Kata - has grappling and throws

Iain Abernethy - karate grappling

"In karate hitting, thrusting and kicking are not the only methods, throwing and pressure against joints are included. All these technqiues should be studied referring to basic kata." Gichin Funakoshi

There are many crude grappling methods in shotokan kata, eg. arm bars, neck wrenches, wrist locks, chokes and strangles, take downs and throws.

Unfortunately at the moment grappling and throws are not part of normal training in most shotokan clubs, even though these techniques are in the kata no one is taking them out and practicing them like gyaka zuki, mai geri etc.

Some pioneers around the world (Iain Abernethy etc.) have started to incorporate the grappling methods and throws that are found within the shotokan kata into their everyday training regime. Lets hope more and more catch on to this.

Iain Abernethy - karate grappling

Iain Abernethy web site

http://www.iainabernethy.com/news_page.asp

Charles C Goodin on karate and Okinawan sumo
http://www.seinenkai.com/art-sumo.html

As an example lets look at some of the throws in heian godan, as far as i know there are two koshi garumas, one seoi nage or tsurikomi goshi, and two kibisu-gaeshi or they could be kuchiki-taoshi.

First lets look at the kata as performed individually.

Kanazawa sensei perfoming heian godan

At the start where he (Kanazawa sensei) executes an uchi uke then gyaka and then stands up peforming what looks like and kage zuki and the hikite (withdrawal of the other arm to the hip) while pulling the legs together for the hip toss, this is the koshi garuma (movement 3 and 6 of heian godan), then performed on the other side.

Kibisu-gaeshi or kuchiki-taoshi is towards the end (movement 21 and 23) where it looks like he's reaching for the groin and ripping the testicles out, usually explained that way, but could also just as easily be a Kibisu-gaeshi or kuchiki-taoshi.

For seoi nage or tsurikomi goshi just before he jumps, he hooks the arm or lapel and the jump itself is the execution of the throw.

While most techniques in kata have more than one application I believe that this particular one (movement 18 and 19 of heian godan)  has only one and that is it's either a seoi nage or a  tsurikomi goshi, as found in the art of judo, some will disagree but thats what i think it is.

Heian Godan bunkai: Tsurikomi goshi = Heian Godan kata - movement 18 and 19

seoi nage = Heian Godan kata - movement 18 and 19



tsurikomi goshi = Heian Godan kata - movement 18 and 19



Koshi Guruma = Heian Godan kata - movement 3 and 6



Kibisu-gaeshi = Heian Godan kata -  movement 21 and 23



OR

 kuchiki-taoshi= Heian Godan kata - movement 21 and 23

What is shotokan karate

Keinosuke Enoeda sensei (the tiger of shotokan) 9th dan JKA shotokan karate

Shotokan Karate the combat art

These are my personal thoughts on shotokan karate.

Shotokan karate is a combat art that is very rich in fundamental principles and techniques, the under lying basic principles within shotokan can be found in most other striking and grappling martial arts in one form or another.

When trained to its full potential shotokan is a complete system incorporating striking and stand up grappling into its arsenal of unique power house self defence techniques that are found in its syllabus.

Shotokan can be two arts in one (striking & grappling) if you know what your looking for, and the beauty about this is you dont have to learn anything knew, well intially you dont have to learn new movements but applications is another story.

The normal route is to learn striking first and then explore the grappling elements which are in the art of shotokan karate-do. 

Shotokan is a systematic art and the majority of the techniques fall in line with modern day physics, physiology and bio mechanics of the human body, a simple art to learn the basics of the system can take up to three months to cover, but a life time to perfect.

Shotokan is an explosive dynamic in your face art that is full of linear and angular techniques by hand or foot that also includes elbows, knees and most parts of the body for striking.

Shotokan karate-do training utilizes the full potential of your body's capabilities through proper bio mechanics in relation to power speed, efficiency, balance and more.

The characteristics of shotokan are found in the basics (kihon) of the system where long deep training stances for leg strength coupled with the fundamental principles of physics and bio mechanics produce unique powerhouse techniques that are peculiar to shotokan.

These kihon techniques are drilled time and again to strengthen the body and ingrain them into muscle memory.

Whether your young or old shotokan is a great way to keep yourself fit and healthy and when trained in the right manner and attitude it's also a very effective self defense system for your personal protection or your loved ones.

Shotokan has three distinct and separate training methods within it along with conditioning exercises of the hands, feet & body, these training methods are sometimes refered to as the holy trinity or three K's (KKK).

1. Kihon
2. Kata
3. Kumite

                     Basics in action

 

1. KIHON (Basics) are the foundation of the system

These are the core movements of the system everything depends on the basics, this is where the body is drilled to acclimatize muscle memory of the individual techniques, along the way strengthening muscle, bone, sinew, loins and ligaments.

Developing, harnessing and coordinating the individual body parts as one unit in the utilization of,

a. Muscle expansion, contraction and the breath
b. Fast and slow twitch muscle fibers
c. Stability, balance and movement
d. Power, execution, timing and rhythm
e. Concentration and mental focus

Sensei Sam Walker shows some applications for karate blocks



Sensei Frank Brennan shows his kihon form and how to use it.



2. KATA (detailed patterns of martial movements - mnemonics)

Each Kata is said to be one complete fighting system and each has certain traits and characteristics with different emphasis on technique, theme, strategy and tactics.

Although the actual true meaning of kata in shotokan have been lost there is nothing stopping the modern day practitioner from deciphering their own interpretation of the kata in the form of Bunkai and oyo applications, who knows maybe this was the original intention of the creators that’s why no records were left, just my thoughts.

That each and every karateka who found interest in this subject should formulate their own interpretations, since each of us has a unique body shape, size and ability, we will utilize techniques in different ways, so what works for one person will not suit the other.

Also one technique in kata can be used in a number of different ways against a variety of different attacks, i.e. one kata technique can have multiple applications against different types of attack and is not set as THE defense against THIS particular attack.

