Overall
over the years I have developed a deeper understanding of breathing in karate.
There are a number of separate issues here.
1.Breathing
to control the speed of kata training intra technique series. (an example might
be the use of inhalation for this)
2.Breathing
to control the speed of kata training inter technique series. (an example might
be the use of exhalation for this)
3.The
use of variation on these themes for varied training purposes, (one example
might be the use of exhalation on some series of techniques because they work
more effectively when adhering to the opponents center) (another might the
reverse).
4.Utilization
of hard breathing patterns in Sanchin training. The use of it within Seiunchin
kata practice could be the same, to assist compressing the center into the body
movement.
5.Use
of set breathing patterns in kyu development. To do so is to get everyone on
the same page so to speak, when the primary purpose is overall physical
development of the kyu. This would be accompanied with the use of group kata
training, where everyone focuses on audible breathing to regulate the timing of
the group.
6.Training
the hearing to recognize the opponents breathing, then to use that for an
opening to exploit.
7.Training
on reverse breathing to confuse the opponent hearing your pattern. Example
would be to strike on inhalation. When they are used to strikes done on
exhalation. For example there are tai chi systems of study that use reverse
breathing in their training. But then they are constant in that use. Rather
this is at a specific time in training the breathing pattern of the adept is
specifically changed permanently.
This
is but a partial list of the topics that present themselves. No they are all
not presented at the same time. Each has a use in the adept training, over the
decades.
One
of the more interesting things I have learned was in 1980. Tristan
Sutrisno was describing what his father did when asked for a
demonstration/clinic in Indonesia. (Of course this was also in days
before their were phone cameras, internet, You Tube and all the rest of
today's tricks.
As he had trained long ago in Japan, everyone
always wanted something special. So what his father did was always share
advanced techniques in his arts, and do so fully. But only for the
clinic.
The truth is, outside of specific training for a very
long time, individuals would not be able to retain what was shown for
more than a day. In other words good enough for short term memory, but
not transferable to long term memory.
His father referred to such sharing's as ‘Technique of No Technique’. And if someone had the presence to retain and learn what was shown, then they deserved that knowledge.
It was not how Tris shared with me.
I have experienced this concept in a variety of different ways.
Many
years later Tris was in Derry to present a clinic on 3rd and 4th level
bunkai in his art. Not knowing my students well, and there were
outsiders present too. He shared each of the movements 2 times, and then
proceeded to go from person to person and correct/adjust whatever they
were doing, even if it was not what he had shown. Really he was sharing this for me, but for everyone else, it was a lesson in technique of no technique (I also happen to have it on videotape)
What he was doing for each of them was good stuff, but not what he was demonstrating.
He was not committed in seeing they got what he was showing. But he made it a worthwhile sharing.
Years later a friend, brought Danny Insanto in for 2 days of clinics at his school, covering a wide range of topics.
I
attended the afternoon clinic on empty hand knife self defense. Mainly
because I wanted to see Insanto in person. For the two hours he switched
techniques about every 3 minutes. No one could retain what was shown.
It was more a review,from those from Princeton where he had a school. I
understood what was going on because I had read his book on Philippine
Arts. I was not there to retain what I saw. He did extremely impressive
movements taking away knives from his attackers. So this was also technique of no technique. I wonder if anyone there became an instant instructor of what they saw.
On
meeting Sherman Harrill, the first time in New Hampshire, it also
became technique of no technique. But from a different purpose. Sherman
packed so much detail, because he lived Isshinryu that way. It was your
business to get it. I was impressed. And as I had to go to a conference
in Reno the next day, during the flight there, I documented 25
techniques that he had shown. I was content, as they were all good
techniques. And I did work on them. A year later I was going to host a
clinic with Sherman alongside Garry Gerossie, who was his student here in NH. Garry then shared a video of that clinic with me. There were over 160 applications covered and I had only gotten 25. It made me aware of what I didn’t recall.
It was a version of Technique of No Technique.
It forced me to pay greater and greater detail at what was being shown.
Sherman used to explain that was a normal response the first time
someone trained with him. Then they would get up to speed and learn more
in subsequent sessions. Now it was not intentional, and should drive
you to learn more in the future.
