The Wansu Kata KAMAE updated

 

https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2016/09/wansu-kamae.html

Wansu Kamae

 

A Kamae is a kata movement where there is ‘no movement’.  Sometimes referred to as a stop point.  One Example would be the Kamae in Wansu kata ½ way through the form. 

That is a deceptive answer. For these movements can be very destructive in their own right.

 One answer to the movement potential is as John Kerker demonstrates it, the hands used a descending knife hand strikes atop a striking arm, during an interior line of defense. It is the first example in this video clip, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqsQGTa0hjQ&t=1s

This would prove painful to say the least. Other alternatives would be a descending strike into the biceps and into the face, of course interior or exterior line of defense.

 A different answer is also found within the interior line of defense. If the attacker comes swinging a hooking strike with the right arm the answer is just to form the Wansu Kamae as they are striking. Allow their biceps to strike into the Kamae. The harder they strike the more pain. They are striking their own biceps into the formed Kamae. This use incorporates the stillness found in the Kamae as on offensive weapon.

 

I first experienced this from Ernest Rothrock in a different way, but the underlying principle remains the same. We were at a summer camp and he was doing the presentation when he asked me to assist him. He requested I step in and throw a left hook punch to his head. And I did so. But he just raised both hands and did nothing else. My hook punch struck his raised hands and I experienced incredible pain in my forearm and my biceps, it stopped my strike cold.

At that point Ernest laughed and stated "I thought karate dudes could strike harder than that. Give me your best shot." So, I prepared to strike again. I stepped in and threw a hard hook punch to his head.

After that strike began Ernest stepped in with his left and turned into the incoming strike, just raising his hands to face high, doing nothing else. His hands were vertical knife hands. My punch flowed towards him and then my arm struck those immobile hands, one on my forearm and one mid bicep of my striking arm.

I felt greater pain than from my first strike.  This stopped my strike completely. I really felt it, and he really had done nothing except turning and raising his hands, which resulted in my strike hitting those knife hands. (By this time, as he was my Tai Chi instructor and was also teaching me a number of Chinese forms, we had become close friends.)

With a grin in his face for me, Ernest explained to the group what I did caused my own pain, my arm striking into his hands...and the harder I struck the greater the pain was the result.  Of course, then he had the group try it out themselves. It was a most valuable and also painful lesson for me, one I never forgot. Later thinking on this I realized how the kamae from Wansu could work the same way for me.

Later I found this within a striking drill from Tristan Sutrisno’s practice. I discovered three different ways that drill could be used, and then Sherman Harrill showed me a fourth way to use it.

Where the opening of the 1st tjimande juru (2 person drill) where you right descending knife hands into the forearm and bicep against an uppercut to the body, causes increasing pain the harder they strike. 

My research showed this could be done with descending double leopard paw leading edge fore knuckle strikes, and with descending middle knuckle strikes from two punches into the same spot (this being the more painful option). What Sherman had showed was use of the forearm bone could also accomplish the same thing.

You never look at Kamae the same way after this.

Other examples of Kamae could be the opening of Chinto kata, where the hands cross into an “X”, or the movement in the beginning of Kusanku Kata where you form a Kamae similar to the one in Wansu Kata. What is a Kamae is really a choice you make when you perform a kata. How you choose to use it, is also your choice.

These experiences opened a new dimension of study for me.