It has been a confusing, yet rewarding journey as of late.
Something is in the air, perhaps a resurgence of something lost, but a guiding principle seems apparent.
Ti came to me, I did not actively seek it out, it appeared in the form of an old friend and Dojo Brother who opened the flood gates to a deeper realm I always felt was there, but could not quite put into accurate wording.
Karate contains SOME Ti, but Ti does not contain ANY Karate at all. As it has been passed down, it is an entirely different beast, yet seemingly familiar.
I had stated previously that Karate was originally without Kata, yet this is not entirely accurate as Karate is a modern Okinawan Martial Art, it is not Ti.
Ti, itself, was originally without Kata; what drills that did exist meant to convey principles and did not take a central role, the point was to impart is formula for effective combat that went into chaos and could take any form that was necessary to get the job done.
Like learning to effectively strike in Boxing, or learning to effectively throw in Judo, these are principles that start at a specific point in the education process, the. Move outward from there into expression according to principles learned... From mechanics to strategy.
The basic mode of imparting these principles in the present form of Ti is Naifuanchin Kata.
Yes, a Kata, but not in the manner of any Kata presently practiced in Karate, even Naihanchi Shodan, Nisan, etc.
Ti was hidden there, as it has been hidden through the majority of recent history, and lost on the majority.
Things like stances, blocks, various strikes, they do not really exist unto themselves and these are not really what Ti teaches.
Proper mechanics, positioning, power generation, and flowing, allowing the lines to manifest.
One starts with the root form for training basic principles, slowly, gradually, one moves out from here into greater and greater circles exploring these principles in a wider range of training, Naifuanchin transforms into something else. There is no longer Kata, there is only flow.
Memorization is not rote, the main focus remains on proper mechanics, until memorization is no longer necessary.
Certainly one could say this about Karate, but is this really the case?
If we perform a Karate Kata it is the same general pattern over and over again, no growth beyond the basic form, explanations given tend to be sub par, often pieces together by studying other arts in order to make sense of what had not been initially explained.
Each ‘level’ is based on how much one can memorize and retain, from drills to Kata, with analysis taking place as an aside in order to make sense of things.
Sense... This should be the first thing on the menu for any art that claims to be even remotely ‘Martial’ with refinement of skills already applicable being the goal.
Kata is secondary to the actual principles and only a small part of the methodology, just one aspect.
Ti, originally, had no Kata, and Ti influenced Tode, it is not a Chinese Art, nor did it have much Chinese Influence, that is all Karate.
It would seem, Karate, is more about showmanship than anything, so the notion that it is performance art makes a lot of sense... And it makes a lot of sense why Japanese Occupiers of Okinawa would allow the practice of Karate whilst Ti went underground.
Jan Dam, the head of Genten Kai, a Teacher of Ti, often says ‘nothing exists in Ti’ which implies that everything exists.
Stressing certain principles, especially unbroken lines and endless flow, yet starting at the bottom, building up to that flow in a curriculum that seems to work in a spiral outward (as is the case with most things in Ti, I have found).
Karate, on the other hand, does not do this... It breaks, it is choppy, stopping points are a primary focus for purposes of ‘timing,’ ‘rhythm,’ and ‘emphasis.’ All of which are, indeed, good points, and that is the point... That Karate focuses on points while Ti is a line, a shape, many shapes, a flow, unbroken.
One could literally spend hours exploring where a line goes, taking it out of Naifuanchin, putting it into a free form flow, the possibilities are endless.
Patterns are only important insofar as they impart proper body mechanics so as to avoid harming oneself through ineffective movement.
Points are necessary in order to learn these things, then they must be shed, like a snake shedding old skin.
Kata, as a practice, is the same. Ti can be learned utilizing Karate Kata as a starting point, moving outward from there, eventually the Kata itself is shed like an old skin.
Karate, as an art, is merely the beginning. The starting point, where basics are to be learned (although what passes for basics in Karate leaves something to be desired).
What is more ‘advanced’ in Karate is never quite advanced, simply a thrashing of ‘points’ in different patterns that need to be memorized in order to qualify for any recognized rank in an artificial system set up at nearly the mid point of last century.
A Teacher needs to know these things in order to Teach, but a Teacher must have moved beyond these things on a recognizable path in order to effectively guide a student.
Not every student will ‘get it,’ but that is not the point. The steps are necessary in order to learn how to walk and we all have to begin somewhere.
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