It is my belief that kata store lots of information in relation to

a. Combination of techniques
b. Different applications of the same technique, e.g. A block can be a strike.
c. Predicts reaction of opponent if technique is successful
d. Has follow up if technique is unsuccessful
e. Utilises philosophy, strategy & tactics
f. Striking, grappling & throwing techniques
g. Makes uses of angles and body shifting
h. Indicates which way you should move for applications

Kata are not meant to be used in sequential order as they are performed individually for grading or competition, each technique or combination of techniques should be isolated for certain attacks.

Overall great building blocks for your basics, and once you think you’ve found something should be tested in an alive manner to make sure it does work under pressure.

Sensei Tom Leeman shows application for first movement of Kanku dai



3. KUMITE - sparring

A systematic approach to sparring where the student is gradually introduced to new methods of applying the foundations and building blocks of kihon (basic technique), at different levels and stages of their progress, each method increasing its difficulty and aliveness and eventually leading to free sparring.

Initially the student is exposed to pre-arranged drills where they are able to attack and defend at full speed and power in relative safety, as they progress the pre-arranged drills start to become more and more free, eventually leading to jiye kumite (free sparring).

In dojo sparring 95% of the time jiye kumite (free sparring) is continuous with your opponent and there are no referees or flag men siting in the corners of the mat, when kumite begins everybody in the class is involved, you choose an opponent or may be chosen by someone and engage in continuous sparring, then after a few minutes a signal will be given to change partners and the process goes on etc etc.

Point sparring (shobu ippon kumite) as we see in competition usually only makes up about 5% of all sparring in the dojo, point sparring might be practiced more in the dojo if a competition is around the corner and contestants want/need to brush up on these skills.

JKA Karate Kumite - Japan

the value of karate blocks

Soto uke (middle level block) has many applications

Within karate blocks & the blocking movement you might find afew more techiques than just the bottom line block you think you are performing.

"Always be ready to release your mind." Gichin Funakoshi

This is true of all karate blocks, here are my thoughts on one of those blocks, sote uke (middle level block).

The pristine version performed by raising the right hand and bending the elbow with the knuckle of the right hand thumb touching the top of your right ear, the left hand is extended out directly in front of you. Then you withdraw the left hand to the hip and arc your right hand around to stop the middle level punch or strike (usually a linear/straight attack).

There are many different types of applications for the sote uke, one application could be,

First half of the movement

Block/cover response to a left hand round punch by raising your right hand (alittle closer to your head than whats shown in the photo (only one i could find)) then use your left hand to strike or grab, a good way to look at it is block/cover/shield a left hand round punch to your head with your right hand and left jab simultaneously OR with your left hand grab the assailent (see second half).

Second half of the movement

With your left hand (which is outstrechted) grab his clothing, hair ear, behind the neck and pull him in towards you and hammer strike with soto uke, to chin, temple or side of face/head/neck.

Ofcourse this could apply to both sides of the body, that is if it was a right hand round punch use your left hand to block/cover and your righthand to strike, these teccniques utilize gross motor skills which under adrenal like conditions (real fight) will be easier to execute.

And when you do use them as pure blocks they are of the shortened variety that is there is no chambering or withdrawal of the non strking hand to the hip, as Lyoto Machida shows us below with the (osae uke) pressing block no wind up no retracting the other hand just perfect timing and execution.

Osae uke jodan seiken gyaku zuki

Lyoto Machda shotokan karateka in UFC
      



JKA shotokan karate competition same technique Osae uke jodan seiken gyaku zuki




Some more applications of karate blocks.


Utilising Basics-1 Sensei Sam Walker shows applications of basic blocks




Utilising Basics-2 Sensei Sam Walker shows applications of basic blocks



gedan barai variants by Garry


Upper block variants by Garry


chudan block variants by Garry

The soul of karate-do by sensei Masatoshi Nakayama, Japan Karate Association

Here is a great article by Nakayama sensei

Masatoshi Nakayama sensei 9th dan JKA shotokan karate

Japan Karate Association (JKA)

http://www.jka.or.jp/english/about/dojo.html

The Soul of Karate-Do

Initial Move and Posture
by Masatoshi Nakayama, Japan Karate Association

In the early days of karate-do, for some years after 1935 college karate clubs all over Japan held inter-school matches. They were called kokangeiko, 'exchange of courtesies practice' and the participants freely attacked each other with all the karate techniques at their disposal.

Their original purpose was to promote friendship between clubs. The matches were to consist of displays of kata, the set patterns of defence and attack, or of practice in attack and counterattack. The latter was ideally a formalized affair. One person attacked, only once. Then his opponent counterattacked, again just once. They continued in strictly controlled alternation. But the young blood of the students ran too hot to be satisfied with such tameness.

They could not resist the temptation to use to the fullest the techniques they had learned and the powers they had gained through daily training. There would be five or six contestants from each university in these free-style matches.

Giving a brave yell at a signal, the paired opponents began to fight. If a melee developed, it was the responsibility of the judges to step in and part them. The truth is, the judges rarely had time to exercise their responsibility. It was all over in 30 seconds. Some of the contestants had broken teeth or twisted noses. Others had earlobes nearly ripped off or were paralyzed from a kick to the belly.

The injured crouching here and there around the dojo--it was a bloody scene. Karate in its early days had no match rules, although there was a gentlemen's agreement to avoid attacking vital organs. Despite the wounded, the custom of holding such "matches" remained popular for some time.

I was a student in a karate club in those days. If the custom were to continue, I feared, karate would degenerate into a barbarous and dangerous technique. Yet, defeating an opponent is the common aim of all the martial arts. A person must fight freely in a match, using his techniques, if he is to maintain his skill. If that is so, I thought, then karate is too powerful and too dangerous for match competition.

Karate was developed in Okinawa, where the people were strictly forbidden to own weapons. Its practitioners there usually trained themselves alone through practice centering on kata. They held no matches. Although we can maintain our technique through practice without an opponent, we cannot improve our mental and physical conditioning in preparation for actual battle.

Specifically, we need to learn how to overcome anxiety or how far we should stand from an opponent. Without practice against an opponent, we cannot have the chance to work at our greatest capacity. I was in a quandary. Fighting is dangerous, but fighting is indispensable.

