USA Kenshusei

Morote Waza

2008-06-18T16:31:00.000-04:00

Instructor Certification Course
May 24, 2008
Morote waza

Wendy Mach

The assignment for this month was to identify the morote waza in the Heian Nidan, Sandan, Yondan, Godan, Bassai Dai, Gankaku, and Hyaku Hachi Ho katas, and to determine how these techniques could be used to respond to modern acts of physical violence. I took a broad interpretation of this and looked at any technique that could be used as a two-handed response where both hands were assisting in performing the technique. For clarity the kata movement numbers from the BEST Karate series by Sensei Nakayama are used to identify each technique. In some applications additional kata techniques such as kicks are added when they fit into the flow of the response. For Hyaku Hachi Ho the techniques are listed by name.

Historically a kata was used by a particular family as a mnemonic to help remember the techniques of their personal fighting system. So it makes sense that each technique would be used for a different act of physical violence. One kata would not have five different responses to a right punch. Even though various kata are being examined here, I still tried to list responses to as many different acts of physical violence as possible.

Heian Nidan

Movements #1,2,3 Defense against a double shoulder grab.

#1 Bring both arms up to knock the attacker’s hands off of your shoulders while stepping in between his legs.
#2 Grab his collar with your left hand and pull while punching him with your right fist.
#3Grab his belt with your right hand and pull while striking his throat with your left wrist. This will make him fall backward.

Movement #4 Defense against an attempted right grab.

#4 Strike the attacker’s right arm with your left wrist and punch up under his chin with your right fist.

Movements #4,5,6 Defense against a left punch coming from your right side.

#4 Strike the attacker’s left arm with your right wrist and punch the side of his jaw with your left fist.
#5 Strike down inside his left arm with your left forearm.
#6 Punch his jaw or throat with your right fist.

Movement #11 Defense against a right grab of your left lapel.

#11 Strike down inside the attacker’s right elbow with your left forearm. This will lower his head setting him up for a thrust to his throat using your right spear hand.

Movement #22 Unbalance an attacker.

#22 Grab the attacker’s left wrist with your left hand keeping his arm low. Press your right forearm against his chest. Put your right knee behind his left knee and push against it unbalancing him while pressing your right forearm clockwise making him fall backward.

Heian Sandan

Movements #2,3 Put an attacker into a left arm bar behind his back.

#2 Grab the attacker’s left wrist with your right hand.
#3 Wrap the inside of his left elbow around the inside of your left elbow bending his arm. Grab the back of his shoulder with your left hand and twist his arm behind his back grabbing the back of his shirt with your right hand.

Movements #5,6 Put an attacker into a right arm bar behind his back.

#5 Grab the attacker’s right wrist with your left hand.
#6 Wrap the inside of his right elbow around the inside of your right elbow bending his arm. Grab the back of his shoulder with your right hand and twist his arm behind his back grabbing the back of his shirt with your left hand.

Movements #7,8 Defense against a left mid-level punch.

#7 Strike the attackers left arm with your left wrist moving to the side and punch his ribs with your right fist.
#8 Grab his left wrist with your left hand straightening his arm. Strike his elbow with your right palm locking it.
Add #9 Turn your body counter-clockwise keeping constant pressure on his elbow using it as a fulcrum. This will unbalance him sending him away from you, or break his arm.

Heian Yondan

Movements #1,3 Defense against a right face punch.

#1 Turn away from the punch grabbing the attacker’s wrist with your right hand and strike his elbow with your left palm.
#3 Press his elbow downward with your left palm while holding his wrist with your right hand. This forces him to his knees. Punch him in the back of the head with your right fist.

Movement #2 Defense against an attempted grab and tackle with the attacker’s head on your left side.

#2 Strike both palms down on the back of the attacker’s neck. Place your hands on both sides of his head and twist it clockwise while raising your palms. This turns him away from you and bends him backward. This movement can be continued to throw him away from you.

Movement #4 Defense against a right grab of your right elbow.

#4 Cover the attacker’s hand with your left hand so that he cannot escape. Swing your right forearm up over his and press downward forcing him to bend over.
Add #5,6 Kick the side of his knee with your left heel to make him fall, then hammer fist his neck or face with your left fist.

Movement #11 Defense against a right hand hair grab.

#11 Strike the attacker’s inner thigh with your left knife hand. Grab his right wrist with your left hand to hold it in place and strike his neck with your right knife hand.
Add #12 Kick his inner thigh or groin.

Movement #14 Defense against a double throat grab.

#14 Bring both fists together punching under the attacker’s chin. Strike down against both of his elbows grabbing his arms.
Add #15 Knee his inner thigh or groin.
Add #16 Twist his shoulders clockwise.
Add #17 Then counter-clockwise to throw him.

Movement #18 Defense against a left round punch.

#18 Step inside the punch and strike the attacker’s left arm and shoulder with your fists. Then hammer fist his jaw with your right fist.
Add #19 Knee his inner thigh or groin.
Add #20,21 Continue punching him.

Movements #22,23,24,25 Defense against multiple punches, right punch first.

#22 Strike the attacker’s right arm with your left wrist pressing it outward and immediately punch the same arm with your right fist.
#23 Strike his left punching arm with your right wrist pressing it outward and immediately punch the same arm with your left fist.
#24 Strike his shoulder with your left fist and punch his solar plexus with your right fist.
#25 Slap his ears with your palms then grab his neck pulling him into a knee kick to the groin or head.
Add #26 Turn and twist his neck to throw him.

Heian Godan

Movement #3 Defense against a left grab of your right elbow.

#3 Circle your right forearm around the outside of the attacker’s arm locking his elbow joint and turning him away from you. Punch him in the face with your left fist.

Movements #6,7,8 Twist the attacker around and put him into a strangle hold.

#6 Turn the attacker away from you wrapping your right elbow around his neck under his chin and pressing his hips away with your left hand.
#7 Quickly spin him around to face you cross grabbing his collar and stepping behind his legs with your right foot.
#8 Push him to the ground over your right leg and press your forearms against his neck to strangle him.

Movements #9,10 Defense against a right overhead attack.

#9 Raise your crossed arms to catch the attacker’s raised arm.
#10 Grab his right wrist with your hands and pull his arm back to your right hip twisting his arm so that the elbow is upward.
Add #11 Strike his elbow with your left hand to either force him to the ground or break his elbow.

Movements #17,18,19,20 Close fighting with a throw and strangle.

#17 Move into the attacker hitting his throat with your right back fist, and his ribs with your left fist.
#18 Turn your right hip into him while grabbing his right wrist with your left hand and punching up under his chin with your right fist.
#19 Continue turning to throw him to the ground. Kneel down cross grabbing his collar.
#20 Pull your fists apart to strangle him.

Movement #21 Throw an attacker who is on your right side.

#21 If someone is attempting to punch or grab you, step to his left and block his arm to the side with your left palm while striking his solar plexus or groin with your right palm. Wrap your right arm around his thigh and lift up while pushing away and down against his neck with your left hand. This will push him over onto his back.

Movement #23 Throw an attacker who is on your left side.

#23 If someone is attempting to punch or grab you, step to his right and block his arm to the side with your right palm while striking his solar plexus or groin with your left palm. Wrap your left arm around his thigh and lift up while pushing away and down against his neck with your right hand. This will push him over onto his back.

Bassai Dai

Movement #1 Defense against a double grab of your right wrist.

#1 Grab your right fist under the attacker’s wrist with your left hand. Rotate your wrists to the left and upward. Step forward pushing against his chest making him fall backward.

Movement #18 Grabbing an attacker’s right arm, then kick and throw him.

#18 Grab the attacker’s right wrist with both hands.
Add #19 Pull him in toward you while kicking the front of his knee with your right heel.
Add #20 Turn and throw him down to the ground.

Movements #22,23 Defense against an attempted double grab of your shoulders.

#22 Bring both arms up striking under the attacker’s wrists.
#23 Strike inward with both hammer fists to his ribs.

Movement #25 Defense against a right hand lapel grab.

#25 Strike down on the inside of the attacker’s elbow with your right knife hand. Grab underneath his elbow with your right hand and pull upward while pressing away and down on his neck with your left hand. This will bend him backward.

Movements #29,30,31 Defense against a bear hug from the front. (A woman’s defense)

#29 Strike the attacker’s inner thigh with your right hammer fist.
#30 Grab the package with your fight hand and yank up while striking his other thigh with your left hammer fist.
#31 Grab the package with your left hand and yank it again while striking his left thigh again with your right hammer fist.

Movements #33,35,37 Defense against a hair grab and pull.

#33 Lean into the attacker and simultaneously punch his face with your left fist and his groin with your right fist. Your left forearm should rise up attempting to knock his hand off of your hair.
#35 Kick the side of his knee with your left foot and simultaneously punch his face with your right fist and his groin with your left fist.
#37 Kick the side of his knee with your right foot and simultaneously punch his face with your left fist and his groin with your right fist.

Gankaku

Movements #1,2 Defense when your wrists are tied together.

#1 Attacks to the face can be blocked by both hands circling upward.
#2 Attacks to the body can be blocked by both hands pressing downward.

Movements #6,7 Put an attacker into an armbar over your shoulder.

#6 Grab the attacker’s wrist with both hands rotating his arm so that his elbow is down, and place his arm on top of your shoulder.
#7 Pull down on his wrist to lock his elbow and raise him up on his toes.

Movements #8,9 Pull an attacker down stairs. (You are below the attacker)

#8 Move up the stairs rapidly and grab one or both of the attacker’s ankles.
#9 Turn around clockwise yanking his feet out from under him making him fall down the stairs. Punch him as he goes.

Movement #12 Defense against a right front shirt grab.

Add #10 Grab the attacker’s right fist with your left hand and swing your right arm over his right arm hitting the elbow and locking it.
Add #11 Step into him holding his right arm up with your right hand while striking him in the ribs or inner thigh with your left knife hand.
#12 Step in and push him away.

Movements #13,14 Defense against a double throat grab.

#13 Strike the attacker’s elbows from below with the palms of your hands.
#14 Circle your arms around the outside of his arms so that your elbows are on the top of his arms and press down to break his hold on your throat.

Movement #15 Throw an attacker behind you.

#15 Grab the attacker’s right wrist with your right hand and place it behind your neck while stepping behind his leg with your left foot. Pull your right arm straight while pushing your left arm against his body to make him fall backward.

Movements #16,17,18 Defense against a right grab of your left wrist.

#16 Raise your left wrist grabbing the attacker’s right wrist and raising his arm. Step in and strike his ribs with your right hammer fist.
#17 Reach under and around his right shoulder, turn counter-clockwise and throw him to the ground.
#18 Kneel down bending his right arm over your knee to lock the elbow joint and punch his ribs.

Movements #19,20 Defense against a shoulder grab from either side.

#19 Turn toward the attacker and strike the inside of his grabbing arm.
#20 Immediately wrap your arm behind and over his arm pressing downward on his elbow bringing him to his knees.

Movements #21,22,23,24 Defense against a right grab of your left shoulder from the front.

#21 Grab the attacker’s right wrist with your left hand and circle your right arm over his trapping it against your body.
#22,23 Jerk his body around by twisting counter-clockwise then immediately clockwise keeping downward pressure on his shoulder to bend him over toward the ground.
#24 Strike him in the back of the neck with your right back fist.

Movements #25,26 Defense against a right grab of your left shoulder from the top of the stairs. (You are below the attacker)

#25 Strike the attacker’s right wrist with your right knuckles.
#26 Circle your left arm over his arm and press down.
Add #27 Climb up the stairs holding on to his arm with your left hand.
Add #28 Punch him with your right fist.

Movements #29,30 Defense against a right wrist grab from the bottom of the stairs. (You are above the attacker)

#29 Strike the attacker on the back of his hand with your left knuckles, and grab his wrist.
#30 Pull his arm to the left side of your body.
Add #31 Kick him in the chest, throat, face, or any available target with your right foot.
Add #32 Punch him with your left fist.

Movements #33,34 Defense against a left wrist grab from the bottom of the stairs. (You are above the attacker)

#33 Strike the attacker on the back of his hand with your right knuckles, and grab his wrist.
#34 Pull his arm to the right side of your body.
Add #35 Kick him in the chest, throat, face, or any available target with your left foot.
Add #36 Punch him with your right fist.

Movements #39,40 Break an attacker’s right arm over your shoulder.

#39 Grab the attacker’s right wrist with both of your hands and pull his arm close to your left side.
#40 Spin clockwise under his arm turning it so that the elbow is down. Place his arm over your right shoulder and pull his wrist downward to break his arm.

Hyaku Hachi Ho

Reverse Wedge Block – Defense against a double wrist grab.

Cross your right wrist under your left wrist. Circle your wrists together upward and separate them forcefully breaking the attacker’s hold.

Roundhouse Block (left starting on top) – Defense against a right face punch (moving outside the attack).

Strike the attacker’s right wrist with your left hand. Wrap your right wrist under his right wrist grabbing it. Punch him in the jaw or ribs with your left fist.

Roundhouse Block (right starting on top) – Defense against a right face punch (moving inside the attack).

Strike the attacker’s right wrist with your right hand. Wrap your left wrist under his right wrist grabbing it. Punch him in the jaw with your right fist.

Circling Arms Overhead – Defense against a double lapel grab.

Strike the attacker’s elbows from below with the palms of your hands. Circle your arms around the outside of his arms so that your elbows are on the top of his arms and press down to break his hold.

Right Augmented Knuckle Punch – Defense against a double grab from behind.

(Begin with the Turning Inside-outward Block)
Turn counter-clockwise to face the attacker striking his elbow with your left elbow.
If this breaks his hold, grab his left arm. If this does not break his hold, wrap your left arm around his arms trapping them. Step forward and punch his jaw with your right fist.
(Continue with the Double Down blocks)
Wrap your right forearm around his neck and press downward making him fall backward.

Double Crane-head Blocks (right starting on top) – Defense against a right grab of your left elbow.

Cover the attacker’s hand with your right hand so that he cannot escape. Swing your left forearm up over his and press downward forcing him to bend over.

Double Crane-head Blocks (left starting on top) – Defense against a right grab of your right wrist.

Cover the attacker’s hand with your left hand so that he cannot escape. Circle your right hand clockwise over his right wrist and press downward forcing him to his knees.

Looking at augmented techniques where the opposite fist presses against the elbow, these morote-waza include morote-uke, morote-gedan-barai, and morote-zuki. There are various applications for these simple techniques within the Shotokan kata.

In Heian Nidan morote-uke could be used to unbalance an attacker. In Heian Sandan it could be used to defend against a mid-level punch. In Heian Yondan it could be used to defend against an elbow grab, or against multiple punches. In Heian Godan it could be used in conjunction with other kata techniques to turn an attacker and put him into a strangle hold, or it could be used with other kata techniques to throw an attacker then put him into a strangle hold.

In Bassai Dai morote-gedan-barai could be used to get out of a bear hug from the front. In Hyaku Hachi Ho morote-zuki could be used in conjunction with other kata techniques to defend against a double grab from behind.

The true test of a technique is its versatility. Can it be used in different situations against various modern attacks of physical violence? Here are only a few of the possible applications for these techniques. There are certainly others. Morote-waza can be used to defend against punches, grabs, and holds, and also to unbalance and throw an attacker. Clearly these are very versatile and useful techniques.

References:

Kyusho Secrets by Vince Morris

Shotokan’s Secret: The Hidden Truth Behind Karate’s Fighting Origins by Bruce D. Clayton

Paper 16: Rhythm in Karate

2008-06-13T10:05:00.002-04:00

Rhythm is a vital component within every aspect of existence. From the macro level, rhythm can be found in how the universe expands and contract and the manner in which planets, moons and stars rotate around each other. In a micro view, rhythm pervades how the even the smallest organisms move, grow, communicate to how animals and humans live every day of their lives. Everything has a rhythm, easily identifiable or not. And most beings follow a rhythm, instinctual or from habit, which makes them most comfortable. Breaking a rhythm can be either by choice or by environment, and the reaction to the break in pattern will result in either a good or bad outcome. As with the rest of life, rhythm is also an essential part of karate, both the physical and mental aspects.

When a student trains karate they follow a pattern or rhythm. Depending on the pattern this can be highly beneficial or less so. Sensei Funakoshi wrote in his 20 Precepts, specifically Precept #11, that “Karate is just like hot water; if you do not give it continuous heat, it will become cold.” This means that you must train regularly, daily is best, in order to maintain your level and to see improvement. Taking time off, or only sporadically pursuing, from any physical activity, whether it be sports, fitness training, hobbies, education, work, whatever, you will lose what you have gained. It is essential to maintain a regular pattern and rhythm to achieve the optimal results from whatever the endeavor.

In karate, each training session also follows a rhythm. It begins with how the student prepares for training during the day by how they eat, rest, and arrive at the dojo. It continues as the student enters the dojo, bows to the school, sensei(s) and sempai(s), empties their mind, gets into their gi, ties their obi, and bows entering the training floor. The rhythm continues with class bowing to shomen and the sensei, then starting with a warm-up, training for the class being kihon, kata, kumite, cardio, strength, or some combination of any or all these things. The class rhythm finishes with stretching and a warm down, bowing to shomen and then to the instructor. The rhythm concludes when the student leaves the training floor, gets out of their gi, bows good-bye to the sensei and leaves the school, and how they replenish their bodies. Following a rhythm for the whole aspect of karate training is critical for optimal development. But rhythms can be good and bad. And following a bad rhythm can be detrimental to karate training. Coming late to class or arriving just seconds before may not give the student enough time to properly prepare. Rushing, or not properly participating a warm-up or warm-down/stretching can lead to injury. Not showing proper respect for yourself and others can result in “bad things” happening. Not taking care of your gi and obi may result in a private (and sometimes public) conversation with sensei. All these problems can be avoided by following a good rhythm.

On a more micro level in karate, rhythm is found in our movements and our breathing. For movements, more specifically, it is how each technique contracts and expands, and how muscles relax and flex. When training kihon, we are working towards the optimal rhythm of muscle movement in order to achieve the best speed and power. Beginners at karate appear very tense, slow and jerky in their movements because they have not learned how to properly use their bodies in these particular motions. Advanced students make the same movements look effortless, yet powerful, and fluid with great speed. The difference between the two types students is that the advanced student understands the proper rhythm of body movement to achieve the desired outcome. Or they are at least is on the right path, there is always room for improvement. What the advanced student has learned is how to isolate the muscles to be used in each part the movement, while at the same time relaxing all others, and then completing the movement with correct tension in all parts of the body at the same instant, resulting in good kime. Over time, continual focus on the rhythm of a particular movement or technique will result in better execution, including reduced effort, increased speed and timing, and more power.

In kihon training there is also rhythm found in combination techniques, it is not limited to single movements. In order to effectively execute a combination of, for example, kizame zuki, gyaku zuki, step forward with a mawashi geri, and ending with another gyaku zuki there must be rhythm. Otherwise it is not a combination, but rather just 4 separate techniques performed in a short period of time. Each component of the combination is learned independently, but then to become a combination in a karate-ka’s arsenal, it must be trained such that it flows fluidly, which means it must have rhythm. And as with individual techniques, good rhythm comes down to muscle movement, and how after one technique ends with kime, then how quickly relaxation occurs for the start of the next technique. Effective combinations come from the pairing of strong kihon movements with proper rhythm.

Breathing rhythm can both improve and impede a karate technique. Improper breathing, such as holding your breath, or inhaling or exhaling at the wrong time, and even the depth of the breath can dramatically reduce the power of technique, and that of all following techniques. Becoming “out of breath” is common in these types of circumstances, and you never want to be out of breath. This situation will result in less oxygen getting to your muscles, thereby reducing your ability to perform movements effectively. While training kihon, kata, and kumite it is important to focus on your breathing, when to inhale and exhale, how much to take in and let out, and when. This is a learned rhythm from extensive training. Left up to its own natural rhythm, our bodies tend to take short, shallow breaths when we are exerting ourselves. However, this is not nearly optimal. Therefore, practicing a breathing rhythm, along with proper muscle relaxation and tension, will result in the most efficient delivery of oxygen to the muscles and by the muscles, and also ensure our bodies are ready to deliver or receive a blow.

Kata is a predefined set of movements. It follows a pattern and has a cadence, which is not to be confused with rhythm. Cadence is more like timing, meaning it refers to the general speed at which each technique is performed (fast, slow, somewhere in between, or varying), and the elapsed time between techniques. Rhythm comes into play in the overall flow of the kata, specifically how an individual performs it. While two different students can perform the same kata with the same cadence, the rhythm can be very different. Just like with two musicians playing the same piece of music following the same tempo, the result can sound very different. One musician may play the piece correctly but lack good rhythm and piece sounds bland. The other may have exceptional rhythm and play the same piece, but makes the music comes alive. It’s the same with kata. Even though the two karate-ka performed the same kata at the same cadence or tempo, the results can be dramatically different. It’s the rhythm to which the movements and transitions are made that create the differences. Advanced students perform techniques with greater speed (generally), therefore their rhythm is different than a less advanced student. As pointed out in “The Textbook of Modern Karate” by Sensei Okazaki and Dr. Stricevic, the total time to perform kata has, over time, been slowly getting shorter. This is not because the cadence has been changed; it is because the performance of techniques has gotten faster as more has been learned about the intricacies of the art. And the resulting change in time to perform techniques has led to differences in rhythm because now there is a larger separation in the timing of fast techniques from slow. Knowing and practicing rhythm of movement and breathing can make a kata strong, fluid and beautiful. Bad rhythm will make the kata look like a jumble of 20, 54, or 100 disparate techniques.

Kumite builds on the rhythm honed in kihon and kata training by adding in the element of an opponent(s). In this case there are multiple rhythms which have to be dealt with. In one instance you have your own rhythm to maintain (which can include altering as the situation warrants). This is vitally important in any confrontation. If you are not in control of your own rhythm then someone else is. In the case of kumite, rhythm is really referring to the movements you are currently performing (could be just standing still, or moving around or even running) and the movements, which are as of yet undetermined, that you are about to make. Kumite (and in this case I am including non-structured fights) is random, therefore unlike kata you can never be sure which technique or maneuver you will employ next. Thus, you must be prepared to defend or attack at any given moment. Being out of your normal rhythm will reduce your ability to effectively and efficiently defeat your opponent. Therefore, it is important to maintain your rhythm while at the same time disrupt your opponent. Alternating the types of your movements, fast and slow, from big to small, in and out, side to side, high and low, while at the same time maintaining your breathing pattern and muscle relaxation and tension will allow you retain your internal rhythm while externally not show any predictable pattern. This will hopefully disrupt your opponent while at the same time keep you primed for optimal response. It is also important to try and determine if your opponent has a predictable rhythm and to see if you can somehow get them to either change it or lose it, or to capitalize on it. Kumite, or in general fighting, can look like a dance, where all parties are moving together, almost in unison. This happens when each adopts an external rhythm similar to the other(s). In most cases this is not desirable. In a fight you want to disrupt and dominate your opponent, not to dance. Furthermore, you don’t want your rhythm superseded or altered by them because now you have been taken out of your prime position. Therefore, you need to control your own internal and external rhythms as well as your opponents.

As first stated, rhythms are everywhere. They can be big, external patterns of movement, and they can be minute, internal manifestations. This pattern holds for karate as well. Externally, rhythm is found in how movements are strung together either in a predetermined way like with kata, or in a random way with kumite. These are external examples of rhythm. How and when to breath, relax and tense muscles, contract and expand are examples of internal rhythms. Both need to be honed continuously to gain improvement. Working on optimizing the internal rhythms first will allow the external rhythms to improve as well. All this tuning of the internal and external rhythms has to be done with a “training rhythm”, which will maintain your karate at a “boil”.

Craig Lawton
Triangle’s Best Karate
June 8, 2008

Rhythm in Karate

2008-06-04T21:23:00.001-04:00

Stratton Lobdell
Rhythm in Karate
May 2008 Instructor training assignment.

Rhythm (from Greek rhuthmos, "any measured flow or movement, symmetry") is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events. In karate, the rhythm of our movements determines the speed of an encounter. Rhythm is particularly important in the practice of kata. As discussed by Okazaki Sensei and Dr. Stricevic in the “Textbook of Modern Karate”, the rhythm of kata has changed much since Funakoshi Sensei introduced the world to Shotokan Karate. As the rhythm has changed, katas have become shorter in time and changed the type and degree of athleticism necessary to perform kata.
Howard Goodall, author of numerous books on music, presents theories that rhythm recalls how we walk and the heartbeat we heard in the womb. However neither would seem to have any survival value in Man's evolution. More likely is that a simple pulse or di-dah beat recalls the footsteps of another person. Our sympathetic urge to dance is designed to boost our energy levels in order to cope with someone, or some animal chasing us - a fight or flight response. It is possibly also rooted in courtship ritual
We will leave the courtship rituals to another discussion, but it is important to realize that rhythm is a part of everything we do. As Shihan Robinson points out, karate is in everything we do as well. Walking down the street is karate; awareness of your surroundings, the way you walk to keep yourself always prepared to move, the speed and length of your steps. The rhythm of your gait is part of this.
Funakoshi Sensei predicted that as karate developed the rhythm of kata would increase and the duration of katas would decrease. There is no more striking example of this to me than the Tekki katas. When Funakoshi Sensei performed Tekki Shodan in 1935, the duration of the kata was a full 60 seconds. At the time that Okazaki and Stricevic published their book the average time to perform Tekki Shodan was 35 seconds. From personal experience, I have to slow the movements down to even take 35 seconds!
For kata to be most effective as a training tool the rhythm can be changed. There are optimal times for different katas to be performed and until a high level of proficiency is achieved with each kata there should be very little deviation from the time frame put forth by the instructor. To illustrate katas in which rhythm is of particular importance, Hangetsu and Empi are good opposites. Hangetsu is a slow and controlled kata with an extra emphasis on breathing. Hangetsu is from the Shorei school. Empi is quick, light, and acrobatic. Empi is from the Shorin school.
The rhythm of Hangetsu is slow and powerful with a moment of tension before the next movement. This 41 movement kata moves in time with the karateka’s breathing. This is one of the few kata that has increased in it duration since Funakoshi Sensei’s day. The rhythm of this kata lends itself to long term training. Hangetsu is a kata that can be performed without great impact and will continue to benefit strength and balance even for older karateka. This kata still includes explosive movements and provides anaerobic muscle conditioning as well as isometric strength training. The common mythology surrounding the Shorei school of kata is that these karateka were mostly inland farmers and the long plodding pace of their movements was best for long days of planting and work in the hot sun.
Empi is the other extreme. The rhythm of this kata is fast, the movements whip the karateka through combinations. Because of Empi’s rhythm it lends itself more to the younger karateka with its acrobatic jump and constant movement. This kata is another which has become shorter in duration over the years and is generally performed in less than 50 seconds as opposed to Funakoshi and Nakayama Sensei’s 60 seconds. This is likely also a result of this kata’s use in sport karate. Sport karate has pushed the rhythm of many kata to make them faster and more acrobatic. Empi is anaerobic and its 37 movement are almost all completed quickly. The Shorin school this kata comes from is said to have developed from the fisherman in Okinawa who were more accustomed to casting nets and had higher stances than their farmer counterparts.
In self defense rhythm plays a subtle but important role. The rhythm and tempo of a confrontation must be controlled carefully. Fast, frenetic movements will stimulate a frantic response from an opponent while controlled and relaxed movements can calm a situation. The karateka must be able to read his opponent and manipulate the rhythm of the confrontation to his benefit.
Karateka must also be aware of others effect on us. Most confrontations in the street are over quickly once they have moved to physical violence. The goal is to avoid such confrontations and this can often be accomplished by the use of rhythm in our speech. By speaking slowly and softly with respect and deference most confrontations can be defused. Funakoshi Sensei used this method as a first line of defense in many situations. He was singled out for his ability by his instructors as he relates in his autobiography a particular walk home from a moon viewing party. He was sent by Master Itosu to speak to their, would be assailants. “Perhaps, this is a case of mistaken identity?” he said, knowing very well that he and his group were perfectly capable of defending themselves against these men. This is an example of the diplomatic use of karate’s other weapons; calm demeanor, control over natural fight/flight response, and clear thinking. By dictating the rhythm of the confrontation Funakoshi Sensei avoided what could have been a costly altercation for both sides.
It is important for us to understand rhythm not just as an aspect of karate but is an integral part of how we relate to the world around us. Humans see the world in terms of patterns and events. Our day to day lives are structured by rhythm; wake up, eat, work, train, sleep, repeat. We walk with a rhythm, one foot in front of the other again and again. Our hearts beat with a rhythm that structures everything down to the music we listen to. Because rhythm pervades every aspect of our lives, a deep understanding of this rhythm can give us greater insight into our karate. It can also help us to understand when the rhythm must be changed.
Breaking rhythm on ones own terms allows the karateka to create openings. Becoming focused on or lulled into rhythms is the ultimate trap. Once lost in a rhythm an opponent become completely vulnerable. This is a concept which warrants deep study. This is a concept which pervades the art of Judo. The ultimate goal of Judo is to break the opponents balance and throw him to the ground. This is usually accomplished by breaking the rhythm of his movement, or by changing the rhythm of ones own movement so that it disrupts the opponent. This is an important lesson for all martial artists.
To create an opportunity to end a conflict, we must render our opponent vulnerable. By changing our rhythm we are out of sync with our opponent and openings become available. To understand karate one must understand rhythm.

