Lessons along the way on the T’ai Chi Palm

I am far from an expert but I have experienced a few things about the formation of the t’ai chi palm. Remember there are likely thousands of different versions of t’ai chi forms over the years. But this came about from my journey.

  

I began my study of the Yang Long Fist T’ai Chi Chaun form starting in 1979. I had weekly lessons that lasted for two years. I learnt the form, a short version of his t’ai chi sword form, pushing hands and a bit more.

Then my lessons concluded but not my study or practiced. That continued for evermore.

 

These are a few screen shots of the form I studied with Ernest.

In time he moved to Pittsburgh and our time to train in t’ai chi grew less frequent.

 

 

One day were attending a clinic at a friends school and he and I did the first 3 sections of the form together, We had not practiced together for many years but our forms were very close, of course his was much better.

 

 

A few years later I even competed, for fun, with a short version of the form he and I crafted.

 

 

One day after 15 years, at a summer camp both he and I were doing presentations at, he took me out alone to a field and had me perform my form. He almost as I began stopped me, and gave dozens of corrections. I felt very inadequate. However he then explained what I was doing wrong, the core issue. And in turn explained why I needed better energy point alignment. Something his instructor also did to him also after 15 years of work.

 

That had a profound issue for me, for I saw why change occurred and more importantly a template to correct it. I realized it equally applied for any technique, t’ai chi, karate I was familiar with and karate I was not familiar with. What you neede to do is exactly what you were originally shown, but now you could show why that was necessary.

 

That became a whole other issue.

 

Around 1999 I began my own small tai chi class. Finding out so much more about my practice while I was teaching it.

 

Sometime later I ran across an article in Inside Tai Chi magazine where the instructor described a different hand formation for the palm than I had been shown. In it the outer two fingers were kept more straight and the inner two fingers were bent forming the palm.

 

I do not have the article but I have taken these two photos to try and describe it, Of course these photos to not do the idea justice.

 

 

This is another thing I worked on at times.

 

I discovered the palm felt different, perhaps more alive would be a more accurate description.

 

Many more years passed, at urging of his Eagle Claw instructor, Shum Leung, Ernie got into the Wu system and grew quite skilled.

 

The day came when on a visit to New Hampshire he decided I should learn the Wu Slow Form, the Teaching Form. In essence the form is more akin to the Yang Form. The difference to the Wu Fast Form where the movement are done smaller and more compressed (Just my opinion).

 

I am likely not describing it correctly as I am nothing like an expert.

 

So Ernie started to give me the 5 lessons, As I already knew the Yang version format and had a copy of Shum’s book on the form, he knowing how I remembered things, felt I could give it a go.

 

And that first lesson also proved painful. Holding the Play Guitar section one again meant one strand of muscle in my Quadriceps would be pulled.

 

Over the next few years he covered the rest of the form, and it was 5 lessons.

 

Never filmed the form, here is a photo of the form palm from the internet.

 

After so many years my T’ai Chi group moved on and again I was practicing Sundays on my driveway alone. I kept up the practice.

One discovery is that the Wu palm formation had an impact of my Yang Palm too. It made me feel it was more correct.  Words are inadequate to describe what I was feeling.

 

Eventually I set aside the Wu form .I began to realize I had no need of two forms. I had been doing the Yang form longer, and it was sufficient for my own practice.

 

Of course life throws you curve balls. My onset of my various disabilits left me weaker and far less balance. I literally could not do the stepping required by my Yang form.

 

It took me a year and I worked out a way to replace the stepping with a form of swaying.

 

And these days I still work at my form, or a piece of it.

 

I also work on my palm formations keeping finding my discoveries still hold water.

 

I only have what I have experienced, hoping one day to understand more.

 

What you can accomplish

Coming from Isshinryu when I began studying with Ernest Rothrock, in tai chi and other studies, I found myself in the middle of many lengthy form studies. I hadn’t accepter I could not do them, and I did. 

 

The first year with him one day I was invited to an in house seminar for his students. While he was teaching the Pai Lum system, but once a year he would share a form for them from another system. This time it was a Northern Mantis form.  The form was lengthy and challenging for me, what I did to transfer the form to long term memory, was to find someone who was having difficulty getting it and assist them throughout the clinic. Thus learning was enhanced by sharing too.

