications in so many instances?