Only through it can we maintain the essential skills of our martial art. Even after graduating from college, I still kept hoping to see the development of a true match that would make karate a modern martial art.

Once I organized a match with the contestants wearing protective gear, but the special clothing was an obstacle and turned out to be itself the cause of unexpected injuries. I had to keep looking for a solution. That was just before the beginning of World War II.

After the war, Japan abandoned the militarism of the past and made a fresh start as a nation based on pacifism. Even so, the college karate clubs kept holding their wild fighting contests, and the number of injured kept mounting. In the new climate of peace, violence in any form was a hateful thing.

If karate remains as it is, I thought, it will be regarded as the embodiment of violence and will eventually fade away. Yet judo and kendo (fencing) were developing as sports. The glorious contests of swimmers and baseball players were brightening the postwar gloom. Young karate practitioners began to hope that karate would become a sport, would have rules for matches.

I thought it was high time we made a sport of karate. I studied the rules of many sports and observed matches. Finally, I developed match rules and styles of fighting that allowed contestants to use karate techniques to the fullest without injuring each other.

However, if we put too much emphasis on fighting, we become loose in technique. To prevent that I made a contest of the kata, too. The matches I had worked out, consisting of free-style fighting and kata, were first performed in Tokyo at the All Japan Grand Karate Tournament in October 1957, under the auspices of the Japan Karate Association.

They were most impressive--attack and counter-attack with rapid, powerful, well-controlled technique. The kata contestants displayed quick, beautiful movements. Both the fighting and the kata left the audience impressed. Not one contestant was injured in the free-style fighting. The new matches were a great success. That was the beginning of the free-style fighting matches performed today in karate tournaments around the world. Finally a match form close to actual fighting had come to the public.

As you can see, I solved my quandary and succeeded in creating the karate match. I'm still afraid of one thing however. As karate matches become popular, karate practitioners become too absorbed in winning. It is easy to think that gaining a point matters most, and matches are likely to lose the quickness of action characteristic of karate.

In that case, karate matches would degenerate into mere exchanges of blows. Moreover, I cannot say whether the idea of free-fighting styles matches the soul of karate as taught by Master Funakoshi Gichin, the founder of karate-do. For as you will later see, the soul of his karate requires quite a high standard of ethics.

Art of Virtuous Men Master Funakoshi often recited an old Okinawan saying: "Karate is the art of virtuous men." Needless to say, for students of karate to thoughtlessly boast of their power or to display their technique in scuffles goes against the soul of karate-do.

The meaning of karate-do goes beyond victory in a contest of mastery or self-defence techniques. Unlike common sports, karate-do has a soul of its own. To be a true master is to understand the soul of karate-do as a martial Way. Karate-do has grown popular these days, and its soul is apt to pass from our minds.

Here I would discuss the soul of karate, returning to the roots of that martial Way. It is said that karate has no initial move (sente). That is an admonition to practitioners not to launch the initial attack and concurrently a strict prohibition against thoughtlessly using the techniques of karate. The masters of karate, especially Master Funakoshi, strictly admonished their pupils with those words again and again. In fact, it is not going too far to say that they represent the soul of karate-do.

In karate, the power of the whole body is focused on one part, such as a fist or foot, so that immense destructive power is loosed in a moment; hence the warning: Regard your fists and feet as swords. In a match the attacker's fist or foot is in principle aimed at a target a few centimeters, an inch or so, from the opponent's body in order not to injure the opponent.

Out of consideration of such destructive power, come the words: There is no initial move in karate. That spirit is embodied in the kata, the patterns forming the core of karate-do practice. Karate has two forms of practice: kata and kumite (mock fighting). The kata are patterns of combined defence and attack that assume four or eight enemies right, left, in front and in back.

As far as I know, there are 40 or 50 kinds of kata. Each begins with defence (uke). You may argue that since karate was born as an art of self-defence, it is natural that it has no initial move. That is certainly true, but if you immediately conclude from the words, "There is no initial move in karate," that you can freely counterattack, you have not yet fully grasped the soul of karate-do. The underlying meaning of those words is much deeper.

In addition to refraining from attacking first, practitioners of karate are required not to create an atmosphere that will lead to trouble. They also must not visit places where trouble is likely to happen. To observe those prohibitions, the practitioner must cultivate a gentle attitude toward others and a modest heart. That is the spirit underlying the words,"There is no initial move in karate". And that spirit is the soul of karate-do. One master says: "Karate is based on attempts to avoid an trouble, so as not to be hit by others and not to hit others." Another says: "Harmoniously avoid trouble, and abhor violence. Otherwise, you will lose trust and will perish."

At the bottom of the soul of karate-do lies the wish for harmony among people. Such harmony is based on courtesy, and it is said that the Japanese Martial Ways begin with courtesy and end with courtesy. Such is the case with karate-do. Master Funakoshi collected the kata of his forerunners then systematized them into 15 kinds of kata for practice.

One, called Kanku, symbolizes the wish for harmony, the soul of karate-do. Unlike any other pattern, it begins with an action unrelated to defence and attack. The hands are put together, palms outward, and the practitioner looks at the sky through the triangular hole formed by his thumbs and fingers. It expresses self-identification with nature, tranquility, and the wish for harmony. The practitioner of karate must always have a modest heart, a gentle attitude, and a wish for harmony. Karate is truly the art of virtuous men.

Karate and Void "There is no initial move in karate" is one saying. "There is no posture (kamae) in karate" is another. The former represents karate-do's ethical aspect. The latter summarizes the proper attitude in training or actual fighting. Both sayings are integral elements of the soul of karate-do.

When we say, "There is no posture in karate," we basically mean this: you should not stiffen your body; you should always relax yourself to be ready for any attack from any direction. When the gale blows, the stiff oak resists and breaks, the flexible willow bends and survives.

But even if there is no physical posture, you may think a certain mental posture necessary. You cannot relax your attention. That is why in karate-do it is said: there is posture but no posture. Practitioners assume a mental posture but not a physical posture. Actually, that is not the highest stage of the art.