These are a few views of the conceptTechnique of No Technique.
Everything goes in cycles, especially at the more advanced levels.
Right now I’m teaching/correcting Kusanku kata and Kusanku Sai. Kusanku being one of the most common Okinawa senior forms. Focusing on a high level of technique and body awareness in the kata. I thought it would be interesting to pull some Kusanku material together as well as a rather complete kata video reference library.
As I follow karate discussions around the world on the nets I’m struck by how often karate-ka focus on beginning kata and not the lessons in the advanced kata, including Kusanku. If these older kata were complied each by one instructor, the application lessons they contain are priceless, and Kusanku with it’s wealth of techniques must surely lead the way.
Kusanku presents an particular challenge for the brown belt, they first really come to grips with the responsibility of ISSHIN and ZANCHIN at the same time.Isshin defined as focused awareness where Zanchin is defined as universal awareness. Isshin being the need to perfect each technique, each movement, each body alignment where Zanchin is focusing on the next move and the entire kata.
Most students quickly are awed by the form and are focusing on the Zanchin, to get through it, and often leaving Isshin on the technique lost in the fog. This is a direct result of the length of the form and the variety of techniques.
Yet the true value from Kusanku comes with maturity, finding both the Isshin and Zanchin merged together, where nothing is lost and each find each other.
And of course it can be found in a spit second or lost in the same passage of time.
I wish you all could come to visit, I would really like to show some video of Tristan Sutrisno’s flow through hard attacks, he hardly moves and students are bodies in transition. His movement defines it better than anything I’ve seen or experienced, and that covers a bit.
Charlie Murray in kumite, Harrill Sensei and Kerker Sensei also possess it, and Mr. Lewis’ bo kata the same.
Around 2010 when Dr. Harper diagnosed me as having Diabetes type 2, I started changing my diet and began taking walks each day. Of course I started with short walks and then gradually progressed to 2 mile walks. I continued this ever since.
Fighting through Colon Cancer surgery I continued daily walks.
When my disabilities began to manifest themselves around 2012, within months they became more pronounced. Eventually I fell and began using a walker.
My walker April 2016
Then around 2020, having worn out 3 walkers I upgraded to a stronger one out of necessity. I use this one to this day when I take my walks.
I have long ago realized so much of what I did was no longer possible. The Isshinryu Karate and YangTai Chi Chaun I loved were gone. I then spent years reworking what I had learned to become another possible answer for just me.
From the time I began my Tai Chi Chaun study with Ernest Rothrock it became a long lifetime study of what was possible, so many lessons to keep learning as that art became a fuller portion of my life. When my disabilities manifested and my Tai Chi practice was no longer possible, I spent a year reworking my practice into a version that was now what was possible. It was only 1/6 of my original study, yet touching only a piece of my studies was still touching everything Tai Chi was.
Of course it was not the same however, it was the closest I can do.
Recently I realized that my modified form was still tai chi for me. Then I realized a different way to touch my tai chi.
It was I could use part of my daily walks to touch my tai chi too.
One of my initial studies included tai chi stepping, the manner of stepping while doing my Tai Chi Chaun. Then when walking I could work on my tai chi breathing. Slowly inhaling then exhaling to a 6 count. Finally I would touch the handles of my walker lightly using my tai chi hand formation, as from my Wu Tai Chaunstudies.
Strange as it seems by doing those things, tc stepping, tc breathing and tc hand formation I then discovered I felt as if I am touching my tai chi practice. I am not teaching this, it is just for myself.
To Sleep Perchance to Dream
I regularly dream when I sleep at night. At times various martial topics I have written on are part of those dreams.
Last night A new dream came to me. Someone (nameless) was teaching me several new stick defensive uses. One's I had never seen before. Suddenly I awoke (about 2 am) trying to capture them in my memories. I only was able to retain 2 of them.
1. Someone grabs my wrist and pulls me towards them. I step in and rotate my waist counter-clockwise. As I do so I quickly drop my elbow down, immediately rolling my forearm down then continuing up and behind the attacker pulling arm, As my stick was up my right sleeve I dropped it down into my hand. Then grasping my stick, I raised it and then smashed it down over their forehead.