Rhythm in karate

2008-05-29T19:07:00.000-04:00

Instructor Certification Course
April 19, 2008
Rhythm in Karate

Wendy Mach

Rhythm plays a fundamental role in every part of karate training. It is part of kihon, kata, and kumite practice. There is a rhythm to the execution of every technique. Nothing happens in isolation.

The most noticeable rhythm in karate is movement, the expansion and contraction of the muscles used to step, block, punch, and strike. However this is only one element of rhythm. In each technique there is also the rhythm of relaxation and tension of the muscles. Another part that is often overlooked or at least underemphasized is the rhythm of the breath. In the big picture, without breath there is no life. In the karate picture, without breath there is no kime, and without kime what you are practicing is not karate according to Sensei Nakayama.

In kihon training each technique is a combination of individual elementary actions. There is a rhythm to the sequence of these actions. Each action involves expansion and contraction of the appropriate muscles along with proper relaxation and tension of the muscles. Many techniques begin with most of the muscles of the body fully relaxed in order to generate speed quickly. It is then necessary to tense the entire body instantaneously at the end of a technique in order to produce kime. This is part of the rhythm of the technique.

Inhalation and exhalation are also important elements to the execution of every technique. Full, explosive exhalation at the end of a technique provides the internal tension necessary to produce kime. Movement, muscle relaxation, and breathing are all necessary elements for the proper rhythm of any karate technique.

When techniques are performed in combination, there is also a rhythm that connects one technique to the next. Sanbon-zuki is performed with a 1..2-3 rhythm. When stepping and kicking mae-geri, mawashi-geri, yoko-geri, ushiro-geri, the rhythm is 1..2..3..4. Some combinations can provide the optimal situation where the ending of one technique automatically provides a load for the next technique. An example of this would be stepping back age-uke, stepping forward mawashi-geri. As soon as the age-uke rear foot touches the floor, it instantaneously pushes off again for the kick. This should be performed with a rhythm like a rubber ball bouncing on a floor. The ball hits the floor and compresses to maximum tension, then instantly rebounds. The rhythm for this combination is 1-2.

The rhythm of the breath determines how quickly combinations of techniques can be performed. The breath must be synchronized with each technique so that combinations can flow together smoothly, and are performed with the proper amount of power.

It has been well established that the rhythm of movement is a fundamental element of kata performance. The total time that it takes to perform a kata may vary from individual to individual; however, the rhythm of the techniques must always remain the same. Once again most people associate the rhythm of a kata with the physical stepping and performing of techniques only. This is associated with the expansion and contraction of the muscles. The rhythm of relaxation and tension of the muscles also has an established rhythm and is more prominent in kata techniques that are performed with the feeling of muchimi. Kanku-dai and Sochin both have techniques that are performed with constant tension.

Every kata also has a breathing rhythm. In Advanced Karate-Do, a suggested breathing rhythm is listed for every kata. Though this is not an absolute rhythm. There are variations that are also acceptable. Even though the inhalation and exhalation rhythm is not firmly established, breathing must still be synchronized with the expansion and contraction, and relaxation and tension of the muscles for proper execution of each kata technique.

There are a few kata that have a very prominent breathing rhythm. Hangetsu requires controlled breathing during the performance. Kancho Kanazawa is well known for his breathing rhythm in this kata. Short inhalations with long exhalations are synchronized with the beginning movements of the kata to calm the spirit and to allow chi to circulate throughout the body.

The first movement of Unsu also incorporates a prominent breathing rhythm. The slow, deep inhalation of the breath is synchronized with raising the palms of the hands to chin level. This allows chi to enter the body through Yang-quan in the feet, move through the legs to gather in the Dan Tien, and rise up to the chest. The exhalation of the breath is then synchronized with pressing the palms of the hands out to both sides of the body. This sends chi outward through the arms leaving the body through Lao-gong in the hands.

In Shotokan karate there are various forms of kumite, and each has its own rhythm. In basic terms offensive kumite rhythm involves understanding an opponent’s movements in order to determine the optimal moment to attack so that your technique can hit the target with full power. Defensive kumite rhythm involves disrupting the rhythm of an opponent’s attack after he has begun his technique and is fully committed to it, but before it has fully developed.

In gohon kumite and sanbon kumite the rhythm of the attacks should be determined by the skill level of the karateka. Beginners should use a regular, natural rhythm for each attack of 1..2..3. This could be verbally announced or determined by the attacker. More skilled karateka can change the rhythm of the attacks to increase the degree of difficulty of the drill. These rhythms would be 1..2-3 and 1-2..3. They could be either verbally announced or determined by the attacker. The final rhythm for more advanced karateka would be an unannounced 1-2-3 continuous attack. This increases the intensity and degree of difficulty of the drill even more.

In jiyu ippon kumite and jiyu kumite it is the opponent’s rhythm of movement that becomes important for success. Do not move around in the same rhythm as your opponent. Move in his off-beat according to a weakness in his rhythm. Make sure to break your own movement rhythm in order to become unpredictable. Use the tactical skill of changing your rhythm to your advantage, while noticing your opponent’s rhythm and using it against him.

Once you understand your opponent’s rhythm, you can set him up using sen no sen or go no sen. The rhythm of your opponent’s attack will determine when you attack; either just as he is beginning his technique, or by leading his technique into a position that is advantageous to you. You could also attack during an off-beat of your opponent’s rhythm. Vary the rhythm of your attacks so that your opponent cannot determine your rhythm and counter in between techniques. Also try to vary your attacks so that your opponent falls behind your rhythm, and you can perform a finishing technique before he has time to react.

In any form of kumite practice the rhythm of the breath is just as important as the rhythm of movement. Movement of your opponent’s chest, stomach, or flaring of the nose can provide a noticeable rhythm for you to take advantage of to determine when he is about to attack or when it is most advantageous for you to attack. When not attacking or defending, slow, deep breaths help keep the body and mind calm. Proper exhalation leaves some air in the lungs. Do not fully exhale the breath because this will make the body limp, and provide an opening for your opponent to attack.

In kihon practice the rhythm of expansion and contraction of the muscles, and relaxation and tension of the muscles, is synchronized with the rhythm of the breath. Breathing enhances the muscles ability to relax, and also to concentrate maximum power into every technique. Fully exhaling the breath at the moment of impact of a technique is absolutely necessary to produce kime. Breathing should not be uniform, it should change accordingly with the techniques that are being performed.

In kata practice the rhythm of the expansion and contraction of the muscles, and relaxation and tension of the muscles has been previously established and must be adhered to exactly. The synchronization of the breath with the movements is important, but there are variations in the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation that are permitted. In some kata breathing is very prominent and noticeable during the performance.

In kumite practice the karateka tries to hide and vary the rhythm of his movement and breathing. The rhythm of movement should be unpredictable and the rhythm of the breath should be unnoticeable.

Self-defense situations have a predictable rhythm to the set of instinctual behaviors that occur in the escalation toward a physical confrontation. Physical confrontations begin with a simple disagreement between two people. If the disagreement is not resolved, it can escalate. The first level of escalation involves loud verbal abuse and posturing in order to appear larger and more threatening to the other person. If the disagreement is not resolved at this point, the confrontation may escalate to the next level. This involves moving into the other person’s physical space and gesturing. At this point the aggressor is “in your face” and pounding his fist or pointing his finger at you. The third level of escalation is where light physical contact is made for the first time. The aggressor will begin poking or physically pushing or grabbing you. It may still be possible at this level to diffuse the situation without anyone being injured. The final level of escalation is where the intention of the confrontational behaviors is to physically injure or maim the other person. This is where the “fighting” begins.

The escalation toward physical violence is instinctual and has a predictable rhythm. The timing of the escalation is not predictable though. A disagreement can explode into violence in minutes, or the resentment could fester for months before a physical attack is made. Just as in kata performance, the rhythm is well established, but the timing is dependent on the individual.

References:

Advanced Karate-Do by Elmar T. Schmmeisser, Ph.D.

25 Shoto-kan Kata by S. Sugiyama

Self Defense

2008-04-18T16:23:00.002-04:00

What is self defense? One definition of the term is, “actions taken by a person to prevent another person from causing harm to one's self, one's property or one's home”. Another is, “Using whatever means necessary to quickly end a situation that offers you grievous bodily injury”. While sounding relatively simple and straightforward, there is a very fine line between what is considered self defense, or simply fighting. Knocking out the closest assailant of a group of 4 or 5 so you run away is self defense. Shooting a knife wielding assailant is self defense. Talking yourself out of a confrontation is self defense. However, the best self defense is to never put yourself in a bad situation to begin with.

With a general idea of what self defense is, it would be helpful to discuss what fighting is. Fighting is a participatory event. As defined in a legal context, it is "mutually agreed upon combat." That means you are actively engaged in the conflict and you are half the reason that it escalated. Fighting is illegal, self defense is legal. If you are walking down the street and are unexpectedly assaulted by six thugs who demand your money and then attack, defending yourself is self defense. Standing there, nose-to-nose, calling the guy all kinds of nasty things so he takes a shot at you is NOT self defense. It is fighting. Here is another interesting scenario that I came across that helps to define this further:

“If you are honestly trying to withdraw from physical danger and -- without provocation -- you are assaulted, that is self-defense. However -- and this is a big however -- backing away, while proclaiming that the guy has an amazing resemblance to various anatomical items, is *not* looked upon as being attacked ‘without provocation’. That is still participating and escalating the problem. Your may have been backing up, but your words were still attacking. In fact, some states have laws that state you cannot say certain things and then claim he attacked you for no reason”.

I went back to our assignment from December 2006, “Martial Arts & The Law”, and found the following:

Self-defense: It is generally a legal defense to a charge of homicide, assault, or battery to show that you had reason to believe that you were about to become the victim of serious bodily harm. However, you must simultaneously prove that you tried every other reasonable way of avoiding the situation. This includes running away and calling 911. You also lose this right to self-defense if you started the fight, chose to engage in mutual combat, or committed the defense solely in the protection of property. Errors in judgment don't count, either. So if you get into a fight on behalf of someone else, and that person is later found to have been the legal aggressor, then you become the aggressor's accomplice, and risk conviction for assault, battery, or manslaughter, as appropriate.

Deadly force: In North American jurisprudence, deadly force is defined as being an amount of force that can be expected to cause death or serious bodily harm. This includes the use of improvised weapons such as skillets and hammers as well as the use of obvious weapons such as firearms and knives. Attacks by boxers and other trained martial artists are generally construed as being sufficient to cause death or serious bodily harm. Courts usually allow people to use deadly force in self-defense when all three of the following conditions are met:

• All means of non-violent and non-lethal means of self-defense have failed.
• Death or serious bodily harm will result if you do nothing.
• The use of deadly force does not significantly increase the risk of injury for innocent bystanders. This third requirement usually precludes the use of firearms.

Excessive force: Excessive force refers to the use of more force than a judge decides was necessary to have caused an altercation to end. While this involves considerable armchair-quarterbacking, most judges consider it excessive if you keep hitting someone after he or she has fallen to the ground, or if you use weapons or unarmed combat skills in response to simple assaults. And as most criminal trials are ultimately tried by a judge without recourse to jury, the judges' opinions matter a great deal.

As an addition to our assignment, we were asked to take the 5 characteristics of an athlete and list them in our personal order of proficiency. The characteristics (in no particular order) are:

· Speed

· Strength

· Balance

· Endurance

· Flexibility

For myself, I would rank these in the following order:

· Strength – For the last two years, Sensei Robinson has been training me resistance and weight exercises that have resulted in a very noticeable increase in overall strength and power.

· Balance – This used to be number one for me before beginning training as I’ve always had a natural sense of balance. However, as fatigue sets in, balance becomes more difficult.

· Speed – My hand speed and reaction time is faster than my whole body propulsion speed, but I’m aware of it and try to use it to my advantage during kumite.

· Endurance – This one is a close tie with speed and for me is dependant on the activity. For aerobic type activity, I have definitely improved over the last several weeks because of the addition of cardio training outside of karate. For upper body exercises, my endurance is pretty good but as soon as my legs become involved, I tire quickly. It is because of this that I rank this as number 4 and I attribute some of this to my weight, which is currently 210lbs.

· Flexibility – This is the one that I continue to struggle with as I continue my training. It is definitely MUCH improved from when I first started training, but needs much more work.

This self assessment would have been impossible without the benefit of training on a daily basis and discovering these strengths and weaknesses. I believe that effective self defense incorporates the knowledge (and repetitive training) of effective techniques, along with the awareness of the situation and finally, knowledge of what our personal abilities and strengths are to quickly determine the best course of action in any given situation.

Luis Santana

Triangle’s Best Karate

April, 2008

Paper #15: Self Defense

2008-04-18T13:08:00.001-04:00

Self defense is a concept that has been around since the beginning of time. In its simplest form, self defense is the act of protecting one’s self from a threat until that threat has been absolved. As times have changed so have the types of threats (or attacks) that people are confronted with. Therefore, the art of self defense has had to evolve at the same time and pace to remain viable option. Each situation in which some form of self defense is called for will have factors which dictate what type of response is appropriate; thus, the perception that one type of defense will be effective in all situations is naïve. In modern society we are faced with threats from, for example: highway snipers, road rage, suicide bombers and terrorist attacks, as well as from gangs, angry parents, bullies and thugs. For each of these aforementioned examples one’s actions to defend themselves would be dramatically different. For the purposes of this assignment the focus of this paper will be on close-proximity confrontations.

Today, the basic U.S. legal definition of self-defense is: allowing a person attacked to use reasonable force in their own defense and the defense of others. A person may use physical force to prevent imminent physical injury; however, a person may not use deadly physical force unless that person is in reasonable fear of serious physical injury or death. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-defense_%28United_States%29) The definition, in its complete form, includes the right to defend of one’s property, as well as a duty to retreat if possible. An individual can use self-defense up to the point where the threat from assault has been abated; otherwise, the continued use of force in the act of defense becomes an assault itself.

Putting aside all of the subtleties of the legal definition, there are several important points to note in the above description and expectations of self defense that apply to the actual act of effective self defense versus the legal definition. The word “imminent” implies that a person is able to perceive a threat from a potential attacker. This perception is a key element in mounting an effective defense. Being caught off-guard can dramatically alter the playing field between two opponents, a change which usually favors the aggressor and is a detriment to the victim. Therefore, situational awareness is of vital importance at all times. The phrase “to retreat if possible” conveys the idea that if a person can avoid a physical confrontation they should. Retreating should not be taken to only mean leaving or running, but also to mean being able diffuse the situation – to take away the threat. Swallowing one’s pride or admitting a fault, even if untrue, just to avoid a conflict can be a better alternative to a physical confrontation. The final point concerns judgment, specifically about how much force is permissible in the given situation. The person being attacked has to be able, at any point during the confrontation, to evaluate the level of the threat posed to them, thus potentially altering their method(s) of defense. Ignoring whether “deadly force” is called for or not, the point is that the victim has to constantly be focused and adapt as necessary as the situation evolves.

The points raised in the previous paragraph are important in understanding some of the mental aspects of self defense. Being able to accurately assess the situation is as important as the physical application of force.

Turning to the physical side of self defense, one has to consider what the necessary qualities are in order to best protect against a close-proximity threat/attack. Each of the following qualities has a direct affect on one’s ability to defend him or herself:
• Speed
• Strength
• Timing
• Endurance
• Flexibility
• Balance
• Agility
• Mobility
• Resilience
• Reflex

The above list represents a wide variety of capabilities, and thus it takes a tremendous amount of training in order to improve all of these. Working out in a gym (or similar type of exercise), or playing sports can enhance some of these qualities, such as strength, endurance and speed, but there are few activities which incorporate, to some degree, all of them including the mental aspects. Training in martial arts (depending upon the school and focus) can cover most, if not all, of these qualities. In addition, martial arts training exposes students to situations which require both the physical and mental aspects of defense, which is something you cannot get from a gym or a playing field. However, in the real world when it comes to an attack there are no rules, no legal and illegal, and no right or wrong. Anything goes; therefore, the person being attacked has to be prepared that anything can happen, and to respond and adapt quickly and decisively.

Speed – encompasses many aspects of physical movement, including: executing a block, kick or a strike, movement between positions (e.g. tai sabaki, enter/retreat), rate at which multiple techniques are delivered, and reaction. This is one of the most important qualities, as it is directly related to the ability to effectively direct an attack against an opponent. Without speed all techniques will be easily evaded by the opponent. Furthermore, speed, or more accurately acceleration, is one component in the generation of force. Higher speed, more acceleration, more force. For some individuals fairly high levels of speed come naturally, but there are limits. For others speed is something that has to be developed. In Shotokan karate speed is developed by: utilizing only the muscles required for the movement, increasing the ratio of fast-twitch muscle fibers to slow-twitch, and through relaxation during the movement until the point of impact/completion.

Strength – this particular quality, like speed, has a broad influence, specifically on technique delivery. To effectively and explosively execute a technique, strength is required for the technique itself, a kick for example, but also for supporting the body during the execution and impact of the technique. A strong kick without a strong stance is ineffective. Strong stances start from the ground up, and require not only leg strength but also a solid core. This quality should not be measured by how much someone can bench-press, but as an evaluation of overall musculature fitness and control. In karate we train kihon to improve overall muscle tone.

Timing – this attribute applies to both defense as well as offense. With proper timing, one can adeptly block or diminish the effectiveness of an attack with the possibility of eliminating the threat altogether. A counter attack is most effective when delivered when an opening is available, which is usually not for a very long period of time, therefore, being able to execute instantly is of utmost importance. In karate, like most martial arts, training with partners on timing drills enhances the ability to create openings and time attacks. Proper timing is a quality that comes naturally to some, but for most it requires extensive training become adept.

Endurance – this quality is not limited to the physical fitness of the person being attacked. Adrenaline, which will most likely be flowing during an assault for all parties involved, can increase the ability to sustain a prolonged encounter. However, physical fitness, or more specifically the fitness of the cardio-vascular system is key. Without good fitness even an adrenaline rush cannot be sustained for long. Efficient utilization of oxygen by the body, by means of good muscle tone, means that someone can maintain a high level of activity for long periods of time. However, in most attack situations, the people involved are most likely, during the actual physical portion of the encounter, in an anaerobic state. Endurance for anaerobic situations can be attained but requires non-traditional training methods. In Shotokan karate we aim to end encounters quickly, ideally with a single attack; this is not always possible so we train both aerobically and anaerobically. Kihon training, depending on the drill(s) will be either; kata is usually anaerobic which is why we focus heavily on this aspect.

Flexibility – being flexible has many benefits to an individual, including having the ability to attack any point on a target, as well as avoiding injury. Flexibility can be broken down in two ways: static and dynamic. Static flexibility refers to the ability of someone to stretch slowly in a particular direction. Dynamic refers to the range of motion of a particular movement when moving quickly, such as when kicking. Both are important and each can be improved over time. Our karate training places strong emphasis on this quality as it allows us increase our range of motion which is vitally important for both attacking and defending. We end our training, which is when our muscles and tendons are most warm, with stretching so that we can reduce the lactic acid buildup and so that our muscles “remember” the top end of their range.

Balance – this is probably one of the most important elements because, without proper balance, a person can not make effective movements, whether executing an attack, a block, or changing position. Not being able to maintain your balance leaves you vulnerable to an attack because your ability to move has been diminished. Moreover, improper balance when executing an attack can reduce the power that is able to be generated. Like many of the other qualities some people have natural balance, others have to work at it by understanding how their bodies move and what correct and incorrect body positions are. In karate we strive to always maintain balance through proper stances, positional relationship of the hips and shoulders, and controlled contraction and expansion of movements.

Agility – this quality refers to ability move smoothly and quickly, either when evading an attack without having to block (such as by “slipping” sideways), or when attacking for a fast strike and then immediately retreating out of “critical distance”. Relaxation is vital; being still will reduce a person’s agility. Having good agility improves other qualities such as timing and mobility. Karate training, in its most basic form, teaches that we block and then counter an attack. As we advance in our training, we learn that we don’t have to be so rigid.

Mobility – being able to move effectively, efficiently and quickly is essential in any physical encounter, whether you are countering an attack or attempting to flee. In the case of a physical exchange being able to move linearly (forward, backward, diagonally), side-to-side, and in a circular motion increases a person’s ability to avoid an attack as well as find and create openings. In Shotokan karate linear and side-to-side movements are predominate; however, in our school we also train to move less-traditional ways which increases our options in any given situation.

Resilience – in any given encounter even the best participant is likely to get hit. Being able to withstand a blow (kick, punch, strike, cut, hit with an object) is very important so that you can continue or flee the encounter. However, not every blow can be tolerated, but one can train their body to endure a significant amount. And this does not only apply to being struck, but also to the act of striking also. When counter-attacking you might not always hit a soft target, you might punch an elbow or kick a shin/knee, so your body has to be trained to be “harder” than your opponents, so that you can withstand these possibilities. While training karate we work to strengthen our bodies (hands, feet, forearms, shins, abdomen, etc.) to be able to endure being struck and offensive striking.

Reflex – having good reflexes adds to almost every quality listed. Reflexes are developed through repetition, so that motions are executed without thought, thereby dramatically increasing speed. Having fast reflexes requires that you are able to observe clearly what is happening or about to happen and then adapting instantly. In Shotokan karate kihon and kata training focus on repeating movements and motions over and over again until they become a reflex. Thinking about a punch or a kick will slow it down, so we perform high numbers of repetitions in order that someday these techniques will become a reflex.

Not included in the list of physical qualities or in the several points concerning the mental aspect of self defense are two additional items which need to be addressed: evaluation of the opponent and surroundings, and the commitment on the part of the person being attacked. Understanding (or evaluating) the situation you are in is extremely important to how and what you can do to defend yourself. All of these factors, such as: location & terrain, time of day, weather, attacker(s), on-lookers, your own physical state and situation, weapons (both to be used against you or by you), etc. are independent variables which, when taken into account, help dictate how you can and should react. Your reactions to these independent variables are the dependent variables, which could include submission, fleeing, or defending. In the case the choice is defending, the independent variables will also affect your options, creating more dependent variables, such as how do you defend against a weapon or multiple attackers, or someone who clearly dominates you in size and/or strength. It is important that you are able to quickly assess the elements of the encounter so that you understand the factors which will influence your actions (dependent variables). Furthermore, when choosing to defend yourself you have to determine your level of commitment to that act. Your defense will be ineffective if you cannot commit to fully eliminating the threat by means of (potentially) causing physical harm to the attacker.

My personal evaluation (on a scale of 1-10):
• Speed – 5 to 7 depending on the technique. Punches/strikes and mae geri at the higher end (7), body shifting and blocking (6), stepping forward and back (5).
• Strength – good (6), but could be better. For someone of my size and experience I would expect more both from a muscle point of view as well a technique delivery perspective.
• Timing – inconsistent, so it’s hard to say. Some days it seems really good, other days I can barely get out of my own way.
• Endurance – fair (5), but my recovery is lower (3).
• Flexibility – static is not very good, especially ankles, but is slowly getting better (3), dynamic is better but I need a bit of warm up of my hips to reach my current max for side/roundhouse kicks (6).
• Balance – this has always been a problem for me, ever since childhood. I struggle with this every day in training (3).
• Agility – Not a good quality in me, I tend to get stuck in place (3).
• Mobility – Again, certain aspects are better than others, but on average I would say I am middle of the road (5).
• Resilience – This is one area where I feel I am better than average, especially in the heat of the moment (7). I generally don’t notice painful things until I have had a chance to relax.
• Reflex – average, and getting better (6). The more I train, the more repetitions I do, the more I notice certain things happen without thought.

Conclusion:
There are a myriad of potential situations in today’s world where someone may have to defend themselves or others. No one can be prepared for all of them and no one kind of training alone is best. However, by training or practicing to improve the 10 physical qualities outlined in this paper, a person would be benefited in a physical encounter. If you add to that self-defense training and/or combative training, such as karate or other martial art styles, you will greatly increase your options. Furthermore, keen awareness of the situation, quick thinking and commitment also play an important role in determining the outcome.

Craig Lawton
Triangle’s Best Karate
April 6, 2008

Instructor Training Experiences

2008-04-17T16:28:00.000-04:00

Instructor Certification Course
March 15, 2008
Experiences

Wendy Mach

People join the Instructor Training Program for various reasons. My reasons were probably different from most people. I didn’t necessarily want to become an instructor, and I didn’t want to become a better fighter. I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the principles of the art of Shotokan karate. And more importantly for me, I wanted to face and conquer some of my own fears. I had the quest for knowledge, but not necessarily the quest to pass on that knowledge.

There is an expression, “Every day do something that scares you.” The first few Instructor Training classes scared and intimidated the living daylights out of me. Did I really think that in my mid forties I could keep up with the other trainees? It has been decades since I have been in school and written papers for a class. Would I be able to write something intelligent that would contribute to someone else’s knowledge? Would anyone be interested in anything that I tried to teach them? After the first few classes I would drive home literally shaking from the intimidation factor that I had placed on myself.

It took me a little while, but eventually I felt more comfortable during class and while writing my assignments. I have learned something new from each class and my knowledge of the principles of Shotokan karate and the principles of body movement has become greater and deeper. In one class Shihan McClary talked about the fact that you can look at a student’s stance and see that it is structurally correct, but you cannot tell if he is using his muscles correctly. This was something that I had never thought of before. It is exactly why we need to test our students periodically to determine that their stances are stable, that pressure is moving forward into the target, and that the body’s muscular structure is supporting the technique.

There have been a number of times in class that we have worked on how to “load” the rear leg so that it can drive forward into the target providing maximum support to the technique. Each time that this subject has been reviewed, my understanding of the principles of body movement has increased. By working on this in my own personal training, I have been able to improve many techniques, and improve the flow from one technique to the next. In many cases the ending of one technique automatically provides the “load” for the next technique. After learning how this works and feels in my own body, I have been able to notice deficiencies in other student’s movement. Then I have been able to both demonstrate the proper physical movement to the student, and to explain the mechanics of the movement on a level that the student could understand.

When I first started the Instructor Training Program, I thought that I would be learning how different people learn, and learning how to teach. I was surprised when these subjects were not addressed directly. What I have discovered is that we trainees have been indirectly learning how to teach. The Instructor Training classes have involved learning higher level skills and principles and having the trainees “perform” various techniques and katas working to improve small nuances of movement. After we learn these skills within our own bodies, then we can demonstrate and teach them to others. This has been an interesting discovery for me. I have not been learning how to verbally teach. I have been learning how to teach by demonstration.

Imitation is one of the first ways that infants and toddlers learn how to do things like walk. So it is very natural for karate instructors to use the “watch and do” teaching method. Students can learn more in 2 minutes of watching someone perform a kata, than they can learn in 30 minutes of an instructor telling them how to perform the kata. I am the first to admit that I had watched Sensei Deshi’s hips for years and wondered, “How can I make my body move like that?” I am still working on it.

