A few Seiunchin Kata Applications

 

I wrote this decades ago for my Pleasant Isshinryu group on YahooGroups. I fell it still presents a fair case for these applications.

This week I spent some time in class working on some applications from Isshinryu Seiunchin Kata and thought I’d try to share them with you.

Primally written using a Norbert Donnelly photo of him doing the kata. That is no longer available, and this was before YouTube in any case.  I believe this video of Young Lee in 1979 will work for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq0KS5EaBwo

Technique Number 1 – The Hammer of Doom <grin>

As Mr. Donnelly shows, in movement 29, you execute a right hammer fist into the left palm. Or a right back knuckle strike into the left palm.  In his photograph you remain in a horse stance while doing this.  In my version of the kata, you pull the right leg back turning into a right cat stance facing the front as you execute the back knuckle (hammer fist) strike.

On the surface this seems a very small technique.  In application I want to look at the entire picture. Actually, both hands are working (and for the Goju inclined this movement can parallel the hammer fist strikes in kata Saifa, too).  The left palm turns over (left palm up - counterclockwise) and the right hammer fist/back knuckle strike turns over (right palm up – clockwise).

In my application sequence I use these movements but open them up into larger circles.  Essentially the attack I’m countering is coming in fast, so I’m stepping away with my left foot to end in a right cat stance.

As I step away I’m circling my left open hand (upper forearm/wrist up) in a large circle counterclockwise. My right back wrist lightly touching the bottom of my left wrist. This keeps my body alignment, so my centerline is directly facing the wrists as the left arm connects with the incoming limb.  With this alignment I deflect the attack up and away from me with very little effort. [This opening deflection is the most important part of the technique, properly done it is effortless, and allows everything else to proceed.]

On impact (wedging block) my hands separate. The left-hand rolls over and slides down to their wrist, grabs and continues to circle down to my left side of my abdomen. The right-hand rolls over clockwise, fingers close to form the hammer fist/back knuckle strike. 

Now my right foot steps slightly forward, I “release” my knees, using my force-multiplier, and rotate my torso counter-clockwise and deliver my right hammer fist towards my left palm.

Unfortunately for Uke, their body part intervenes, and they receive the impact, most painfully.

If the attacker is grabbing towards my neck with both hands, or with their left hand, this technique is worked against their left arm from the exterior line of defense.  My hammer fist strikes into the triceps tendon just above the elbow with the force directed through their lower arm towards your own left palm. This strike has the potential of breaking their arm at its weakest point, just above the elbow.

If the attacker is grabbing towards the neck with both hands or their left hand, but really rushing you so that when you begin the deflection of their left arm (exterior line of defense) you are almost at their arm pit, you continue the technique, but your left hand slides down to their elbow, your right foot steps past their back, and you turn and deliver the hammer fist into their spinal cord.

If the attacker is grabbing towards your neck with their right arm, you are using this on an interior line of defense, as your hands separate, your left-hand slides down to grab their right wrist, your right foot slightly steps in, you release the knees, rotate counterclockwise and your right hammer fist/back knuckle strike is into their forearm just before the elbow. With their right wrist being pulled down at the same time, their centerline is extended out and down, and you will find they will down themselves (on their back) to get away from the strike.

Of course, there are many other answers with different stepping and turning on the interior line of defense that allow the hammer fist strike into the head, neck or chest cavity, too.

Not bad for a little movement is it.

Technique No 2 - the Augmented Punch

In the kata, if you look at Mr. Donnolly’s pictures, 30 and 31, what happens next is he pulls back to right cat stance, pulls his right fist back to his right hip and slides his left hand over his right wrist to grab it, then he slides out into the Isshinryu front stance (Seisan Dachi) and punches with his right as he continues to grab his right wrist with his left hand.

Classically we were told this is to stabilize the wrist for a stronger strike.

Here is what I’m doing with this.

I’m using the two hands together for greater alignment and speed as I create a wedging block effect.

The attacker is coming a you with a boxing style attack, either a right then left strike to the head or a right strike to the head followed by a left strike to your body.

I am only going to describe the interior line of defense. This is a situation where you have to react to go through their attack. If you think you will be hit.  Classic karate would state you shift to block the right attack, then shift to block the left attack then counter punch. While this could be broken down that way, I believe it far too slow against a committed attack.  Instead, I’ll take this basic movement, extend it into a larger circle and flow through the attacks.

 Attack 1 – the Right then Left Strikes to the Head.

You slide your left foot slightly back into cat stance.  Your left arm reaches slightly out as you do this (the left palm open and facing your centerline, the right hand lightly forming a fist touching the inside of the left wrist.

Your left arm then circles up and starts to come back towards you as it intersects the opponent’s right punch. The right wrist touching your left wrist is used to create an effortless (because of your alignment and initial knee release dropping your center) wedge block sliding their strike away from you.

As you have released your knees, you then rotate rotate your torso to the right, your right fist slightly slides directly under your left wrist, and your left palm flows across to the right to create a left palm wedge block to deflect the opponent’s left strike away from you.  Both of the above are done as one fluid circle out in and across.

Having completed the deflection, you then slide your right foot out, release the knees again and drop into a deeper stance as your right-hand strikes underneath your left arm, into the opponent’s left side (chest, abdomen, whatever). This strike is into the unprotected side of the opponent. With their focus on the strike, they are trying to deliver, you will find their body takes your punch harder as they aren’t focused on taking the strike.

Attack 2 – the Right Strike to the Head, then Left Strike to the Body.

You slide your left foot slightly back into cat stance.  Your left arm reaches slightly out as you do this (the left palm open and facing your centerline, the right hand lightly forming a fist touching the inside of the left wrist.

Your left arm then circles up and starts to come back towards you as it intersects the opponent’s right punch. The right wrist touching your left wrist is used to create an effortless (because of your alignment and initial knee release dropping your center) wedge block sliding their strike away from you.

As you have released your knees, you then rotate your torso to the right. The opponent’s second strike is a lower one to your body.  Here you rotate your right fist palm up and slice your back knuckles across their striking forearm as you chamber the hand (with your left hand on top). This is a very painful strike into their arm.

Your left arm then reaches out and you wedge their left arm away from you. 

Your right foot slides over and your right hand strikes out, perhaps into their neck. In this case you’re using the chambering technique to slice into their arm quickly.

I rather like these last two techniques; with training they can be delivered effortlessly because of alignment and quickly for an interior line of defense against boxing style strikes.  

Also notice the maximizing effect the knee release as force multiplier continues to have on this effort.

I find the further I go in my application analysis; every class is a new notebook of discovery.

Perhaps this will give you something to work on, some new principles to consider, or inspiration how even the smallest of techniques can be considered to work their way into your arsenal.

While these techniques are expanded, they are still using the economy of motion of the original kata execution, and merging the original execution with the expanded movement, can be another style of force multiplier, too.