At the highest stage, practitioners of karate should in actual fighting have posture of neither body nor mind. Herein lies the deep meaning of "There is no posture in karate". It is this highest stage, the essence common to the Martial Ways of Japan, that I would next explain.

In the 17th century, the Zen priest Takuan gave Yagyu Munenori a treatise which had great influence on the ideological side of the Martial Ways of Japan. It is popularly called "Fudochi Shinmyo Floku" and in it, Takuan wrote:

"If you place your mind on the movements of your opponent, your mind is absorbed by the movements of your opponent. If your mind is on the sword of your opponent, your mind is absorbed by the sword of your opponent. If your mind is on cutting your opponent, your mind is absorbed by cutting your opponent. If your mind is on your sword, your mind is absorbed by your sword. If your mind is on not being cut, your mind is absorbed by not being cut...

"Where, then, should the mind be! You should put your mind nowhere. Then your mind is diffused throughout your body, stretched out, totally unfettered. If your arms are important, it serves your arms. If your legs are important, it serves your legs. If your eyes are important, it serves your eyes. It works freely in the body wherever necessary.

"If you concentrate on one place, your mind, absorbed by that place, is useless. If you are worried about where to place your mind, your mind is absorbed by that worry. Ku should throw off worry and reason. Let your mind go over your entire body, and never fix your mind on a certain place. Then your mind must accurately serve in response to the needs of each part of your body."

In short, the Zen priest says that the mind, if placed nowhere, is everywhere. The concept reflects Buddhism's abhorrence, especially in the Zen Sect, of attachment and bonds.

Such antipathy is based on the concept of "void" in Mahayana Buddhism. In Buddhism the English "void" or "emptiness" translates the Japanese word ku, derived from the Sanskrit sunyata. Its original meaning is to be lacking in or to be wanting in. Mahayana Buddhism arose in opposition to the rigid doctrine of traditional Buddhism and made the bold assertion that we should not be trapped by the difference between good and evil, or enlightenment and illusion.

That assertion seems to destroy ethical value, but Mahayana Buddhism claims that it strengthens ethical value. When we reach the stage wherein we adhere to nothing, our actions are naturally good. The basic idea of Mahayana Buddhism, Ku, is different from nothingness and is difficult to understand. It cannot be explained in a few words, but perhaps a specific example will help you understand void and one of its aspects--denial of confrontation.

When we first learn how to drive a car, we find it very difficult and take every precaution. But once we have thoroughly mastered driving, we can be quite at ease while we drive and still not break the rules. We aren't very conscious of our driving technique. Mahayana Buddhism aims at attaining the stage of enlightenment without worrying about the difference between good and evil, or enlightenment and illusion.

That, too, is the highest stage of actual fighting in karatedo. There we do not have posture of mind. In the martial arts, when we have attained the highest stage after long years of training, we return to the first stage. In the first stage, where we do not know any posture or technique,we do not fix our minds anywhere. When attacked, we simply respond unconsciously, without strategy.

But as we come to understand posture, the use of technique, and fighting tactics through our study of technique, we occupy our minds with all sorts of things. The mind is divided into attack or counterattack and loses its freedom. After a long period of further practice, we can move unconsciously, freely, and properly.

That is the highest stage of karatedo, the true meaning of "there is no posture of mind". That stage can be reached only after hard and painstaking training, but it has nothing to do with physical strength. In the West, physical strength counts for much in the martial arts.

Men of a certain age must quit. Karate-do, however, emphasizes technique based on the practice of kata. We can continue to practice this martial art for a lifetime, no matter how much our physical strength declines. The more we practice, the more gracefully we can move. Finally, we attain the highest stage, where there is posture in neither mind nor body.

Masatoshi Nakayama


.

Will the real kime (focus) please stand up

Keith Geyer sensei 7th dan JKA shotokan karateka

When we are taught basics as a begginer, you will always here keep the back foot down, keep the elbows in, keep the shoulders square, keep the front knee bent, dont roll your shoulder etc . etc. you are put in all these akward positions like hamni and shomen that feel very uncomfortable because the body is not used to such positions, this is because you are learning the template of your particular karate style.

Does this mean that you should always do this in kihon kata and kumite??

Well in my opinion the answer is NO, while you are learning the template and the right body mechanics it is important to understand how the proper dynamic principles of your art should be performed trying to eliminate any bad habits, because we all know that it takes longer to get rid of bad habits than it takes to aquire them, and there is no better way than doing performing and feeling it.

The more advance you become the more duty you have to customise this template to your particular body type, i.e. tall and skinny, short and stocky and anything in between, if you have failed to customise the template you have not progressed you are stagnating at a particular platuea, thats what i think anyway.

So then where does this leave kime??

Is there only one type of kime (just like the pure basics) (kihon) or are there many different variations of kime??

We all know the kime you use in fresh air to put the brakes on your technique is not the same kime you use when you are striking the heavy bag or pads.

The former is a good way to stop yourself from hyper extending your joints when you are fresh air punching at full power, the latter is to deliver the payload into your target and not into yourself, and if your doing jiye kumite it could be used to control the amount of contact you want to hit your partner with.

The masters of karate such as the two below in the pictures could throw a full blown punch and squash a fly on the end of your nose, or if they wished they could put your nose through the back of your head.

There is a whole range of scaled kime that can be used by the practitioner, i dont know if it has a tolerance like maximum to minimum, but i do know there are variations to the amount that is used depending on what you are doing and what your trying to achieve.

Now if we look at the pictures of these two famous instructors how many of the golden rules from pristine basics (kihon) are they breaking??

I think this also applies to kime.

Osaka sensei and Yahara sensei

The perfect punch

JKA shotokan karate kumite

Do not forget to correctly apply: strength and weakness of power, stretching and contraction of the body, and slowness and speed of techniques. Gichin Funakoshi

The incredients of the perfect shotokan punch as i understand it.

STANCE, POSTURE & BALANCE

To be able to deliver the perfect punch first you must be balanced and maintain the correct posture in order for the inefficiencies between the joints of the body to be kept to a minimum when they work as a unit.