I have discovered that I look forward to the writing assignments each month. I find them challenging and they have made me look deeper into the art of Shotokan karate and into myself. Assignments like Anatomy and Physiology, and Active and Supportive Karate have added to my depth of knowledge, and I have learned a lot while researching them. My favorite assignment has been Renoji-dachi and Sanchin-dachi as fighting stances. Since the associated Instructor Training class had focused on how to maneuver around obstacles, I chose to take the assignment out of the dojo completely and into a more natural setting. I had a great time going outside performing katas in my back yard on the wet grass, in parking lots on loose stones, and all around Mt. Misery at Valley Forge. I made numerous discoveries about sanchin-dachi and wet grass, and renoji-dachi and rocks. I also slid all over the place trying to perform long stances in all the wrong places.

For me an integral part of this experience has been with teaching classes. I started with the kid’s class. In my first 3 classes I had a student who had a short attention span and too much energy. After every class I was frustrated trying to determine what to do to get him to behave. Then it came to me. My attitude was wrong. What I should have been thinking about was how to keep him excited throughout class, and keep his attention on karate. After my attitude changed I realized that this child was going to teach me how to become a good instructor.

While I was still teaching the kid’s classes, I started developing drills that would use objects such as tennis balls, small wooden blocks, and balloons. These drills would help the kids learn skill sets that were used not only in karate, but also in everyday life. The favorite drill was using gyaku-zuki to grab a wooden block as quickly as possible from someone’s hand. The kids watched each other perform the drill and started their own friendly competition to see who was the fastest. The dojo may have become a little noisy, but all the kids were having a good time and paying attention to the lesson. Everyone waited politely for their turn to grab a block, and no one wanted the class to end. After class most admitted that they were really faster than everyone else. By working with this amazing, diverse group of kids, I discovered that I really did like teaching karate. The kids taught me how to teach.

I have also had the opportunity to teach people of all ages, physical abilities, and mental capabilities. Many have taught me more about teaching than I have taught them about karate. Kids come to karate class to have fun. Most do not care about the physical fitness, coordination, and balance benefits. They just want to have fun. So as instructors, if we want to keep the students coming to class, we have to find ways to teach karate while making it fun for the students. Adult classes are completely different. Adults come to karate class for many, diverse reasons. So the goal for an instructor when teaching adults is to design the class so that every student is challenged, and gets something to benefit them. Shihan McClary has an amazing ability to teach classes so that each student believes that the class was just for them.

I have found it to be an interesting challenge to try to teach in this manner. Before each class I design a basic structure for the class based on either a technique that I want to work on, or a principle that I want to teach. Then I wait to see who comes to class. The final class structure is determined by who is there, and what each individual needs to work on. I try to make each class challenging for all levels of ability and make sure that each student gets individual attention.

I have learned that the Instructor Training classes and teaching classes are a continuous loop of growing knowledge and experience. During the Instructor Training classes my knowledge of the principles of Shotokan karate deepens. Then when I teach a class, that knowledge helps me notice what the students need to work on. This experience feeds back to the next Instructor Training class and writing assignment, and on and on. When the trainees were given the assignment to design a class, I decided to make up 3 different classes based on 3 different audiences. At the time I was teaching a full range of classes, so I felt that it was important to make up classes for each different group of students that I had been working with. I then used these class outlines for my actual kids’ class, all rank adult class, and black belt class. Since that assignment, I have learned more from the Instructor Training classes, so that I have been able to improve the original class designs.

Finally I want to comment on my experiences with my fellow trainees. I have tremendous respect for their commitment and dedication to the art of Shotokan karate. In every Instructor Training class they have demonstrated a level of maturity and understanding that I never had at their rank. After each Instructor Training class I am inspired to work harder. We have often approached the writing assignments from different angles, and I have looked forward to reading their papers every month. When we had the assignment to choose a student and help them for the next month, I was amazed at how thorough the other trainees were in determining what their chosen student should work on and in assisting the student with personalized drills and feedback so that the student could achieve maximum results in the allotted time frame.

I can remember years ago when Shihan McClary said, “What if all of the high ranking Shotokan instructors were in a plane crash and you had to pass on the art? Could you do it?” The thought chilled my spine because I knew that I wasn’t good enough and the future of Shotokan karate would be doomed. After training and sweating beside my fellow trainees for the last 2 years, I know that the future of Shotokan karate is in good hands.

Self-defense

2008-04-17T16:27:00.000-04:00

Instructor Certification Course
March 15, 2008
Define Self-defense

Wendy Mach

Self-defense can be broken down into its dictionary definitions for self and defense, and then put together.

Self: belonging to oneself, the entire person of an individual, the union of elements (as body, emotions, thoughts, and sensations) that constitute the individuality and identity of a person.

Defense: the act or action of defending, capability of resisting attack, means or method of defending or protecting oneself or another, to take specific defensive action against . . .

Self-defense: defense of oneself when physically attacked.

The legal definition of self-defense is a little more specific.

Self-defense: the use of reasonable force to protect oneself from an aggressor, justifies an act done in the reasonable belief of immediate danger.

Use of force is justified when a person reasonably believes that it is necessary for the defense of oneself or another against the immediate use of unlawful force. However, a person must use no more force than appears reasonably necessary in the circumstances.

Force likely to cause death or great bodily harm is justified in self-defense only if a person reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm.

Finally the definition can be put into martial arts terminology.

Self-defense: the art of dealing with predators.

All of these definitions provide only glimpses of what self-defense entails. Self-defense involves effectively dealing with an unprovoked attack as quickly as possible by stunning or otherwise preventing the aggressor from perusing you, then running away to safety. Only use an appropriate technique and the amount of force necessary to stop the attack. The goal is to get out of a dangerous situation as quickly as possible without being physically injured yourself.

Below are a few examples to illustrate self-defense situations:

At a party people bump into each other and someone spills his drink. He blames you and throws a sucker punch.

You are walking to your car late at night after karate training, and two guys jump out from behind a building and attack you.

You are walking down a sidewalk when someone grabs you, pulls you into an ally and pulls out a knife. When you don’t give him your wallet quickly enough, he lunges at you.

In each self-defense scenario the attack is unwarranted and unprovoked. There is an element of total surprise, confusion, and probably fear that could prevent you from performing at your best. There is no provocation on your part to justify such a violent response. The aggressor is prepared to attack and fight, and you are not. In each situation the objective is to survive with as little damage to yourself as possible. The objective is not to win. This is what self-defense is.

Self-defense does not include empowerment, winning, revenge, or teaching someone a lesson. It is not about ego, pride, or self-esteem. Self-defense is not fighting. In a physical confrontation where does self-defense begin and end? It is important to know the limits. You cannot be part of the creation or escalation of the situation that eventually leads to physical violence. You cannot continue to attack when the aggressor has turned and attempted to escape. You cannot continue hitting someone who has fallen to the ground and stopped attacking. You cannot pursue an aggressor who is moving away but continuing with verbal abuse. This is not self-defense.

Below are a couple of examples to illustrate the limits of self-defense:

Two individuals are up for a promotion at work. One gets it and the other shows his disagreement by walking up to the individual, verbally abusing him, and throwing a punch. He then turns and walks away. At the point where the punch is coming, you may defend yourself with enough force to prevent the punch from making contact. Though as soon as the aggressor turns away, there is no longer a threat, and no more justification in defending yourself. You may not pursue him and continue fighting.

Someone breaks into your house and when you confront him, he pulls a knife and lunges at you. During the course of taking the knife away from him, he is stabbed and falls to the floor. You were justified in defending yourself against the knife attack, but now that you have the knife and the aggressor is on the floor, the threat no longer exists. You may not continue to stab him in this situation.

Just as in The Wizard of Oz, effective self-defense requires the qualities of:

Brains
Courage
Heart

These qualities can be broken down farther. Brains encompasses the elements of Knowledge, Awareness, and Adaptability. Before any self-defense situation occurs, or any situation where the body could be put into sudden stress occurs, you should already Know how the human body naturally and automatically responds to a stressful situation: the heart rate increases, breathing becomes more shallow and rapid, vision sample rate increases making time move more slowly, and adrenalin is released into the body. This results in a response known as fear, and can effect your performance ability. At the instant in which a self-defense situation arises, you need to be Aware of everything that is occurring around you. You need to Gather information, Analyze it, and Recognize the degree of danger that you are in. You also need to recognize the most dangerous element of the situation. A knife is more dangerous than the person who is holding it. During a confrontation you need to be Adaptable to the situation and the environment. This includes Intelligence and Creativity. Intelligently continue to gather information and analyze it as the danger of the situation changes. Be creative in the use of objects in the environment to assist in your defense. You may be able to start throwing things at the attacker, or maneuver yourself so that a table is between you and the attacker.

Courage includes the elements of Protection and Commitment. Once you are in a self-defense situation, you need to have the courage to Protect yourself and possibly others. Protection is based on fight or flight. Get others away from the danger while you stay and defend yourself. You must also be Committed to hurt, maim, or even kill another human being in order to protect yourself from debilitating injury or death. Commitment also includes continuing the confrontation until the danger is gone.

Heart has the elements of Fitness, Decisiveness, and Response. Everyone should know their relative level of Fitness in relation to their age and gender. The dependant variables of fitness are Speed, Power, Balance, Flexibility, Coordination, Strength, and Endurance. People make decisions based on their fitness level all the time, not just in self-defense situations. Do I have time to cross the street safely before the light changes? In a self-defense situation, you must be Decisive. Your decisions about getting away or staying and defending yourself must be made Quickly, Accurately, and Appropriately relative to the degree of danger. You do not have time to debate whether one technique might be more effective than another. In a self-defense situation you must determine the appropriate technique and the amount of force to use instantly, and then Respond immediately and decisively. Your response to each attack should be based on your individual fitness level and should come from the heart. Responses from the brain are based on ego and pride, “I have to win.” Responses from the heart come from a place of compassion, “How can I get out of this without injury to myself or anyone else?”

There is a natural order in which these qualities are used in a self-defense situation. Knowledge and Fitness are used constantly in everyday life, so they will not be included in the list.

Awareness – You need to recognize a dangerous situation before you can do anything about it. If you can recognize the potential for a confrontation before it escalates into a physical one, you might be able to diffuse it or just leave the area.

Courage – Once you have recognized the situation, now you need to deal with it quickly and efficiently.

Decisiveness – You are in it now and need to make quick, accurate, and appropriate decisions, and then take immediate action.

Response – Act appropriately in relation to your individual fitness level and the degree of danger present.

Commitment – You started defending yourself and it may take a while to end the confrontation, so you have to stay in it for the duration until there is no longer any danger present.

Adaptability – Creatively use your surroundings to assist with your defense. Constantly be aware of any changes in the situation and adapt your defense accordingly.

References:

www.lectlaw.com

www.nononsenseselfdefense.com

Self Defense

2008-04-12T09:47:00.001-04:00

Stratton Lobdell
Kenshusei April 2008: Self Defense

Self defense refers to actions taken by a person to prevent another person from causing harm to one's self, one's property or one's home. Defending ones self is basic to the survival of all animals including humans. Most creatures have developed different ways to defend themselves from attack. Human beings have lost almost all of our natural defenses and we must rely on our minds and what little we can train our soft bodies to accomplish. While most creatures have natural defenses against predators, these defenses are designed to keep the creature alive at any cost. We are more limited in that we must abide not only with our own physical inadequacies but also with the law.
Different states and counties have slightly different interpretations of what constitutes self defense and what is considered an appropriate response. This is a topic which we explored last year in our third assignment.

A person who is assaulted may use such reasonable force as may be necessary, or which at the time reasonably appears to be necessary, to protect him or herself from bodily harm. An act of self-defense must ordinarily be proportionate to the threat. One is also expected to withdraw from the threat, if possible, before engaging in forcible resistance. However, inside your own home you will typically not be required to further withdraw from the threat. Many jurisdictions allow the use of some amount of threat or force by a person who is seeking to protect his own property from theft or damage. In most jurisdictions, there is no privilege to use force that may cause death or serious injury against trespassers unless the trespass itself threatens death or serious injury. There are some jurisdictions with extraordinarily broad laws, permitting the use of significant and even deadly force to prevent the theft of property. One such I encountered in the course of this research was Kentucky.
Defense of others is similar to self-defense, and usually occurs in the context of one family member protecting another. Some jurisdictions permit a defendant to assert defense of others, even where the defendant is mistaken as to the existence of a threat, as long as the mistake is reasonable. Other jurisdictions do not permit this defense unless there was an actual threat or battery against the other person. (J.S.Lobdell Oct. 07)
When looking at self defense we must decide what qualities are necessary for effective self defense in modern times. The modern application of some techniques is very different from the original as well. In our continued training of martial arts and specifically Shotokan Karate we develop a particular set of skills which can be applied in different situations. As outlined below there are many variables that can influence our self defense.
Dependent and independent variables refer to values that change in relationship to each other. The dependent variables are those that are observed to change in response to the independent variables. The independent variables are those that are deliberately manipulated to invoke a change in the dependent variables. In short, "if x is given, then y occurs", where x represents the independent variables and y represents the dependent variables. (Wikipedia)

Independent Variables of self defense situation:
1. Environment, surroundings
a. Secluded vs. populated/busy
b. lighted vs. dark
c. urban vs. rural
d. legal defense vs. unlimited response

2. Assailant/s
a. single attacker vs. mob
b. weapons vs. simple assault
c. physically dominant vs. emotionally combative
d. calculated vs. unstable/intoxicated

3. Defender’s physical and emotional state
a. fit/capable vs. impaired/limited
b. calm/cool vs. disturbed/angry

4. Others who must be protected or sheltered
a. alone vs. with others
b. family: wife vs. kids
c. friends vs. acquaintances

5. Desired outcome of confrontation
a. agreeable/amiable vs. combative
b. escape vs. defend
c. deflate confrontation vs. eradicate confrontation

Dependent Variables
1. Level of violence
a. verbal
b. physical
c. emotional

2. Legal ramifications
a. “self defense”
b. simple assault
c. assault with a weapon
When considering all the variables in a self defense situation one may become so mired in the details that no action would be taken at all. I submit that if one has trained properly and diligently then the body will react in the best possible way without thought. We work to perfect techniques so that when the time comes to make use of them.
To illustrate how modern self defense technique must be adapted to make it more applicable take Heian Yondan. The third from the last movement involves reaching out and grabbing the opponent by the head and pulling it down while striking upward with the knee. In modern application we would grab the back of the head and strike upward with the intention of knocking the opponent unconscious and possible breaking his nose. This would end the confrontation and allow us to escape. In its original bunkai, it is likely that much more was intended. As we reach out we do not simply grab the head but puncture the eyes with the thumbs while continuing on to grab the ears and then tearing them loose form the head rendering the opponent not only incapacitated but likely permanently blinded and in excruciating pain. This technique delivered to an opponent in modern day would likely result in a lengthy jail sentence and other social and financial repercussions. The expectation for an acceptable level of harm has shifted greatly.
This difference is in part due to the greater value that is placed on each individual life in modern society. Because individual liberties are the espoused basis for our countries’ (USA) existence there is more weight placed on the life of the common man. In feudal Okinawa, China and Japan where much of our martial art’s philosophy is based, there was little value in the life of a soldier or peasant. People died every day of disease and violence and the rules of engagement were closer to survival of the fittest than the philosophy of social equality espoused today.
In our kinder gently society of today, violence is perpetrated in different ways and physical confrontations have become less frequent as well as less intense. With the advent of small and concealable firearms every man is now a lethal weapon and the emphasis on physical superiority has eroded. The physical aspects of self defense are now more a mental exercise and prepare us emotionally for the shock of having a real conflict. This is not to denigrate the value of karate and other martial arts. In fact it lifts the practitioner of any martial art above the majority of people. As we train our bodies and minds for potential conflict we move to a higher level of awareness of our surroundings.
Here is one example based on my past experience before extensive karate training. This was the actual event as it happened: My brother and I were walking home from school around 9 pm having gone to see a friend’s wrestling match. We were about 150 yards from a major intersection and away from the street lights. A group of young men was walking parallel to us on the other side of the street. One of them began to cross and called out to us asking if we had any change. I replied that I did not and as I was walking past him my brother replied that he had no change, only bills. At this point the assailant struck me with his fist in the temple from behind me taking me by surprise and knocking me unconscious. When I came to my brother was backed against a wall and surrounded by the entire group. They took his 7 dollars and ran away whooping and laughing. One of them kicked me as he ran.
There were several opportunities I had to change or avoid the situation which, through further experience and training are extremely obvious now. First, don’t walk down an unlit street at night in a bad neighborhood. Second, when we were approached by the men we should have turned around and gone back toward the lights and the busy intersection. Third, I should never have let the man get within my personal “bubble.” Fourth, knowing that my brother was likely to say something inopportune I should have warned him.
Through the heightened awareness that we cultivate during daily training, the situation would have been completely different and would likely never have gotten to the point of physical confrontation. In the event that it had, it would have been very simple to block the slow high punch that caught me unaware. A simple direct counter and a dash to safety would have also been a better outcome than the bruised face and pride I got.
In training karate we strive to improve strength, speed, balance, endurance and flexibility. Theses physical qualities are what I would rely on to defend myself. As a stocky male my main advantages would be primarily strength and speed. In most ways these two aspects complement each other. As more control is achieved and we learn to coordinate the contraction and expansion of our muscles, isometric tension is reduced and the result is greater speed as well as less dampening of the primary muscular output. In short, relaxation creates speed and real strength.
Good balance is an asset that is developed through transitions from low stances to high and back. Katas such as Hangetsu, Empi, and Gankaku in particular teach us to balance and pivot on one foot at a time. Balance requires innate ability but can be trained as well. I have always had better than average balance and have improved it through training.
I lack in endurance. Endurance training is best described by kihon. Repetitive movements of the same muscle group and also static stance training build muscle in a way very different from the explosive movements of kumite and kata. Endurance training, and kihon training, is often overlooked in their importance for the overall fitness of karateka. For self defense, kihon teaches us the proper path of a punch and kick. Through the repetition of kihon we can guarantee that when we must throw a punch in a self defense situation we will not damage ourselves as much as our attacker.
Flexibility is another weakness of mine. Flexibility decreases quickly if we do not keep up with it. During strength training particularly flexibility must be preserved through constant practice. It is important to point out that as karateka we hold ourselves to a higher standard than most people in terms of our level of conditioning and fitness. While I consider myself to be fairly stiff and inflexible it is because I am, in relation to other karateka. Many people would be glad to simply be able to touch their toes while I strive to put the palms of my hands flat on the floor.
In any physical confrontation my goal would be to attack hard and fast to demoralize and incapacitate my opponent. I have strong legs and fast hands so I am a good closed hand striker. Having damaged my opponent’s resolve and maybe his body I would retreat to a safe distance to talk and diffuse the situation if possible. This is in keeping with my strengths. My worst situation would be a protracted stand up brawl. I have no illusions about my ability to absorb punches to the face and would want to finish everything quickly.
Effective self defense in terms of karate draws upon these abilities. For each person it is important to be aware of our situation and how our particular shills fit in. The modern karateka trains his body to perform at a high level but we all have weaknesses. In a self defense situation there are no rules and the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our families is to utilize our strengths.
Just as the modern soldier must be prepared to take a human life each time he pulls the trigger of his weapon, the Iaido practitioner visualizes the taking of a life every time he draws his sword. As we develop in our karate spirit beyond the simple physical acts of training we also must come to terms with our ability to end a life with our bare hands. Self defense has evolved from simply a defense of ones life to more of a defense of ones way of life. When we stop an attacker from harming us we must do it in a way that controls the situation in our favor. Gone are the days of the wild-west shoot out. Now we must carefully craft our defense to fall within the strictures of acceptable levels of response and avoid excessive force. As we train and become more able to defend ourselves with violence we are forced to do more to avoid it. The paradox of karate is that as we grow in our art we also grown in our peaceful spirit. As we learn to channel frightening energies into our physical attacks we become less likely to use them. Self defense for the modern karate-ka is a constant exercise in control.

2008-03-14T23:06:00.003-04:00

A Description of Goju Ryu, Kyokushin,

Shorin Ryu, & Ryuei Ryu Karate Styles

Goju Ryu

Goju Ryu (Japanese for "hard-soft style") is one of the four traditional styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. It is commonly believed that the concept of combining the two extremes originated in a Chinese martial arts doctrine known as wu bei ji (pronounced bubishi in Japanese.) Goju Ryu combines hard striking attacks such as kicks and punches with softer circular techniques for blocking and controlling the opponent, including locks, grappling, take downs and throws. Major emphasis is given to breathing correctly. Goju Ryu practices methods that include body strengthening and conditioning, its basic approach to fighting (distance, stickiness, power generation, etc.), and partner drills. Goju Ryu incorporates both circular and linear movements into its curriculum.

Sanchin kata is the foundation to all other Gōjū kata, it is also the foundation of body conditioning. Sanchin kata has the simplest techniques, and yet is arguably the most difficult to master of all Gōjū kata. Sanchin is often taught as a black belt kata, yet it is simple enough to teach at the white belt level. This is often done in order to prepare the student for this kata by the time he or she reaches black belt.

Kyokushinkai

Kyokushinkai is a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Masutatsu Oyama who was born under the name Choi Yong-I. Kyokushinkai is Japanese for "the society of the ultimate truth." Kyokushin is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training. Its full contact style has had international appeal (practitioners have over the last 40+ years numbered more than 12 million)

In this form of karate the instructor and his/her students all must take part in hard sparring to prepare them for full contact fighting. Unlike some forms of karate, Kyokushin places high emphasis on full contact fighting which is done without any gloves or protective equipment. This apparent brutality is tempered somewhat by the fact that you are not allowed to use a non-kick or non-knee strike to hit your opponent in the face, thus greatly reducing the possibility of serious injury. Knees or kicks to the head and face, on the other hand, are allowed.

Technically, Kyokushin is a circular style. This is in opposition to Shotokan karate, which is considered a linear style, and closer to Goju-ryu, which is considered a circular style. Shotokan and Goju-ryu were the two styles of karate that Oyama learned before creating his own style. However, Oyama studied Shotokan for only a couple of years before he switched to Goju-ryu where he got his advanced training. This is reflected in Kyokushin where the early training closely resembles Shotokan but gradually becomes closer to the circular techniques and strategies of Goju-ryu the higher you advance in the system.

Shorin Ryu

Shorin-ryu is one of the major modern Okinawan martial arts. Said to have been founded by Sokon Matsumura during the 1800s, Shorin-ryu combines elements of the traditional Okinawan fighting styles Shuri-te and Tomari-te. Shorin-ryu is widely considered to be one of the two major modern styles of Okinawan karate, along with Goju-ryu, which is rooted in the other traditional Okinawan style, Naha-te.

Shorin-ryu is generally characterized by natural breathing, natural (narrow, high) stances, and direct, rather than circular movements (with the exception of Shorin-Ryu Kyudokan, which makes extensive use of circular movements). Shorin-ryu practitioners will say that deep stances are not important for powerful moves, and that only correct motion matters.

Ryuei Ryu

This style of karate was first introduced to Okinawa around 1875 by Norisato Nakaima. Born of wealthy parents in Kume, Okinawa, Nakaima was a good scholar and, at the age of 19, went to Fuchou, China for advanced studies in the martial arts. There a former guard to the Chinese embassies in the Ryukyu islands introduced him to a Chinese boxing teacher known as Ru Ru Ko, who also taught Sakiyama Kitoku and, according to some sources, many years later Kanryo Higashionna. Nakaima was accepted as a disciple, and, after over 7 years of training, received a certificate of graduation from the master. He was trained in a variety of arts and skills ranging from physical combative techniques to Chinese medicine and herbal healing remedies. Just before leaving China, Nakaima traveled to the Fujian, Canton, and Beijing areas, where he collected a number of weapons and scrolls to bring back home with him.

Back in Okinawa, Nakaima passed this Chinese boxing style in secret to his son Kenchu Nakaima, who then went on to teach it only to his son, Kenko Nakaima (founder of the Ryuei Ryu Karate and Kobudo Preservation Society. In 1971, at the age of 60, Kenko Nakaima realized that there was no longer a need to keep his family's fighting system a secret, and so, with some hesitation, he took on a group of twenty school teachers as karate students, it was at this point the name "Ryuei Ryu" was first used to describe the art.

Ryuei Ryu has 11 kata in it’s curriculum and incorporates extensive weapons training. There are relatively few schools of the Ryuei Ryu outside of Japan. One group, the Okinawa Ryuei Ryu Karate Kobudo Ryuhokai, is led by Tomohiro Arashiro of California. Arashiro Sensei teaches a very popular sport based version of the art, modified simply for competitive situations only by Tsuguo Sakumoto, a former student of Kenko Nakaima.

Luis Santana

Triangle’s Best Karate

March, 2008

Characteristics of Gojo Ryu, Kyokushinkai, Shorin Ryu and Ryuei Ryu

2008-03-13T00:04:00.008-04:00

Goju Ryu

Goju Ryu, the name literally translated as hard-soft karate, is a style which employs linear hard striking attacks with softer circular techniques used for blocking and manipulating opponents. Goju Ryu uses powerful stances (like those found in Shorin Ryu and Shotokan), such as sanchin, with lower stances being a more recent addition. This transformation is similar to the change in Shotokan stances from Gichin Funakoshi (higher) to lower stances introduced by Funakoshi’s son Gigo.

Goju Ryu was founded by Chojun Miyagi, who was a student Kanryo Higaonna whose style (Naha-te) of karate was derived from several Chinese influences including Wushu and kempo. Naha-te, and thus Goju Ryu, share a lineage based on influence from the White Crane style, from which the circular movements and fast strikes are taken, and from the Tiger style, which focuses on strong linear attacks and attacks to vital points (kyoshu-jitsu). In addition to these, Goju also incorporates traditional Okinawan fighting (tuite) which includes grappling, throwing, sweeping and other close-in techniques.

Correct breathing is a major aspect of Gojo Ryu. Breathing in is said to be “soft” while breathing out is said to be “hard”. Body strengthening (isometrics) is also very important in this style, for the hard attacks as well as for strong stances for close-in grappling techniques.

Kata in the Goju Ryu style is broken up into 3 traditional categories, kihongata for teaching basic techniques, heishugata for learning the fundamentals of movements and principles, and kaishugata which focuses on “combat application”. This breakdown of the kata into groups is similar to how kata is taught in Shotokan, with the basic katas being taught to beginners (6), intermediate katas taught to those just under shodan (9), and the last 15 kata for the advanced karate-ka. Along with all the kata training bunkai oyo (analysis and interpretation of kata movements) is stressed, and the karate-ka perform multi-person drills based on the bunkai analysis, which helps to reveal techniques-within-techniques.

Free sparring or kumite is not a major aspect of Goju Ryu, instead more focus is applied to kata and bunkai. Shotokan follows a similar path in its approach to kumite, where free sparring is performed by black belts after gaining a good understanding of kata and having a solid basis in kihon.

Kyokushinkai Ryu

Kyokushinkai is a very disciplined and hard training style that has it roots from many different styles of karate (Shotokan and Goju Ryu) as well as judo and jujitsu. The ryu name means “ultimate truth” which is why this style focuses its training (and competition) on full contact. It is the belief of this system that realistic combat and physical toughness are the way to properly train and learn karate.

Founded by Masutatsu Oyama in 1964, this style has, in its many derived forms, amassed a huge following, much due to the full-contact nature. The techniques employed in this style are more circular in nature as a result of Oyama spending more time learning Goju Ryu (from So Nei Chu and Gogen Yamaguchi) versus Shotokan (from Gichin Funakoshi). Like most other karate styles, Kyokushinkai emphasizes kihon, kata and kumite.

Kihon in Kyokushinkai is based on the movements and techniques found in the Shotokan and Goju styles, as well as boxing and kick-boxing. Linear techniques are taught first, representative of the Shotokan influence. Circular techniques are learned later after the karate-ka has become more advanced, this stemming from the extensive training Oymana had in the Goju Ryu style. Training is done in a full-contact manner, without protective equipment. This is to ensure the practitioner be fully conditioned before performing kumite.

