Studying greater minds than my own, I know that I do not know much and, while my study into these lessons that I began with explorations in previous posts will continue, I do not feel that I know enough to keep writing about them, at least not publicly.
I will maintain these things in personal journals and share with whomever is interested, although I am certain they will bring more to the table than I will and it would be a humbling honor to learn from them, whomever they may be.
I am going to cease contributing to this blog as I am not really certain it does anything, other than give me a platform for my own ideas and ideas are meant to be worked.
Writing may be a form of working them, but it feels as though a public exercise such as this only serves to prop one up and cry out ‘over here! Notice what I have to offer!’
It IS all within, but I have nothing to offer for others that they often do not already know and I know there is a great deal which I do not know, I would rather spend my time there, it is more of a challenge to learn than it is for me to write.
Thank you for reading and if you got something out of it, great! I hope you find what you do not know from someone great and keep discovering, keep working, keep sweating and toiling away.
What I have offered here is meager and ultimately self-centric from my own experiences about which I am only beginning to understand.
I am no one and will one day be forgotten. So this is all just trivial.
Arigato.
Friday, March 22, 2019
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Lessons From The Kihon Kata #3 - Movement Pathways.
Maybe this is an ‘aside’ or a ‘backtrack’ and ‘correction,’ but still very much part of this deep dive adventure beginning with the Kihon Kata.
I have to remember that the Kihon Kata were made specifically for school children and had a lot of the ‘higher force’ techniques omitted and a lot of what was taught with them, as far as two person drills, were created towards those same ends and, often, later.
So the Education given was specifically starting with Kata, not with Application (and it is doubtful that application itself was ever incorporated, judging from the state of sport Karate).
No real skills were taught beyond punching, kicking, and blocking, all done at unrealistic ranges in unrealistic ways.
Does that mean they are useless or useful? Just because something was not explained or highlighted does not mean it is not present.
How do we fix this? First, the opponent, forget the idea of ‘opponent’ and start thinking more of an ‘assailant’ and forget about doing a specific technique against a specific attack, the ABC method is out the window because it sucks and does nothing to prepare people to face assailants when or if they should have that displeasure.
How does the assailant move? They are certainly not going to assume a position akin to Zenkutsu Dachi in a Gedan Uke ready position with their attacking hand in chamber so that you know where it is coming from and what they are going to attack with so that you can apply your cookie cutter response.
Karate does not begin with Kata, it ends with Kata. Training should not be based on training, it should be based on creating competency, skill, and strategic thinking ON THE SPOT!
Taking this into account, you are slammed into a wall violently, maybe even jerked back up with one or two hands on the scruff of your shirt or jacket. What skills do you employ?
Me? I would likely move with it and head but the guy, assuming he is taller it would hit the nose region or just under with the combined momentum of his jerking me up and my push into it. Shoot my hands up center and out to slam his arm or arms away, pop him a few times in the abdominal section then sweep his arm through while he is still disoriented so that I gain the flank and he is either hitting the wall or passing to one side giving me the position of advantage.
See that? I aggressively stepped forward to close the distance while using it to assault his face then bring both arms up to get his hands off me (Morote Kamai from Gekesai Dai San, Gekesai, Kakuha).
Gaining the flank and allowing him to pass through maybe be further bolstered if I just help him along the way by adding momentum with a weight drop while grabbing the back of his neck to pull him down either face first into said wall or follow up with an interesting arm crank or a takedown. Same type of sequence as shown in Gekesai Dai San, but same movement as the previous post? Maybe? What skills is this teaching as opposed to the previous?
We have taken into account the ways in which an assailant will move or assault you in one instance, what they do is not as important as how they do what they do or, in other words, the feel of it.
They are going to jerk you around, grab and tear at clothing and skin, they are going to be bigger (possibly, at least in my case), and they are not going to leave their arms out for you to apply anything, they are going to do everything they can to stop you from applying anything.