The upper body must be firmly settled and on a good base with the back kept straight, hunching will increase the ineffiency of the transfer of force from one body part to the next, the shoulders are completely relaxed and down, rasing the shoulders will flex muscles that dont need to come into play yet.

Tension in your muscles should be kept to a minimum and when executing a punch only the muscles that are required should have any tension at all in them the muscles that dont contribute should be relaxed, eg for arm movement, when extending your arm out to deliver the blow only the tricepts should come into play and the bicept kept relaxed.

If you flex your bicept this will slow your punch down since these muscles (bicept) are not the ones that propel your arm out but rather the ones that bring it back, think of lifting weights from the ground while standing its your bicept that does most of the work, i.e. coming back towards your body.

And then think of the bench press its your tricepts that are pushing the weight up they do get help from the bicept, ofcourse lifting weights is the total opposite to what we are trying to acheive and there will be some help from either muscles, maybe its a bad example but the only one i can think of.

If you don't have good posture and balance unnecessary muscles will come into play to compensate and straighten the body so it can regain its balance this will slow you down.Taking your centre of gravity outside the base of your stance will unbalance you and you may even fall down by your own doing.

THE BODY

If we take the body to be a machine with alot of different moving parts that at the moment of impact must act as one unit to deliver the payload with maximum efficiency, then lets look at how this can be achieved.

Grounding

If you dont have good grounding with your feet it doesn't matter how good a puncher you are, they will be ineffective. Try punching someone while standing in an ice ring, even if you succeed in hitting them you will probably end up traveling backwards.

Sequential linking of body parts

The first force your body experiences is the reaction of the floor against your feet (force-1), this is then channeled up through your legs (force-2) to your hips and tanden (centre of gravity) about 4 centimetres below your navel, your hips then rotate quickly (force-3)

Your torso then follows twisting sharply (force-4) and finaly your arm is extended (force-5).

For all these forces to act as one on impact the body must be linked for a split second in time, in karate this is achieved by exhaling and tensing the entire body for a hundreth of a second, this ensures that the payload is delivered with maximum effiency and that the force you are delivering does not come back into your body by providing the necessary resistance.

You know that saying every action has an opposite reaction, when you stand on the floor, the floor is pushing back up against your feet just as much as your feet are pushing down on the floor, otherwise you would fall through, so too when you hit something the same amount of force you delivered is trying to come back into your body and back through the same way it traveled to get there and out through your feet into the floor again.

Once the payload has been delivered snap back your hand just as quickly as it was accelerated out, this maximises the force by reducing the contact time.

ANTICIPATION, DISTANCE & TIMING

Doesn't matter how good your punch is if you haven't got anticipation, good distance and timing its worthless, and your punches will be ineffective.If you posses these qualities then you can make someone who is younger and a superior athlete to you look slower than you.

POWER & SPEED

The types of muscles required for martial arts are not the types of muscles required to lift weights, weights in correct proportions can strenthen your muscles and can be good for martial arts but not to become too mucsular, have you ever seen a good boxer that looks like a bodybuilder.

Karate training at its highest level makes your mucsles and tendons rock hard yet flexible and pliable, without great increases in mass. Also the karateka or any martial artist must have a good knowledge of which muscles should come into play at the right time.

Karate techniques in fresh air develop your muscles into fast twitch fibres and punches against resistance develop powerful muscles.

I forgot to meantion the perfect punch when delivered correclty should feel sweat and effortless.

Here is a great article about oi tsuki and dachi
http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89537

JKA shotokan kumite - shobu ippon

Kata - one approach

Tekubi Gatame - wrist lock

opening move in kata Jion

Everyone has to start somewhere, and what better place to start than learning the correct mechanics and fundamental principles of each technique as practiced in solo kata.

This ingrains the correct feeling, posture and execution of all techniques without the added pressure of a live opponent which for a newbie could be overwhelming.

From there you can graduate to complaint and then non complaint partner drills which will eventually lead to kata sparring.

This way you get an excellent grounding in the fundamental basics of karate technique before you go off to attempt your own customized version in accordance with your body type and its strengths and weaknesses.

We all know that misinterpreting the principles and mechanics of a technique and practicing it the wrong way (your own way and not the right way) could takes twice as long to fix if not longer than learning it right from the start and then customising it to suit you the individual with all the proper mechanics and principles in place.

"In spite of actual fighting always being different, the principles of kata never change." Gichin Funakoshi

And when your technique feels off its back to basics and build up from there again, no matter how advanced you maybe. In karate, kata is a invaluable tool that is there just waiting to get tapped into, it can be your coach or teacher (provided your advanced enough).

"Perform kata exactly, actual combat is another matter." Gichin Funakoshi

There are many approaches to bunkai and oyo kata applications, these are my thoughts.

1. Kata is mnemonic, so applications (oyo) differs from analysis (bunkai).

2. The movements in kata are not meant to be used sequentially in a real encounter (fight) as shown in the kata embusen and the way its practiced solo for grading / training or competition, but there are many combinations in the kata that maybe used sequentially if the first movement was successful.

3. For shotokan kata in most cases every time a movement is performed slowly it signifies some form of grappling or throwing.

4. The direction of the movement should be obeyed for the principle to be successful, eg. lets look at heain nidan the first movement looks like,

a. Head cover but you also drop or change elevation and (move in on the inside) slide into the attack.
b. This could also be an arm bar.
c. A clinch and upper cut.
d. Breaking a wrist lock.
e. Breaking a bear hug from the rear etc.

No matter what you may come up with the principles within the kata should be obeyed in the first instance.

5. You are only fighting one person in kata not many.

6. Don't be deceived by the technique itself you maybe be performing something unexpected or completely different to what you think you are doing, not all is as seams.

7. There are many judo throws and crude grappling of all sorts in the kata, so dont just think kicks punches and blocks.

8. One technique has many applications, eg in shotokan age uki, uchi uke etc appear many times in the same kata and other kata, they have not all got the same meaning, even though you are performing the same technique, i.e. it only has to be shown once not many times if the meaning is the same, eg hean shodan and age uke and or sh!to uke.

