2/13/2014 Notes from a Saturday morning class Naifanchi-Chinto

Morning,


Once again snow.


For our last youth class I focused on the upper body chart, very important to review to be sure all are on the same execution page. I also focused on a few uses for the techniques, then Young took over with kicking drills. Also some kata review.


Tuesday night I focused on two kata, Naifanchi and Chinto, as the first builds skills for the 2nd.

 

Naifanchi utilizes the mid torso to shift between the hammerfist and strikes. This mid body motion also strengthens this region of the body for Chinto’s turn. Additionally the tightening of the hand as it chambers in Naifanchi allows for  faster hammerfist strikes. A small detail when tightening the chambered fist increases the bodies alignment.


In Chinto the speed  of the turn can increase when you tighten the two fists as you spin, the same principle.


 

Young Lee was giving you great advice on Seiuchin stance during Seiuchin kata and Chinto kata. You need to pay attention to that detail too.

Chinto is said to represent a fight on a narrow bridge or path. Often it is done between two bo on laid the floor to represent that circumstance. Then you can judge the performance to make sure you don’t fall off the cemterline/bridge.


Far from symbolic, there is a definite reason for this. When I taught in Scranton for two month in the summer’s the Boy’s Club was closed. Then I taught the student’s at McDade Park outside of Scranton. This allowed many things, such as doing karate/kata on a steep hillside. We also did Chinto on a small bridge over a culvert. Even a times blindfolded. The purpose was to stay centered on the bridge centerline.


Likewise up here in Derry, we used to hold adult classes in the summer in my yard. Using the same principle the student’s used to do Chinto on the narrow path, between the forsythia  bushes on either side of the path, leading to the fenced in area near my house. Again the purpose was to stay as near the centerline as possible.


To do this you have to adjust your stances continually, and for one section of the kata you still go off the certerline. But the next row it does return.


While seeming inconsequential there is a reason, the first being the story. If you are on that bridge, you are shifting continually to the centerline to not allow your opponent to force you off the bridge, or the path. Makes a good story and a reasonable principle.


But for me there is a clearer purpose, when you are more advanced the continual shifting/turning of Chinto can be studied in the use of it’s turns themselves as another tool to drop the opponent.


As a general statement, you all require more practice and practice.

Our Chinto and the Goju Sepai kata are complementary kata studies. Both are turning and those turning movements can be used for defensive weapons. This study does not happen until your turning is very skilled.


This is why I stress Chinto so much.


We also worked on using the hooking punches as thumb strikes. The double hooking strikes in Chinto. I also commented some doing Wansu use hooking strikes instead of straight strikes in the one section of the form. The thumb strikes can be done with the thumb knuckle or with the  hand turned in and striking with the index finger big knuckle while simultaneously striking with the thumb knuckle, a double striking surface.


Then you trained on the Bando Horseman’s staff form.  The staff forms Bando origins reflect more Chinese roots. Where you are working the entire length of the staff, all 3/3’s of it. Interesting along side of our traditional Isshinryu Bo techniques in the other kata, the Bando strikes pick up most of the other Okinawan bo techniques in their forms thus are an incredible compliment to our forms.


There was a lot going on.




https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2023/12/chinto-nihanchi-tai-chi-chaun-and-koshi.html


https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2016/07/naifanchi-nihanchi-naihanchi-and-all_11.html