 

This is a one of his students doing an advanced execution of that form

  

Now Rothrock Laoshi was not teaching it in his classes. So on Saturdays when I engaged in free time with his senior students, it was one of the forms we did do. I was moderately successful learning it. 15 years later I used it for a forms competition.

Another time I attended the Bando Summer camp, because my original instructor was friends with them. I struck up a friendship with one of the instructors. Hearing I was interested in the form, because one of my seniors had learnt it at a previous summer camp. On Sunday morning he gave me two of his brown belts and told them to teach it to me. 

Driving home 4 hours after the clinic, I kept going through the form as I drove.  When I got home the first thing I did was go through it on the street outside of my home. A decade later I taught it to my students beginning at Brown Belt Level, and continue to do so 30 years later.

  

This is my student doing that form. 

 

What you can do depends on how motivated you are.

 

No you cannot get everything. But you can but do your best, never starting with restrictions on how much you can do. Then practice, practice, practice.

Karate and the question of Super Heroes.

 

When you begin it is if you are taken to a gigantic ladder, given a white belt and begin to climb.

 

The belt shows you where you are on that ladder.

 

Then when you climb higher, you reach rungs where you get different belts. Purple, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Green, Brown and finally you are ready to test for a youth black belt. And there are three levels to that.

 

All of those belts are not rewards, but indicators that you are ready for new challenges. For my youth classes on the average of that journey takes 7 to 9 years.  You can see some of those members who have already spent years in this class. Along that journey your body changes, and you have developed many skills.

 

The journey is the same as for the adult members, but because they have more control of their time, and are not in school,  For my adult classes the average of that journey takes 4 to 5 years.

Which is more important, and because many of you are in other sports too, the journey takes longer. The ranking system used for the adults cover the same steps, but the at a different pace.

 

Reaching Black Belt (of any category – youth or adult) does not mean you are a fighter, or supposed to fight with people. Rather it indicates that you are now a beginner. The ladder stretches far into the sky, How long a black belt will climb depends on what the black belt themselves need from the training..They have earned the right to make that decision on their own, but if asked I would assist them.

 

Adult black belts are new black belts, learning how to begin to use the skills they have developed. Black belts then may be training for their own purposes, or they may be training to contribute to the art, of they might begin training to eventually become instructors after say 20 years of training, as well as for many other reasons. As an example I have been training over 40 years, and still have more to learn, I told you that ladder stretches a long way up and still higher.

 

Karate is not a comic book training. The goal to be able to defend yourself is complex, and takes a long time.

 

On the other hand those who are black belts are Super Heroes. Each one here is my Super Hero for sharing in the training. Assisting me, even becoming the instructor

Seiunchin Kata an Investigation

 

First, I anticipate no change to our Seuchchin kata, however I am personally interested in how our version differentiates from many Isshinryu performances.

 

It was early in 1975 when I learned the form and simultaneously was trained with a yellow belt demonstration team in the form by Mr. Lewis. It was perhaps the only form he taught us individually. We were aware that many variations of the Isshinryu kata were taught by the varied seniors, not that any one version was correct, We were taught all of them were correct and what was valued most was the strongest performance of what you were shown.

 

The Seiunchin I was taught was a blend of slow and tension, versus fast yet hard strikes. As a team Mr. Lewis drilled us in this form, and it was done to the music of “ the Hustle”. To this day I hear this when I train the form.

 

Later I moved to Scranton and had to train in Tang So Do as that was all that was available there. A year later I returned to Salisbury when I had a vacation. Having to continue to practice my Isshinryu I focused on learning Chinto kata. That Labor Day I received a call from Charles Murray and shortly thereafter we began training together.

 

As I had kata, mostly from the Salisbury dojo  through Chinto,  Charles was content to allow me to continue the versions I had and from Kusanku onward learn his versions. I realized he was using different versions from me, but as we were training together I didn’t focus on his variations but worked on what I had. When the time came for my Black Belt examination I did Seiunchin as I was originally shown.

