In
my study everything in Naifanchi is building technique that later is reflected
in Chinto, and once that study matures, there is less focus on the earlier
simpler kata.
Apparently each of us stand on different mountain tops. But after a 40 year climb up mine, I stand by what I say. This is not about applications per sae, I found many times many for Naifanchi, it is more about what Chinto says to me.
I guess it depends on what you see Chinto representing. It does not bother me in the least others see it differently. I came from an era where there was no discussion of the application potential for kata. When I worked out an underlying principle behind my Chinto, I could see where Naifanchi was a building block for that, and the totality from my Chinto was much more a focus for me. There are many different Chinto's after all, and many different starting points. That I believe in mine does not mean I don't believe in yours.
Then again I was shown Shotokan from an Indonesian perspective, where the
instructors father had studied under Funakoshi, but it became an entirely
different perspective of what other Shotokan is. We each walk in our own shoes.
I wonder if anyone has really mastered a kata.
Probably depends on your viewpoint. To me the issue is not mastering a kata,
but being able to actually use its principles under conditions extremis. We all
are constantly changing, improving, declining an all the rest, but upon which
principles we use becomes our art.
Chinto
Kata is Big Boy Karate....Naihanchi is to Shorin Ryu as Sanchin is to Goju
Ryu....there is a reason each kata only uses one simple stance
throughout.....One Advantage of Isshinryu is were lucky enough to have both in
our syllabus.....
Harrill Sensei lit us all up in more ways than
I can remember with Naihanchi. I don't consider it any less than any other
kata. It has plenty of combat applications that are nothing short of f&^k
you up bad, quickly.
Mark
Radunz, not saying it is less.....and yes I will Naihanchi till the cows come
home.....there's a reason it's the third Kata in the system it's simpler to
teach the Gokui of Naihanchi for many reasons....Chinto is head and shoulders
above Naihanchi in it's possibilities....most people couldn't comprehend Mr
Harrill's Naihanchi....let alone what he did with Chinto......
Mark
Radunz Agreed. I just
feel Naihanchi is over looked and often times just the movements are learned to
get to the next belt.
Mark Radunz in some Dojo yes....in Isshinryu dojo it's often
neglected that Naihanchi is to the Shorin Ryu system what Sanchin is to Goju Ryu....we
are blessed to have both....the fact that each of these kata only use one
stance throughout is compelling and an extremely important part of why the
Gokui of each is so important and bleeds into everything else in the
syllabus......
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Radunz Sensei,
Ssensei Harrill
told me explicitly NOT to drop my the heel in the last m technique of Seiunchin
because setting the foot down limits how far you can drop your weight in the
stance. In fact he told me to lift my knee while
keeping the ball of the foot on the ground while doing this technique, so that
I could drop my weight more smoothly.
Here’s something
to try and prove it to you self. Bet into a ‘T’ stance with both feet planted
on the floor and drop your weight as much as you can. Now, lift the heel of the
front foot and drop your weight again, You’ll find you can get another couple
of inches of obi drop. If you can drop lower you can
get more reaction from the forearm rubs.
This bends
the opponent’s elbow, and consequently the wrist to weaken the trip, and brings
their face/head in closer to attack with
the palms, thumbs, etc. The techniques
that Sensei Harrill showed me most often
involved using my forears to work the uke’s forearms from the outside for the
most part, but he included inside as well. Sometimes to
force a release of his hands, other times just to bring the head closer to work
vital targets in the upper body or manipulate their balance.
Sensei
taught me NOT to ram my elbows into the oponent’s forearms if the opponent has
a lapel grab sine all this will do is stuff their knuckles into my chest. Besides you can’t elbow someone in their wrists if
they grab as some advocate, because the wrist is too close to you. The best you
can do is strike their radiun bones and maybe the radial nerve. Either way you
end up using their hands to strike you in the chest. It sucks.;;
Over the years I
had the opportunity to work with Harold Long, Allen Wheeler, Harold Mitchum and
a few others that have used the “foot down” or “stomping” method coupled with
the downward elbow strike. While it hurt because of the repetitive attempts, I
usually released my grip to avoid getting hit with the elbow again. Once was
not enough to break my grip. I always wondered what their chests felt like
after driving my knuckles into their chest so many times.
I’m in favor of
whatever works for someone, but the foot down method that I’ve seen to date
does not fit into my karate.
Ogenki de,
Lee Norton
Both Mark Radunz and Lee Norton were students of Sherman.
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