There are three major groups of kata in the traditional Kyokushinkai system. The Northern style katas have their origins in Shotokan karate, these are the more basic kata taught to the lower ranks. This is most likely due to Oyama only training with Funakoshi for a couple of years. The Southern style katas have their origins in the Goju Ryu style, and are taught to the higher ranks. Oyama reached the level of 8^th dan in the Goju Ryu style under the instruction of So Nei Chu. The third type is something Oyama developed called Ura Kata, which has the karate-ka use spinning movements for advancing and retreating instead of linear stepping. This was done to improve balance and multi-directional combat skills.

Kyokushinkai practices full-contact kumite without any protective gear, commonly resulting in injuries during training and competitions. Within the dojo, traditional Shotokan schools do not use protective gear when training kumite; however, control of techniques is expected, thus limiting the possibilities of injuries. In competition kumite Shotokan practitioners use only hand gear and mouth pieces (and helmets and groin cups for youths). Sparring is an important part of Kyokushinkai training as it is used to train the use of different techniques in a fighting situation. Full-contact sparring in Kyokushin is considered the ultimate test of strength, endurance, and spirit. A special tradition (test) within Kyokushinkai is the 50- or 100-man kumite, which is a test of an advanced student to fight 50 to 100 opponents in rapid succession.

Shorin Ryu

Shorin Ryu, which is based on Shuri-te and Tomari-te, along with Goju Ryu, which is based on Naha-te, are considered to be the two major styles of Okinawan karate. The Shorin Ryu style was a major influence on modern karate, with many of its primary elements incorporated into other modern styles. Shorin Ryu is meant to be a “natural style”, not “hard” like Goju Ryu.

Sokon Matsumura is typically referred to as the founder of the Shorin Ryu style, and he is attributed with unifying the traditional Okinawan fighting style and Chinese martial arts. In his youth Matsumura was a student of Kanga Sukagawa (5 years) and later on traveled in China learning different Chinese fighting styles. Two of Matsumura’s best known students were Anko Itosu and Anko Azato. Itosu and Azato trained many famous students, including Gichin Funakoshi, who later developed the Shotokan style based on a simpler form of the styles taught by these two teachers.

Shorin Ryu, while having a direct Chinese influence, has more linear or direct movements rather than circlular. Typical of this style is high, narrow stances, believing that correct motion matters more for application than low stances. These two aspects were incorporated into the early version of Shotokan by Funakoshi, and while linear movements still prevail today, the stances have been lowered in order to better train the lower portion of the body. “Natural breathing” is another critical component of this style (Shotokan adopted this principle as well), preferred over the soft/hard breathing of other styles such as Goju Ryu, keeping with “natural” aspect of this style.

There are 13 different sets of katas in traditional Shorin Ryu, where each set may contain one or more katas. These sets are used to train the most basic movements to the most advanced. The katas of this style are used in many different styles, including Shotokan though with different names and different emphasis.

In more modern US Shorin Ryu schools only 19 of the traditional katas are performed. Jujutsu is used in the study of these kata to increase the overall effectiveness of the techniques. In addition, a training technique called “push hands” is used to improve ones awareness of distance and body position. This same drill is used in traditional Shotokan schools as well, probably stemming from Funakoshi incorporating his kendo training into Shotokan, which had a strong focus on distance and timing. For kumite training in these schools, 12 prearranged fighting routines are practiced, each with an attack, a block and a counter attack, very similar to sanbon and ippon kumite.

Ryuei Ryu

The founder of Ryuei Ryu was Norisato Nakaima, who got his start in martial arts training with a Chinese boxing instructor named Ru Ru Ko in Fuchou, China. Nakaima also trained in weapons before leaving China and heading back to Okinawa. Nakaima kept his martial arts private, teaching it only to his son Kenchu, who then taught it to his only son Kenko. It was Kenko Nakaima who decided to share his art with others in the early 1970’s.

The Ryuei Ryu style has 11 katas, including Sanchin which is virtually the same as the version from Uechi Ryu and Goju Ryu. The style is soft and supple until striking, then it becomes hard or firm, which is similar to judo and kendo. Shotokan follows a similar philosophy, staying relaxed until the moment of impact. Breathing is similar to the Goju style, with breathing in being soft, and breathing out hard, with a hiss sound. Shotokan karate focuses on a more natural breathing pattern. Ryuei Ryu also places heavy emphasis on learning Chinese weapons, up to 14 different ones.

Some of the more modern schools of Ryuei Ryu, and there are not many due to it not becoming a public ryu until relatively recently, focus on competition karate, or sport, and not on the traditional aspects. Many claim that the kata do not represent real situations, Kenko Nakaima says they just haven’t spent enough time understanding them to know how to use them.

Craig Lawton

Triangle's Best Karate

March 11, 2008

Style Research

2008-03-11T17:15:00.002-04:00

Stratton Lobdell
Kenshusei Research Paper March 08

In researching different styles of modern karate many similarities quickly become apparent. Most, if not all, styles of hand to hand fighting can trace their roots back to a similar beginning. If one goes back for enough in written and verbal tradition the common ancestor is a Buddhist monastery in China where they practiced extreme physical feats to prepare themselves for longer meditation. These exercises had been brought to China by a monk from India.
As to the truth of this story there is unlikely to be any final resolution since so many karateka today have little real understanding of what they do and rarely look further than the surface, the superficial movements of the art they practice. As these arts have been passed down there are few who are truly capturing the fighting essence, or budo spirit of the art. The practitioners who teach by rote, repeating the same nonsense they were told by their instructor, further dilute this spirit and over the generations much has likely been lost. In looking back to the past it is important to consider the source of information and to approach all teaching with our own analytical abilities. This is not to say that all modern practitioners are lost, or that ancient monks had perfected the martial arts in 800 AD.
In fact, most of the techniques that were created and perfected centuries ago are no longer even applicable. Movements designed to counter sword and spear must now be adapted for the knife in the back alley. As guns have become more of a part of self defense the karateka has been forced to move toward tai-no-sen, anticipation and diffusion of aggression, because the human body can never be hardened to stop a bullet. I merely point out that we must consider the source of information and that in training we must break down each technique and make it applicable to our situation.
Modern karateka look to the past for inspiration and spirit but every year brings new technologies, new training methods, and new ideas. As we move forward and incorporate these new ideas into our training and into our art, we should still keep an eye on the past. Through a true understanding of the path that has led our chosen art to its current syllabus we can see the true budo spirit that the art was founded on. The styles of Goju-ryu, Kyokoshinkai, Shoren-ryu amd Ryuei-ryu have common ancestry in Okinawa.
The history of karate itself is one of cultural and social exchanges with China going back to the Tang dynasty—-hence the Korean name for karate, "Tang Soo" or "Chinese hands." Before the development of modern Karate started by Gichin Funakoshi, Okinawan karate styles generally took after the names of the towns they came from, thus "Naha-te," "Shuri-te" and "Tomari-te" were karate styles that came from the towns of Naha, Shuri and Tomari, respectively.
The late 19th century saw the great karate masters going back to China for a "martial-arts pilgrimage" of sorts. The great Chinese pugilist Liu Liu Ko ("Ryū Ryū Ko" in Japanese) in Southern China taught a handful of these Okinawan students who went on to become karate legends. One of the primary methods of this kara-te cultural exchange was through the teaching of kata.
A kata is a set of techniques organized as pre-arranged movements that simulates a fight. Okinawan kata have traditionally been used to preserve sets of techniques and fighting principles, and they have also served as the basis upon which Okinawan fighting systems are taught. In kata, each movement can be interpreted as different techniques and its applications. Kata is to be understood as a "living textbook" in which karate proper—its techniques and philosophy—is passed down. The practice of kata itself provides the practitioner a sense of structure and possibilities to use in a real fight. Bunkai, on the other hand, is the analysis—or interpretation (oyo-bunkai)—of kata movements. After the analysis of bunkai, karateka usually practice drills to ingrain the application in the muscle memory, which makes sense of sequences of movements in kata forms. Techniques-within-techniques are revealed through constant practice of kata and bunkai.
Gōjū-ryū (剛柔流), (Japanese for "hard-soft style") is one of the four traditional styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. It is commonly believed that the concept of combining the two extremes originated in a Chinese martial arts doctrine known as wu bei ji (pronounced bubishi in Japanese.) Gōjū-ryū combines hard striking attacks such as kicks and punches with softer circular techniques for blocking and controlling the opponent, including locks, grappling, takedowns and throws. Major emphasis is given to breathing correctly. Gōjū-ryū practices methods that include body strengthening and conditioning, its basic approach to fighting (distance, stickiness, power generation, etc.), and partner drills. Gōjū-ryū incorporates both circular and linear movements into its curriculum. "Go" means hard; "jū" means soft. which literally means hard soft karate.
The naming of Gōjū-ryū came about more by accident than design. In 1930, numerous martial arts masters asked Chojun Miyagi’s top student, Jin’an Shinzato, while in Tokyo as to what school of martial arts he practiced. As Naha-Te had no formal name he came up with the impromptu name Hanko Ryū (Half-Hard Style). On his return to Okinawa he reported this incident to Chojun Miyagi. After much consideration Chojun Miyagi decided on the name Gōjū-ryū (hard and soft school) as a name for his style. This name he took from a line in the Bubishi (a classical Chinese text on martial arts and other subjects). This line, which appears in a poem, the Hakku Kenpo (roughly, "The eight laws of the fist"), describing the eight precepts of the martial arts, reads, “Ho wa Gōjū wa Donto su” (the way of inhaling and exhaling is hardness and softness, or everything in the universe inhales soft and exhales hard).
The development of Gōjū-ryū goes back to Kanryo Higaonna, (1853–1916), a native of Naha, Okinawa. As a teenager he trained with an Okinawan master named Arakaki Seisho. Later in life he travelled to Fuzhou in Fujian Province, China, where he studied Wushu and kempo from various teachers, primarily a kung fu master called Ryu Ryu Ko (or Liu Liu Ko, or To Ru Ko; the name is uncertain.) Some sources have identified him as Xie Zhongxiang, second generation master of Whooping Crane Kung Fu and student of Pan Yuba.
Higaonna returned to Okinawa during the middle of the Meiji Era (1868–1911) and continued in the family business of selling firewood, while teaching a new school of martial arts, distinguished by its integration of gō-no (hard) and jū-no (soft) kempo in one system. The word karate (empty hand) was not in common use at that time, and Higashionna's style was known as Naha-te. It is accepted that Chinese Nanpa Shorin-ken was the strain of kung fu that influenced this style. As such, this style and that of Uechi Ryū were built upon a similar foundation.

Gōjū-ryū founder Chōjun Miyagi.

After Higaonna's death Miyagi sailed to China and studied there for several years, returning to Naha in 1918. Many of Higaonna's students continued to train with him, including Higa Seiko (1898–1966). However, Higaonna's most senior student Juhatsu Kyoda, who studied under Higaonna one month longer than Miyagi, formed a school he called Tōon-ryū (Tōon is another way of pronouncing the Chinese characters of Higaonna's name, so Tōon-ryū means "Higaonna's style"), preserving more of Higaonna's approach to Naha-te.
From White Crane, Gōjū takes the circular movements and fast strikes. From Tiger Style, Gōjū takes the strong linear attacks and the tiger claw pinching (especially in kyusho-jitsu). Also, one of the main components and sources of Okinawan karate is the native tradition called "tuite": grappling, joint locks and breaks, throws, sweeps, which often led to ground fighting. These techniques were widely practiced in Ryūkyū's small villages and were blended with Chinese martial arts to give birth to karate. In kata, usually low stances and/or hands in chambers are the signs of a technique of this kind.
The kata taught in Gōjū-ryū are rather traditional and in most organizations are emphasized more than actual kumite (or free sparring). This emphasis in kata is also an emphasis in bunkai, the actual self-defense application of the kata movements. The self-defense approach explains why Gōjū-ryū does not emphasize free sparring and its limiting rules.
Sanchin kata is the foundation to all other Gōjū kata, it is also the foundation of body conditioning. First variation of Sanchin-kata (sanchingata dai-ichi) serves as Kihongata. Sanchin kata (三戦, サンチン) has the simplest techniques, and yet is arguably the most difficult to master of all Gōjū kata. Sanchin is often taught as a black belt kata, yet it is simple enough to teach at the white belt level. This is often done in order to prepare the student for this kata by the time he or she reaches black belt.
Only one stance is used—the sanchin (meaning "three battles") stance, from which a name of the kata is derivative now (initially it was named as Peppuren. Sanchin-dachi is a practical stance, and yet is the most difficult stance to master. The legs protect the body from sweep kicks, the thighs are to trap low kicks. According to a tai chi manual ("Zhengzi 13 postures"), the punch draws its power from the earth through the legs—the flip of the hips enables the strength of the whole body to be channeled and focused into one punch.
Properly employed, Sanchin kata follows the "hard" style of karate—all the muscles are to be flexed and tensed throughout the kata—actually making it the most strenuous kata. This type of strength training, taught for thousands of years, is only recently understood in Western science and is known as "isometric training" in bodybuilding.
In Chinese training, Sanchin kata also introduces the student to the use of "qi" (Japanese "ki") for training and fighting applications. It can be understood to be a form of "qigong" as employed in Chinese Wushu. Many western interpretations of qi/ki explain it as an enhanced understanding of internal body dynamics and muscle control through repeated and strenuous training.
In Gōjū, there are two sanchin kata: the first one, Miyagi's sanchin (or "sanchin dai ichi"), the most widely taught as initial and Kihongata, was created for such purpose by Chojun Miyagi, and has no turns so the karateka goes forward and then backwards. The second sanchin, Higaonna's sanchin (or "sanchin dai ni") is a full-version Sanchingata and is older and was taught by Higaonna Kanryo. In this kata the karateka always goes forward, but turns 180 degrees twice. Initially it was taught with open hands, as sanchin-kata still is in Uechi-ryu, but later it was also revised to closed fists by Miyagi's co-student Juhatsu Kyoda, founder of To'on-ryu, and adopted by Chojun Miyagi as well. This kata was adopted by other styles such as Isshin-ryū.
Kyokushin kaikan (極真会館, Kyokushin kaikan?) is a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Masutatsu Oyama (大山倍達, Ōyama Masutatsu?) who was born under the name Choi Yong-I (최영의). Kyokushinkai is Japanese for "the society of the ultimate truth." Kyokushin is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline and hard training. Its full contact style has had international appeal (practitioners have over the last 40+ years numbered more than 12 million[1][2][3]).
Kyokushin has influenced many of the "full-contact" schools of karate, emphasizing realistic combat, physical toughness, and practicality in its training curriculum. Many other martial arts organizations have "spun-off" from Kyokushin over the years, with some adding additional techniques, such as grappling, but continuing with the same philosophy of realistic and practical training methods.
As a young child, Oyama enjoyed fighting watching fighters studied Korean Taekkyon. In 1938, he emigrated to Japan and studied Okinawan Karate under Gichin Funakoshi, eventually gaining 2nd dan. Later, Oyama also trained under Yoshida Kotaro, a famous Daito-ryu jujutsu/Yanagi-ryu Aiki-jujutsu master, from whom he received his "Menkyo kaiden" - an older form of grade, a scroll signifying mastery, from Kotaro. This scroll is still on display at the Honbu dojo in Tokyo.
Also, upon the advice of his mentor and well-known Member of the National Diet, Matsuhei Mori, around this time the young master took his Japanese name, Masutatsu Oyama, the name he would use for the rest of his life. After World War II, Oyama began his training in Goju Ryu karate under a Korean master in Japan, So Nei Chu, who ran a dojo in Tokyo along with the renowned Goju teacher, Gogen Yamaguchi. He would finally attain 8th Dan in Goju ryu karate. Another influential master he met whilst training at the Goju school was Masahiko Kimura, the renowned champion of judo. Kimura encouraged Oyama to take up judo so that he would have an understanding of the art's powerful ground skills. Kimura introduced Oyama to the Sone Dojo in Nakano, Tokyo, where he trained regularly for four years, eventually gaining his 4th Dan.
It was after this time that Oyama first retreated into the mountains for one of his well-known solitary training periods, yamagomori. He completed two such retreats for a total of almost three years of solitary training in accord with the ascetic traditions of many of the great warriors of Japan through the centuries. During this period of isolated training, Oyama engaged in intense shugyo, or spiritual discipline.
In the early fifties, Oyama traveled to the USA, visiting 32 states and demonstrating the power of his karate against all comers.

Founder of Kyokushin Karate, Sosai Masutatsu Oyama.

In 1953, Oyama opened his own karate dojo, named "Oyama Dojo," in Tokyo but continued to travel around Japan and the world giving martial arts demonstrations, including bare-handed challenges. His first 'dojo' was a vacant lot in Mejiro, Tokyo. In 1956, Oyama moved the dojo into the ballet studio attached to the Rikkyo University. Oyama's own curriculum soon developed a reputation as a tough, intense, hard-hitting, and practical style which he named "Kyokushin" in a ceremony in 1957. As the reputation of the dojo grew, students were attracted to come to train there from Japan and beyond and numbers grew.
In 1964, Oyama moved the dojo into a building he refurbished not far from the ballet studio at Rikkyo. Oyama also formally founded the "International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan" (commonly abbreviated to IKO or IKOK), to organize the many schools that were by then teaching the Kyokushin style. This dojo at 3-3-9 Nishi-Ikebukuro, in the Toshima area of Tokyo, remains the world headquarters to this day.
After formally establishing the Kyokushinkaikan, Oyama directed the organization through a period of expansion. Oyama hand-picked instructors who displayed ability in marketing the style and gaining new members. Oyama would choose an instructor to open a dojo in another town or city in Japan. The instructor would move to that town and usually demonstrate his karate skills in public places, such as at the civic gymnasium, the local police gym (where many judo students would practice), a local park, or conduct martial arts demonstrations at local festivals or school events. In this way, the instructor would soon gain students for his new dojo. After that, word of mouth would spread through the local area until the dojo had a dedicated core of students. Oyama also sent instructors to other countries such as the Netherlands (Kenji Kurosaki), Australia (Shigeo Kato), the United States of America (Tadashi Nakamura, Shigeru and Yasuhiko Oyama, Miyuki Miura) and Brazil (Seiji Isobe) to spread Kyokushin in the same way. In 1969, Oyama staged the First All Japan Full Contact Championships and in 1975, the First Open Full Contact World Karate Championships, which took Japan by storm. From that time, world championships have been held at four-yearly intervals, although under the current confusion of self-proclaimed representative organizations, there are up to five so-called "world championships" claiming to represent Kyokushin.
Upon Oyama's death, the International Karate Organization (IKO) splintered into several groups, primarily due to conflict over who would succeed Oyama as Chairman and the future structure and philosophy of the organization. Currently, the issue remains unresolved, although a series of court cases over the last 13 years appears to be coming to an end with a result finally due in the near future. Based on what was quickly proved to be a false and invalid will, Shokei (Akiyoshi) Matsui was named as his successor, even though Matsui was junior to many others in the IKO organization. Matsui claimed that he personally owned the intellectual rights to all Kyokushin trademarks, symbols, and even the name Kyokushin. However, the Japanese legal system consequently ruled against Matsui in this matter, returning the ownership of Oyama's intellectual property to his family.
Existing as a single organization under the leadership of the founder, Mas Oyama, the Kyokushin organization, after the Master's passing, broke down into various groups, each claiming their own authority as representing the original Honbu.
Various other organizations have stemmed from Kyokushin and teach similar techniques but go by different names. Also, numerous dojos throughout the world claim to teach a Kyokushin curriculum without formal connection to the organization. Although difficult to quantify, it is conjectured that the number of students and instructors involved in learning or teaching the style or one of its close variations around the world is significant and numbers in the millions.
Oyama's widow passed away in June 2006 after a long illness. According to the Japanese legal system the Custodian of Oyama's intellectual property and legacy is the youngest of his daughters, Kikuko (also known as Kuristina) who now operates the original IKO Honbu.
Kyokushin training consists of three main elements: technique, forms, and sparring. These are sometimes referred to as the three "K's" after the Japanese words for them: kihon (technique), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring). The Kyokushin system is based on traditional karate like Shotokan and Goju-ryu, but incorporates many elements of combat sports like boxing and kickboxing in kumite. Many techniques are not found in other styles of karate. Today, some Kyokushin fighters (like Francisco Filho and Glaube Feitosa) appear in kickboxing events like K-1, but apart from some exceptions, Kyokushin does not allow its students to appear in paid fights and remain with the style. In the past this has caused many high-ranking competitors to leave the organization, even if they continue to practice the art and skills of Kyokushin.
In this form of karate the instructor and his/her students all must take part in hard sparring to prepare them for full contact fighting. Unlike some forms of karate, Kyokushin places high emphasis on full contact fighting which is done without any gloves or protective equipment. This apparent brutality is tempered somewhat by the fact that you are not allowed to use a non-kick or non-knee strike to hit your opponent in the face, thus greatly reducing the possibility of serious injury. Knees or kicks to the head and face, on the other hand, are allowed.
In the earliest Kyokushin tournaments and training sessions bare knuckle strikes to the face were allowed but resulted in many injuries, and, thus, students who were forced to withdraw from training. Mas Oyama believed that wearing protective gloves would detract from the realism that the style emphasizes. Therefore, it was decided that hand and elbow strikes to the head and neck would no longer be allowed in training and competition. Furthermore, many governments don't allow bare knuckle strikes to the head in sanctioned martial arts competitions. The vast majority of Kyokushin organizations and "offshoot" styles today still follow this philosophy.
Technically, Kyokushin is a circular style. This is in opposition to Shotokan karate, which is considered a linear style, and closer to Goju-ryu, which is considered a circular style. Shotokan and Goju-ryu were the two styles of karate that Oyama learned before creating his own style. However, Oyama studied Shotokan for only a couple of years before he switched to Goju-ryu where he got his advanced training. This is reflected in Kyokushin where the early training closely resembles Shotokan but gradually becomes closer to the circular techniques and strategies of Goju-ryu the higher you advance in the system.
The northern kata have their origins in Shotokan karate, which Oyama learned while training under Gichin Funakoshi. The URA, or 'reverse' kata were developed by Oyama as an aid to developing balance and multi-direction combat skills. These Katas include Taikioku and Pinans as well as Shotokan’s signature kata Kanku dai.
The southern kata have their origins in Goju Ryu karate, which Oyama learned while training under So Nei Chu and Gogen Yamaguchi. Sanchin and Gekisai katas as well as Seienchin were incorporated.
The kata Garyu is not taken from traditional Okinawan karate but was created by Mas Oyama and named after the village where he was born in Korea. The kata Yantsu is also often believed to be an original Kyokushin kata but there is enough evidence to suggest it finds its roots in Okinawa before Oyama created Kyokushin.
Several kata are also done in "ura". This means that on every other step forward, the practitioner slides his back leg behind his front leg and around to the position it would have been in had he stepped forward. This in effect produces a spin on one foot.
Sparring is used to train the application of the various techniques within a fighting situation. Sparring is usually an important part of training in most Kyokushin organizations, especially at the upper levels with experienced students.
In most Kyokushin organizations, hand and elbow strikes to the head or neck are prohibited. However, kicks to the head, knee strikes, punches to the upper body, and kicks to the inner and outer leg are permitted. In some Kyokushin organizations, especially outside of a tournament environment, gloves and shin protectors are worn. Children always wear head gear to lessen the impact of any kicks to the head. Speed and control are instrumental in sparring and in a training environment it is not the intention of either practitioner to injure his opponent as much as it is to successfully execute the proper strike. Tournament fighting under knock-down rules is significantly different as the objective is to down your opponent.
Tournament competition is an important part of Kyokushin, and most Kyokushin organizations sponsor local, national, and international competitions. Kyokushin tournaments are held throughout the year on every continent in the world, but the largest are held in Japan where they are televised on Japanese television and draw crowds of thousands. Tournaments are organized as either weight category or open tournaments. The Kyokushin World Tournaments are known as the Karate Olympics.
Kyokushin culture believes that accepting a "challenge" represents a Kyokushin practitioner's commitment to the principles of the art. One way to participate in a challenge, in which a Kyokushin student tests his/her courage and desire to defeat one's adversary, is through tournament competition.
Most Kyokushin tournaments follow "knock-down" rules in which points are awarded for knocking one's opponent to the floor with kicks, punches, or sweeps. Grabbing and throwing are generally not allowed in Kyokushin tournaments. When they are, they are legal only if performed in less than a second. Hooks are usually legal if performed for a 'split second.' Arm or hand strikes to the head, face, neck or spine are usually not permitted, but kicks to the head are allowed. If, however, the opponent turns his back while the opponent is throwing a technique, there is no penalty. Outside of Japan straight kicks to the front of the knee are usually disallowed. Knock-outs do sometimes occur and minor to moderate injuries are common, but serious injuries are rare. The most common injuries are concussions, broken clavicles, and fractured limbs and sternums. Many Kyokushin tournaments follow an "open" format that allows competitors from any martial-arts style, not just Kyokushin, to enter and compete.
Shorin-ryu (小林流 (松林流, 少林流), Shōrin-ryū?) is one of the major modern Okinawan martial arts. Said to have been founded by Sokon Matsumura during the 1800s, Shorin-ryu combines elements of the traditional Okinawan fighting styles Shuri-te and Tomari-te. Shorin-ryu is widely considered to be one of the two major modern styles of Okinawan karate, along with Goju-ryu, which is rooted in the other traditional Okinawan style, Naha-te.
Sokon Matsumura was a renowned warrior of his time; bodyguard to three kings of Okinawa, he has been called the Miyamoto Musashi of Okinawa and was dubbed bushi, or warrior, by his king. However, while he is often referred to as the "founder" of Shorin-ryu, he did not invent all the components of the style, and perhaps didn't refer to it as Shorin-ryu himself. It is quite possible that he synthesized his knowledge of Okinawan arts with Chinese fighting styles that he learned on his travels and taught it as a coherent system to some eager students, who subsequently refined it, labeled it, and passed it on. Shorin is the pronunciation of the Chinese Shaolin in Hogun ("Hogen" is standard Japanese for "dialect"; the suffix "-ben" is also used, but the modern use of the word "Hogen" is current Okinawan local "slang" for Uchinanchuguchi, TFA.) The primary dialect of Okinawa (error); and ryu means "style". Therefore, Shorin-ryu ("Shaolin style" or "small pine forest") reflects the Chinese influences intrinsic to the art.
Along with being a style on its own, Shorin-ryu is also perhaps the most influential single ancestor of modern Japanese karate. One of Matsumura's best-known students, Anko (or "Ankoh") Itosu became a great practitioner and teacher of Okinawan karate and developed the five Pinan kata, which are now taught not only in Shorin-ryu, but also in a wide variety of Okinawan, Japanese and derived martial arts. It is also believed by some that the first three Pinan kata were actually developed by Matsumura and the last two by Itosu. In addition, Itosu and another student of Matsumura's named Anko Azato were among the primary influences on a fellow Okinawan named Gichin Funakoshi. Funakoshi introduced his Okinawan martial arts to mainland Japan in 1922, and in subsequent decades was instrumental in developing what he termed simply karate or karate-do into a popular Japanese martial art. The style Funakoshi taught on mainland Japan is now called Shotokan karate.
Shorin-ryu is generally characterized by natural breathing, natural (narrow, high) stances, and direct, rather than circular movements (with the exception of Shorin-Ryu Kyudokan, which makes extensive use of circular movements). Shorin-ryu practitioners will say that deep stances are not important for powerful moves, and that only correct motion matters.
There is not a known, whole system of Shorin Ryu except for Matsumura Shorin Ryu. There are many dojos who use the term however for simplicity's sake. Some of the best known schools of Shorin-ryu were started by Matsumura's students keeping with Okinawa's tradition of successorship each of Matsumura's Deshis (students) changed the name of their system when they took over, so the branches began Shobayashi-ryu, Ryukyu Hon Kenpo, Matsumura Orthodox Shorin-ryu, Seidokan, Kobayashi Shorin-ryu (Shido-kan and Shorinkan), Kyudokan, and Matsubayashi-ryu, Okinawa Kenpo, and Sukunaihayashi (Shorin-ryu Seibukan), but there are many others, most with long and distinguished histories that trace back to Matsumura and his students.
There are different sets of kata, ranging from kihon (exercise kata) to rohai (vision of the crane kata). This is a list of the main kata series studied in Shorin-ryu karate. Not all kata are practiced by all schools. In some styles of Shorin-Ryu Kihon Kata or Kihongata is taught before Fukyugata or it takes the place of Fukyugata.
Kihon series (basic form)
Fukyu series (fundamental/universal class form, also called Fukyugata)
Taikyoku series (full hearted way kata)
Naihanchi series (iron horse form)
Pinan series (peace and meditation form), (riceline form)
Channan series (valley kata, these kata are thought to have evolved into the Pinan kata)
Passai series (breakthrough form)
Kūsankū series
Ananku (southern light kata or Swallow on the beach form)
Chintō (east-fighting kata)
Chintē (east village kata)
Gojushiho (54 move kata, also called Useishi)
Rōhai (crane on rock form)
In 1924, Gichin Funakoshi adopted the Dan system from judo founder Jigoro Kano using a rank scheme with a limited set of belt colors. Other Okinawan teachers also adopted this practice. In a Kyū/Dan system, the beginner grade is a higher-numbered kyū (e.g., 9th Kyū) and progress is toward a lower-numbered Kyū. The Dan progression continues from 1st Dan (Shodan, or 'beginning dan') to the higher dan grades. Kyū-grade karateka are referred to as "color belt" or mudansha ("ones without dan"); Dan-grade karateka are referred to as yudansha (holders of dan rank). Yudansha typically wear a black belt.
Requirements of rank differ among styles, organizations, and schools. Kyū ranks stress stance, balance, and coordination. Speed and power are added at higher grades. Minimum age and time in rank are factors affecting promotion. Testing consists of demonstration of technique before a panel of examiners. Black belt testing is commonly done in a manner known as shinsa, which includes a written examination as well as demonstration of kihon, kumite, kata, and bunkai (applications of technique).
Ryuei-ryu (劉衛流, Ryūei-ryū?) is an Okinawan style of karate. It was originally a closely-guarded family style of the Nakaima family of Naha and is now one of the internationally recognized Okinawan karate styles. It is practiced in the United States, Argentina, Venezuela, Europe, and Okinawa.
This style of karate was first introduced to Okinawa around 1875 by Norisato Nakaima. Born of wealthy parents in Kume, Okinawa, Nakaima was a good scholar and, at the age of 19, went to Fuchou, China for advanced studies in the martial arts. There a former guard to the Chinese embassies in the Ryukyu islands introduced him to a Chinese boxing teacher known as Ru Ru Ko, who also taught Sakiyama Kitoku and, according to some sources, many years later Kanryo Higashionna. Nakaima was accepted as a disciple, and, after over 7 years of training, received a certificate of graduation from the master. He was trained in a variety of arts and skills ranging from physical combative techniques to Chinese medicine and herbal healing remedies. Just before leaving China, in order to further his experience in the martial arts, Nakaima traveled to the Fujian, Canton, and Beijing areas, where he collected a number of weapons and scrolls to bring back home with him.
Back in Okinawa, Nakaima passed this Chinese boxing style in secret to his son Kenchu Nakaima, who then went on to teach it only to his son, Kenko Nakaima (founder of the Ryuei Ryu Karate and Kobudo Preservation Society). In 1971, at the age of 60, Kenko Nakaima realized that in today's world there was no longer a need to keep his family's fighting system a secret, and so, with some hesitation, he took on a group of 20 school teachers as karate students. It was at this point the name "Ryuei Ryu" was first used to describe the art.
There are relatively few schools of the Ryuei Ryu outside of Japan. Currently two groups that teach Ryuei Ryu in North America. One group, the Okinawa Ryuei Ryu Karate Kobudo Ryuhokai, led by Tomohiro Arashiro of San Diego, California. Arashiro Sensei,(an Okinawan that claims to have been taught while as enrolled as a middle school student for a few years in Okinawa) teaches a very popular sport based version of the art, modified for competitive situations by Tsuguo Sakumoto, a former student of Kenko Nakaima. The other group, led by Grant Campbell Sensei of New York City (Practitioner of Oriental Medicine, World Karate Champion,& International Champion of both Kata & Full Contact Kumite), The Ryuei Ryu Karate Kobudo Association is a private organization that more closely maintains the original teachings of the Nakaima family.
Among the kata of Ryuei-ryu which are also practiced by the other styles are (サンチン, Sanchin?), Seiunchin (セーユンチン, Seiunchin?), Suparimpei (スーパーリンペイ, Suparimpei?).
Within these different styles it is easy to see similar backgrounds. Many of the styles founders shared students and even teachers. In examining these styles we see patterns which emerge between them all. Most use similar kata and by examining the differences in emphasis that have developed with each, it is possible better understand the fundamentals of our own style. Unfortunately we can not go back and watch Bushi Matsumura or Ru Ru Ko perform their kata so we must try to learn be watching the best aspects of each of their students.
As a word of caution to beginners who wish to transcend the teachings of their instructors: A good instructor has years of experience and analysis behind every technique. Although their understanding of each movement may be different from yours, it is much deeper. The challenge of karate is that there is no one “true path” and we can learn from everyone. Much of the information in this paper was found easily through internet searches and large portions of the text were lifted directly from Wikipedia. There is a wealth of information available to us today that has never been available before. We are in the unique position as modern karateka to be able to draw on hundreds of years of tradition and training to improve our own fighting art. Train in the now with all the knowledge of the past and the technology of the future.