 

I kept to that standard when I began teaching in 1979 in Scranton. Also I continued to have the kids use Seiunchin as a team drill.  I continued the same after moving to Derry in 1985.

 

Around 1990, after training youth for over 10 years I made several small changes, the first in the execution of the archers block, to a stronger variation from my studies in application. Also the youth didn’t use the Uppercut, Backfist, Low blocks sections strong enough for me, so I added a reverse punch before the low strike to make that strike stronger, but that is all I did. The longer we taught it that way the stronger I was satisfied with  that way.

 

This is Young Lee performing Seiunchin the way I first learned the form.

Here are Victor Michael and I performing  the newer version.

And in contrast the version done by Charles Murray in early 1990 filmed in West Germany has Charles performing Seiunchin .

The next Seiunchin event was the last time I saw Sherman Harrill, at Cherster Houlbacki’s clinic with Sherman, I asked him about the  hard and tense slow breathing during Seiunchin on Okinawa, as many in Isshinryu don’t use it. He replied something likc this. “On Okinawa the kata was not performed with hard, slow breathing. He thought that came about where the instructors were emphasizing breathing for those training by being louder so each person in the class could hear it.” Of course this made me wonder where Sensei came up with this version.

 

 

Perhaps this would be an appropriate time to look at the 1966 Seiuchin of Shimabuku Tatsuo

Then here is the Uezu Angi version starting at 1 ;20 on.

Sherman Harrill is here with his version from 1:19 to 2:08

 

Still after observing many Isshinryu variations, including one young man using crescent kicks in the kata, I didn’t question further.

 

 

Then about 2 years ago Charles found and copied some old movies from years ago including his time on Okinawa. Among the clips was this of Sensei performing Seiuchin Kata.

 This was NOT the way he taught me.

 

I’m not questioning the worth of this version, just the possible genesis.

 

Then I found this AJ Advincula performance. AJA Seiuchin with Chinkuchi   Remarkably close to what I was taught. The most (11-3-14) close to what I was taught.

 

A most recent post by AJA on Shimabuku training with Kyan goes further into this.

 

Arcenio Advincula

 

“Shimabuku Shinsho (Ciso) said, my father walked to train with Kyan Chotoku to Kadena (Yomitan). After training, he was tired and Kyan Chotoku told Tatsuo to just dip himself in the Hija river on his way home and perform Sanchin (Seisan). Na...kazato Joen and Tatsuo both taught Seisan kata with sanchin. Shorinji-ryu (Nakazato Joen) teach and use Seisan to check shime. Since we use the Goju-ryu Sanchin kata for shime, we as a rule do not use Seisan kata for shime. But both Nakazato Joen and Shimabuku Tatsuo taught seisan using sanchin techniques. I also asked Nakazato Joen if Kyan taught him to breath using the controlled breathing (ibuki breathing). Nakazato said yes. We in Isshin-ryu karate, as taught by Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei used a harder ibuki in Seisan, Seiunchin and Sanchin kata.”

According to Andy Sloane, he said ED Johnson and also Harold Mitchum said they did not learn to perform Isshin-ryu Seiunchin kata with tension. This is probly true as Ed Johnsonn was only on Okinawa about 13 months and Harold Mitchum was training with Kinjo Chinsaku who taught the Shorin-ryu kata without shime. We all did not learn the same.

For sure, Shorinji-ryu and Isshin-ryu have more in common then Seibukan which looks more like Japanese karate, Shotokan when they stand in the lower Zenkutsu-dachi (前屈立) forward stance.See More

 

Nakazato Joen Student checking shime. Seisan kata. This video clip was taken at the Okinawa World Pre-tournament 1997 The Okinawa Karate Kobudo World Pre-Tournament

And it makes this easier to understand, observe the student performance of Seiaan before Nakazato in the 2^nd clip on the page at http://shao.sakura.ne.jp/kata.htm .

          Seisan with Shime 

 

As I said I am not planning on making changes, just deciding how much of it applies to my Seiunchin Kata.

 

Arcenio Advincula

 

Isshin-ryu Seiunchin kata
Isshin-ryu Seiunchin kata power base comes from Chinkuchi (チンクチ). Often I hear that power comes from the use oof the hip but as we can see, there is very little use of the hip. Because of the use of Seiunchin dachi, look at the locking of the arms and joints.