2. Someone kicks at me with their right front kick. I drop my stick from my sleeve, grasp my stick in my right hand and raise the stick up. As the kick comes in I smash my stick own across his foreleg, then allow the stick to slide up over his let to drive it into his lower left abdomen of my attacker.
While working to retain these few techniques I began to recognize these techniques as being found in our Bando form "the Hidden Stick". After years working the form these applications were never used by me. All from a dream.
Now retired and living in Sun City West, Arizona, my disabilities remain. So daily I take walks in the early morning and early evening. When on those walks I take many photos showing how life is continually changing.
I have selected several of the more interesting ones from those thousands of photos I have taken this year. Are they the best, I really do not know, but at this time they captured my eye.
Secret Grandmaster Charles – missing for a long time Victor – Messed up hand from a fall Mike – Broken foot from a trip (though the ground work you were leading on Thursday night makes me think you’re keeping a little in the cellar if needed.) Young – Concussion from a car accident Paul T – Elbow replacement surgery
That would have almost put
Victor Michael in charge but luckily Tommy Chan dropped by today and the unwritten bylaws can accept the mantle of temporary Reigning Master.
And it’s not even spring when the gentle sound of chainsaws begins cutting up the fallen trash in my yard for years………….
Shimabuku Tatsuo trained with Motobu Choki among his other instructors.
The following clips are from the Tsunami produced video of his history, his son (Motobu Chosei) presenting the Naifanchi I and II kata, and the self defense techniques from Motobu’s books from the 20’s and 30’s. (He really wasn’t trained by his father as much as by his father’s student(s)).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjJ_Xhedayo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_WjZBtfPUE
Motobu Chokei only did a few kata in his art, the Naifanchi and the Patsai kata among them.
Harrill Sensei noticed that the self defense applications in one of Motobu’s early books was from Patsai and the same section was in Isshinryu’s SunNuSu kata (where you turn into a kamae with both hands raised and then twist the hands down and right side kick).
Among the interesting things in Motobu’s book he specifically called out our style of Naifanchi stance (toes pointed inward) as being too weak…….
On the other hand the Japanese video of Motobu’s son shows them practicing Naifanchi Shodan (our Nihanchi) at times starting stepping to the right (as do most Okinawan styles) and at times starting stepping to the left (as in Isshinryu), apparently favoring neither version as the one way.
Motobu Group Class Naifanchi start to left https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR5RStGWKDQ
Videos of The karate of Choki Motobu
Budo Karate Do Part 1 Budo Karate Do Part 2 Budo Karate Do Part 3 Budo Karate Do Part 4 Budo Karate Do Part 5
(Alas, these you tube videos are no longer there, and when my PC crashed those files were unrecoverable)
Note all video’s don’t hang on the internet forever.
Tom Chan dropped by today, a pleasant occasion.
We were watching some Sherman Harill and John Kerker video together after class.
Chatting with him it brought up many memories. Sherman would always say if push came to shove he’d likely just haul off and hit them (as opposed to his multitude of applications (never fully believe that), but after spending a few minutes with John Kerker these past few years I do believe that is what Sherman would do, but in his case the punch is his most advanced technique.
Reflecting on my time training with Sherman and John I came to understand those words a bit.
Through extensive makiwara practice, subtle targeting normally using the ridge of knuckles as the striking point, decades of working on moving into an attackers space to counter, and striking the precise pressure point with his punch (which Sherman defined as a circle starting at the top of the head and extending to the soles of the feet), which wasn’t a joke.
I have no doubt Sherman (and of course John among others) hit so hard that a strike anywhere can drop one. Sherman’s answer was a simple quick reply and of course his ultimate truth.
We all are in different circumstances, have different free time, etc. to work with. But working on our tools, the harder and stronger they become, the more options the present.
FYI, Sherman also explained to me that the full monty wasn’t mandatory. All were introduced to the makiwara, but if they couldn’t/didn’t pursue that their training continued, but at an appropriate level for their training time.