What skills are useful with this? Sensitivity and blending, using what the opponent gives you is not just in or on their bodies, but in the movements themselves, the jerking and thrashing, the momentum, the back and forth.
What YOU do may not be what I do and what WE do will not looking like Kata, nor should we strive for that.
What else? Striking to disrupt and disrupting to strike and closest weapon closest target, head butt with a punch combination follow-up while on the inside, what this also tells us is that the inside is dangerous because all of their weapons can still reach us, so keep moving and causing damage vying for a dominant position.
This segment also teaches us entering aggressively, closing the distance and throwing off their timing by taking their initiative away from them.
Next it teaches us to clear their arms and allow them to pass through with whatever defense they muster so that we gain the better position by flanking them, taking at least half their weapons away by means of positioning.
We then continue the motion with a weight drop and forceful pull using the hand on the neck (Koken Uke) as a delivery system for the downward and backward force of the whole body.
With this we can use the wall to hit them, in this scenario it shows us that the environment is a weapon too, but this is not specifically called out in Kata, thus, this illustrates what one limitation that is seldom addressed.
It shows us using our whole body with momentum of the assailant and the importance of mobility with stability and elevation within footwork.
(Pretty sure I can word that better)
The main points, as you can hopefully see, are not in the techniques, but what they are meant to illustrate and to work those principles rather than perfecting and getting attached to technique.
More to come. Thank you.
I have to remember that the Kihon Kata were made specifically for school children and had a lot of the ‘higher force’ techniques omitted and a lot of what was taught with them, as far as two person drills, were created towards those same ends and, often, later.
So the Education given was specifically starting with Kata, not with Application (and it is doubtful that application itself was ever incorporated, judging from the state of sport Karate).
No real skills were taught beyond punching, kicking, and blocking, all done at unrealistic ranges in unrealistic ways.
Does that mean they are useless or useful? Just because something was not explained or highlighted does not mean it is not present.
How do we fix this? First, the opponent, forget the idea of ‘opponent’ and start thinking more of an ‘assailant’ and forget about doing a specific technique against a specific attack, the ABC method is out the window because it sucks and does nothing to prepare people to face assailants when or if they should have that displeasure.
How does the assailant move? They are certainly not going to assume a position akin to Zenkutsu Dachi in a Gedan Uke ready position with their attacking hand in chamber so that you know where it is coming from and what they are going to attack with so that you can apply your cookie cutter response.
Karate does not begin with Kata, it ends with Kata. Training should not be based on training, it should be based on creating competency, skill, and strategic thinking ON THE SPOT!
Taking this into account, you are slammed into a wall violently, maybe even jerked back up with one or two hands on the scruff of your shirt or jacket. What skills do you employ?
Me? I would likely move with it and head but the guy, assuming he is taller it would hit the nose region or just under with the combined momentum of his jerking me up and my push into it. Shoot my hands up center and out to slam his arm or arms away, pop him a few times in the abdominal section then sweep his arm through while he is still disoriented so that I gain the flank and he is either hitting the wall or passing to one side giving me the position of advantage.
See that? I aggressively stepped forward to close the distance while using it to assault his face then bring both arms up to get his hands off me (Morote Kamai from Gekesai Dai San, Gekesai, Kakuha).
Gaining the flank and allowing him to pass through maybe be further bolstered if I just help him along the way by adding momentum with a weight drop while grabbing the back of his neck to pull him down either face first into said wall or follow up with an interesting arm crank or a takedown. Same type of sequence as shown in Gekesai Dai San, but same movement as the previous post? Maybe? What skills is this teaching as opposed to the previous?
We have taken into account the ways in which an assailant will move or assault you in one instance, what they do is not as important as how they do what they do or, in other words, the feel of it.
They are going to jerk you around, grab and tear at clothing and skin, they are going to be bigger (possibly, at least in my case), and they are not going to leave their arms out for you to apply anything, they are going to do everything they can to stop you from applying anything.
