Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Chinto Kata and the Aikido Heaven and Earth Throw


The other day I was viewing YouTube and notieded this video.

 

 

Aikido - Techniques of the 1938 training manual of Morihei Ueshiba.
 
 
I am not an Aikido-ka by any means, but beginning in 1980 I was introduced to a style of Aikido which was used in a Shotokan group, dating back to the 1930s. They were good drills, and they are still in my groups brown belt studies.
 
What that training over a decade did allow me to understand what all the Aikido book, I read, were showing.
 
Later I understand how a section of Chinto Kata could be used in the same manner.  In fact a great portion of Chinto is applicable to be understood with Aikido movement. But that is not the point of this article.
 
Not to imply Chinto came from Aikido, but movement is movement, and similar movements do cross systems of study.
 
Those were days before the internet. Magazines and Books were often a way to look into what others did. That book was translated into English, by the Aikido Journal, in Japan. It was most interesting as the ides of ‘Atemi’ of Aikido striking, was specifically shown in Usheiba’s techniques. This was not commonly addressed in Aikido of that day, and specifically there were European instructor from Japan who were institant that their students not buy the book as ‘Atemi’ was not done in their Aikido. (remembered from an article I read in the Aikido Journal). (a small aside I never found an Aikido book that did’t like.)
 
So with that history I came to see the Aikido Heaven and Earth throw could be one application for a small sequence of movements in Chinto.
 
Let us look at that section done by Shimabuku Tatsuo in 1966.










Now what caught my demonstrated by Usheiba Morio.
 




 
A newer version showing the same movements.






That is showing the same flow as the original photographs.

That said, the following photos show the movement in greater detail,








 
 
 
 
Now lets look more closely at another Isshinryu Chinto.
 This time I am using Andy Sloane on Okinawa as his photos are very clear.
1. Andy begins this section of Chinto kata by raising his hands in a Kamae position.
 
This could easily become the Atemi strike and simultaneous deflection shown in the Aikido movement.
 
2. Then the next series of photos show Andy turning away moving clockwise.
 





That movement might be used as placing the left arm behind the opponents neck, and turning, stepping away to take them off balance as the Aikido version does.
3. Not the turn moves counter-clockwise, the reverse of the original turning away, this time turning into the opponent.




 
During this turn it is now the right arm that encircles the opponents throat and moves them the opposite direction causing them to lose their balance and enter a throw from that destabilization.

This is something I teach, understanding what Usheiba was showing was the key to show me might be realized with the motion from Chinto.
 
Using the Kamae as an entry into the attack, then moving away from that attack, turning the attackers center away from itself, then reversing that turn the other direction.
 
A possibility to use.
 
And more Aikido answers can be found in Chinto.You just have to take the time to work.
Am earlier article on Aikido and Chinto
An other interesting thing that can be found in Chinto is a tai chi drill Da Lu
For anyone wanting to push the boundaries of their understanding.
 

3 comments:

Victor Smith said...

Regarding Chinto and the Heaven and Earth Throw.

I consider the study of Chinto an advanced kata. What that means over years of work on it, you begin to use the Chinto potential more and more in everything you do.

Specifically Chinto teach us to coil our energy into our center, and then release the energy gathered as an explosion into the next technique. I find it takes an average of about 10 years to do this like I like them to do. Only at that point, where the execution can approach this execution is the dan ready IMVHO for such application.

First the application studies they are shown all work. As any one application that does the job, from that point this is not needed.
Such applications just expand ones potential, more for choice where one wants to place the opponent on the ground.

In my group Chinto first shows itself in the growing dan, working as an energy pump. What I mean is that one begins moving faster and faster when doing the form. But speed without control, that takes more time. Then when they can approach moving their energy into their center and exploding it out for each following movement. Does this make sence.

Then the application can be done hard of soft.

Hard, the punch alone can drop an opponent. The first ½ of the technique with no changes can ko an opponent with a slight alteration where the entry to their neck takes place. The second ½ of the technique with no changes can ko an opponent with a slight alteration where the entry to their neck takes place. And the same can be said of the full movement.

Soft, the initlal strike can just become a stop hit for their momentum. The first ½ of the movement, or the second ½ of the movement can be used to put the opponent down softly giving other options.

And of course it can be done Soft-Hard.

The first use is that you can choose where you want to place the opponent of the floor, for strategic purposes.

My thoughts on this movement.

Unknown said...

Have a look at around 2m17s
https://youtu.be/kA2cuDLq5kA

This looks very much like the move in question.
Given that Chinto was Chinese (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chintō) and practiced Chinese martial arts, it is mostly likely this is the origin of this move.
However as noted in the article movement is movement, no matter what Style.

Also Japanese martial arts didn't influence Okinawan Karate, it did heavily influence Japanese Karate, which has to a small extent influenced Okinawan Karate, but traditional Okinawan Karate still maintains its original origins.

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