Kamae in Chinto

Imstructor Michael Cassidy in 1992

The version of Isshinryu’s Chinto I learned opens with you stepping back into a left cat stance, the left open vertical knife hand pressing out in front, and the right hand circling back and down to form a high ‘X’ block in front. 

 

This was explained to me as a ‘kame’ when I learnt the kata, a waiting point measuring the opponent and drawing them to attack your stillness.Yet as I went into further analysis  this came to me.

 

Your left hand presses forward as your right hand flows back (clockwise) to complete with your left hand simultaneously cutting back alongside your head as your right open hand strikes out towards the groin, while you remain in the cat stance.  Following that we slide forward with a left backfist and then a right reverse punch. 

 

Obviously it can be used to strike into the biceps as my previous post, and also it would be best to use it as an outside parry, but in my working some of this movements application potential I had several interesting experiences.

 

With the attacker stepping in with a right punch,

 

          1.      I deflect their punch from the interior line of defense

assuming my cat stance and using the high “X” block for that purpose.  Or the “V”

2.      I then slide my left foot forward as my left arm presses out,

          deflecting their arm to the side, while my right hand rolls

          back.

3.      I complete this application with a descending right palm

          strike into their groin.

 

With the attacker stepping with a left punch, I first began as before, working the right palm strike into their left side. That works fine but obviously the real issue is what happens with their right hand which can strike.

 

The first answer I developed was to:

 

1.      Deflect their left punch with my interior “X” block, The “>”

2.      Then separate my hands, with my left hand sliding up to their

elbow and my right hand sliding back to their wrist.

3.      Following my kata motion, I simply grab on (elbow and

wrist) and rotate my right hand down and into the centerline. This makes for an exceptionally painful vertical arm bar.  Be sure to be careful. It is faithful to the kata motion, and as the arm rotates down their right fist is moved away from you.

 

Another answer is for the external line of defense.

 

1.      Deflect their right punch with the exterior “X” block. The “<”.

2.      Then separate my hands, The right hand sliding down to their wrist, the left to their triceps. Then press their triceps down and raise at the wrist, creating a downward force on their arm.

3.      Their center of gravity shifts to their triceps and becomes a Force Multiplier causing them to go down on their face.

 

This variation I use is shown below in an article on FightingArts.com by Christopher Calle, on the old fighting arts of Hohen Soken. http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=606

  

My next answer gets even more interesting:

 

1.      Deflect their left punch with my interior “X” block, The “>”

Then attack with their right fist.

2.      I separate my hands as in the kata, my left hand pressing out

 deflecting their punch as my right hand flows to the back,

deflecting their left arm further outside. This opens their arms

wide.

3.      Next, following the kata, I take my left palm and slice across

          the side of their face to return my palm alongside my head.

4.      Simultaneously with that slice my right palm strikes into their   

         groin.

5.      In the next technique is a left backfist, I alter it slightly and

          use a left back palm strike follow-up strike into their face.

 

This  application is quite interesting. I’m using a shearing force with the face/groin strike very akin to those used in Indonesian Tjimande. The left hand slicing back literally snaps the persons face to the side as they’re trying to get away from the pain.

 

Finally consider the bottom of the “X” block.

 

1.      Against the strike form the kamae with both hands descending down on the strike. You are using the”X” block formed, the “^” this time.

2.      Separate your hands, the left open hand pressing their arm down with a counter-clockwise flow, pressing their arm away from their centerling, This results in their rotation with the arm flow.

3.      The right flows back, as in Chinto kata, and strikes back into their groin with a descending shuto strike to their groin.

 

Of course this does not exhaust the potentials of this movement. Rather suggests possibilities to explore.