What skills are useful with this? Sensitivity and blending, using what the opponent gives you is not just in or on their bodies, but in the movements themselves, the jerking and thrashing, the momentum, the back and forth.
What YOU do may not be what I do and what WE do will not looking like Kata, nor should we strive for that.
What else? Striking to disrupt and disrupting to strike and closest weapon closest target, head butt with a punch combination follow-up while on the inside, what this also tells us is that the inside is dangerous because all of their weapons can still reach us, so keep moving and causing damage vying for a dominant position.
This segment also teaches us entering aggressively, closing the distance and throwing off their timing by taking their initiative away from them.
Next it teaches us to clear their arms and allow them to pass through with whatever defense they muster so that we gain the better position by flanking them, taking at least half their weapons away by means of positioning.
We then continue the motion with a weight drop and forceful pull using the hand on the neck (Koken Uke) as a delivery system for the downward and backward force of the whole body.
With this we can use the wall to hit them, in this scenario it shows us that the environment is a weapon too, but this is not specifically called out in Kata, thus, this illustrates what one limitation that is seldom addressed.
It shows us using our whole body with momentum of the assailant and the importance of mobility with stability and elevation within footwork.
(Pretty sure I can word that better)
The main points, as you can hopefully see, are not in the techniques, but what they are meant to illustrate and to work those principles rather than perfecting and getting attached to technique.
More to come. Thank you.
Friday, March 1, 2019
Lessons From The Kihon Kata #2- Sensitivity, Flowing, Locking, and Striking.
How often does the sequence ‘stepping forward into Sanchin Dachi while performing Chudan Uke’ appear throughout Goju Ryu? It does not matter the lineage, the answer is A LOT.
It is in every Kata, whether it be open handed, closed fisted, it does not matter save the context, which means it is a primary principle of the system, indeed, it seems to be a primary principle in just about every incarnation of Karate in one form or another (an interesting aside is that Jodan Uke is not particularly prevalent in Goju Ryu as a whole and is seemingly a secondary principle that utilized similar mechanics to Chudan Uke - in my view the Kihon Kata are primarily for teaching, not for application, as such this seems to be a way of telling the student to be mindful of different elevation zones).
After the initial movement (in Toguchi Goju Ryu) there is a half step at a forty five degree angle with a pivot to the right whilst performing a Jodan Uke.
In Kata performance this seems choppy and broken, but if we take that out it would show a seamless flow from one to the other with a ‘spinning top’ principle at play.
What does this say? What is the context here? In my view it is to train sensitivity to a changing situation, as is prevalent throughout Goju Ryu also as a primary principle, while also training clearing, striking, and lock/flow in response to how the opponent might react after the student has put them on the defensive.
Clearing the initial attack the student gains the flank on the opponents’ right side while moving in and taking the center.
While footwork they also assault the legs and lock; the opponent may freak out and step back, pushing or attempting a strike or guard with the other arm.
In clinch or near clinch range contact is maintained in order to feel these responses as the ‘feeling’ sense is faster than what the eyes can capture, at least at close range.
The main point is to feel the shift and respond, basic infighting; as the arm is presented the student shifts, clears it through overhead (Jodan Uke), grabs and rolls their ‘punching’ arm through into an arm at.
Yes, this all seems rather formulaic, but again, the underlying principles are the important point of focus here.
Sensitivity.
Clearing.
Flowing and Locking.
Wait. Where are is the striking? In a previous post I pointed out that the mechanics for what we often call Punching in Karate are not really conducive to good Punching. Yes, one can punch if they choose or if a punch is called for, but generally the striking occurs in transition (at least what I have found).
This is something else the Kata calls our attention to. In the ‘clearing’ sections of Chudan Uke and the transitional ‘clearing’ to Jodan Uke one can find many strikes moving towards the centerline targeting the softness that is the general area of the throat or beneath the jaw line (striking hard to soft and employing closest weapon to closest target).
