My personal Sanchin kata study

The recent talk about Sanchin brings to mind the Sanchin kata I learned in Isshinryu.

 

As I was taught it, it was the last empty hand Isshinryu kata taught (out of our 8 kata). It was done with intense tension and breathing. But in those days none of our kata were discussed  as being answers for attacks. We were trained under a different and effective paradigm.

 

When I began my questioning about what kata technique could be used for, I placed no limits on which kata I would use for technique study. I simply in time addressed all of them.

 

I was training with a quite talented instructor in Shotokan, which does not contain Sanchin. Effectiveness of a system is not locked to the idea Sanchin is the key. There are different and effective paths.

 

One evening in a discussion with him and his students, I tried to make a case that Sanchin technique also could be a source for defense.

 

He literally went off on me, insisting Sanchin was for training and not for usage.

 

Of course that only made me more aware that I would whittle away at the uses for Sanchin.

 

But at the same time my other studies in t’ai chi chaun were hitting an obstacle over my Sanchin practice. The breathing with Sanchin did not work while I was learning t’ai chi chaun. I was not attempting them at the same time.

 

I hit on a personal solution and at the time I was only training youth, what I did was place my intense Sanchin practice on the back burner, and only continue soft sanchin for myself. Later when I had learned my t’ai chi chaun I learned how to separate the different breathing in my life and I returned Sanchin to how I had learned it.

 

Roll forward a few years, now I had an adult program, and a Uechi brown belt who had joined my program shared his Uechi Sanchin and Ueichi Seiean kata with me.

 

I quickly realized that the Uechi Sanchin gave me a clearer energy release in my techniques. The Uechi version as felt by me.

 

However I compartmentalized it  for myself alone.

 

Then forward many years. It finally came to me to blend each of those Sanchin kata together. I was doing so only for myself.

 

For my dan students their Sanchin remained as they were taught and as Charles Murray was frequently in the area for work, I placed their Sanchin in his hands.

 

So my Isshinryu Sanchin kata was modified.

 

1 It was performed full speed (not slow)

2 It was performed with natural breathing (not hard breathing.

3 I shifted my Sanchin strikes to strikes using the natural Isshinryu fist

 

The energy release became fantastic for me. Perhaps from decades of work on my t’ai chi chaun had sensitized me. In any case personally I was hooked.

 

I also found using my tai chi technique was a superior way to bust up an attack.

 

I did not film my self using Sanchin to disrupt all sorts of attacks. I wasn’t doing it for that,

 

Much later after my disabilities started manifesting themselvs I did film myself doing the form.

 

Here is I doing my Sanchin practice, alongside  Charles Murray doing his.

 

 

We were doing this to demonstrate the differences not to show our full practice..