Style Definitions

2008-03-11T13:08:00.002-04:00

Instructor Certification Course
Feb. 16, 2008
Style Definitions

Wendy Mach

Ryuei-ryu (Style of the Nakaima family of Naha)

Explosive
Driving into
Linear and Circular
Open-handed
Percussive

Shorin-ryu (Small Pine Forest Style)

Natural breathing
Linear
Percussive
High stances

Shotokan (Hall of Shoto)

Dynamic
Percussive
Forward
Linear
Closed-handed

Goju-ryu (Hard/Soft Style)

Hardened body
Soft Circular Sticky
Hard Linear Percussive
Muchimi
Close-range

Kyokushin (To Master the Truth)

Full-contact
Realistic
Multi-directional
Circular

Ryuei-ryu

This style is characterized by LINEAR and CIRCULAR, OPEN-HAND, PERCUSSIVE techniques that are designed to GRAB AND THROW an opponent. Combinations of techniques that are unique to this style are performed EXPLOSIVELY in a forward direction always DRIVING INTO an opponent. Some techniques have simultaneous defense and attack applications. Generally the stances are NARROW and HIGH for MID-RANGE fighting, but when performing kata the hips CHANGE LEVEL between high and low stances. The training emphasis is on repetition of techniques until they can be performed without conscious effort. Tournament competition is encouraged. The signature kata of this style is Annan.

Shorin-ryu

This style is characterized by LINEAR, PERCUSSIVE techniques and NATURAL BREATHING. Natural stances are used that are NARROW and HIGH. The training emphasis is on developing strong techniques through solid basics. Emphasis is also placed on the details of kata performance so that each movement is hard, sharp, and powerful. The signature kata of this style is Seisan (Thirteen).

Shotokan

This style is characterized by DYNAMIC, LINEAR, CLOSED-HAND, PERCUSSIVE techniques that are performed EXPLOSIVELY in a FORWARD direction. Each technique is intended to end a confrontation. The training stances are LONG and LOW. When performing kata the hips REMAIN LEVEL. Fighting stances are shorter and higher for greater mobility when executing LONG-RANGE techniques. The training emphasis is on development of strong, coordinated body movement so that one technique will devastate an opponent and end a confrontation. The signature kata of this style is Kanku-dai (To View the Sky).

Goju-ryu

This style is characterized by the development of a HARDENED, RESILIENT body that can absorb attacking techniques allowing the practitioner to continue and defeat the opponent. Soft (STICKY) CIRCULAR blocks facilitate grabbing the opponent, followed by successive, hard (PERCUSSIVE) LINEAR attacks that are intended to end the confrontation. HIGH stances are used to facilitate CLOSE-RANGE fighting. Breathing exercises are practiced during the performance of the kata Sanchin in order to focus the breath in the lower abdomen making the stance and posture more stable. Techniques are performed slowly with heavy, sticky hands (MUCHIMI) as in isometric training. The training emphasis is on developing a strong, resilient body and mind so that the practitioner can withstand attacks without distraction, and can continue fighting to defeat an opponent. The signature kata of this style is Sanchin (Three battles).

Kyokushin

This style is characterized by FULL-CONTACT, MULIT-DIRECTIONAL, REALISTIC fighting techniques. STRIKING and GRAPPLING techniques are included in the style. CIRCULAR blocking techniques are intended to make contact with an opponent and immediately GRAB AND THROW him, followed by grappling (strangulation or joint-locking) groundwork techniques to IMMOBILIZE him. The training emphasis is on conditioning for full-contact, realistic fighting. Tournament competition in fighting is encouraged. The signature kata of this style is Garyu (Reclining Dragon).

Bunkai Oyo

The art of interpreting kata techniques and movements as responses to various realistic acts of physical violence such as uppercuts, grabs, and holds. These responses transform the punches, kicks, strikes, blocks, and movements of the kata into self-defense applications such as grabs, joint-locks, throws, strangulation, or other close-range fighting techniques that are intended to subdue an attacker. The response continues with as many techniques as necessary to immobilize the attacker or otherwise end the confrontation.

One word that defines each style:

Ryuei-ryu Explosive
Shorin-ryu Powerful
Shotokan Devastating
Dynamic (Masatoshi Nakayama’s definition)
Goju-ryu Muchimi
Kyokushin Intense (physical, spiritual)
Soul Spirit Karate (Masutatsu Oyama’s definition)

References:

Unante: The Secrets of Karate by John Sells

Wikipedia.org

Bugeisha magazine

Feb instructor training

2008-02-14T06:50:00.000-05:00

Stratton Lobdell
Kenshusei Research Paper
JKA Shotokan vs. Best Karate Shotokan

Shotokan karate was created through the combination of various styles of Okinawa-te by Gichin Funakoshi. When he brought his newly re-named Karate to Japan he brought 16 kata and the basics that our style is built on. Funakoshi Sensei had many students over the years and most went on to found there own organizations. The first few years after Funakoshi Sensei’s death Nakayama Sensei created and led the Japan Karate Association. The JKA produced many of the great karate men of the last 50 years. The JKA and Nakayama sensei put forth the texts that have become the definitive modern standard for Shotokan karate. First came “Dynamic Karate” and then the “Best Karate” series which encompass the basic kicks, punches, blocks and strikes that make up out art. The also cover the 26 recognized kata and make reference to the 27th.
Yoshiharu Osaka was, in his prime, referred to by some as the prototype of JKA shotokan but each of the JKA shotokan masters has his own style. The standard as set forth by Nakayama sensei was linear and based very much on the idea of ikken hissatsu, the one attack kill. Others, like Asi sensei, took those principals of power generation and added more circular movement, changing vertical distance, throwing and jumping techniques were more heavily emphasized. Yahara sensei emphasizes raw power, kime and intensity. The JKA produced many great karateka but only a few were able to take the base of JKA shotokan and build further upon it. There are four main differences I have identified that set McClary/Robinson Shotokan apart from the JKA mold.
In the last three years of training under Shihans Robinson and McClary the emphasis for beginners was similar to the basic Best Karate JKA system. As we have advanced and our level of understanding and physical skill has improved, Shihan has incorporated more dynamic movement. These differences have begun to be more apparent during the Kenshusei course of study. These differences are not so pronounced as to radically change the form of the movements. The differences lie in the emphasis of the movement.
To be able to execute the dynamic, electric movements that set McClary/Robinson Shotokan apart, there must first exist a solid foundation. Through rigorous kihon training we develop the low stances and smooth hip rotation required to generate power. As with Nakayama/JKA shotokan all beginners spend months and years practicing the three primary stances that all others come from. Kiba-dachi, kokutsu-dachi and zenkutsu-dachi are drilled until the legs are strong and coordinated.
McClary/Robinson Shotokan moves through less static postures. Tai-sabaki, body shifting, plays a large role. Shihan Robinson is constantly in motion, up and down, cutting and changing the angle of attack. While each movement in itself is a complete attack, there is another behind it and another to follow. Often as Uke I find myself overwhelmed by the first two attacks and unable to even react to the third and fourth as each one comes, each from a different direction. Shihan McClary has also go to lengths to make sure we understand that no matter where in the movement you are, you are always prepared to attack and defend simultaneously. There is no transitional movement. All movements are constant offense throughout. This is the first difference; constant movement, there is no show boating, no posing.
The second, and perhaps most pronounced, difference in style is the greater focus on kanku; the loading/contracting to create maximum possible power through expansion/explosion. This is accomplished sometimes in large obvious ways; bending knees and ankles, sinking the body lower, rotating the hips away from the target to allow maximum rotation with the strike. Other times this contraction and expansion are condensed. The result is vibration.
Two specific parts of Bassai Dai illustrate this very effectively. In the early part of the kata after the first series of movements, the karateka is standing in heiko-dachi with left hand extended in kake shuto-uke, from here he delivers the most basic strike in our curriculum, choku-tzuki. This movement performed by a beginner may look simple and have little effect. When delivered with proper kime and hip vibration the strike is dynamic and powerful. The vibration of the hip allows the entire body to participate and generate power with the punch.
After that series of punches there is another example of McClary/Robinson shotokan hip rotation; the move from left hand uchi-uke in han-zenkutsu-dachi to kokutsu-dachi shuto-uke with a ninety degree turn in the middle. As performed by Shihan Robinson this movement contains a full contraction of the body and sweeping shuto strike with the right hand as the left reaches out toward the eventual target for defense. The hips rotate completely around during this movement and add power to the sweeping shuto. The knife hand block is then delivered with vigor. The greatest emphasis is on the rotation and load and virtually creates an additional movement in the kata.
The third difference I have found is the emphasis on “electric movement.” Shihan Robinson often says that anywhere you touch; your opponent should feel pain. As beginners we learn to “deflect and re-direct.” As we have become more advanced karateka that same principal is applied to strikes. Every block becomes a strike. Gedan barai is no longer a downward block to fend off a kick; it has become a hammer fist strike to the inside of the thigh. The rising blocks in Heian Shodan become age empi uchi. We often drill self defense techniques and applied bunkai on Friday nights and at instructor training. Within all the kata there are many hidden applications, strikes, eye gouges, soft tissue strikes, that beginners never see. These applications are not taught under the traditional JKA system. Any time an opponent gets close enough to touch, he must pay for it. As a deterrent we do not simply break the opponents hold on our wrist, we strike the wrist or arm in a way that he cannot grab at us again. Striking with open hands to the face and neck to distract or incapacitate the opponent and make it possible to follow with another attack or to escape. The concept of Tai no sen should not be overlooked.
Tai no sen, to avoid or suppress the attack before it begins, is sometimes expressed as the ultimate aim of all martial arts. This is an aspect of McClary/Robinson Best Karate that is an undercurrent through all our training. We say the Dojo Kun and these are ideas that come from Funakoshi sensei but at Best Karate in Raleigh it is particularly important. Shihan Robinson has shared with us his reasons for training and the great gratitude he has to Shihan McClary and to Karate from helping him practice tai no sen throughout his life. This was one of my own personal goals with karate training and is part of the reason I train McClary/Robinson Best Karate. Through constant practice and training, through the banging and bruising of daily karate practice we have learned to control our tempers. We have learned to curb our aggressive tendencies and channel them into karate. Conflict avoidance and character development was one of the main precepts of Funakoshi sensei’s karate. In looking at other current leaders in the world of karate, some seem to hold up these ideals and others do not. We do.
Karate throughout the word has been infused with the personality of its practitioners. Each person who has trained long enough to begin to understand the true principals of karate adds some of their own flavor. Just as each karateka eventually chooses or is given a special kata to be their own, each person will have special techniques that work and feel the best. Karate becomes an outgrowth of our personality and with proficiency comes the ability to express our personality through our movement. Shihans McClary and Robinson have certainly reached that point and the karate we practice is filled with their personality, their own style.

The Evolution of Karate: A comparison of JKA Shotokan and Best Karate Shotokan

2008-02-13T16:46:00.000-05:00

JKA Shotokan karate is the result of many decades of refinement of individual techniques and a systematic approach to training. It has developed clearly defined guidelines for what is considered correct or incorrect technique, as well as a blueprint for the training of an individual from white belt up through Shodan and beyond. This excerpt taken directly from the official JKA website describes their approach:

“The foundation of karate is the kihon (basic techniques), the kata (forms), and the kumite (sparring). Upon these three rest all technique, all speed, all strength and all progress in karate. They are, in essence, one. And they must be studied as one: without the kihon basic techniques, there can be neither kata nor kumite. Likewise, kata separated from kumite is simply rote movement unseasoned with the knowledge that comes from application. Finally, kumite without kata loses the characteristic agility and effortless smoothness inherent in karate. Kihon is kata is kumite.

At the JKA, we emphasize all three of these equally and simultaneously.

Through years of training and experience, we've developed a unique and unrivalled system of kihon techniques. We put tremendous focus on the fundamentals, teaching scientifically and step-by-step the proper posture, balance and angle of each specific movement. As with most things, continuous repetition is essential, for if you get the fundamentals wrong, there can be no further progress.

After mastering the kihon, you move on to the kata, the core of all karate skills. In kata, there is no wasted or meaningless movement. So we emphasize repeating them over and over again. Through constant repetition, your body learns to move automatically, effortlessly and efficiently. Over time, the techniques become unconscious, rather than deliberate mechanical movements. You can do them without thinking, which frees your mind to be still and experience the dynamics of that moment.

At the JKA, we've refined the kata to be more applicable in kumite sparring. Through the techniques learned in the kihon and practiced in the kata, you discover how to respond to situations naturally and freely, and apply your techniques appropriately as the circumstances demand.

And that's when the true power of karate can be known. When your entire being —body and mind—explodes forward and downs the opponent with one blow, it is called kime. Kime is the ultimate purpose of the kihon-kata-kumite trinity.”

This approach towards karate training, which removes personal preferences and requires strict adherence to it’s training methods, has produced some of the worlds strongest and finest karate-ka. Another benefit to this approach was that it was easy to duplicate and allowed for the rapid spread of JKA Shotokan from it’s creation in 1949 to it’s presence in over 100 countries around the world today. The basic movements of a properly trained karate-ka should be almost identical to that of another karate-ka that lives and trains thousands of miles away. That is the goal of the formal, systemized training that the JKA is famous for.

When we are asked, “what style of karate do you train?” , our broad answer is “JKA style Shotokan”, which to me is defined as having a heavy emphasis in kihon, or basics, with countless hours of repetition of core techniques in low stances which build strength and power which translate into precise kata and effective kumite skills. After years of training, a karate-ka begins to infuse their karate with their own style or “flavor”. That’s what this assignment is about. We were asked to identify the characteristics that set Shihan John McClary / Shihan Steve Robinson Best Karate Shotokan apart from JKA Shotokan. During our last session, Shihan McClary asked us to define Best Karate; does it have a set number of kata; do we recognize outside influences? He spoke directly to this by asking Sensei David Kremin, a Tang Soo Do practitioner, to teach a specific concept during our last class. He went on to remind us that we don’t just tolerate techniques and teaching from other styles, we are happy to experience them and incorporate them into our own training!

I consider myself fortunate in that I had no training experience prior to becoming a student at Best Karate, so I didn’t have to make adjustments to techniques or break any bad habits because I was starting from scratch. This benefit however, has proven to be difficult in putting this assignment together because I don’t have a physical point of reference to compare with. I do have a visual point of reference from dozens of hours of reviewing video and watching students from other schools performing at tournaments. One thing that I have been able to do, even with my limited experience, is to identify students from the same school simply by the way they move. Students tend to take on the characteristics and style of their Sensei and so to define our particular brand of Shotokan, what would an outside observer see in our movement that would identify us as students of Best Karate?

Quoting Shihan McClary, “the key is a word that Nakayama used in his first English publication, Dynamic Karate”. He then asked us to look up the definition of the word “dynamic”. This definition, along with the observations of our instructors, would help us define what Best Karate Shotokan was all about. The definition of the word is as follows:

1. energetic; vigorous; forceful

2. marked by usually continuous and productive activity or change.

Best karate’s trademark is this “dynamic” movement which can also be described as “electric” movement. Everything we do is done with the intention of stopping our opponent immediately. Defensive movements become offensive, blocks become strikes, and our whole body is engaged to the point that any contact with our opponent is painful for them and they are either defeated or deterred from any further action. It is important to note that this is not a departure from traditional training. Beginners are strictly drilled in basics with occasional hints of what is to come. Proper placement of the feet, hips, tanden, hands, shoulders, knees, etc. are the focus of their training. After months of training, the individual karate-ka has hopefully developed the strength, stamina, and technical precision required to fully appreciate the advanced concepts that will begin to be shared with them. The emphasis begins to shift to the concepts of expansion, contraction, vibration, rotation, and kime. It is these concepts, when properly drilled, that provide the “electric” movement that becomes our signature.

When performing kata, our movement is again characterized as dynamic. As a style, Shotokan’s signature kata is Kanku-Dai, and taken a step further, the signature kata for Best Karate is Bassai-Dai because it provides the perfect opportunity to show the emphasis that we place on hip rotation and forceful, rapid movement. Of particular note is the movement from the left arm uchi uke from a high zenkutsu dachi to the first right arm shuto uke in kokutsu dachi. While other karate-ka would be satisfied with simply stepping forward into the stance, we are taught to emphasize rapid and forceful rotation of the hips 180 degrees, while contracting the body down, and finally exploding into the shuto uke. This type of movement is carried on throughout the kata, with every technique having the potential to inflict pain or stop the opponent. It is not simply performing the movements quickly, but with intention and purpose that defines our brand of Shotokan.

While consistently training in the traditional 26 (27) Shotokan kata, Best Karate has taken this a step further by incorporating several other kata, most of them created by Asai Sensei, into our curriculum. Asai Sensei was well known for his “unorthodox” fighting style which was also described as being dynamic, constantly moving and shifting, using the whole body as a weapon. The kata that he developed are designed to develop this ability and most importantly, allow us to train to move in directions that the original 26 kata do not emphasize thereby expanding the possibilities of movement for us during kumite. Again, it is this willingness to “look outside of the box” and learn from individuals outside of our direct lineage that makes us different from the JKA. There have been other incredible karate-ka that embraced this philosophy, among them, Asai, Kanazawa, and Yahara to name a few, and of course our direct instructors, Shihans McClary and Robinson. All are rooted firmly in the traditional JKA style of instruction, but have taken their karate to a whole new level by incorporating effective techniques from outside of the JKA.

Earlier, I gave one of the definitions of “dynamic” as being marked by usually continuous and productive activity or change. Nothing can better describe Best Karate kumite than that! Instead of the posing and occasional one or two step frontal attack, Shihans McClary and Robinson like Asai Sensei are also well known for rapid and continuous shifting of the body, left, right, front, back, up, down, and the flurry of attacks that accompany this movement.

When giving the definition for dynamic, I purposely bolded the words continuous and productive. This is because the movements that we attempt to emulate are not done just for the sake of jumping around, but like our kata, also have purpose and intent behind them. The rapid shifting of the body makes us a difficult target and gives us an opportunity for our opponent to make an error in judgment and become vulnerable to our attack. When we do attack, each technique has a purpose behind it and are almost always done in rapid succession causing confusion and retreat. Having experienced this first hand while training with Shihan Robinson I can attest to the effectiveness of this.

While still remaining true to our JKA roots and our traditional training, we are part of the evolution of Shotokan karate by sharing the teachings of Shihan John McClary’s and his flavor and style as passed down to his top student, Shihan Stephen Robinson who is teaching and inspiring a whole new generation of students. As Kenshusei, we have the distinct honor of being part of that legacy.

Luis Santana

Triangle’s Best Karate

February, 2008

BEST Karate Shotokan

2008-02-13T12:26:00.001-05:00

Instructor Certification Course
Jan. 19, 2008
BEST Karate Shotokan

Wendy Mach

BEST Karate Shotokan is the equivalent of the Japan Karate Association that was developed and maintained by Sensei Masatoshi Nakayama after the passing of Sensei Gichin Funakoshi. Through his books Dynamic Karate and the BEST KARATE series, Sensei Nakayama formalized and standardized the basic techniques and official 26 kata of the JKA karate system. This syllabus is still used today by traditional Shotokan karate organizations including B.E.S.T. Karate.

While researching this topic one idea became prominent above all others. The Shotokan karate that Sensei Nakayama resided over was based first and foremost on the karate-do of Sensei Funakoshi. Its primary objective was to develop the spirit and to work toward a good moral character of it’s participants through the physical expression of hard, diligent training. Adhering to the values of courtesy, respect, sincerity, effort, etiquette, self-control and humility were of utmost importance. The development of strong, physical techniques was of secondary importance. Sensei Nakayama was insistent that his JKA karate mold the mind, body, and spirit of it’s participants as was initially designed by Sensei Funakoshi. By following this philosophy, karate-do becomes a way of life, and not just a physical exercise.

When Americans started asking questions about karate techniques, Sensei Nakayama began studying physiology, anatomy, psychology, and physics. He learned about body mechanics and discovered that the traditional techniques that had been practiced by the Japanese for years were scientifically sound. Scientific research into karate techniques continues to this day and this is exactly what Sensei Funakoshi would have wanted. He never believed that karate should become stagnant. It should continue to change and grow with the knowledge and experience of its participants so that techniques could become stronger.

The JKA training methods under Sensei Nakayama were based on the kihon, kata, and kumite formula. A solid foundation would be developed through kihon and kata first, and then the karateka would begin kumite training to test these techniques against each other. Every part of training had physical, mental, and spiritual elements to it. This started with the plain, white gi that everyone wore. White symbolized the purity of the intentions of the karateka, and removed any class distinctions of the person wearing it.

The fundamental method of kihon training was to practice each technique again and again while marching up and down the dojo floor. Practicing each technique by itself developed the mental attitude of ikken hisatsu (To kill with one blow). The karateka must execute his fastest, strongest, most powerful technique each time. This also developed the spirit of the karateka who must believe that he had only one chance to end a physical confrontation. Over time each technique would be repeated thousands of times until it became a natural response. Conscious thought was no longer necessary. The karateka would learn to respond automatically, appropriately, efficiently, and effectively to any given situation. The goal was to transcend the technique, posture, and strategy and to respond without conscious thought.

The spiritual value of courtesy was reflected in the bow that was made at the beginning and end of each kata. Sensei Funakoshi believed that “Karate-do wa rei ni hajimari, rei ni owaru koto wo wasuruna.” (Karate-do begins with courtesy and ends with courtesy.) The karateka should always be courteous and respectful to everyone, including those that he disagreed with. For Sensei Nakayama the bow reflected a desire for harmony among all people, and this spirit was embodied in every kata.

The first technique in every kata was a defensive block symbolizing that someone else had initiated the physical confrontation. One of the fundamental precepts of JKA karate was “Karate ni sente nashi.” (There is no first attack in karate.) The karateka should control his emotions and refrain from carelessly using his karate techniques or from fighting. He should never start a confrontation with others, and should only fight for the sake of justice as stated in the precept “Karate wa gi no tasuke.” (Karate is a great assistance to justice.) At the same time in almost every kata the initial movement was toward the attacker, symbolizing the conviction of the karateka to decisively resolve the confrontation. Even when moving away from the attacker, the initial movement was designed to increase the stability of the stance. It was never meant to be interpreted as a retreat from the confrontation. The karateka would be resolved to end all conflict by use of his “Shin Ku I” (Behavior, speech, and thoughts). The bow at the end of each kata represented zanshin (Remaining spirit). The karateka remained relaxed, but kept a heightened external awareness and spiritual focus of what might occur next.