9. The techniques have added aesthetics an training tools, eg deep stances etc, these are not required for the technique to work unless you are tripping or throwing, then they should be considered.

10. You don't not have to follow the embusen to get to the next technique, sometimes you must compromise.

11. Be ready to improvise and change technique, strategy and tactics in an instant.

Mens team kata - Unsu



sensei Vince Morris demonstrates kata bunkai - Nijushiho

Traditional training today

JKA karate-do shotokan

"Spirit first, technique second". Gichin Funakoshi

Do traditional styles like karate, muay thai, tae kwon do, judo, kung fu, jujitsu, boxing etc, still have relevance today, you bet they do, all of these arts are based on solid fundamental laws and principles in relation to the movement and manipulation of the human body.

They have evolved & developed over many years, after being put together from a variety of different arts by a number of diferent martial artists, lets look at someone like Funakoshi who is generally credited with the development of shotokan karate.

He didn't create the style on his own and imo he just happened to be the last in the chain of a number of people that put a life time of work into the art of shotokan.

For example wing chun was derived from a host of other kung fu styles, karate was created from white crane, sho lin kung fu, okinawan-te, muay thai and wrestling.

Judo & Aikido from the myriad of jujitsu styles that existed at the time, filipino arts have Chinese Japanese and a host of other influences from the local region included and mixed with their indigenous methods, same with muay thai, western boxing and savate.

All these arts developed over a long period of time as history shows by more than one person.

Whether striking or grappling all these arts provide efficiency, mechanical advantage, optimum power, leverage, balance, mental focus etc. so whether they are in fad or not these principles & fundamentals will always be present in the traditional martial arts.

Kind of like buying a good suit doesn't matter what the order of the day is, when you wear it it still looks good.

Do they need evolving well it depends what sort of evolving your talking about, if they provide one of the best ways to strike or throw in accordance with human anatomy what more can be done in this area?

of course there is always room for improvemnt they aren't perfect but they dont need an overhaul either.

If on the other hand you are suggesting that karate be mixed with brazilian jujitsu, or that judoka incorporate boxing strikes into their randori, or that muay thai matches also use western wrestling in the ring, then i don’t see this as a progression of the traditional martial art in question but rather a dilution of sorts.

Thats what makes all the traditional martial arts (TMA) so special they all have their own character and fieid of development and its great to see that the options of studying different arts for the individual are alive and healthy in the martial arts community.

There is always the option of cross training for the individual, if he wants better throws then judo is the go, if he wants ground work then there's brazilian jujitsu, striking can be from karate to muay thai to boxing and so on.


1983 JKA World Championship: Team Kumite Japan vs Germany

Martial arts charlatans & clayton styles

Great care should be exercised when deciding to join a club for the first time in ones life because there are many charlatans and claytons styles that existing across all the martial arts spectrum, that is people claiming to be something they are not and teaching something that they have litle knowledge about.

As an example i will use shotokan, some schools claim to teach shotokan karate because they have the heian katas in their syllabus, but all the rest of the art has nothing to do with shotokan and its training methods, and the katas that they do have are only there for show and as an accessory to grading apart from that they have no real meaning to the instructors or students all they do is help the school classify its self under the umbrella of shotokan.

You should do your homework and access as much information about the art/style that has attracted your attention, see if they have a web site, compare them to other similar styles/schools, go an ask questions, talk to the students as well as the instructors, participate in the first free lesson, see what type of affiliation they have, what is there martial art geared towards eg, self defense sport & fitness.

Usually the larger organsisations which are world wide and have been around for a very long time are the real deal but this doesn't guarantee that the school you have chosen will be a good one, extra caution should be applied to the one of school that claims a grand master whos word is law, there are good schools under this umbrella you just have to find one.

The larger world organisations have things like insurance cover and a very well planned and structured syllabus that can take you through to advanced level in that system.

For example you should be worried if on the first night you are asked to do full contact sparring, or after a few weeks of training you are asked to take a class of first night begginers, or only after acouple of weeks of training you are asked to do competition etc etc.

Here are some of the many legitimate shotokan schools and associations that have a good reputation and have been around for a very long time.


JKA - Japan Karate Association
SKIF - Shotokan Karate International
KUGB - Karate Union of Great Britian
WSKF - World Shotokan Karate-do Federation

Here is a guy with very basic knowledge about karate yet he claims to be a 5th dan

Stances launching pads or landing gears

"Beginners must master low stance and posture, natural body positions are for the advanced". Gichin Funakoshi 

Stances in my opinion are the most misunderstood aspects of the martial arts, people that are not familiar with them often say that you cannot fight with stances like that, OR from the other side of the fence in some martial arts they try to use very deep stances when sparring, both are wrong and have missed the point imo.

I have not read any article written by the founders of shotokan karate that state we have to fight in deep stances, karate masters like Gichin Funakoshi and Masatoshi Nakayama both talk about maintaining elasticity and flexibility during free fighting, which is impossible from very deep stances.

Stances are not fixed positions that are held when you are free fighting.

They are the base or foundation for continually changing combat postures in constant motion and in free fighting are anything but static.

It could be said that anytime that the human body is being held upright it is because of the base, stance or foundation which enables it to do so, whether you are standing in a natural position or one that lowers your centre of gravity, it’s still a stance.

The stance provides the body with a firm base and it enables you to maintain a combat posture with stability and balance.

Practicing stances in static and dynamic environments helps to reinforce the body with the ability to control its centre of gravity and execute offensive and defensive techniques with power accuracy and smoothness that can only come from a stable base which is provided by some sort of stance.

Whether you are launching into an attack or landing from one, or avoiding one or shifting the centre of gravity of another body, without a firm base your balance and stability could suffer and leave you at a disadvantage.