The only time I had access to a proper makiwara was when training in Tang Soo Do in Scranton for 2 years. I always worked it before and after class and in turn I think that time helped develop my striking power for the rest of my life. Not a full answer but we do/did what we can/could. Correct knuckle pushups is also a useful too.
Reminder:
You all know in the brief time we have to train together I follow the Tris Sutrisno answer and only concentrate on karate. The adult program doesn’t use time for warmup. That means each of you are responsible to be warmed up when class begins, or begin practice gradually and let your karate warm you up for harder practice as the class passes.
This morning I covered a range of warm up drills I use (mostly from my tai chi studies) to loosen the body (especially the lower body) in a gradual way but still leaving you loose and ready to move when finished. They’re not just lower body skills, some use the entire body in a twisting motion to supplement the rest.
BTW. Some of them can be done gradually in real life to prepare one to move too.
If you need assistance on stretching for your training needs check with me about it.
You all know I really enjoy my tai chi practice. You might find the following clip interesting, it shows how tai chi technique works and counters, and counters counters.
Some things to think about… it’s always about more than just watching
Today’s kata focus was Seiunchin. Don’s learning it (and I’m using the exact version Mr. Lewis taught us for demonstration in 1975, of course that means someday I’m going to have to bring in a player so he can do it to the Hustle as we did then. This was the song I learned to do Seiunchin under Tom Lewis, believe it or not.
Do the Hustle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3kE0rvAJhM
BTW that may have been us doing Seiunchin on that video to come and think about it! LOL
Speaking of Seiunchin, check out Seiyunchin by Chogi Kishaba
I’ve been the beginner learning my right foot from my left. I’ve been the student learning the tools of my craft. I’ve been the practitioner increasing the scope of my skills. I’ve been the adept taking responsibility for the breadth of my art.
I’ve been the instructor. I guide the beginner. I focus the student. I encourage the practitioner. I explore with the adept. I draw out the instructor.
My vision is without bounds. My abilities are less. History but one tool in my arsenal. My studies have been vast, but my grasp of the circle is small. I’ve found friendship and betrayal, joy and sorrow and loneliness. And the utter certainty that I cannot pass my entire vision along. None can walk my way, and their efforts are driven by their own needs. Especially as I cannot take their freedom but can point the way.
I remain the beginner as my body must be faced anew each day. I remain the student learning the tools of my craft. I remain the practitioner seeking to increase the scope of my skills . I remain the adept trying to hold the sea in my arms. I am the instructor. I am senior.
Perhaps I’ll be like Prufrock. “I grow Old, I grow Old, Shall I wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled?”
The relationship between karate and Ryukyuan classical dance (ryūkyū buyō) has been often mentioned in the books of karate. In the era of the Ryukyu Kingdom, there was actually a genre called mēkata that was a blend of karate and Ryukyuan classical dance. It seems that Uehara sensei also saw Motobu Choyu sensei's mēkata (Aji-kata no mēkata). Unfortunately, it seems that very few karate researchers are interest in mēkata, but mēkata is very important for the solution of the history of karate.
Back in 1987-1988 I worked on a project of my own design. While not the way I had trained, in the magazines I read about systems that used to have brown belts write papers about their karate, and of systems requiring their students to maintain extensive note books.
As I thought about I came up with an amended design that I intended to use in my own program.
Not having my brown belts write papers. As far as I was concerned karate was experienced on the floor via correct training.
But I thought I might be useful to create a series of manuals for my students to use as they advanced. Not to hand them out as they were learning the various belt standards. Rather to hand to them when they advanced to newer more difficult challenges. Then to be serious reference of what they had studied, to try and better allow them to retain their studies.
So I created a very extensive series of manuals covering White, Yellow, Blue, Green and Brown Belt studies.They went into detail of everything they had studies. So they would be something to assist them when preparing for Black Belt initiation and beyond. Showing them how they might document their studies in the future to better understand what they kept learning.
So I worked them all up. Then came to the realization that while that might have been useful for me, it was not best those students who were advancing. Their material was correctly taught, and of course those lessons repeated as necessary from then on. But the thing they needed was the understanding they really were responsible for all of it. No one thing was more important than everything.