I believe that it is important to note that Sensei Nakayama interpreted the first movement in Kanku Dai as a connection with nature, the tranquility of mind and body, and the wish for harmony. He chose to give this movement a spiritual meaning rather than a martial one. This further confirms that karate should never be just a physical activity. It should incorporate one’s entire essence of being.

Under Sensei Nakayama kumite became in integral part of karate training. But once again this training was for physical, mental, and spiritual development of the karateka. As with kihon the emphasis in training was to develop the mental attitude of ikken hisatsu. The karateka must fully commit himself to each technique. The attacker must attack decisively with single-minded concentration. The defender had only one chance to make a powerful block and counter-attack that would be effective enough to stop an attacker in a real fighting situation. This demonstrated the concept that there was no second chance. Each technique must be performed perfectly the first time or in theory the person would die. This philosophy was firmly embedded in Japanese culture. The Japanese warrior believed that he must kill his enemy or be killed.

Simultaneously the karateka was developing his spirit by controlling his techniques. He had to fully commit himself to every technique, but still have the mental and emotional control over himself to arrest the technique before contact was made with his training partner. Stopping a technique with perfect control and precision demonstrated compassion for a training partner. This process of controlling the emotional self was endless because no one was perfect.

Part of the mission of the JKA was to expand the practice of Shotokan karate throughout the world. To do this they began an Instructor Training Program to teach instructors how to teach the art of karate to others. They also set standards for instruction so that people could find a qualified teacher. It was very important to Sensei Nakayama that JKA karate be transmitted correctly to future generations of karateka all around the world.

Sensei Nakayama believed that karate-do development was like climbing a set of endless stairs. As the mind and body would grow, the karateka moved upward one step at a time. Even while the karateka was aging and his physical attributes declined, there was still more steps ahead in mental development and character improvement. This was an endless journey that was reflected in the training precept “Karate no shugyo wa issho de aru.” (It will take your entire life to learn karate; there is no limit.)

Sensei Nakayama also organized the JKA syllabus based on budo philosophy. The purpose of budo training was not to gain some knowledge of a wide range of techniques and weapons for the purpose of fighting; rather it was to develop very deep experience and understanding of the art in order to improve the karateka’s character and to look into the nature of his existence. The karateka would examine the techniques of karate-do and try to truly master them. This was done over a lifetime of constant study and hard work. The foundation of budo training was to develop spiritual strength and good quality of character in order to live an ethical life. Sensei Nakayama realized that the true conflict was not with others, but with ourselves. Budo training enabled the karateka to conquer himself.

Through a lifetime of diligent training and self-examination, Sensei Nakayama believed that the karateka could learn to live by the philosophy known as “Heijo-shin kokoro michi” (The way of the composed mind). The karateka should keep the same outward appearance all the time no matter what he was doing or how stressful the situation was. Whether preparing dinner, waiting for a bus, correcting an erroneous bill from the electric company, or avoiding a car accident, he must remain calm, confident, and in control of his actions and emotions. Internally he must be constantly fully alert to his surroundings.

B.E.S.T. Karate has been interpreted in a couple of different ways. Better Education through Spiritual Training and Backing Education with Strong Training both focus on training, but this is not just physical training. The intellectual training of the mind and the emotional training of the spirit have equally important roles in the effort exerted in the dojo during each class.

“Perfect practice makes perfect” has been a frequent theme during training. I heard it during my first evening class at B.E.S.T. Karate Philadelphia. Over and over it was stressed that we were not just waving our arms and legs around. We were performing karate techniques that should be able to stop another human being cold. We needed to perform these techniques a million times in order for them to become automatic, and most importantly, each one had to be performed perfectly. Attention to the technical details of each stance and technique ensured that we learned the system correctly. Focusing on the biomechanics of how the human body moves, gave us insight so that we could improve the speed and power of our techniques. During every class we worked on maximizing our dynamic core movement in order to facilitate each technique. It was constantly emphasized that karate is dynamic and alive; never stiff or rigid.

At any point during class if someone’s mind began to wander, we would get the “karate is the way of the empty hand, not the way of the empty head” lecture. Mental concentration training was just as important as physical training. Every technique had to be performed with the mental intension of stopping an attacker. The eyes had to be focused in the direction of the attacker and should clearly reflect your commitment to the technique.

Even though each class was different, they were always intense. It was not possible to simply coast through class and only give half effort to the training. Each karateka was expected to give 100% spirit and effort, and there was no slowing down just because you “hit the wall”. It was understood that if you physically ran out of energy, then your spirit should take over and you just kept going. Strong, spiritual training goes beyond what you think that you are physically and mentally capable of. In class you went until you broke down, and then you just kept going beyond what you thought your limits were. This was training your “never give up, never say die” commitment to yourself. By the end of every class at B.E.S.T. Karate, there should be no reserves left. All of your energy and spirit should have been used up on the dojo floor.

The traditional techniques of Shotokan karate, and the teachings of Sensei Funakoshi are the foundation of the B.E.S.T. Karate system, but ongoing scientific research has always been welcomed. “Tradition embraces science” ensures that we are training with improved techniques and updated training methods. We are always ready to incorporate new ideas for ways to use the body more efficiently and effectively. Personal research is also encouraged so that we can learn about the history of our art, and also to improve our own personal training.

The Instructor Training Program allowed karateka to take the next step in their karate development. Future instructors learned how to teach the next generation of karateka through their advanced level of understanding of the relationship between physiology, anatomy, and karate techniques. They learned how to watch students in order to be able to improve incorrect posture and movement. They also learned how to conduct a class with enthusiasm to inspire the students to perform at their best. Written assignments such as this one allow future instructors to research deeper into karate-do and to strive to achieve “Ken zen ichi” (The fist and pen are one.)

After over eleven years of training together, it is hard to know where to start to try to describe John McClary Karate. His enthusiasm for the art of Shotokan karate and his passion for teaching are immediately obvious. His spirit is infectious. Every single class he gives his spirit to his students encouraging them to try harder and to improve beyond their current capabilities. In turn the students fire up their own spirit and send the energy back to Sensei. No two classes are ever alike, keeping the training fresh and alive. Even when we train a specific kata over and over, the emphasis of the lesson is different each time. In this way the students learn to constantly look for new jewels that they can discover in each kata.

During class Sensei McClary teaches everything to everyone regardless of age, ability, or time training. Children, adults, white belts, and Nidans could all be learning an “advanced” kata in the same class. Sensei McClary has the ability to teach so that even beginners can understand and learn some of the jewels of any kata. At the same time the more “advanced” karateka are also challenged to look into the techniques of the kata more deeply.

During my personal training time in the mornings, Sensei McClary would often stop by and ask what I was working on. If I was concentrating on kihon, he would remind me to make sure that I did not neglect my training in kata. If I was working on a specific kata over and over again, he would watch it once, and then point out one technique that I could improve on. He would remind me that I did not always have to perform the entire kata; I could concentrate on a few movements at a time. Sometimes he would stop by just to talk about a magazine article or book that he had been reading. It became obvious quite quickly that all aspects of karate training should be given constant attention, and nothing could be neglected. I would often think about Sensei Funakoshi’s precept “Karate wa yu no goto shi taezu natsudo wo ataezareba moto no mizu ni kaeru.” (Karate is like hot water. If you do not give it heat constantly, it will again become cold water.) Sensei McClary expected me to keep multiple pots boiling on the stove at once, and not to let any of them cool.

Outside of class Sensei McClary always has time to listen to his students on any topic. When I went to him to discuss the subject of facial contact during kumite, he didn’t say that I was wrong, and he didn’t brush me aside. He didn’t simply give me his answer and end the discussion. Instead he took the time to fully listen to my side and the reasons for how I felt. Then he asked me a few questions so that I would think more deeply into the subject. He gave me different viewpoints without saying that any were right or wrong. Then we discussed our beliefs back and forth for over an hour, ultimately giving me more to think about. It did not matter that we had differing views on the subject; we were still able to openly discuss it. I always enjoy talking with Sensei McClary and always leave with a positive, enlightened feeling. The main point here is that this was after the last class of the night and he still made time to talk with me for as long as I felt necessary.

Sensei McClary has adopted a holistic approach to teaching. He deals with each and every student on an individual level, and has an uncanny ability to know exactly why you are training, and what you need as an individual to be able to reach your full potential as a human being. He doesn’t just work with his students teaching them karate. He teaches them about life. He encourages his students to succeed in every endeavor in and out of the dojo. He doesn’t let his students define themselves by their limitations; rather he assists them to work beyond any real or perceived boundaries. He always remains positive, letting students know that with effort they will be able to reach their goals and continue beyond.

In over eleven years of classes with Sensei McClary, there has been only once that I ended class with a negative perception of myself. Usually I leave class feeling physically exhausted, but mentally energized and spiritually rejuvenated. This one class I had been the example of what not to do during kumite for three instances. Now, I am the first to say that my kumite is not very good, but after this class I felt hurt on an emotional level, and I did not want to leave the dojo feeling that way. So after class I went over to Sensei McClary and asked “So what did I do right?” Without taking a breath or blinking an eye, he rattled off three things that I had done well that I had been working on to improve. I immediately felt better and returned to my personal training.

The hardest lesson that I ever learned from Sensei McClary was also the most important. It literally took me months before I fully realized what was going on because I kept misinterpreting what he was trying to teach me. I understood the philosophy of Shu-Ha-Ri and knew that I had developed my karate ability to the Ha stage. What I did not realize was that at that point Sensei McClary would be treating me differently. I like to be able to ask questions and have someone answer them directly, telling me what I should do next. What I didn’t realize was that it was time for me to work on my own to discover my own answers, and that Sensei McClary wasn’t going to respond to my questions with direct answers anymore. I kept asking questions and became more and more confused by the answers until I finally stopped asking. I misinterpreted the situation thinking that Sensei McClary was getting tired of my constant questions, and didn’t want to deal with them anymore. This was where I was totally wrong.

Everyone has heard of the expression “When the student is ready, the teacher will arrive.” What I finally discovered in my thick head was that “When the student is ready, the teacher will go away.” Sensei McClary knew that I was ready to go off on my own and work through personal training to discover new jewels about karate. He was the smart one and I was the novice taking a while to figure out what the real lesson was. Now I look forward to my own personal training time, so that I can work on aspects of karate training that are important to me.

Sensei McClary reminds students to take personal responsibility for their thoughts, words, and actions. Through his teachings on and off of the dojo floor, he changes people by working with the essence of their being, improving the quality of their character, and molding them into better members of society. Once Sensei McClary touches your heart, you are transformed into a different human being. He is more than just a teacher or mentor; he is a healer of souls. I have been fortunate enough to witness this over and over again.

References:

Shotokan History: Its History and Evolution by Randall G. Hassell

Conversations With The Master: Masatoshi Nakayama By Randall G. Hassell

Dynamic Karate By M. Nakayama

Comparison of JKA and Shihan McClary’s Shotokan Karate

2008-02-12T10:14:00.000-05:00

The intent of this paper is to compare and contrast several different aspects of JKA and Shihan McClary Shotokan karate. Shihan McClary’s primary instructor, Teruyuki Okazaki, was a long time member of the JKA and one of the founders of the JKA Instructor Training program, and a student of Master Funakoshi. My instructor, Shihan Robinson, is one of Shihan McClary’s top students, having been with him for more than 20 years. While Shihan Robinson’s school, as well as Shihan McClary’s, is no longer directly affiliated with the JKA (the “why” of the split from the JKA is not the purpose of this paper and will not be covered), we still practice a “JKA karate style”, meaning that anyone observing our karate would know where our roots came from. This is true for many of the schools and organizations that have splintered from the JKA over the years. Even before the bonds with the JKA were broken, Shihan Robinson (having learned from Shihan McClary) was teaching his students elements of karate above and beyond the core teachings within the JKA. It is these differences that will be highlighted in this paper.

Brief History

Master Gichin Funakoshi brought what is known today as kara-te do (literally translated as “the way of the empty hand”) to mainland Japan in 1922 from Okinawa. Through his teachings, perseverance and character the popularity of karate blossomed. Some 27 years later (1949) the first formal organization tasked with the promotion of karate was established, the Nihon Karate Kyokai – the Japan Karate Association (JKA). Master Funakoshi was appointed as the JKA’s emeritus Chief Instructor (Master Masatoshi Nakayama, a student of Funakoshi’s, was the actual Chief Instructor), and taught his style of karate, named Shotokan by his students. After more than 50 years in existence, and having had many different Chief Instructors, the JKA is still operating based firmly on the teachings of Master Funakoshi.

Throughout the lifetime of the JKA many traditional karate dojos have spawned within Japan and across the world, many being started by the early leaders within the JKA, including Master’s Kanazawa, Okazaki, and Mikami. Many of these schools, being led by direct students of Funakoshi’s, continued to follow the many different practices they had learned from the original master; however, over time different teaching styles and emphasis on different aspects of movement, thinking and philosophy, conditioning, and exposure to different arts began to infiltrate these schools. Some of the changes caused the schools to break away from the JKA, but continue follow the path Funakoshi blazed.

Philosophy

Master Funakoshi taught that the mind and character had to be trained as well as the body. Based on the teachings of bushido (the way of the samurai) he developed the dojo kun and niju kun. The dojo kun, 5 guiding principles, are general precepts to help one achieve the perfection of character. The niju kun are 20 more detailed principles which expound on the dojo kun. While we do not live in the age of samurai anymore, or even in times similar to those of Funakoshi’s era, these guidelines still apply today. Which is why in traditional Shotokan schools, such as Shihan Robinson’s, or in a JKA-sanctioned school, the dojo kun is recited, in unison, at the end of class by all the students. Without the pursuit of perfecting one’s character the karate-ka will not fully achieve their potential in his life or in his karate training. This philosophy has been passed along through the generations of instructors beginning with Master Funakoshi, and is alive and strong within traditional Shotokan schools, whether a part of the JKA or not.

Training

In the JKA, the physical part of karate training focuses on developing the mind, body and spirit. This is done through extensive training of kihon (basic techniques), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring). All three aspects rely on each other; one cannot be improved without improvements in the others. When karate was beginning to gain popularity in the early 20^th century there was little to no written documentation of the art. Knowledge (including movements, explanations, lineage and history) was passed from instructor to student by word of mouth and demonstration.

No one knows how much valuable information was lost, forgotten, or misinterpreted over the centuries that martial arts have been practiced. The JKA worked to remedy this situation through the introduction of its Specialist Instructor Training Program and by documenting the 3 main aspects of Shotokan Karate, kihon, kata and kumite. With Master Nakayama as the Chief Instructor, the JKA began to create a repeatable set of instructions for Shotokan karate, which would ultimately lead to a consistency within the many different dojos across the world.

Kihon

By formalizing the training aspects of Shotokan karate the JKA was able to focus on and hone a set of instructions which they rigidly adhere to. As stated in their own words, the JKA “knows the correct way to perform a karate technique.” While this could be interpreted as a bold statement based on a long tradition and years of exploration, it also seems to be limiting.

On the surface, this position seems to express that there is only one way to correctly perform a particular technique. What we have learned from the teaching of Shihan Robinson is that there may be several ways to achieve the same end result from a technique. Physical differences between individuals require adaptation of techniques, the age old adage “no one size fits all” applies here. Moreover, we are taught that we need to understand the basic elements of the movement, and then experiment with our bodies to find the optimal solution for ourselves. It is this personal exploration that ultimately leads an individual to the best result.

In our dojo developing strong kihon is highly emphasized. However, we do not just train the individual movements, but also sequences which help develop explosive, dynamic movement in our hips and torsos, our tanden, and in turning and stepping. For example, a drill we do with partners has us each starting in kiba dachi facing each other close enough to punch and block each other. We then, on count, shift our stances (for this example each shifts to their left first) to zenkutsu dachi in a diagonal direction, punching (right) gyaku zuki. The purpose is to focus on the hip movement, snapping the hip around between the two stances. The next movement is shifting back to kiba dachi, where one student blocks and the other punches. Again, the shift in stances is done rapidly, concentrating on keeping consistent height and strong connection to the floor. On the next count the punch and block again with their right hands while maintaining kiba dachi. Here the focus is on the tanden, utilizing it to ensure a strong foundation and connection to be able to execute powerful blocks and punches. The last movement is the same as the first, except this time the students shift to their right into zenkutsu dachi and punch gyaku zuki with their left hand. Once again the students are to concentrate on their hip movements.

There are many other drills we do which aid in quick, stable and powerful movements. Some drills include stepping and turning in the opposite direction to the norm and at the same time performing a basic kihon technique. These types of drills help the students develop better fluidity and speed in more uncommon movements, which, in turn, builds the student’s ability to move more dynamically in different situations.

Kata

Within Shotokan karate there are 27 kata (some say there are only 26, and are excluding Hyaku Hachi Ho) which were derived from many different sources and styles. However, all have been “shotokan-ized”, meaning they have been adapted to be more in line with typical shotokan movements. This makes it easier for a karate-ka to learn new katas because the movements are all very similar, for the most part. It also means that if a karate-ka in the Shotokan system only learns these kata they only move in a specific, predictable way.

In our dojo we go beyond the 27 kata, incorporating kata from different styles and kata that have been recently created (such as by the late Sensei Asai) in order to teach new types of movements. Usually these new kata have a similar theme to them: dynamic movement. Shihan Robninson places a strong emphasis on dynamic movement within kata, based on the feeling that performing a kata should be like being in a fight. The whole body must be used with fast, explosive movements, overwhelming the imaginary opponents. The focus is on rapid hip rotation, contraction of the abdomen and tanden, and overall contraction and expansion.

Traditionally, Kanku Dai is the signature kata of Shotokan, and we observe that fact in our dojo. However, the signature kata of our school is Basai Dai. This is because it has more sequences of moves in which dynamic movement is required. It has most of the same basic elements as Kanku Dai, but has additional areas in which, through extensive training, builds the student’s ability to demonstrate explosive power and quick movement.

Traditionally katas are practiced and performed in a very strict and controlled manner, sometimes done to be “pretty”, as for a competition. This is not how we are taught to practice and perform kata. While our student’s kata might not be as pretty, it is expected to be strong, explosive and dynamic. An opponent is not going to appreciate the “perfect-ness” of stance or a movement, but they will understand when a Robinson/McClary student hits them with a killing blow derived from dynamic movement.

Kumite

Fighting, or kumite, as part of the JKA follows a very strict tradition and practice. Following the philosophy of “one blow, one kill”, the JKA emphasizes that the karate-ka attack an adversary with the intent to deliver a killing blow. Of course in modern society this is not a common practice, but instead the karate-ka demonstrates to an opponent that they could do this.

In observing our students interacting (such as in kumite or drills) with students from other schools (or students who come to us from other schools) it is easy to see many differences, most notably in how they move and they power they are able to generate. Some of these other students have strong kihon but lack dynamic, fluid movement. Others move well and quickly, but lack the ability to demonstrate truly powerful techniques. With the concentration on movement and power in the training at our school, our students (to varying degrees based on their level and time in training) are more advanced in both of these regards.

Shihan Robinson teaches that in the process of getting to the point of delivering a finishing blow, any part of an opponent that is touched by the karate-ka should hurt, meaning that for example a block or a deflection should cause injury or pain to the opponent. He refers to this as being “electric.” By using this principle a karate-ka could dissuade an opponent from further attack without actually having to inflict a devastating injury or death. Most of these techniques come from existing shotokan movements, with a slight adaptation; however, several of the techniques used come from other types of martial arts.

In our dojo it is not uncommon to have classes (sometimes with guest instructors) on different styles of karate or on completely different art forms, such as jiu jitsu, judo or aikido. By learning from these different styles we are able to enhance our arsenal of attacks and defenses. Shihan Robinson has always emphasized that knowledge is power, and knowledge can come from many different sources, even outside your ryu or art form. We are encouraged to learn from any source we can, about martial arts, anatomy and physiology, health, training, and many more areas critical to our karate training.

In the end, whether you are a karate-ka at a JKA dojo or a student of Shihan Robinson’s or McClary’s, you are practicing and following the long standing traditions of Shotokan karate, as prescribed by Master Funakoshi. With the JKA you get concise and formalized karate training; with Shihans Robinson and McClary you experience the same fundamentals with the added emphasis on dynamic movements, electric encounters and growth of knowledge, as well as very experienced and enthusiastic instructors.

Craig Lawton
Triangle's Best Karate
February 12, 2008

Positive and Negative in Accord

2008-01-16T22:06:00.000-05:00

Positive and Negative in Accord

The Use of the Entire Body in Karate

Imagine two karate-ka training kumite with each other and opponent “A” steps in with an oi-zuki (lunge punch) to the chest area of opponent “B”. What would a casual observer to this exchange answer if asked, “what did opponent “A” hit opponent “B” with?” The obvious answer would probably be “his fist”, but what about the idea that opponent “A” hit opponent “B” with his opposite hip, or perhaps his rear foot? The effectiveness of karate techniques comes not only from the part of the body that makes contact with your opponent, the “active” side, but from the effective utilization of the opposite, or “negative” side of the body.

The first introduction to this principle for the new karate-ka is the hikite, or draw hand. It is the movement of this opposite hand that increases the effectiveness of the technique being delivered, whether it’s a punch, strike, or block, by assisting in the rotation of the hips, increasing the speed and therefore the power in the technique, and providing balance and stability.

Another principle that is stressed early on is that of muscle relaxation. In Shotokan karate, we are taught that the main difference between a beginner and an advanced student is the speed at which the student can relax. Taken further, the advanced student, after many years of training and countless repetition, will develop the ability to control their muscle relaxation/tension among different muscle groups at the same time.

Combined with the principle of utilizing the “negative” side of the body that was mentioned earlier, the karate-ka is able to perform a technique and achieve the greatest effect possible with the minimum amount of effort.

Returning to the opening scenario of the oi-zuki, we can see how these concepts are brought together effectively. The power for this technique comes from the rapid and straight movement of the entire body forward. As a learning aid, we are taught to “hit with the hips” in executing an oi-zuki. To completely describe the actions of every muscle group during the execution of a proper oi-zuki would take pages of text and thousands of words, so for the sake of simplicity, we will focus on the major movements of the technique. Another important note is that the “negative” or “positive” side of a technique does not only mean left or right, but can also describe the actions of the top and bottom half of the body.

As the karate-ka face off, relaxed but alert to each other’s movements, opponent “A” sees an opportunity to deliver his oi-zuki. He is in a high front stance with his left leg forward and his right leg to the rear. In a fraction of a second, he tenses the muscles of the left leg, pulling his body forward, while simultaneously tensing the muscles of the right leg, pushing himself forward. His upper body and arms remain relaxed. The left foot will not leave the ground during the execution of this movement but after the initial thrust forward, the right foot will leave the ground and the karate-ka will relax the muscles of the right leg. As the right leg steps through, the left leg will switch from pulling to pushing and he begins the forward motion of the right hand towards his target. Up to this point the emphasis has been on the lower part of the body, which can be viewed as the “negative” side, but is providing the majority of the thrust and power for the end of the technique. Continuing with the technique, our karate-ka’s left hand begins to retract into hikite (draw hand) and his right hip is now in line with his left and will remain full face during final impact. As the right arm fully extends toward the center line of the body and the fist meets its target, the left hand is fully drawn back into hikite and this new “negative” side of the body, along with the firm planting of the left foot which provides a solid connection with the ground, allows the karate-ka to deliver the full shock and impact of the punch from the ground up and through the arm and out from the first two knuckles of the right hand.

It is important to note that any error in correct form will result in a technique that is weaker or perhaps totally ineffective. For example, tensing the upper body during forward motion may result in a decrease in speed to the target, therefore reducing power. Perhaps the left heel comes off the ground, assuming all other aspects of the technique are done properly, the punch will lack full power as the energy is reflected back into the body and out through the back heel.

Let’s examine another technique, the gyaku-zuki or reverse punch. The power behind this technique comes from the rapid rotation of the hips and torso from a half-face position, to a full face position. It is important to note that having the shoulders square to the target does not automatically translate into the hips being square to the target, so focusing on full rotation is a must. The rotation for this technique is assisted by the movement of the opposite hand into hikite position. As the hips begin to rotate forward, the right hand begins its forward motion and the left hand pulls backwards. The upper body is still fairly relaxed at this point and the both feet are firmly gripping the floor. It is likely that in a kumite situation, the right knee is slightly bent and as the right hand begins its forward movement, the muscles of the right leg tense and begin to straighten the leg, as well as propel the right hip forward. Just as in the oi-zuki, at the moment of impact there is a split second where the entire body tenses and then immediately relaxes, ready to move again.

Again, proper form is essential to the effectiveness of this technique, particularly in regards to rotation of the hips and the planting of the rear foot. Of course there must also be correct form in the hand and arm delivering the punch, but notice how much importance is placed on the proper coordination and utilization of all the other parts of the body that don’t come in direct contact with the target! A good drill for students that illustrates this point is to perform several gyaku-zukis on a makiwara without using hikite, or perhaps raising the heel of the back foot. After doing several of these and then doing them properly, the difference in power and effectiveness will be apparent. As students progress in their training, they will transition through these stages:

Unconscious incompetence

The student neither understands or knows how to do something, nor recognizes the deficit or has a desire to address it.

Conscious incompetence

Though the student does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, without yet addressing it.

Conscious competence

The student understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires a great deal of consciousness or concentration.

Unconscious competence

The student has had so much practice with a skill that it becomes "second nature" and can be performed easily (often without concentrating too deeply).

* Please read the attached addendum for additional information regarding this learning model.

As instructor trainees, it is important for us to recognize this and ensure that we share these concepts of the “negative” side of the body and relaxation with the students that we have been entrusted with. In doing so, I believe that progression will occur much faster, and produce an overall better karate-ka.

Addendum on The 4 Stage Learning Model

It is not clear who originated the very first “conscious competence” learning model. As well as various modern authors, sources as old as Confucius and Socrates are cited as possible earliest originators.

Gordon Training International is popularly considered to be the originator of the conscious competence model. The California-based Gordon Training organization, founded by Dr Thomas Gordon, states that their Learning Stages model called “The Four Stages for Learning Any New Skill”, was developed by former GTI employee, Noel Burch over 30 years ago and seems to be the most commonly referenced source in connection with the conscious competence theory.

In researching the origins of this learning model, I came across several sources of discussion on a possible 5^th stage, which I believe speaks directly to our Kenshusei training. The idea is generally stated as “Conscious competence of unconscious competence”, which describes a person's ability to recognize and develop unconscious competence in others. This ability to recognize and develop skill deficiencies in others involves a separate skill set altogether and can take as much, if not more, effort and training as becoming competent in the skill sets we have already learned and hope to teach others!

Luis Santana

Triangle’s Best Karate

January, 2008

Paper #12: Negative Portion of the Body as it Relates to Karate Techniques

2008-01-13T16:43:00.000-05:00

In this paper the topic of how the negative portion of the body, meaning the portion of the body which is not directly connected to the arm or leg performing the technique, contributes to the overall karate movement in several different ways will be covered. The term “portion” as it relates to a section of body was chosen over “side” because the upper and lower body can also be considered “negative” when performing kicks versus punches, strikes and blocks, respectively. This paper will focus on how the negative portion of the body affects the generation of force and to body positioning.

In Shotokan karate one of the primary goals is to generate the most force with the least effort. There are many ways in which high levels of force can be achieved, with varying amounts of effort required. Some karate-ka can generate force through the application of brute strength (but with a lot of effort and slowly), and some can with blazing speed (but usually lacking power); however, these usually are not the most efficient ways to create extremely high levels of force. Speed, or acceleration, improves through relaxation and utilization of the appropriate muscle groups at the correct time, and by combining that with one’s whole body, not just the appendage performing the punch or kick, the karate-ka can maximize the force output with minimum effort.

In its simplest form force is equal to the product of mass and acceleration. Acceleration is a component of force that with diligent training and time should continue to improve, thereby contributing in a positive way to the overall force being generated. While no one can instantaneously increase his mass (weight) beyond his current value, he can utilize less than his total mass at the completion of a technique. So, at any given point in time, a karate-ka has achieved a certain level of acceleration and has a fixed upper limit to his mass. Therefore, at this given point in time, with the acceleration component a fixed value, in order to maximize force generation the maximum amount of mass has to be utilized (applied to the technique).

