Solo view of applications from books

 

In a recent post Sensei mentioned the following exercise:

"...you might like to try an exercise I have my students perform: Select the examples you're most interested in studying and photocopy the pages. Next, use white-out ink to eliminate the "attacker" and then re-copy the original photocopy to end up with a  page which only has the "defender" in the defensive posture [kamae]. Now, look through your personal repertoire of kata to find a similar mposite/template/posture. I think you'll find this a valuable lesson."

I suggested taking it to the computer and working through a scan, passing the scan to an editor and then saving the files on disk. I've finally made time to do this and have created a web page for everyone to view as an example.

The process is relatively simple. However, it will change a bit depending on the software you use. The description given is for the software I have. Scan the particular book pages that you find. I have a One Touch brand scanner that dumps the scanned page into PaperPort software. In Paper Port you could cut the parts of the picture that have the attacker then save the file. However, I also have Adobe Photoshop software. So I dumped the scan from PaperPort to Photoshop. There are many more tools to edit the image using Photoshop. From here I did a quick (and sloppy) edit job. Next I saved the file as a jpg. From here I created the web page using FrontPage software. You could just as easily create a Word document similar to the web page I created for your own documentation. Once the web page/word doc. is created you simply store it in any folder/file titling system that works for you.

I actually had a hard time finding the example with an attacker. I was looking for an application from heian godan. What I found was better than I expected. The attacker had already been removed in the photos in the books I used. I ended up stumbling across a simple application for the opening of jion to use for this
exercise. See the web page for details.


This was a fun exercise and I will continue to use it as I have in the pastsince I first heard of it from Sensei in a workshop a couple of years ago.

Regards,
Chuck Phillips
Kyoshin Ryu
Yudansha
Minnesota, USA

 

 
Application 1

Heian Godan

This first photo is from Best Karate - Book 5 by Nakayama - p.85.
The following picture is a solo re-enactment of ippon seoinage from Judo Training Methods by Takahiko Ishikawa & Donn Draeger - p. 187.

 
Next is the "finish" from the above throw. First is again from Best Karate - Book 5 by Nakayama - p.87.

The photo below is from The United States Judo Association Senior Handbook - p 4-49 and is listed as gyaku juji jime (reverse cross choke).
 
Application 2

Jion opening

The following picture is from Best Karate - Book 8 by Nakayama - p.72.

The next two photo's are from Modern Judo Vol. 1 Basic Technique by Charles Yerkow - p 205. The first photo is as it is shown in the book. The second photo is the edited version - without the attacker.
 
I know I am going to have to duck after this bound-to-be-heretical post (I don't mean this to be a 'flame', btw, I think I am just not seeing things in the same light...)...!! ;-)

After having a look at Chuck's sample page, I had to think to myself "is he seeing things that aren't there...?"

Sure, some of the positions look similar (only some, though...). But just because the juji-uke and the choke share similar physical dynamics, does that necessarily make them the same thing?

I'd really much rather that the juji-uke WAS some sort of shime-waza ('coz it sure ain't much of an 'uke'!), but I've got to say, I'm just not seeing it...

When I was in the Army, we used to call this "situating the appreciation", which basically means making things fit our pre- conceived view.

I can see the merit of the practice, from a research point of view, but I think we need to assess the likelihood of these things being what we might think they are... (Are we seeing things that aren't there?)

Have I missed something?

I just reread that... I think my point here was that there are similarities in the static 'shot' of these techniques, but the dynamics of both are NOT shared...

Bryson Keenan
Yudansha
Jakarta, Indonesia

Hi Bryson sensei,

First of all, I was very pleased to learn that you’d managed to once again avoid injury in the face of what’s turning out to be one of the most horrific natural disasters of modern history. My God, how devastating…and the loss of so many human lives. Let’s pray for those poor souls.

In response to your query: Knowing your karate history as I do, your observation does not surprise me, in fact, it’s quite understandable. You asked  if you’re missing something. IMO, yes, you are, however, you’re certainly not alone. Most everyone suffers from this one. One of the problems associated with trying resolve the historical and technical ambiguities of kata application (in this case it’s the exact replication of what you saw in the photo personifying the actual movement) is that untrained researchers unknowingly rely too much upon contemporary (in-the-box) assumption.

Fundamentally speaking, we have all been taught (by the Japanese/Okinawan “masters”) that this is exactly the *correct* way to perform kata. This is further exacerbated when *authorities* use the self-serving comment, “this is the exact way that Miyagi” (or please insert any other pioneer’s name that you want in here) handed it down. The issue here is that, if it’s not done *exactly* this/that way then it’s wrong! The fact that it was *acceptable* for any of them to arbitrarily make changes, even though virtually nothing was known about its actual defensive intentions, complicates this issue even further.

I don’t believe that most karate enthusiasts understand the impact Japanese Budo culture had upon the kata of Okinawan karate. Every characteristic of its original practice has been profusely influenced by and has become a significant part of modern Japanese Budo culture. Knowing this should help you better understand why its abstract Chinese heritage is not accurately personified in its modern interpretation.

Original quanfa practices emphasize HAPV and abstract application concepts which are supported by immutable principles and common mechanics. In other words [and I apologize for taking so long to make my point but this issue is so misunderstood] “one does not necessarily have to replicate the picture-perfect representation of what’s observed in today’s shite/seite routines [shite/seite- gata are the highly modified reinterpretations of kata developed, and continually altered/improved, for the competitive arena which focus on form rather than function] to personify the abstract application concepts culminated in its ritualized mnemonic.

I trust this explanation resolves your quandary?

Happy New Year

Patrick McCarthy
Karate Kodansha
New Zealand