I just ran across my sole copy of those documents, along with monthly newsletters that I distribute each month.
The newsletters were another attempt to share more ‘knowledge’ about Isshinryu But there I also realized that knowledge that was not being taught in class, became vaporware for students. I was not teaching an academic Isshinryu after all.
But I retained what I wrote. It gives me a context how my program did and did not change as time passed. And brings other things to mind, supplemental drills, that were set aside as time passed. Often for other reasons, always to create a stronger program for my students.
One of my successes were these Advanced Drills I created.
Advanced Upper and Lower Body Combinations
1. High Block, Middle Block, Low Block – Reverse Punch
2. Cross Block, Front Kick, Side Block, Reverse Punch – Cross Block
3. Low Block, High Block, Shuto, Front Kick – Back fist
4. High ‘X’ Block, Augmented Block, Side Hammer fist – Reverse Punch
5. Low ‘X’ Block, High ‘X’ Block, Side Hammer fist – Reverse Punch
6. Low Block, High Block, Low ’X’ Block, Side Block, Side Block – Front Kick.
7. Back fist, Elbow Strike, Low Block – Hook Punch
8. Crescent Kick, Low Block, Side Block, High Block to Side, Low Block – Side Block
9. Side Hammerfist – Hook Punch
10. Cross Block, Parry, Grab, Elbow Strike – Back fist
A few years ago some friends from FightingArts.com came to visit me at my fathers. We swapped a few ideas. They took the photo of me and George Scott and photo shopped it to this form. Although I no longer resemble this, I feel this way every Christmas. Have a Merry One!
Monday, May 16, 2022 The day a group from Fighting Arts.com came to visit me at my fathers house in Red Lion, Pa.
If you really are in the study of Isshinryu you find gem’s of understanding in many arts that will help your journey.
Allow me to present an analytical study of one Siliat series because: It’s a neat two person exercise – nothing wrong with enjoying your study.
Looking into the underlying principles yields understanding that helps in other places of our study.
The entire drill is an exercise in Wansu application.
The technique is Danny Inosanto presenting one Siliat technique application study on youtube.
Dan Inosanto Serak Silat 2:03
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HrfkvPr4UU&t=11s
It definitely not Wansu but incorporates similar principles if you use your mind to see them.
(note I often download the .flv file from youtube to save and use in future analysis and reference)
Next I have developed my own descriptive shorthand to describe two person interaction. It is never exactly the same as what is done on the floor, but it helps break the series into pieces making analysis easier.
The following is how I first describe how Danny Inosanto is working the technique series.
1. Attacker uses right low roundhouse
1.a. Defender raises left leg to parry kick (note how both arms are extended in front of the Defender)
2. Attacker returns right foot to ground and strikes with the right hand
2.a. Defender presses across the Attackers punch with both arms and counter right knee strikes into their abdomen
3. Attacker strikes with their left hand
3.a. Defender just presses both hand into the inside of the Attacker’s strike to deflect it 3.b. Then the Defenders right arm circles the attacker down (clockwise) to be followed with a right strike to the Attackers head – they shy from that strike. 3.c. Next the Defender’s left hand grabs the Attacker’s arm and the Defender’s right arm pulls back from the punch as he shifts slightly to the rear. This drags the Defender forward destroying their center and balance. 3.d. The Defender concludes by using their right arm to circle behind the Attacker’s head and rotate them down to the ground, following them down for effect.
So we have three main attack sequences and three sets of defensive counters taking place at close range inside an attack.
Analysis of Underlying Principles (in no particular order).
Keeping the arms out in front begins a protective barrier against attack. This resembles the kamae in Wansu kata. Right punch or left punch the arms are just inserted into the attack to deflect it (interior and exterior line of defense).
The close order defense against a low round kick is raising the lead foot into a rising knee strike that parries that kick. At that distance it is the quickest response Directly from Wansu’s closing sections. Yes Wansu then turns that response into a kick, by using a fractal (or piece) the original movement you are actualizing other potentials.