There are also forearm strikes to the assailing and pushing arms (attacking the weapon) with a sweet spot halfway between the elbow and the hand on the outside of the opponents’ forearm (think Kotekite).
These things can, and should, all be trained in isolation THEN re-deployed in conjunction within free-form ‘play’ (a Rory Miller term).
More to come. Maybe going to take all the opening sequences from each of the Kihon Kata and see how context changes from Kamai to Morote Kamai and dictates either Jodan Uke Principles or Koken Uke Principles, both from a Nissan Dachi and Shiko Dachi weighted principle and how these work.
Thank you for tuning in with me on this journey. It will take some time, a lot of training and visualization, a lot of back tracking, a lot of correcting, and a lot of Coffee.
Hopefully I can add some pictures soon to show more of what I am talking about from a visual medium, but I hate drawing on digital programs, so maybe not and this forces us all to use our imaginations.
Thank you.
It is in every Kata, whether it be open handed, closed fisted, it does not matter save the context, which means it is a primary principle of the system, indeed, it seems to be a primary principle in just about every incarnation of Karate in one form or another (an interesting aside is that Jodan Uke is not particularly prevalent in Goju Ryu as a whole and is seemingly a secondary principle that utilized similar mechanics to Chudan Uke - in my view the Kihon Kata are primarily for teaching, not for application, as such this seems to be a way of telling the student to be mindful of different elevation zones).
After the initial movement (in Toguchi Goju Ryu) there is a half step at a forty five degree angle with a pivot to the right whilst performing a Jodan Uke.
In Kata performance this seems choppy and broken, but if we take that out it would show a seamless flow from one to the other with a ‘spinning top’ principle at play.
What does this say? What is the context here? In my view it is to train sensitivity to a changing situation, as is prevalent throughout Goju Ryu also as a primary principle, while also training clearing, striking, and lock/flow in response to how the opponent might react after the student has put them on the defensive.
Clearing the initial attack the student gains the flank on the opponents’ right side while moving in and taking the center.
While footwork they also assault the legs and lock; the opponent may freak out and step back, pushing or attempting a strike or guard with the other arm.
In clinch or near clinch range contact is maintained in order to feel these responses as the ‘feeling’ sense is faster than what the eyes can capture, at least at close range.
The main point is to feel the shift and respond, basic infighting; as the arm is presented the student shifts, clears it through overhead (Jodan Uke), grabs and rolls their ‘punching’ arm through into an arm at.
Yes, this all seems rather formulaic, but again, the underlying principles are the important point of focus here.
Sensitivity.
Clearing.
Flowing and Locking.
Wait. Where are is the striking? In a previous post I pointed out that the mechanics for what we often call Punching in Karate are not really conducive to good Punching. Yes, one can punch if they choose or if a punch is called for, but generally the striking occurs in transition (at least what I have found).
This is something else the Kata calls our attention to. In the ‘clearing’ sections of Chudan Uke and the transitional ‘clearing’ to Jodan Uke one can find many strikes moving towards the centerline targeting the softness that is the general area of the throat or beneath the jaw line (striking hard to soft and employing closest weapon to closest target).
There are also forearm strikes to the assailing and pushing arms (attacking the weapon) with a sweet spot halfway between the elbow and the hand on the outside of the opponents’ forearm (think Kotekite).
These things can, and should, all be trained in isolation THEN re-deployed in conjunction within free-form ‘play’ (a Rory Miller term).
More to come. Maybe going to take all the opening sequences from each of the Kihon Kata and see how context changes from Kamai to Morote Kamai and dictates either Jodan Uke Principles or Koken Uke Principles, both from a Nissan Dachi and Shiko Dachi weighted principle and how these work.
Thank you for tuning in with me on this journey. It will take some time, a lot of training and visualization, a lot of back tracking, a lot of correcting, and a lot of Coffee.
Hopefully I can add some pictures soon to show more of what I am talking about from a visual medium, but I hate drawing on digital programs, so maybe not and this forces us all to use our imaginations.
Thank you.
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