So what are the things a karate-ka must do to ensure they are utilizing all of his potential mass? One thing is to fully engage the negative portion of his body. Take, for example, a chudan oi mae geri over a medium range and that it is being executed by the right leg. The upper body and lower left side are the “negative” portions in this example. Without getting into the details (and the physiology) of what makes up a good mae geri, suffice it to say that in this example the right leg is moved forward (it starts out as the back leg) and is lifted (with the knee bent) prior to the lower leg being extended and contacting the target with the koshi. The left leg and upper body have a direct and dramatic impact on the overall resulting kick.

Starting with the upper body in this example, in order to not reduce the mass component of the force equation, the upper body must move in the same linear (and horizontal) direction as the right leg. By keeping the abs and torso taut, the tanden curled under and forward, and the hips and shoulders in alignment, the upper body will be effectively utilized in the kick by having its mass moving forward and being firmly connected to the lower portion of the body. This ensures that the center of gravity of the karate-ka is in front of them, moving in the direction of the kick and the target.

Figure 1: Proper Mae Geri. Note position of shoulders in relation to the hips, left leg is bent and foot is flat on the floor, right leg and koshi are extended.

However, if the karate-ka leans backward as the kick is raised and executed, then the mass of the upper body is moving in the opposite direction of the kick thereby reducing the overall mass applied to the kicking technique. As a general trait the upper body weighs at least as much as the lower body, if not more. Therefore, by leaning back, the karate-ka’s center of gravity may be moving backwards (or at best be stationary) away from the target. Not only does this reduce the total force potential, but it also has left the karate-ka with poor body position. Forgetting force for a second, by leaning backward, the karate-ka now has a harder time snapping his kick back and has to take time (and effort) to lean forward in order to correct his center of gravity (move it to his center or in front of himself) in preparation for his next movement or technique. Moreover, the tanden and torso are not effectively used and connected to the lower body. This can result in the karate-ka being pushed backward when his kick impacts the target, rendering his kick virtually ineffective.

The left leg plays a significant role also. Because it is the support leg in this example, it does not move significantly (a great distance anyway) but it does move. And as long as it is moving forward (in the same linear direction as the right leg) it is positively contributing a portion of its mass to the overall total. Assuming the left foot stays firmly and flatly on the ground, and the left knee moves forward (horizontally) slightly while maintaining the same amount of flexion, and the left hip does not fall behind the right (twisting of the hips with the right in front), then this “negative” portion of the body has also had a positive impact on the kick.

Figure 2: Improper Mae Geri. Note shoulders are behind the hips, right hip is infront of the left, the left leg is straightened and left heel is raised, koshi of right foot is not extended.

However, if, say, the left knee straightens, then direction of the force now has a vertical component as well as a horizontal, making the distance the kick travels longer and alters its direction. This results in less mass moving directly at the target (which is optimally at 90 degrees to the target’s center vertical axis), and instead moving at the some less-optimal angle. Therefore, the force and power (power = force X distance / time) outputs of the kick have been effectively diminished. Moreover, by straightening the left leg, effective body position has been reduced. By changing his vertical height during the kick, the karate-ka has increased the visibility of his movement, taken extra time and effort to move up and down, and reduced the stability of his stance.

Hip position plays a vital role in this kick as well. If you divide the body along its vertical axis into the right and left halves, then you can see that any twisting of the hips along this central axis will cause one half of the body to move forward while the other half moves backward. That being said, keeping the hips full-faced in the direction of the kick, the forward movement of the left leg means that both hips move forward the same amount. And as previously stated, if the upper body is in the correct position with the tanden and torso taut, then the upper body moves forward as well. This hip position allows the most mass to be used in the execution of the kick. If the hips are allowed to rotate, with the most likely scenario having the right hip moving forward and the left backward, this causes twisting around the vertical axis, reducing or eliminating any forward movement of the upper body. Body position, or more precisely, the path the body (the kicking leg specifically) takes when the hips are rotated during the kick will be more circular, starting right and going towards the left as the right hip goes forward. And while a somewhat circular kick may still find a target, a straight kick will get to its target faster, thereby increasing its force and reducing the chance it could be blocked.

There are many other karate techniques which have similar requirements to the oi mae geri as far as the “negative” portion of the body goes and the generation of force and body position. And its not limited to offensive techniques, it applies equally as well to blocks and to just stances (as in tai sabaki without a block or counter). Understanding the role, purpose and impact of the “negative” portions of the body will help reduce the effort and increase the power and speed of the techniques for the karate-ka, resulting in increased force and better body positioning. As an instructor or coach, demonstrating to and correcting newer karate-ka on how to fully engage the negative portion of the body is a lifelong goal or journey in Shotokan karate. Finally, as a karate-ka, engaging the negative portion of the body in every technique during kihon will lead to more powerful kata and effective kumite.

Craig Lawton
Triangle’s Best Karate
January 13, 2008

Kenshusei Training Jan 08: The use and effect of the opposite side of the body during striking.

2008-01-09T15:43:00.000-05:00

In karate training we seek to draw maximum effectiveness and power from each technique. This is achieved by using the human body to its fullest. Through extensive study and many thousands of hours of practice and training it is possible to achieve levels of speed and power that may seem beyond the reach of “normal people.” Although we do train or bodies to be stronger and faster, the primary reason for a karate person’s ability to hit harder and faster is a function of muscle control. This is a function of contracting one and relaxing another muscle to achieve maximum speed while at the same time bringing the entire body’s weight to bear.
In each movement whether we are walking, jumping or punching there are multiple muscle groups involved. All movement requires the relaxing of one muscle or muscle group, while the other side contracts. Abductor muscles pull a body part away from the center line of the body. Adductor muscles pull toward the bodies mid line. The power that can be generated with one or the other will be greater if the opposite muscle can be fully relaxed and not pull against the movement. Additionally through the combined use of both muscle groups working in concert it is possible to generate much more power and speed than by using only one muscle group at a time.
One of the first things we learn in karate training speaks to this point, the idea of hikitte. In executing a technique with the upper body, punch, strike or block, the opposite hand is drawn back to a ready position at the hip. This movement is done vigorously and finishes at the same time as the primary technique. The goal is for both sides of the body to be contributing to the power of the technique.
There are many ways to generate power utilized by Karate-ka; changing vertical distance, rotation, vibration, contraction and expansion. Each of these is augmented by bringing the opposite side of the body into the movement.
There are people who, because of their size and strength, can strike with great effect. After learning to harness the power of the entire body focused into the same strike the effect is radically more devastating. A recent example of this was shown in a program aired on the Discovery channel called “The Human Weapon.” This is fairly anecdotal, but they tried to be as scientific as possible. Several martial arts styles were represented and each was given a variety of tasks is order to demonstrate whose style was best. Representatives from Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Boxing, Ninjutsu and others all participated. One of the few truly conclusive tests done allowed each practitioner to pick their most devastating technique in order to demonstrate the “killing blow”. A dummy was used and rigged with sensors and diagnostic equipment. From the data collected the scientists tried to show what the effect of each person’s strike would have been on the human body.
To make a long story short, the most devastating technique used was a hammer fist strike delivered to the solar plexus by the Ninjustsu practitioner. There were some striking things about this. One, he was the smallest of the group in terms of stature and weight. Two, there was no elaborate set up or grab necessary. And three, the strike was delivered from a standing position. How is it possible that this was the most devastating blow delivered from a group of self proclaimed masters? There was total body commitment and focus. No extra energy was wasted. The entire left side of his body was engaged as the right side delivered the blow.
In every technique there will be a dominant and non-dominant side. There will be muscles contracting and relaxing to complete the movement. The goal in every movement is for these opposing groups to work together to allow maximum function.
Punching: In delivering a straight punch or oi-tzuki there are several main points to keep in mind. For simplicity sake I will describe the right side oi-tzuki. As the right leg is propelled forward by the straightening of the left, the body should remain erect. As the lunch leaves the hip it should stay close to the body and only snap into fully rotated, final position as the front foot makes contact with the floor. The left side of the body must remain forward as the left hand is pulled into hikitte position. When the movement is finished, the right fist will be centered in front of the chest with the shoulders and hips square to the target.
There are many muscle groups involved in this motion. The abdominal muscles first and most importantly must keep the body upright and fully connected with the hips. The legs propel the body forward: the rear thigh and calf contract, the toes gripping the floor as the ham-string relaxes. The right arm is propelled up and forward by contracting the shoulder, tricep and pectoral muscle together. This requires relaxing the muscle of the bicep and latisimus. At the same time the opposite muscles are working on the left side to pull the left are back to the hip. The most important part of throwing the oi-tzuki and generating power is that the opposite (left) hip must remain even with the right so that the entire body weight can be propelled toward as a unit. All of the body weight is behind the blow and at the moment of impact the joints of the wrist, elbow, shoulder, hips, knee and ankle are all connected for a split second as the energy is transferred through the first two knuckles of the fist into the target. Force = Mass * Acceleration. The mass is provided by the body, the acceleration by the legs. In order for the full weight of the body to be utilized, the left side must be even with the right.
Striking with other weapons may be somewhat different but the same principals apply. Oi-tzuki is a specialized technique in Shotokan karate and we practice it continuously. There are many other weapons available to us. As an example of a different method of achieving a similar result let us look at chudan ude-uke. With the idea in mind that all blocks are also strikes and all strikes are also blocks, the fore-arm block is an excellent example of F=M*A through a round as opposed to linear movement.
The leg movements will be similar for block or punching but it is the upper body which follows a very different path. Again I will use the right side as an example. The beginning position of the arm for ude-uke has the elbow level with the shoulder, the elbow bent and fist close to the ear. The body begins square to the front/target area. As the left arm pulls back in the usual hikitte movement, the right arm is pulled around and down by the pectoral and latisimus muscles. This in turn requires that the back muscles relax to allow the arm to move quickly around into position in front of the body with the fist level with the shoulder and the elbow pointed toward the floor. The true power is generated not by the movement of the arm but by the rotation of the body. The left hip rotates sharply back while the right hip moves forward leaving the body turned 90 degrees from the target. The rotation of the entire trunk along with the movement of the arm puts the entire body’s weight behind the block. The center line of the body is the center of the rotation as well. As both sides of the body spin the total energy is transferred to the target through the contact point of the arm.
Based on these principals of contraction and relaxation coupled with rotation, the power of the human body is magnified dramatically. It is through use of the entire body as a complete system that this is possible. All blocks, strikes, kicks and punches are thrown not with the limb delivering the blow alone. The opposite side of the body has as much to do with a powerful technique.

12-08-07 Active and Supportive Karate

2008-01-05T14:45:00.000-05:00

Instructor’s Certification Course
Dec. 8, 2007
Active and Supportive Karate

Wendy Mach

In Shotokan karate we strive to incorporate our entire body into every technique. We never punch with just the arm and we never kick with just the leg. Performing a technique in this manner might be some form of self-defense, but it definitely would not be Shotokan. To learn how to use our bodies effectively, we need to understand how our muscles work and how our joints move in order to perform the most efficient and powerful techniques for our own individual bodies. We also need to understand the biomechanics of how different areas of the body move in relation to each other and how various areas of the body can support the movement of another area. The goal is to use our bodies naturally according to the laws of anatomy and physiology without wasting any energy.

The part of the body that is actually performing the technique, is the “active” side of the body. This is what your mind is focusing on and where your intension is. “I intend to punch now.” For the purposes of this paper, the corresponding part of the body is the “supportive” side. These definitions for “active” and “supportive” will be used throughout this paper.

In order to perform a Shotokan technique correctly, the entire body must become involved in the technique. These movements are not random and they are not haphazard. Each part of the body functions in coordination using an appropriate amount of contraction, expansion, and muscular tension with the active weapon. The muscles and joints must be relaxed to generate the maximum speed and power for the technique. This is what Shotokan practitioners refer to as “Minimum effort to generate maximum effect.” Using the least amount of muscular tension necessary during the execution of a technique produces a very efficient technique that can generate the maximum amount of impact power that your body can produce. Using more muscular tension than is necessary for a technique will result in less speed and power.

Each part of the body should move so that it adds speed, body mass, power, stability, or balance to the resulting technique. All supporting parts of the body must move in precise coordination and harmony with the active part of the body that is performing the technique. This incorporates coordinating the legs, hip joints, abdominal and glute muscles, torso, shoulder joints, and arms for every technique.

The obvious example to start with is choku-zuki. One of the first things that students learn is the importance of hikite. (This was one of the examples in my Anatomy/Physiology paper.) The faster and more forcefully we retract the hikite elbow backward, directly corresponds with the speed and power of our choku-zuki punch. The choku-zuki arm is the active side of the technique, and the hikite arm is the supportive side. The hikite arm is not directly involved in the technique; however, it does support the technique by dynamically assisting it adding more speed and thus more power to the technique.

Gyaku-zuki is an explosive, attacking technique that is designed to generate devastating, destructive power. (This example was used in my Yondan candidate paper on makiwara training.) All parts of the body must be precisely coordinated so that they all reach their ending position at the same moment of impact with the target. This results in more body mass being directed through the target. The gyaku-zuki arm is the active side of the technique, and the rest of the body supports the execution of the technique.

Starting from the bottom up, the feet should be pointed forward so that the ankle joints will direct power forward into the target. The rear leg starts from a compressed position, and then explosively expands forward pushing from the rear heel into the target. This supports the active weapon by providing a solid connection from the fist to the floor thus producing “shock” in the technique instead of just a push. This movement is coordinated with the full rotation of the hip and torso from maximum hanmi to maximum front facing position, and with the extension of the fist from hikite directly into the target. The rotation of the hip and torso adds support for the technique by directing more body mass into the target. As with the above example the supportive arm that is moving into hikite position should have the same emphasis as the active arm that is punching. The muscles of the body should be relaxed throughout the execution of the technique in order to generate maximum speed and power.

The next example is a technique that is similar to the first movement in Suishu. This is a defensive technique that will neutralize an attack without causing permanent injury. First an attacker who is standing in front of you grabs your lapel with his right hand. At this point he is in control, but not for long. Your first movement is to raise your right arm up in front of you. Your right arm is your active weapon. This movement serves as a diversionary tactic. A diversion is a technique that has a specific purpose; it is not just waving your arm in front of your body. Diversions can be used to create an opening in the attacker’s defense, to redirect the attacker’s mind away from his attack, or to unbalance an attacker.

In this case your arm comes up in a fluid motion, hitting the attacker’s jaw and bending his head backward. This serves to redirect the attacker’s mind away from you and toward the pain in his jaw, and it moves his head so that he can no longer see you. At the same time the rest of your body supports this movement by lowering the tanden and engaging the abdominal muscles while keeping the back straight, grabbing the attacker’s hand with your left hand, and beginning to rotate your left hip and torso away from the attacker. Lowering your tanden slightly and engaging the abdominal muscles makes your stance more stable while still keeping mobility. Grabbing the attacker’s hand gives you control of the attacker’s weapon. He cannot use it for another technique if you have control of it. Slightly rotating the left side of your body away from the attacker moves his weapon away from his tanden, making his grasp less effective. The abdominal muscles remain engaged throughout the entire technique.

At this point the functions of your arms dynamically change, and your left hand that is holding the attacker’s hand becomes the active weapon. Your left hand is going to peel the attacker’s hand off of your lapel while remaining close to your body. Your right arm supports this action by sliding down the attacker’s right arm and digging into his elbow joint with a downward force causing the attacker’s upper body to snap forward thus taking him off balance. Simultaneously your lower body drops down farther and your left hip and torso rotate farther away from the attacker.

Your left hand remains active by keeping control of the attacker’s right hand and remaining connected to your tanden by muscular contraction. Your right arm continues to support pulling the attacker off balance by continuing to press downward and inward toward your tanden. Simultaneously your left hip and torso continue to rotate away from the attacker while the left foot slides backward into kokutsu-dachi. At this point the attacker will have fallen onto the floor.

Your left hand keeps active control of the attacker’s right hand while your right foot slides back and you stand up straight. Your left hand locks the attacker’s wrist joint while your right hand supports the joint lock by either keeping the attacker’s right elbow joint locked straight, or by holding on to the pinky side of the attacker’s right hand and assisting in the joint lock directly. Your hands should be kept close to your body, and in the later case the attacker’s right elbow should be tucked between your knees and locked straight.

This entire technique should be performed with a “feeling” like that of flowing water. If there is a rock in a stream, water does not jump from one side to the other instantaneously. It flows smoothly around the rock, keeping constant pressure on the surface of the rock at all times. This is how this technique should be performed. All movements are fluid, and once you make contact with the attacker, you keep in constant contact with him throughout the rest of the technique, keeping constant pressure on him.

Even though gyaku-zuki and the first movement of Suishu are very different in strategy and execution, the principles of body movement are the same for each. The Suishu movement adds another element into the confrontation equation. You must know how an attacker’s body will react to different techniques so that you can exploit the intrinsic weaknesses in his posture and be able to predict how his body will react when you make contact with him. This way you can blend smoothly with his movement neutralizing his attack, then gain control to manipulate his body to a weaker position for him and a more advantageous position for you.

This is one reason why Shotokan is an art form for thinking people. By understanding the body mechanics of anatomy and physiology, and learning how these principles relate specifically to our own bodies, we can improve the quality of our movement in each of our techniques making them more efficient and more effective.

10-27-07 Student Evaluation

2008-01-01T19:30:00.000-05:00

Instructor Certification Course
Oct. 27, 2007
Student Evaluation

Wendy Mach

The assignment for this month is to pick a student and observe him while training in order to choose a technique that could be improved. Write an evaluation of the student’s technique as performed during class. Then for the next three weeks work with the student to improve the technique. Perform a final evaluation of the student’s technique, and describe what you did as an instructor to achieve the improvement.

Student: Nathan Kimball

Technique: Counter attack after blocking

Initial Evaluation: I observed on Oct. 26th that when participating in Ippon Kumite, Nathan would usually counter each attack with a striking technique. This technique would not be considered to be a finishing technique (A technique that has man stopping power).

I intend to work with Nathan instructing him to perform counter attacks such as punches that would be more of a finishing technique. Also I intend to assist him with adding more hip rotation to techniques thus adding more total body mass commitment to each technique.

I started working with Nathan on Nov. 5th explaining the objectives for improving his counter techniques. I had him perform various drills and explained the purpose for each one. The drills have been written down and given to Nathan to perform each day as time permits.

Evaluation after first training: Nathan clearly understands the objectives for this assignment, and the reasoning behind these objectives. He is a dedicated student very willing to fully participate in order to improve his karate performance. I noticed that while performing the drills, the range of motion of his front-facing hip rotation is fairly limited. We will continue to revise drills in order to improve flexibility and range-of-motion in this area.

I worked with Nathan on Nov. 9th reviewing the first week’s drills and demonstrating the explaining the second week’s drills. Nathan has been practicing as often as his schedule permits, and was eager for new drills to practice.

I worked with Nathan on Nov. 16th observing him perform various techniques that incorporated hip rotation. In just these last two weeks he has shown good improvement; though, maximum hip rotation is not incorporated consistently into every technique yet. This will improve with time and practice. In Nathan’s left zenkutsu-dachi, his right hip is a bit stiffer than his other side and does not flow as smoothly. This will also improve with practice. I demonstrated new drills for week three and had Nathan perform them so that he understood how to perform each one properly and understood the training objective for each drill. I still have to write them down, and will give them to Nathan at the next class. Nathan continues to be enthusiastic and actually asked me for the new drills before I had a chance to mention them to him. If only all students could be this motivated to improve!

I worked with Nathan on Nov. 26th for a final evaluation. I had him perform Ippon Kumite with a partner and was impressed with the amount of improvement in his counter attacks. When stepping back into left zenkutsu-dachi, the hip rotation was good. Nathan had more hip rotation in hanmi on this side than I have ever seen from him before. There was good range-of-motion moving from hanmi to front facing; though, the hip was not consistently active in every technique. Sometimes the hip movement was still passive, but it has improved since the last evaluation. Nathan’s hip movement was still a little stiff on this side. It could flow more smoothly from one technique to the next. His stances were solid, and the expansion of the rear leg during gyaku-zuki was good.

I noticed that when Nathan attacked with his left oi-zuki, he was still leading with his upper body a little bit, though not as much as previously. This was not part of this assignment, but I still mentioned it to Nathan. When stepping back into right zenkutsu-dachi, the hip rotation during blocking and countering was consistent, but there was less range-of-motion than with the other side. This had also improved since the last evaluation. Nathan’s hip movement was also smoother on this side moving from one technique to the next. Again his stances were solid, and he was driving forward from his rear leg during gyaku-zuki.

Overall there was noticeable improvement in blocking and countering techniques. Stances were solid with an active hip facilitating the delivery of techniques and adding more body mass into the target. Nathan’s counter attacks were no longer being performed by his upper body only. Now the entire trunk was actively involved in most techniques.

Instructor Certification Course
Oct. 27, 2007
Student Evaluation – Drills Week 1

Wendy Mach

Following is a set of drills to be performed daily. The objectives of these drills are to develop techniques that will flow from the floor up through the body, out through the appropriate weapon, and into the target. These drills will also improve the flexibility of the hips and develop dynamic hip rotation when performing techniques. Always warm up the hips, legs, and ankles before performing these drills.

Drill 1 – From a fighting stance, compress the rear leg and push forward from the back heel (straighten the rear leg) propelling the body forward. Immediately step up into fighting stance. This should be a step and not a slide or drag. Make sure that you are pushing forward and not lifting the body. The hips should remain level with the floor throughout the drill. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Move the body forward from the legs and not the upper body.

Drill 2 – Perform Drill 1 adding hip rotation. Compress the rear leg and turn the hips into full hanmi position. As you push forward from the rear leg, snap the hips forward into full front-facing position. Make sure that the hips stay level with the floor throughout the drill. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Make karate techniques bottom heavy. Use leg compression and hip rotation to move the body and initiate techniques. Practice compression and expansion of the lower body.

Drill 3 – A stationary drill performed in zenkutsu-dachi. Perform age-uke with full hanmi, snapping the hip into position. Perform gyaku-zuki snapping the hip into full front-facing position. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Full rotation of the hips dynamically snapping them into position during each technique. The hips should initiate the upper body technique and not follow it.

Drill 4 – From natural stance, drop your weight, step back with the right foot while keeping the hips in front-facing position, then as the right heel is being placed onto the floor, snap the hips into full hanmi position. Return to natural stance. Begin this drill slowly until the sequencing becomes familiar, then begin to speed up. Slowly increase speed until the drill can be performed as one continuous movement. Perform the drill at least 20 times at full speed on each side. Objective – Practice stepping backward and dynamically rotating the hips as the rear foot finishes the stance.

Drill 5 – Perform Drill 4 keeping the arms in front of the body in an on-guard position. As the hips snap into hanmi, the opposite arm should automatically perform ude-uke. If the arm does not fully block to the opposite side of the body, the hips need to be rotated farther to the rear. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Notice how the upper body reacts to the movements of the lower body. Use this information to coordinate relaxed upper body movement with lower body movement.

Drill 6 – Perform Drill 5 adding forward hip rotation and arm techniques. Once it has become natural to step back and snap the hips into hanmi position, add ude-uke to complete the technique. Make sure to bring the opposite fist back to a fully cocked hiki-te position. Next perform gyaku-zuki by pushing the rear heel into the floor, straightening the rear leg, and snapping the hips into full front-facing position. Return to natural stance. When performing gyaku-zuki the feeling should be that the lower body is performing the technique and not just the arm. The power of the punch comes from the rear leg pushing into the floor up through the leg and torso, out of the shoulder, arm, and fist and into the target. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Develop dynamic hip rotation in each technique. Develop techniques that are initiated by the lower body. Incorporate maximum body mass into each technique.

Instructor Certification Course
Oct. 27, 2007
Student Evaluation – Drills Week 2

Wendy Mach

Following is a set of drills to be performed daily. The objectives of these drills are to develop techniques that will flow from the floor up through the body, out through the appropriate weapon, and into the target. These drills will also improve the flexibility of the hips and develop dynamic hip rotation when performing techniques. Always warm up the hips, legs, and ankles before performing these drills.

Drill 1 – This drill adds gyaku-zuki to drills 1 & 2 from week 1. From a fighting stance, compress the rear leg and turn the hips into full hanmi position. As you push forward from the rear leg, perform gyaku-zuki snapping the hips forward into full front-facing position. Make sure to keep the same feeling of the legs propelling the body forward and not the upper body. Make sure that the hips remain level with the floor throughout the drill. Perform the drill at least 20 times on each side. Objective – Practice compression and expansion of the body while performing karate techniques. Coordinate the upper and lower body movements, so that everything stops at the imaginary moment of impact with the target.

Drill 2 - A stationary drill performed in zenkutsu-dachi. Perform age-uke with full hanmi, snapping the hip into position. Place your hand on your rear hip and physically push the hip farther back for 3 counts. Release your hand and perform gyaku-zuki snapping the hip into full front-facing position. Place your hand on the same hip and physically push the hip forward for 3 counts. Release your hand and repeat the drill. Perform the drill 10 times on each side. Objective – Improve flexibility and add range of motion of the hip region.

Drill 3 – Perform drill 3 from week 1. Then perform the drill using ude-uke and gyaku-zuki, then gedan-barai and gyaku-zuki. Objective – Burn in fully rotating the hips while performing karate techniques.

Drill 4 – Perform drill 6 from week 1. Then perform the drill using age-uke and gyaku-zuki, then gedan-barai and gyaku-zuki. Objective – Burn in fully rotating the hips while moving and performing karate techniques.

Drill 5 – From natural stance, drop your weight, step back with the right foot (keeping the leg slightly compressed) while keeping the hips in front-facing position, then as the right heel is being placed on the floor, snap the hips into full hanmi position, and instantaneously push off with the heel propelling the body forward. Take a full step forward. The heel of the foot should barely touch the floor, and immediately push off again. Return to natural stance. Perform the drill at least 20 times at full speed on each side. Objective – Practice using the compression from one technique to immediately initiate the next technique.

Instructor Certification Course
Oct. 27, 2007
Student Evaluation – Drills Week 3

Wendy Mach

Following is a set of drills to be performed daily. The objectives of these drills are to develop techniques that will flow from the floor up through the body, out through the appropriate weapon, and into the target. These drills will also improve the flexibility of the hips and develop dynamic hip rotation when performing techniques. Always warm up the hips, legs, and ankles before performing these drills.

Drill 1 – Perform drill 3 from week 2. Objective – Burn maximum hip rotation during techniques into muscle memory.

Drill 2 – Practice Ippon Kumite with a partner as often as possible. Perform jodan-zuki and chudan-zuki. Objective – Practice the timing of your techniques with an opponent’s movement. Practice keeping the appropriate distance from an opponent.

Additional drills if time permits:

Drill 1 – Perform drill 5 from week 2. Objective – Practice using the end of one technique to initiate the next technique, so that they flow together. Burn in the instantaneous reaction.

Drill 2 – Perform drill 1 adding mae-geri. Continue the hip action from stepping forward to lift the knee and fire off mae-geri. Objective – develop dynamic, active hip action and reaction to make techniques flow together.

Drill 3 – Perform drill 1 adding mawashi-geri. Continue the hip action from the stepping forward to lift the leg to the side and twist the body around before firing off the kick. Objective – Develop dynamic, active hip action and reaction to make techniques flow together.

Drill 4 – Put it all together! Step back age-uke, step forward mawashi-geri, uraken, gyaku-zuki. Perform each technique with dynamic hip rotation letting one technique flow into the next. Objective – Demonstrate the identifying traits of Shotokan karate.