Kiba Dachi

So what are some reasons we practice stances,

1. To enhance our strength and speed.

2. To bring the core muscles of the body into play.
3. To understand balance and mobility.
4.To establish a solid foundation with the ground.
5.To practice our technique from this foundation.
6.To provide resistance to impacts and take downs
7.To generate the maximum available power that our bodies can transmit
8. Aids in sequential linking of all the body parts as one synchronised unit
9.To be able to create the stances under pressure subconsciously.
10. To control one’s own centre of gravity and your body’s inertia during acceleration, deceleration, changing direction, moving other body masses, performing athletic feats.

The stances that we practice in kihon (basics) and the static positions we find ourselves in at the end of every technique that is performed to a count are actually the desired final position of the execution of that stance and technique in the dynamic environment, these desired final positions are held for less than a second in live sparring, just long enough to deliver the payload.

For example let’s look at gyaka zuki from zenkustu dachi, when performed to the count we complete the technique and remain in the static position waiting for the next count, so here we are practicing the final position of the technique or the desired ending upon impact over and over.

In a free fighting situation you will not be in a static zenkustu dachi, to start with you will be moving around in a free fighting stance as the situation demands lowering and lifting your centre of gravity, laterally, in and out, up and down.

As an example let’s say your opponent has left an opening whether intentional or accidental and you have decided to launched a gyaka zuki with zenkustu dachi attack to that opening.

The position you would like to achieve as you complete the technique upon impact for 100th of a second is the static position you have been practicing in your kihon (basics), yep that’s right no matter which position you may start from the gyaka zuki-zenkustu dachi finish will try to be as close to the basic form as can be.

This ability to go from a very upright position to the final executed position as per the basic posture found in kihon and then back to the upright position in an instant is what sets apart beginners intermediates and advanced students.

With the big difference being you will be in and out like a flash there will not be any static positions held here for both zenkustu dachi and gyaka zuki it will be one dynamic technique.

To sum it up I would say when you are practicing kihon (basics which include stances) it’s the final position of the technique in the live free fighting format that you are practicing and in free sparring this position (found in kihon) will only be held for 100th of a second to deliver your payload.

So we spend hours practicing techniques and postures that are only held for less than a second in real combat, stances are the vehicle that deliver every single one of our techniques in a dynamic and live environment so it makes sense to devote training time to your stances.

Comparison of the mechanics of shotokan karate fighting stance to boxing stance.

The only real difference between the two imo is that in boxing you lean your weight and centre of gravity alittle to the front, this distributes your body weight more to the front foot maybe at a ratio of 60:40 to the front leg.

Boxing coach Russ Anber below shows us the the fundamentals of the boxing stance which when combined with foot work is great in dealing with "punches only" and helps to protect the head by sinking it between the shoulders.

MMA champion and karateka Lyoto Machida below shows us the shotokan fighting stance where the weight distribution and centre of gravity are in the middle and not slightly forward as in boxing, the spine is perpendicular to the ground, this stance is more flexible for mobility and maneuverability since weight is distributed evenly on both feet and the cog is in the centre..

Karateka need this extra flexibility in their stances because they deal with more than just punches and have to take into consideration kicks sweeps and takedowns, also from this stance any type of attack, kick, punch or other maybe be launched by any limb at the opponent.

In the end i think if the boxer straightened himself out and had his spine perpendicular to the ground there would be minute differences between shotokan fighting stance and boxing stance OR if you start of from a shotokan fighting stance and lean your weight and centre of gravity slightly forward with your hands up then you will be in a boxing stance.

Both shotokan's fighting stance and boxing stance have their merits at the appropriate time and place, switching from one to the other is easy since both share common ground.

Shotokan fighting stance with Lyoto Machida



Boxing stance with coach Russ Anber

Hydrostatic strength

Olympic weight lifting trials

Imagine trying to push a car or lift weights or throw a punch without any air in your body, if you exhale all the air out of your body you will not be as effective at any activity that requires the use of core strength.

In most martial arts this holds true since you are trying to use the body's core strength and connect all body parts as one syncronsied unit.

Hydrostatic strength plays a big role in the efficiency and effectiveness of your techniques and the sequential linking of all body parts through the core of your body.

In most traditional karate styles the idea of using the whole body behind each and every technique is the ultimate aim, to achieve this requires you to link your lower body to your upper body, while the tensing of the legs , glutes, loins and mid rift muscles achieves this to a certain degree the adition of hydrostatic strength will complete your connection to the lower extremities and the ground.

So what is hydrostatic strength, well basically for this article lets say thats its the pressurisation of a fluid, which in this case is the air in your body.

If we take a look at new born babies they are always breathing with the abdomen and not just using the lungs, by breathing with the abdomen this guarantees that the lungs will be filled to capacity with air, if on the other hand you only breath with your lungs (chest breathing) this will not draw air down into the tanden or hara which is what martial artists want to do.

The tanden or hara is about three inches below your navel (belly button), this is where you should be directing the air that you are breathing, now i'm not saying that it should be a forced type of breathing, it should be relaxed and natural.

When you have air in the tanden and execute a technique lets say a punch, usually this might be associated with a kia for a karateka or a su su su for a boxer through the vocal chords.

At the moment of impact both the karateka and the boxer might let out alittle bit of air but the main thing both are doing is compressing the air in the tanden to give them hydrostatic strength which connects the upper and lower extremeties of the body and enables them to deliver full body weight blows, this also protects you from being winded if you get hit.

By the way compressing the tanden does not equate to holding your breath, you may still breath when the tanden has been compressed although it might be more shallow, you should never hold your breath while doing martial arts.

So remember to breath like a baby (stomach breathing) and compress the air in your tanden when executing techniques.

Breathing with the tanden

vertical fist or horizontal fist

"In karate-do, the makiwara is used to strengthen not only the fist, but to practise use of the sword hand, elbows and feet. The explosive power behind the karate strikes and kicks can be attributed to training with the makiwara."Gichin Funakoshi

              
    seiken choku zuki                          seiken tate zuki          
    horizontal fist                                 vertical fist

In karate both methods are used and is generally a debated topic on traditional forums, some say the vertical is better others the horizontal.

