Isshin - Concentration the Art: The use of Kata Technique

Opening Seisan Kata 102.01 – The Crossing Arms

Note in our Seisan kata performance we first cross the arms (right on top) before the opening left side block. Ostensibly to increase the power of the block. Fortunately it can do a little more than that.

The Attacker – you have somebody on top of you, say shouting in a crowded place and you read their eyes, and reddening face and realize they're ready to grab or strike you. Your hands are relatively down at your sides, and your back is against the wall, bar or people behind you so you can't move forwards or backwards.

Seisan response – Technique 1 to 1.1

You release you knees, allowing your center to drop and your two fists strike up, forming the `X', with the right fist on top.

You strike with the vertical ridge of knuckles into the solar plexus. In fact as your weight drops from the knee release, your fist strikes up, slamming into their solar plexus with great power gives you an opening for Plan B, C and/or D.

The Seisan application strikes to the centerline.

Breathing - inhalation

Principles involved:

Force multipliers –

a. Knee Release The knees are released allowing the bodies weight to drop into a technique. Doing so allows that dropping weight to be released in other power, such as a strike.

You can prove this readily. Take a partner (perhaps one you don't feel to friendly towards on that day) and try the rising crossed hands strike into their solar plexus without releasing your knees. Then do the same with the knee release and see which gives you a bigger bounce, and which causes their eyes to bulge out more. Then form your own conclusions, not my word.

b. Principle of Alignment Theory – Here's another difficult one to explain. It's easy to show in person and it can be done with different description maps (words) to explain the same idea.

In this technique it's pretty simple. When you cross the hands your power increases (you an also prove this to yourself). You aren't slamming the lower left hand their tight, just rising, not necessarily supporting the right. But as long as the left rises and touches the right it's more powerful.

The simple reason for this is because when the wrists touch, the other side of the body is drawn forward, keeping it in better alignment for more power.

If the human body is not aligned correctly for technique (which can vary depending on how the technique is being used for energy release) it is less powerful.

If you are perfect, you can make the rising right hit the solar plexus correctly and still get the bang for your buck, but when your hands touch you won't make a mistake, your entire body is engaged properly.

Addendum -

Cheng Man-Ch'ing's - Advanced Tai Chi Form Instructions.

As a practitioner of Yang Long Fist Tai Chi Chaun, at the forms end there is a section called `Step up and Form Seven Stars' that employs an identical hand formation, and the two hands rise up to face height but passes the solar plexus along the way.

From Cheng Man-Ch'ing's book Page 95, "The two wrists intersect and support each other as they attack the opponents solar plexus. This blow is extremely devastating. Its victims re unlikely to escape serious danger. Those who use it should not do so lightly."

Opening Seisan Kata 102.02 – Crossing Arms Interior line of defense

Attacker drives forward with their right foot and strikes toward you with their right fist

Seisan Response - Technique 1. to 1.3

1. The defender moves the left foot to the center alongside right foot as that happens the arms cross before your centerline. As they cross open the right hand as a potential palm parry against the strike if the attacker is coming faster than expected.

a. The right crossing hand can also be done as a cross vertical ridge of knuckles strike into the attacking arm.

2. The defender then drives that foot outward into the left front stance. The arms uncross the left arm blocks to the middle side as a parry as the right hand slices across their

a. a.) ribs or

b. b.) the side of their face and then chambers.

3. The defender then strikes into the opponents solar plexus with a right reverse punch as their left hand chambers.

4. Add On

a. Isshinryu right rising tumb strike underneath the jaw

b. Right backfist into their face

c. First a. and then b.

This Seisan application works the interior line of Defense.

Breathing Continuous Exhalation following the principle exhale during a technique series and inhale moving between technique series’.

Principles

1. Crossing hands

2. Chambering Slicing Hand

3. Outside Block as Parry or Suck

4. Fractal Analysis – the use of a part of a technique as a technique, in this case the chambering hand.

5. Multiple techniques from change of applications. A quick analysis shows at least 10 separate applications just by varying the multiple sections of this description. Depending there are probably more than 10, but the purpose of each variation remains the same, to drop the attacker.

Force multipliers to consider

a. Crescent stepping

b. Knee Release

c. Technique additions

d. Striking Areas

e. Body Alignment Mechanics

Opening Seisan Kata 102.03 – Crossing Arms Exterior Line of Defense

Attacker drives forward with their leftt foot and strikes toward you with their left fist