Instructor Certification Course
Oct. 27, 2007
Student Evaluation – Final Report

Wendy Mach

The initial goal of this assignment was to assist a student in improving a technique, but I wanted to go further than just improving one technique. I wanted to dig deeper and modify a specific component of a technique that was general to all techniques and would ultimately improve the student’s overall karate performance. Since I had chosen a more advanced student (above Nidan) who was motivated to work toward improving his karate proficiency, my individual goals were realistic. If I was working with a lower level beginning student, the drills and goals that I devised would not have been appropriate, and would have been more frustrating and less beneficial to the student.

Once the specific student was chosen, the first thing that I had to do was evaluate where the student was in his personal karate development. Then I could begin to develop drills specifically for this student to develop the appropriate muscles groups, the coordination between muscle groups, the appropriate mental focus, the appropriate timing when working with a partner, etc., so that the student had specific drills and activities that would lead him toward reaching his ultimate goal. These drills and activities had to have measurable or visible results so that an examiner who had observed that student before this assignment started, could then observe the student again after the assignment had finished and would notice a difference. The examiner should be able to identify the specific goals attained.

The disadvantage of working with a student who has been training for years, is that each of his techniques has already been burned into his muscle memory. He doesn’t have to think about how to perform gyaku-zuki, his body just does it. So since I was working with Nathan Kimball who had been training for a while, we needed to concentrate a little more on retraining his body to perform counter attacks, and specifically gyaku-zuki, so that it became a decisive, finishing technique that incorporated his entire body, mind, and spirit.

To ask a student to make this degree of change in a technique in only three weeks would be unrealistic. Ideally I would like to have had at least three months for this assignment. This would have been a more realistic time period to be able to develop the appropriate muscle groups, to coordinate the various areas of the body that perform the technique, and especially to burn the technique into muscle memory. Many of us can mentally understand the basic concepts underling Shotokan karate, but being able to make your individual body “perform” the way that you mentally visualize a technique can be very difficult. And that is why we spend years training day after day trying to make our bodies do what our mind tells them to do.

When I first talked with Nathan I had him perform Ippon Kumite repeatedly with another student. Then I explained that I wanted to work with him to develop more dynamic hip rotation, and more explosive rear leg expansion in his gyaku-zuki counter-attack. Dynamic snap in all core movements is one of the identifying traits of Shotokan karate, and for gyaku-zuki this would involve hip rotation. Mentally understanding this principle is easy, physically developing the muscle control and flexibility to perform maximum hip rotation while performing gyaku-zuki can take years. Full contraction and expansion of the muscles of the body is another identifying trait of Shotokan karate. For gyaku-zuki this includes contracting the muscles of the rear leg, and explosively expanding these muscles while performing the technique. For a technique to have maximum power, it must be performed from the ground up.

By making these changes to his technique, Nathan would be adding more “shock” into his technique from the rear foot pushing into the floor, and adding more total body mass into his technique by actively rotating his trunk into the target. Once these goals are achieved, Nathan will have a counter attack that has the explosive power of his entire body mass. This will be a decisive, finishing technique. It is this explosive power that makes Shotokan karate so special and different from other martial arts.

I developed a three week training program for Nathan that consisted of a number of drills to be performed daily (or as time permitted) for a week, then a new set of drills would be performed the next week. For each drill I physically demonstrated the drill to Nathan so that he could visually see the goal that I was aiming for. Then I explained the objective of the drill so that he mentally knew exactly what he was trying to make his body do. I then had Nathan perform the drill numerous times so that I could see that he understood the drill, and made comments and suggestions for improvements. Then it was up to Nathan to “work the drill”.

The drills were designed to isolate and train specific areas of the body to develop the muscles to perform a specific function or skill. Then succeeding drills would add other areas of the body that would perform other functions simultaneously, so that Nathan could work on coordinating these separate areas together. This provided Nathan with a step ladder to climb in order to reach his goal. Each step was clearly defined and easily obtainable with a little diligent practice.

During the three week training period, I observed his Ippon Kumite performance various times and evaluated the visual degree of improvement in his technique. I talked to Nathan about what I noticed that he was doing better, and what still needed to be improved or made more consistent. Then I would design the next week’s drills to address the areas that needed more work.

By the end of the three weeks of diligent practice, Nathan has made considerable improvement in his gyaku-zuki counter attack. Were the performance goals of this assignment fully met? No, not completely. Given only a few weeks to work with, Nathan has improved, but these improvements are not consistent yet. Not every technique has maximum hip rotation, and the degree of rotation into front facing zenkutsu-dachi could still be developed more. The most important achievement is that Nathan has made a positive start toward improving all of his karate techniques. Many of his techniques are still performed by muscle memory, so Nathan will have to retrain each one to include more dynamic hip movement and more explosive rear leg expansion where appropriate. This is simply a matter of time, practice, and mental attention to detail. I have no doubt that Nathan will be able to improve all of his karate techniques in the near future.

Instructor Certification Course
Dec. 7, 2007Student Evaluation Summary for Sensei Wendy Mach
Nathan Kimball

Sensei requested an evaluation of the last few weeks during which I was given numerous drills to improve my movement and dynamics through my hips and legs. One month was given to come up with a specific movement I needed to improve on, within the month multiple drill were given to me to complete along with personal instruction from Sensei Mach. I found these all the drills very helpful but overwhelming to realistically practice in the time I could commit, I concentrated more on the initial drills from week one. With this I incorporated additional drills as I could, working with Sensei Mach on a weekly basis. Sensei Mach is knowledgeable and is very dedicated to karate and our Dojo; this evaluation put in focus what will make me a better practitioner and instructor. The goals for this assignment were clear; I need to move through my core then with my upper body. I feel I have improved within the last few weeks and my understanding of compression and contraction with moving through the trunk has greatly increased. Leaning forward into my movement will be difficult to break but working through this assignment and adding it to my personal training will help me overcome my obstacles.

I think this was a good assignment but more training time together would get more accomplished, the drills really need to be burned into my body and doing these over and over will cause this to happen. Thank you very much for all your help and I look forward to a bright future.

Instructor Training Assignment #2: Eli Tuttle Technique Evaluation

2007-12-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

Instructor Certification Course
Nov. 8, 2007
Student Evaluation

Nathan Kimball

Student: Eli Tuttle

Age: 25

Rank: Ni-Kyu

Technique: Moving through zenkutsu dachi into Oi-Zuki The assignment for this month is to pick a student and observe him while training in order to choose a technique that could be improved. Evaluate the student's technique while performed during class. Then for the next few weeks work with the student to improve the technique, perform a final evaluation of the student's technique, and note how the student has improved.

Formative Evaluation: I observed that when participating in kihon, Eli leaned forward and did not lock his hips when completing oi-zuki. I will work with Eli to help him improve his body movement through expansion and contraction of his legs and trunk when moving through the technique. I will work with Eli explaining the objectives for improving step punching. He will perform various drills and I will explain the purpose for each one. The drills have been given to Eli to perform as he can outside the dojo.

Evaluation after initial observation: Eli understands how to move through his hip but does not do it consistently; he also does not lock his hips when he completes oi-zuki. I also noticed he does not roll his thighs and hip in to move forward. Understanding this concept will greatly improve his oi-zuki. Eli wants to learn and become a proficient karateka, with the following drills I hope to help him improve his basic movement.

Drills Assigned:

Below are drills to improve Eli’s movement through oi-zuki, as this is not necessarily a basic movement the understanding of how to move first with the rolling of the thighs inward and the hip to follow, finishing with the opposite hip pushing toward the punching side proves to be challenging for many people including myself. With these drills and the explanation of them through performing and assisting I intend to increase Eli’s understanding as well as my own of how to properly complete oi-zuki. The objectives of these drills are to develop techniques that will flow from the floor up through the body, compression of the thighs and rotation through the hip and out the fist with the opposite hip pushing toward the punching side for maximum power and balance. These drills will also improve the flexibility of the hips and develop proper hip rotation when performing techniques.

Drill 1: From left leg forward zenkutsu dachi, drop into your stance, move right leg back, place your hands on your hips and move forward into right leg forward zenkutsu dachi with the emphasis on pushing through your hips to move. Use your hands to feel and push your hips into the next stance. Concentrate on moving your hips first and the head and upper body should follow with your hips. When moving through oi-zuki, remember to snap the rear leg hip into full front at the end of the technique. With the forward movement remember body contraction and expansion through your lower body, this would be to move and use your hips and legs as efficiently as possible with additional power. Complete 50 oi-zuki a day with the above in mind.

Drill 2: From yoi, drop into the height of your stance, move your right leg back into left forward zenkutsu dachi as soon as you heel touches the ground step forward while keeping the height of your stance, into right forward zenkutsu dachi. Complete this drill 20 times on each side as this will help with explosive movement forward as long as drill 1 is used.

Drill 3: For a hip and ankle stretch exercise, stand straight up and lower your body as if to start leg movement. Twist your hip as far as you can to the left and then to the right. Remember to contract your trunk and bend your legs without leaning over, pull your hip and stretch your ankles to gain maximum proficiency through your hips and legs.

Summative Evaluation: During these past couple week’s Eli has increased his flexibility throughout his body and is moving through his thighs, back and trunk on a more consistent basis. To make this mindset permanent we need to understand how power and power generating movement travels through our bodies to a final action, add this mentality to our basic motion and it will become natural, with this I believe our karate will improve dramatically.

2007-12-06T08:43:00.000-05:00

Paper #11:
Working with Steve Fraleigh on kime

Student: Steve Fraleigh
Age: 39
Rank: 8th kyu
Began training: January 2007

I have had the opportunity to train with Steve over the last 11 months, from his fresh start in Martial Arts to the present. Steve trains on a pretty regular basis, which is why I chose him as my focus for this paper, and is what I consider a typical student for his level, meaning he struggles with the common movements within shotokan karate which are not common in everyday life.

Observations: In order to pick an area to concentrate on I had Steve perform Heian Shodan so that I could watch various aspects of his karate. One of the most prominent things I saw was that there was no clear ending point to each of his techniques, in this case to his blocks and punches. Instead of a clear snap or explosion to his techniques there was a gradual finish that included extra small movements, somewhat like a jiggle. For the most part, his techniques as a whole are done appropriately for someone of his rank; however, the lack of a clear conclusion to the techniques makes them look somewhat sloppy and not as strong as they should be. Additionally, I noticed that he was not stable in his stance at the end of a step or a turn. Much like his punching and blocking, his movements did not end cleanly with him a stable, rooted stance. Instead he struggled to maintain his balance, especially on turns. In addition, I noticed that Steve tends to get winded easily during normal training (and even after doing just this one kata). Steve is very tense throughout each whole movement, whether it is a punch, block, strike or step. What I was seeing was that Steve lacked basic kime, and the relaxation that precedes and follows it. I have chosen to focus on improving Steve’s understanding and application of kime for this assignment.

Recommendations: I feel that Steve would benefit from increased focus in his techniques, especially at the ending point. He also needs to learn to relax through the movement and just “tense in the moment” at the end. By working on improving his kime on simple movements first (punch and block) in his torso and upper body Steve should be able to apply these techniques to other, more advanced movements. After Steve has started to make progress in these simple, stationary (meaning he is not trying to work the technique while stepping or turning) movements, he can work to incorporate the same concepts to his lower body during transitions. At this point Steve’s stances will need to be lowered with his tanden tucked to improve stability and to keep his hips under his shoulders during transitions. As part of all these lessons I will have Steve focus on relaxation, 1) to help keep him from getting winded easily, and 2) to more clearly define when the proper moment is to tense during a technique.

Practice: During the course of the month I had Steve practice several different drills. I focused on drills which I felt he could do on his own and be able measure his own improvement. I had Steve work on the following things:

Week 1 – Starting off the assignment we discussed the areas I wanted to work on with Steve, namely kime. I covered with him what kime is, though both explanation and demonstration, and why I felt this was an area he needed improvement, and where he could/should expect to see changes in his karate. It seemed that Steve understood at an analytical level what kime was but really did not know the process to go through to achieve it. Therefore, the first week I had Steve focus on just two drills, with movements in their simplest forms, with the plan to build upon these drills.

Rolling up the tanden – This is a drill where, while standing in shizen-tai and in a relaxed state, you tuck the tail bone causing the pelvis to roll forward and up, and the muscles of the abdomen to contract. This is done in a quick, explosive movement, and then just as quickly you relax again, letting the tanden return to its natural position. The purpose of this drill is to learn how to tense from the core.
Punching in shizen-tai, 50 – 75% power and speed – The purpose of this drill is to focus on relaxing during the extension of the arm and tensing at the point of impact. By punching at a reduced effort level the student can concentrate on more of the basic details of the technique, allowing them to “burn in” the proper path, relaxation and tension points. For this week Steve was to first start by locking down the shoulder by tightening the muscles under his armpit (top of the lat). At a later point, after making progress on this particular drill, I would have Steve slowly start to incorporate the tanden and lower abs, and then the legs into a similar drill.

Week 2 – We reviewed his progress on the drills of the previous week. Steve had made modest improvements rolling up his tanden to the point where I felt we could add another element to the drill. However, his punching was still lacking any type of locking or tensing, even though I could see him working on relaxation. His relaxation and tension were not coming at the correct moments, so we discussed again the feeling he should have during the punch. I had Steve to focus on two drills again for the next week, one which built on the tensing and relaxing of the tanden, and continuing with the punching drill.

Thrusting the arms straight down (arms are straight, the very short movement comes from the shoulders) at the side while simultaneously rolling up the tanden and tensing the lower abdomen. This drill is building on the first week’s work of “rolling up the tanden” by incorporating the downward movement, or locking in, of the shoulders when the tanden is tensed. The purpose of this drill is to have the student understand how to begin to incorporate more aspects, or parts, of their physiology into the tensing process. Keeping the arms close to the core of the body simplifies the action, whereas trying the same drill with the arm above the head in a age uke position it much harder for a beginner to accomplish.
Punching in shizen-tai, 50 – 75% power (continuation from last week) – In addition to the purpose of this drill covered for the previous week, I had Steve really concentrate on the proper times to be relaxed and when to tense. I covered with him why and when we twist our arms in our techniques and how he could use that information as a guide. For a punch, the twist comes at the end of the path, and up to that point the arm should be relaxed. I felt that at a novice level, beginning tensing at the twist would be an acceptable start to better kime. We also covered that when the arm is fully extended, with the shoulder locked down, he should then relax.

Week 3 – Steve showed signs that he was still struggling with the drill of thrusting his arms down. We discussed the drill and technique more, and the feeling he should start to get as he made improvements. Steve did make better progress on his punching, especially on relaxing more during the start of the punch. However, at the end of the punch, while attempting to relax, he was allowing his arm to become loose to the point it was wobbly. I decided it was time to add another aspect to the punching drill to help Steve stabilize his punch at its ending point.

Thrusting the arms straight down at the side while simultaneously rolling up the tanden and tensing the lower abdomen. This is a continuation of the 2nd week’s work. I had Steve concentrate more on smaller movements from the shoulder and stronger movements in the tanden. I explained that as he improved he should start to feel his legs start to participate in the tensing part of the drill.
Focused punching toward a light switch, about 75% power/speed – after having made some improvement in the gross movements and starting to incorporate tensing at the end of the technique I wanted Steve to be able to judge for himself if he is improving the “end point” of his techniques. By punching at a light switch, which is generally at a good height for most people in a natural stance, one can see where the technique is ending and if there is any unnecessary/unexpected movements. It also helps ensure the punch is ending in the same spot each time or not.
Gedan berai to the inside of a door frame (without hitting it, but stopping within an inch each time), about 75% power/speed. Basically the same idea as the focused punching at a light switch. I wanted to see if Steve could make the same changes to one of his blocks that he had made to his punch. We went over the basic mechanics of the block and how it was similar to a punch in that it had a clear starting point, a standard path, a twist and a strong finish, and when he should be relaxed and when he should tense.

Week 4 – Before I reviewed any of the drills with Steve I asked him to perform Heian Shodan again, I was looking for changes from the first week. I was not surprised to see that he was still struggling with his stability; we had not worked on stances and movement yet. I did see improvement in relaxation on both his punches and blocks, but improvement on the end point of his punches only (his downward blocks were too circular in their path, swinging wide of his body, most likely due to way he was turning). I then had Steve demonstrate the drills he had been working on. In those, being in a natural stance, I saw the improvement I expected, especially with the downward block. Without a point to focus on Steve’s punches still had movement at the end; however, when I gave him a target, the punches ended much more cleanly. I explained that he needs to be able to visualize a target if a real one is not present and still be able to execute a focused technique.

Punching and blocking (gedan berai) at a target – continuation from the previous week. This time in addition to doing practicing in a natural stance Steve is to practice part of the time in front stance, so that he begins to get the same sensations while in a fighting stance. This will also be the beginning of adding a step to the drill.
Hikite – It was more noticeable as Steve went through his kata than during his demonstration of the drills that his hikite was suffering a lot of the same problems as his punching and blocking. I reiterated to Steve the purpose of hikite, and demonstrated how it should be performed. Steve’s hikite was overly loose, especially when at his side, having lots of extra movement. We discussed that when the hikite is pulled back to its final position that it should be firmly located at the side just at the top of the pelvic bone (by the oblique). As part of the other drill I asked Steve to also focus on his hikite, and explained that in order to truly achieve kime, all parts, including hikite, needed to be incorporated appropriately.

Steve has really started to make some improvement in his katate techniques and relaxation on his way to gaining a better level of kime. It is still early in the process, but he is showing signs that the different drills are helping. Wanting some feedback I asked Steve how he felt about his work and progression, and the explanation and drills I was giving him. He said that he felt it was helping and that he was encouraged by it. As for my expectations, some things worked better than others, and some things took a little longer than expected, but overall I am pleased that I saw improvement each week. I am looking forward to assisting Steve further with the incorporation of stepping and turning, with continued improvement of his punching, blocking and striking, culminating with him able to perform a powerful and explosive, yet relaxed, Heian Shodan.

Craig Lawton
Triangle’s Best Karate
December 6, 2007

Individual Training: Transitional Movement with Shazeel Sharfaz

2007-12-05T15:48:00.000-05:00

Stratton Lobdell
Kenshusei Research Paper Dec. 07
Individual Training: Transitional Movement with Shazeel Sharfaz

Each student has their individual reasons for training and each student has their own strengths. In the course of our training we must learn to explain and demonstrate correct form. We must also be able to see what our student’s weaknesses are so that we can move their training in a positive direction.
Shazeel has been training in our school for about 6 months and has several years of previous experience in Tae Kwon Do. His movements in the beginning were very choppy and awkward. The low stances we favor in Shotokan were new to him and he tended to go up and down with each step, knees locking at the wrong time. This caused him to have a “gidi-up” movement as Sensei called it. His transition for stance to stance was an issue because it slowed him down and made it impossible for him to focus him energy forward through a technique. In short, he had no oi. What is oi? That is the subject of another study, but what we are doing is working toward the standard.
One of the challenges is to have a baseline; the standard by which Shotokan movement is judged. Within the setting of Triangles Best Karate we have the benefit of two high ranking and technically proficient sensei to use as our standard. If future, for us to be able to pass on our knowledge, we as Kenshusei must also be at that level or some where near it. The goal here was to move Shazeel closer to that standard by breaking down the movement, practicing each component, putting it back together, and making it seamless.
I chose Shazeel to work with because he trains regularly and diligently. He is genuine in his desire to improve. This was important in this case because the length of the assignment was short and we had only a few weeks to work together before I would have to report on the results.

The Training Process:
We worked together after the regular class for 15 or 20 minutes on 5 different occasions. Each time we assessed his progress, worked on the next focus point and then I gave him an additional thing to work on until the next class.

1. Keep leg bent- don’t stand up during movement: Shazeel had a tendency to come completely upright in the middle of each movement. As he passed though the center both legs were completely locked out and his center of gravity was constantly moving. This was making him unstable. I felt that in order to begin to address this we had to first establish our beginning and end point so we could work toward the center. Homework assignment: static stances 5 minutes in front stance each leg, each day. Low and correctly balanced.
2. Slide the foot across the floor- don’t pick up the foot with each step: Next we worked on not lifting the foot and maintaining connection with the floor. Here we were emphasizing the transition. Part of the choppiness was the result of not using the front leg to pull; Shazeel was pushing off with the back for like a runner starting a sprint. The back leg was following through the same way and leaving the floor as though he was high-stepping forward. Here is emphasized the need to stay low throughout the movement and compress the front leg without relying on the back leg to propel him forward. I introduced Fudo-dachi to force him to stop relying on the back leg. Homework assignment: static stances 5 minutes in front stance each leg, each day. Low and correctly balanced.
3. Put on socks to help slide - use fudo-dachi to avoid jerky movement at end: We continued to move in fudo-dachi to eliminate the hitch at the end of each movement. Because Shazeel was having trouble getting the motion right and could not get the muscle coordination the way I was looking for, I had him to the sliding motion with socks on. I have found over course of learning and teaching karate that often it is important to do something differently to “get the feeling” of a movement, then incorporate the feeling back into the original movement to achieve the goal. By getting Shazeel to feel the smooth transition I was trying to teach he was able to bring that back to his front stance. Homework: slide foot stepping in front stance at home on different surfaces (Thanksgiving week).
4. Body down, rear foot toes forward, heel stay down: After to holiday, Shazeel and I got back together and he had made significant progress on our original issue, transitional movement. This had led us to another issue. He was moving better, staying lower and had virtually eliminated the “hitch” but now his ankle flexibility had become a more apparent issue. As he was stepping forward, the load leg was staying compressed well and his body was staying at a constant height, but as the movement finished the back heel was coming up off the floor. We had helped improve his connection to the floor on one side but sacrificed on the other! Homework: cat stance to work ankle flexibility.
5. Review all previous items, examine progress: Over the course of these sessions in the past 4 weeks Shazeel has shown good progress on his transitional movement in front stance. We will continue to work on his transitions and apply the same ideas to back stance, and kiba-dachi.

In working with Shazeel and coming up with ways to help him improve, it has helped me think more analytically about how we can pass information to our students. In helping him to improve his transitional movement I had to first be able to identify the problem he was having. Being able to actually see the issue is a large part of helping to fix it. Once I had figured out what the problem was I had to find a way to help him correct it. As we corrected one issue, another became apparent and the process began again. This short exercise demonstrated the teaching cycle of karate that never ends. One thing leads to the next and the teaching and learning process never ends. Once we have achieved some level of competence and skill, the best way to expand your own knowledge is to pass on to others what you have learned. Through teaching and explaining to others we refine our own knowledge.
In order to explain a technique we must first be able to do it, then to analyze it, break it down into its parts and pass the knowledge in a concise way to the next person so that they may understand it as well. This beak down and analysis is not part of the daily practice that we do. It is through the process of teaching others that we begin to truly understand what we are doing.
Within the limited role of being Shazeel’s instructor on this single facet of Shotokan karate I had the opportunity to see how this common problem that all beginners face can be surmounted not only by one but by an entire group. The basic techniques I used to pass this small bit of knowledge to Shazeel can easily be utilized for an entire class. Break the technique down, demonstrate its parts, allow each student to get a glimpse of the final goal and let them get the feeling for it, put it together as a coherent whole, DRILL IT. Shu Ha Ri – the circle cannot be complete until we teach and eventually we may learn to improve our karate and the karate of others. The goal is to transcend technique and move without thinking, to complete the movements correctly millions of times so that we no longer need to analyze.

Time to Teach!

2007-12-05T13:03:00.000-05:00

For this assignment, we were first asked to choose a new karate student that trains fairly regularly, and exhibits the motivation and desire to learn. We were then tasked with identifying a specific technique that the student needed assistance with, and work with that student to implement a specific course of action to help correct and refine that technique.

Background information:

The student I chose was Dale Jones, currently 8^th Kyu. Dale is 38 years old and has been training in karate for approximately 8 months. An amateur hockey player since the age of 2, Dale is no stranger to hard training and sweat and he started his karate training in very good physical condition. During the ages of 16-23 he trained in hockey 5-10 times a week during the regular season and for the last 9 years he has consistently trained/played 2-3 times per week.

Dale in 1984

Technique deficiency:

The technique that we decided to address was Dale’s kokutsu dachi. Dale has a tendency to collapse his knees inward while in zenkutsu, kokutsu, and kiba dachi’s, all outward tension stances, and this tendency is most visible during kokutsu dachi, particularly the rear knee. I have been working with Dale prior to this assignment, helping him learn and refine his kata (Heian Nidan) for a recent kyu test and it was during this time that I first noticed his problem with outward tension stances. Being a hockey fan myself and watching hundreds of games but never playing myself, I could only make an educated guess at the reason for his habits. Hockey players have a natural tendency toward inward tension stances, especially when they are about to make or receive a hit on the ice, which happens very frequently during the course of a game.

Dale in 1975 – Notice the position of the knees

Hockey players also generate their speed from angling their knees inward and pushing off using the inside edge of the blade on their skates. It is also important to note that the ankles are taped solid to avoid sprains and breaks and there is no flex in them whatsoever. I talked with Dale about my assumptions and he confirmed that decades of playing hockey have patterned in a natural tendency for inward tension stances and karate training has been his first experience with outward tension stances of any kind. In his own words “on the ice, if my knees are out, I’m dead”. When the time comes for Dale to begin learning advanced inward tension stances like sanchin dachi and hangetsu dachi, I believe that he will adapt to them more easily than most because of his understanding of proper tension, balance and center of gravity.

Course of action:

At this point, we had identified a technique that we wanted to work on, and more importantly, we had identified the reason behind the deficiency. For some people, they may have trouble with a particular technique due to injury or some other physical limitation, but for Dale it was simply muscle memory working against him. I didn’t want him to “unlearn” the feeling of inward tension stances since he’ll continue to use them while playing hockey and he’ll certainly need the skill set as he becomes a more advanced karate-ka. He simply needed specific drills to develop the correct feel for his outward tension stances. We started with static kiba dachi, pressing the knees out, toes straight ahead, tanden tucked, back straight. I gave him a tip that helped me with kiba dachi and described it as trying to press into and grip the floor with the outside edges of the feet which helped the knees press out into the proper position. Dale would then hold this position for 1-2 minutes at a time and practiced this after class in addition to his supplemental kata training, as well as at home. We then moved to having Dale move from kiba dachi to kiba dachi, focusing on keeping the knees out until very little adjustment, if any, was needed in between movements. Most recently, Dale has begun to drill shifting into kokutsu dachi from kiba dachi by rotating one foot outward, perpendicular to the other foot and shifting from 50-50 weight distribution to 70-30 while focusing on not collapsing the knee of the rear leg. As before, Dale is holding this position for 1-2 minutes at a time before shifting to the other side.

In the last month or so, Dale’s kokutsu dachi has definitely improved and he has a much deeper understanding of outward tension stances.

Dale Jones – Kokutsu Dachi 12/3/07

A quick note regarding general instruction for kokutsu dachi:

The drills and exercises that Dale has been training were tailored for his specific situation and are in addition to his regular instruction. Most beginning students start karate with no tendency towards either inward or outward stances as they are both completely new concepts to them. Instead, the focus should be on developing muscle tone and flexibility in muscle groups that are seldom used by non karate-ka. Besides drilling kokutsu dachi and kiba dachi, abductor exercises such as training the lift for a roundhouse kick, band training, and ballet (plie) squats, are all extremely useful in helping to develop the muscle tone and strength necessary to perform outward tension stances correctly. For Shotokan practitioners, this process provides a good strong foundation from which the karate-ka can more begin to learn and incorporate more advanced techniques, including inward tension stances that would otherwise be almost impossible to perform correctly without the natural progression that consistent training of kihon provides.

Continued training:

We have just started to work on Dale’s movement from kokutsu dachi to kokutsu dachi, moving both forward and backward. Ankle flexibility is definitely an issue as Dale has a tendency to “roll” his rear foot as he’s moving as if he were wearing his hockey skates and so he has been drilling the transition slowly, to help build the proper muscle memory and strength and we plan on increasing the speed as fewer and fewer adjustments are made.

I have no doubt that Dale will continue to improve at a rapid pace. He loves to train and is eager to improve and learn new techniques. He remains enthusiastic about karate and his willingness to train after class and at home, coupled with an excellent attitude toward the critique of his training will make him an excellent karate-ka and a great example to his peers.

Luis Santana

Triangle’s Best Karate