Generally in shotokan its left to individual choice as to which one to use during free sparring, but in basics the choku zuki is prefered, in sparring the tate zuki will generally fly out straight and the choku zuki will impact on a rotation of about 45 degrees since the hands are no longer on the hips as in basic training with the palms facing up towards the ceiling at the begining of the punch trajectory.

In basic training where the punch comes from the hip, both methods employ a turning action or spiralling action the choku zuki (horizontal) is rotated 180 degrees and the tate zuki (vertical) is rotated 90 degrees, both use the sieken or index and middle finger knuckles as the impact surface.

The tate zuki is aligned with the radius bone and the choku zuki is misaligned to both the ulna and radius bones, in Jack Dempseys championship boxing he advocates hitting with the two middle knuckles and the pinky like wing chun guys do it, this aligns the impact knuckles with the ulna bone and the elbow.

Makiwara training

Kata - 4 or 8 opponents, myth or legend

Kata is the library that catalogues techniques

My thoughts on kata and facing 4 or 8 opponents (myth, legend or alot of nonsense).

I have never read anywhere in Funakoshi's writing that when you practice kata you are suppose to be fighting 4  or 8 people.

"karate, to the very end should be practiced with kata as the principle method and sparring as a supporting method". Gichin Funakoshi

Maybe a better way of looking at it is, any sequence before you turn to face in another direction could be a combination that has multiple applications, the success of the combination will depend on the first application being successful.

For example first two movements of heian shodan, gedan barai followed by oizuki, could be a block followed by a punch then again it could be that your tripping someone over your legs (stance) by pushing them over with your gedan barai and when he hits the ground you follow up with a strike then again it could be that your breaking a wrist lock with gedan barai and then the punch, well you get the idea etc etc there can be a variety of applications as long as they work under pressure.

The first two techniques of heian shodan when being drilled with a non complaint partner will have many variations, it doesn't always need to be an oizuki, depending upon distance and the circumstances the oizuki could turn into a hook, an upper cut a straight right an elbow etc etc, the gedan barai doesn't necessarily have to push out it could pull in go higher lower as the case demands.

Kata is a valuable tool in learning self defence for the real world, but to make kata work for you first you must have some idea of how to use it to enhance your skills under pressure and self defence capabilities.

Solo performance of kata is a great aerobic workout and may build solid basic technique but the solo performance on its own will never give you the required skills for self defence.

Is it an augmented block or a throw

           Bunkai one        or turned into          Bunkai two

If we have a look at the simplest of kata heian shodan (9th kyu) level,

Heian shodan you start of facing forwards and then the first movement is to turn 90 degrees to your left side with a gedan barai (downward block) and then step through with oizuki (stepping punch) then you turn 180 degrees to the back (right side if you were still facing forward) and again execute gedan barai, leg sweep and hammer fist then oitsuki.

The common explanation to these movements is that you have intercepted and dispatched someone to your left and then proceed to do the same to another opponent from your rear and so on and so forth all through the kata, in the end intecepting and dispatching 4 or 8 people depending on which kata you are doing.

Well we all know this cannot be so, it would be hard enough to fight one person let alone 4 or 8 people, i have also heard of this concept in arts like bagua and even tai chi but stand to be corrected here, there are many reasons why they have been taught this way.

But i think the best reason i have heard is that when karate was new to the western world back in the 40's 50's 60's, Nakayama sensei didn't want to show true bunkai oyo applications to westerners because when your doing oyo in particular the principles of the kata are there but the techniques aren't executed in the pristine state, that is like basics (kihon), you can't even tell that its karate in most cases, looks more like drills from an Reality based self defense (RBSD) seminar.

His (Nakayama's) fear was that because westerners tend to run wild with ideas, that they would abandon practicing basics and start practicing the techniques in their shortened version like in RBSD seminars, that is no long stances and withdrawal of the arm to the hip etc etc.

He thought that many westerners would say well why practice like this and execute like that, which i think he guessed right, now i think in karate there is a place for both ways, and imo if you can do the basics (kihon) you will have better understanding of how to execute the oyo applications in the shortened version when you do them under pressure with a non complaint partner.

An athlete who only ever practices the shorter version of the techniques in their discipline (what ever they are) will not appreciate the principles and fundamentals of their basic techniques at all in my opinion, they will also be missing out on many important points in the how and why for execution, in the end if principles and fundamentals are missing the athlete is only mimicking.

Then again maybe the Okinawan karate masters didn't reveal what we call kata bunkai and oyo applications today to the Japanese on the mainland, and the Japanese masters only ever learnt the kickboxing side to karate.

Anyway i'm getting a bit side tracked here with explaining why they have been presented in this manner.

The true meaning of kata is imo that kata only ever deal with one opponent, the kata are a compilation of techniques that have worked in real life situations and have been documented and catalogued in kata, the principles within the kata still apply and should be followed.

As i said earlier you can treat the sequences as combinations that are ever only dealing with one person not many, every time you turn your starting another sequence treat it as a new combination with new strategy and tactics.

The kata are there as a record and alphabet which the karateka if he wants to can extract a technique and make it work for them, that is isolate it drill get good at it etc etc.

As an example lets look at the first technique in heian shodan, usually explained as a block against a front kick.

But this doesn't make sense, would you turn to the left side and into a front kick coming from that side and then step in towards it multiplying the force that you will be hit with if your block fails?, and even if your block is successful on the street if they are wearing shoes its still going to do damage to your arm, this doesn't make sense.

The techniques and or combinations of kata in my opinion are presented in this fashion so they can be isolated trained under pressure and when some sort of competence and efficiency has been reached for self defence situations.

The kata are not shown in this fashion so that we may try to use these techniques in a real fight in accordance with the sequentially order of the kata, how stupid would that be and which living athlete on planet earth could accomplish such a feat, rather the techniques are catalogued in the library known as kata and are there to be practiced and used in a logical and effective way.

Isolating and applying individual kata techniques and using sequences in the kata as combinations against one non complaint partner is in my opinion what they are all about, the kata is only dealing with one opponent not 4 or 8 as the myths suggest.

So there is my argument that the myth that we are fighting 4 or 8 people is FALSE.

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