The upper cut used in Seiunchin kata is one of the most devastating punches used as the power of the punch drives up. The reinforced punch and block along with this lower stable Seiunnchin dachi makes this one powerhouse kata.

 

The Ramen Girl

Currently showing on Tubi, I believe the movie “The Ramen Girl” comes closest to what I believe was taught for old time Okinawan karate. The movie is not about karate. It is about a young woman’s journey to become a traditional Ramen Chief.

 

Her journey is compounded by her life being a mess, and of course she does not really understand Japanese. There are many ways to interpret the movie, however to me it touches the essence of the old journey to understand what true karate should be.

 

Saturday, November 05, 2005

This was after the deaths of Johh Dinger (one of my black belt students) and Sherman Harrill. Most of my adult students re-examined their own lives made the determination that it was time to move on. Many of them had over 20 years with me at that time.

 So for a year as Young Lee was out of the area, the adult program was Mike Cassidy and I, it turned out to be most provocative to both of us.Then in time Young moved back in the area and several others returned and we acquired new members.

 

Up early and spent some time watching a video of Sherman Harrill. 

 

What struck me this morning was Sensei showing somebody on the side lines of the clinic how to apply a squat kick to the one leg with an immediate follow up side thrust to the other leg. The first kick buckling a knee and the second kick taking other leg dropping the opponent.

 

It made me think of the 1st level bunkai of Tris Sutrisno’s ‘Bassai Sho’, where a side thrust kick morphs into a low crescent kick followed by an immediate thrust kick, with almost identical application potential.

 

Some how watching this set a theme in me today, linking different training together.

 

Class Notes  with Mike Cassidy. 

 

[Note several of you may have met Mike while visiting my club. Mike is a Program Director at the Boys and Girls Club, has coached any number of successful basketball teams, even going to the New England Championship any number of times with his Senior High level team, and winning. His son 2 years ago won the National free throw championships for his age group. Mike also has become the youth program instructor for my program here, taking over last year. He does a pretty fair job in karate too.]

 

We began with SunNuSu kata. After several runs, Mike started leaving the gym, telling me he was getting hungry and had to go get some breakfast. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. After this weeks discussion I should have been expecting that. Guess Mike’s been following the list discussion. LOL

 

Anyhow we focused then on Chantan Yara No Sai, Chosen No Kama Sho and Dai, and tanto studies.

 

The application studies today were far ranging.

 

I was showing Mike how stacking chambering could be used the same way one of our Indonesian takedowns works.

 

-- Double Stacking Hands  --

 

Attacker grabbing with their right.

 

Defender stepping out to ‘block’ with their left, and then opening the blocking hand and sliding it down into a grab to pull back, as the right hand chambers directly on top of the forearm.  Normally this would be a very painful strike that would buckle their lead knee.

 

But instead of the hard strike, you use it as a light touch, or press that follows the left hand back into the chamber.

 

As you do that step forward with the right foot (slightly toe into the center line) as you’re pulling them forward.

 

Then your left foot steps counter clockwise to the rear of your right foot, turning you in at least 180 degrees in that direction as you maintain the double stack on the arm.

 

The attacker is drawn forward and they spin down.

 

Taking care to not smash the right into the arm, what happens the soft touch leads their balance forward as your left hand pulls back into chamber. This leading balance accompanied with the spin, literally spirals them down.

 

The Indonesian version of this uses a right knife hand instead of a right fist.

 

There’s a little more involved to make the finish of the takedown more effective, but words don’t do that justice.

 

We followed that with some basic Indonesian movement exercises, with very light stances and circular blocking. The second set of which uses the retreat with the grab as an arm breaking technique.

 

Unfortunately I didn’t know where to stop and we continued on in my Seisan Opening drills.

 

First we reviewed how the block/punch can be followed by the stepping motion for a take down (which I’ve detailed a few weeks ago), and how to work to accomplish this with flow and speed.

 

Then we began exploring how the block/punch can be followed by a chamber and punch into the armbar application potential.  We worked both my under and over method, as well as an Indonesian over and under method.

