Kobudo for the Disabled – a Work Progresses

It it is an interesting time.

 

As a force enhancer to counter the weakness I have experienced with my disability I have begun working on using two hand held sticks to do Seisan kata.

 

I chose Seisan kata as the one I have been practicing longest.

 

At first I borrowed the term tecchu because I was using Okinawan kata with tecchu as an inspiration. The format was using the template of kata Seisan.

 

I looked at the following kata, many of which gave me ideas. Of course the weapon they are using is not exactly the same as I am employing, but the ideas are there.

 

Much that Kensho Tokumura is demonstrating makes more and more sense to me.

 

 

I was also inspired by the kata Jifa by Gushi Sensei

 

 

 

However I was not content to try and imitate kata from video.

 

Here is an early example that I came up with.

 

Eventually I discarded using the name of an Okinawan implement. For one thing I don’t really know the Okinawan language and do not want it to appear that I do so. What I am doing is just for myself  not to teach to others, so names are far less important, But if I was going to teach it I would not pretend that I had the name right.

 

At first the attempts were just doing the kata with sticks in my hand. Then gradually I made adjustments to use the weapons potential as I came to understand it. It still resembled Seisan kata, but a  little different too.

 

The more I worked with the sticks I came to understand more of their potential such as Tokumura Sensei utilizes. The fact that striking with both sides of the hand became more important.

 

There was less need to remain exact to Seisan, and more utilization of the stick potential.

 

I then began to explore what other kata could offer me in their movement potential for the sticks.

 

I began to look an Naifanchi Kata with Sticks and SunNuSu kata with sticks. The more I tried the less I was relying on one movement pattern and gaining greater understand what the Force Enhancer of the Sticks could represent.

 

Stating the obvious, I strike harder, And the stick does not feel the impact. There is more to learn.

 

This is still a work in progress

 

 

And remember earlier days too