Regarding my thoughts about the power generation, they
are pretty close to what you've said about how you were taught.
Regarding the other Naha systems, that is Uechi system to which I belong, the
things are as follows :
there is no specific "school" about this point in Uechiryu in
general, no fixed advices or theory which is carried out universaly in all dojo
and organizations. Worse, there is no theory at all. Seldom anybody talks
about that.
This matter is taught more on the intuitive basis,
with imitating what the teacher is doing, with makiwara work, kotekitae, or
some other practical method. However (and strange maybe) the resulth are here,
and most of the students (especialy of the older generation) are capable of
generating immense power which is clearly shown in all kind of breaking
capabilities and frequent kumite exchanges which usualy left very obvious
effects on your stomach, ribs, arms and legs, and some unforgetable memories
and respect fot those who are responsible for them.
All in all, some teachers do not use their hips at all, or very little, but are
slill capable to produce power with other means. Others are employing
spontaneous slight hip rotation of which they are mostly
not aware very much - these are in majority and usualy practice Kobudo as well.
Still others, and these are minority, are working on hip movement quite a lot.
The teacher whom I consider the most influental to me, Nakamatsu Ken, belongs to
this last group. His occupation with hip movement is maybe coming from his
close relationship with Shinzato Katsuhiko, a Shorinryu expert, who considers
hip vibration, or "Koshi" as he calls it, the very basic and central
principle
of his karate.
When Nakamatsu is teaching someone, especially
one who is new to his Dojo and his
method, he is talking about "compression" (feeling inside the body
caused by pulling the hand back in
"ready thrust" position, keping the shoulders down, tucking the pelvis in and up, with this
pushing the diaphragme up and causing to
actualy increase preasure in the lungs) and releasing this compression with quite a big hip rotation.
However, when he, or his senior studdents are performing, this rotation is very slight, hardly obvious to the
untrained eye. But it is very clear that it is there, that the vibration of the hips
(koshi) sets the upper parts of body in
motion, and finaly the arm which explodes towards the target. It all happens in an instant of course, like a
quick chain reaction, like a snake which is going after it's prey : the coiled
part firmly on the ground and the wave (or vibration or current) starting to
travel from there along the erected part
towards the head which finaly strikes the target. All in a blink of an eye, clearly visible only
when recorded with a camera and released
in slow motion.
This "chain reaction" or wave which travels from hip to the arm
actualy starts at your feet, which is
exactly the idea of Wudang or "inner" Chinese arts, when they are talking about Fajing or emitting
(releasing) energy (jing). They
sometimes call it "Nine pearls necklace" or "threading the nine
pearls".
The pearls are
the points of the human body through which the wave of energy is traveling from the foot to the palm (or
fingers or fist) :
1. ankle,
2. knee,
3 hip (parts of the first spring),
4. tailbone,
5. point on the back on the opposite
side of tanden called "mingmen", 6. point on the uper side of the back between
the shoulder blades (parts
of the second spring),
7. shoulder,
8. elbow,
9. wrist (parts of the third spring).
It is interesting to notice here that the Chinese consider power generation "from foot to palm", that means from
the ground, and don't talk only of the
hips as a basic generator. The hips are only censidered as an important amplifier of the wave which starts earlier. I
remember a Taijiquan teacher, Wu style,
Wang Peishing, saying that when you are about to release the energy, you should press the sole of your
rear foot with a snap against the
ground. You should not focus your mind (yi) on the connecting point with your
oponent (target), but better on your foot (ground) where the energy is coming from.
According to my observation, in Uechiryu schools (and probably in Okinawan schools
in general) there is no fixed rule how to apply a hip movement. Some include it in a lesser, some in greater
degree. But the common thing with all is
that they are standing firmly on the ground when releasing the energy. You can
hardly see an Okinawan master standing half in the air or on the ball of the
supporting foot while punching. At least this holds true for doing the Kata
move or executing some kihon technique. They are all pulling their strenght
from the ground and are not jumping around and trying to somehow make
connection with opponent as we usualy see today in western or sport karate.
Especialy it holds true for older generation of masters, not yet contaminated
with shiai kumite.
For those in Uechiryu schools who employ hip movement, it looks pretty much
like we can see on some clips which are found on Russ Smith's site :
Matayoshi's Seisan, Yanase's Seisan for example. Or like Morio Higaonna
(Jundokan ?) is doing his explosive moves. It looks like there is a mixed up
situation in Shorin schools as well. Higa Minoru of Shorin ryu Kyudokan (Jion
on Russ's site) is using quite some
hip work, not to mention Shinzato (who got it from Kishaba and Nakamura, and
these reportedly from Hohan Soken), but some other teachers use hips very
little : Nagamine, Miyahira ... We find interesting situation in Shito ryu
schools too. Nowadays Shitoryu students, especialy those of modern Kofukan,
employ virtualy no hip movement, but one of the prime students of Mabuni and
author of his own Shukokai Shitoryu linage, Tani Chojiro, is responsible for
inventing probably the largest and most exaggerated hip motion in karate world,
well demonstrated by his students Kimura and Nanbu who went to live in America
and Europe.
I personaly beleive that power is coming more from the ground, but it can be
greatly amplified by the proper hip motion.
If this can help somehow and stimulate someone on some further thought about
his own way of generating power in his moves, I'll be glad.
Milan
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