Deeper analysis of replacing the foot after an attack. While not over emphasized in the sequence practice, to counter what may have been an incomplete attack, the quicker you can return the foot to the ground you can use that returning bounce to strike out harder. Offensively you can see how the counter attack comes from the bounce of the return foot. But defense is the other side of the offensive use. The video shows the knee strike scoring, but if they had slightly shifted their center that following left is better countered by quickly returning the right knee strike leg to the ground to allow you to enter their attack with your kamae in force.
Insight into countering a counter.
If the right punch is countered with the kamae, an immediate right chambering and left striking are a counter for that kamae.
If the knee strike is to be countered, using the left chamber right strike can insert into the knee strike attack to counter it.
All correctly structured two person sequences are always showing the attack, the counter and the counter to the counter. We most frequently see one and two, but can readily miss three is there too.
Point 4.c. above shows the problem with drawing obvious lines what is and isn’t an attack. Breaking this series into 3 sequences (useful of course) doesn’t necessarily imply those techniques stop and start by what you first observe. Only a slight shift in practice and it is an entirely different drill. To fully understand it you need to take those next steps at some point in practice.
Both sides of the drill are performing important studies. A correctly structured two person drill has both partners working on important studies.
More telling is the relationship between using this sequence to counter a knee strike with a punch to that showed by Harrill Sensei to counter a two hand press countering your Wansu knee strike and then driving that foot to the ground as your sequence closing punch strikes down into their lower abdomen, in towards their bladder. Each case a study of counter to the counter.
Martial publications have certain characteristics (in no particular order):
1. Most of them are one time vanity productions, Designed to fill a need, and make an immediate profit for the producer. Not to be sold on a continuing basis.
2. Anything once in print becomes ‘truth’ liable to be repeated over and over in future authors works, And having been in print becomes a useful footnote.
3. There is little verifiable martial history that is published in most books. That does not mean the oral history is wrong, just unverifiable.
4. And reality is that there are multiple histories based on differing viewpoints which have become realities for those students.
Working out which details are’ truth’ becomes a very complicated endeavor.
Take one real event in time, the Battle of Gettysburg from the American Civil War.
Literally thousands of books have been published to explain what occurred on those 3 days, and many more books are to be published in the future, for sure.
If one 3 day period generates so much publication, why would you believe any martial system would be less complicated to understand.
Not suggesting it should not be done,
Just there will be other points of view no matter what effort is made.
I learned Nijushiho (the 24 steps) when Tris taught it at the first
Bushi No Te Summer Camp at an instructors clinic. That was back in 1981.I did not learn its history, etc. Of course I
remembered the form, even once competing with it in 1984 for fun. That camp
experience was all the instruction I received.
Then
in 1988 I was thinking of including one of Tris’ forms in my student curricula,
thinking I would teach Bassai Dai. Tris was up for a clinic and to attend a
tournament over at Richie Beernard's and I asked him about my idea, however he thought I
should teach Nijushiho an then proceeded to teach the form and its bunkai the
next day for a clinic.
Note
I did video the entire clinic (viewing that video series one time, then setting
it aside).
During
the clinic I did not pay much attention to how he taught, instead working with
everyone to help them learn the form. I spent more time on the applications.
The
next week when I saw everyone practicing I noticed some technique sequences
were a bit differentfrom what I did,
and I worked to correct them, figuring out some memories were incorrect. And
the version we did was what I was originally taught.
Never
really went forward exploring his bunkai, probably because I was getting into
my own bunkai paradigm at that time.
Those
videos were VHS decades later I copied them onto CD’s and finally saved them on
YouTube.
One
day 20 years after the clinic I actually viewedthose videos and I discovered the Nijushiho kata Tris taught then was
not the version I was showed at that summer camp.
What I believed Tris showed at the clinic was his source Nijushiho
Kata that he would teach to his students. And then the version I learned was
the bunkai version of Nijushiho kata. An amended version, for I had learned
that when black belts study the bunkai of a kata, they get an amended version
of that kata to mnemonically help them for their studies. That version was to
remain secret for them alone. I believe, helped by too much drinking, that he
taught the bunkai version at that summer camp. Not believing anyone would
remember it. Of course we know I did and practiced it for a decade too.
After
I saw what the video showed I know I sharedthat information with you, your decision what to teach going forward.
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