 

When Mike was working my version of this Seisan technique he hit it perfectly. A block-punch then flowing under and then over that arm to chamber and punch across the arm.  Mike did almost nothing and in return almost took my arm off (it’s still aching 14 hours later).  Yep there are no armbars in Isshinryu.  I shouldn’t be such a good instructor.

 

We finished with the simplicity of grab/lock attack defenses. Simply put when your hand/wrist/arm are touched, just chamber and blast out with the other hand. 100% release as they can’t establish the lock before you’re changing the shape of the bubble, and as they are lead to try and continue they’re moving right into the following punch.

 

This is both basic karate applied, the manner in which the Northern Eagle Claw principles show how to break the locks, and another example of leading the opponents mind. Because they’re trying to establish/maintain the lock, they move forward to try and keep the control, but they can’t shift that effectively (one hopes) and are then lead into the punch. 

 

Hopefully they don’t realize that they have an instant answer too. If that split second they realize they’re not in control, and they just release the lock, they’re also free to enter plan ‘B’. But by trying to establish a lock, they’re more often ready to be led.

 

Side note 1 – Almost technique at a time, I’ve been getting back into a tanto kata I stopped practicing about 6 or 7 years before, because I couldn’t control the knife during the continual knife shifts. I always thought it was an aging-arthritis thing. But now, just by going back to my original notes, I’m finding the continual knife shifts are working very easily. The difference seems to be the work I’ve done over the past 10 years on working for better body alignment is paying off. BTW, except for the gifted, like the instructor who taught me, I don’t consider the technique practical, but it’s real skill training for hand and limb development. And if you drop the knife you get to practice dancing real well too.

 

So I’m finding links to one version of Shotokan technique to Isshinryu technique. Links between Aikido and Isshinryu, links between Indonesian technique and Isshinryu technique, as well as links between Eagle Claw releases and basic Isshinryu too.

 

So if you really work your Isshinryu you’re already doing a whole lot more.

 

Just another Saturday in New Hampshire.  Unfortunately next week’s class will be missed due to the club hosting a basketball event all day.

  

Saturday Saturday…5/30/2008

  Morning Class

 

          Don continues Seisan

          Mike, Michael and Mark –

                   Sai Sho

                   SunNuSu then Supple Dragon

                   Beginning Kusanku Sai

 

          Applications

          Seisan opening section into RFF Rt Chamber left strike across biceps tendon

 

Wansu  Very interesting. Section on RFF Horse stance L High Rt Low palm strikes then turn and step 180, using the arm motion as a takedown lock.

 

I varied the palm strike so RFF lft rising counter-clockwise parry with right Palm strike (counter-clockwise) into the kidneys. This really moves them over from pain.

 

1.     If their arm stays up the Wansu takedown lock.

2.     If their arm drops, the right hand then snakes across their jaw (clockwise) and you circle them back and down.

 

Of course this section is a variation of Kusanku’s twist block/strike and Tjimande drill No. 1.

 

 

          Later working on several kata technique applications we began to work on Wansu's 'big throw', leaning on one of Harrill Sensei's versions, using the movement to rotate the attackers left arm into an arm bar (biceps insertion) takedown/lock.

 

What happened was I chose to initially strike lightly into the kidneys.

 

Attacker standing just throws a left haymaker to your jaw.

 

1. Right foot forward with a circular rising outer parry as you step forward into horse stance and your right palm strikes lightly right to left into the attacker's left kidney.

 

2. A light slap results in a quick shit of the attackers body away, rotating their core clockwise.

 

3. Keeping the left hand up, the right forearm starts crossing the biceps tendon as the left hand hooks over their left wrist (Don't use a grab which immobolizes your arm).

 

4. Continue with the Wansu big throw motion as you turn clockwise 180 pivoting on the left foot, resulting in a takedown/lock of the attacker.

 

Note: if your left hand slips down, moving the attackers arm parallel or lower than their shoulder, the throw isn't worth the effort. Simply hang on to their wrist, reach across their jaw with your right, rotating their head clockwise on the axis of their spine, and pull back dropping them.

 

I hadn't made much work on the kidney slap, previously. It really generates pain and is useful for very quick control.