FUKYUGATA ICHI

This rainy Sunday morning I practised FUKYUGATA ICHI. Amongst other  important points, descriptions and explanations relevant to this kata I highlight for myself and my students a very simple tactical idea of its combinations.

In order to enter the fortress, one must open its gates first.

From a strategical point of view, we are trying to produce a successful attack in the anterior of the opponent. And the chosen tactics is to open (destroy) his defence first.

All combinations in this kata allow us to open opponent on one level and attack on another.

Simplified:

GEDAN UKE (GEDAN TETSUI UCHI) → CHUDAN TSUKI

GEDAN UKE (GEDAN TETSUI UCHI) → JODAN UKE (JODAN HIJI ATE UCHI)

JODAN UKE (JODAN HIJIATE UCHI) → GYAKU TSUKI

GEDAN UKE (GEDAN TETSUI UCHI) → JODAN TSUKI

DESIRE TO WRITE A BOOK

Why? Why another book, - one can ask. There are plenty of books on the subject already written by well-known masters and advanced practitioners. Well, why not?! Seriously, I believe that we, martial arts practitioners are responsible for the art. We have to preserve and develop it. We are meant to be adepts and guardians. We should protect the art and ensure its further development.

Art. There is a huge misunderstanding what this word means, not only in martial arts sense but also in general sense. What is art? Art is a set of skills that allows certain activity to be done on a very high if not the best level. Now cut all the cute words and leave the essence. What do we have? Set of skills! Thus when we say art in this text or anywhere else we are going to mean set of skills. If you are OK with this statement I will answer your next question. Why SHODAN? First of all you might know already that SHODAN means "first level". For example, KATA named HEIAN SHODAN suggests that this KATA is a first of level of all HEIAN KATA (five in total). Now I have SHODAN in karate-do that means that I have a black belt of the first level or degree. So, this book is written by a SHODAN karate-do practitioner (me) and for SHODAN karate-do practitioners mostly or anyone who is interested in personal development process in karate-do. Especially I believe it would be useful for advanced colour belt students and for first level black belt who is focused on the deep understanding of his own level.

http://karateandknowledge.blogspot.ie/p/karate-myint-kywe-soshiki-karate-school.html

Speaking about relaxation, it has been a long way since karate-do went on from very hard style based on the muscles and images of furious "samurai"-like people to the way of total relaxation and whip-like techniques. We are all familiar I hope with late master TETSUHIKO ASAI and his development of SHOTOKAN KARATE-DO. If not I strongly recommend to check the web. Master ASAI was one of few who could see the future for karate-do and who could pull modern SHOTOKAN KARATE-DO out from its stagnation. No wonder martial art practitioners criticize this style for its external, long, hard and stiff elements comparing to the others. Yes, this is how we received the knowledge back in 70s, how it was passed to us and how we passed it to others. We can go deep in discussion why and who but it is rather irrelevant. Sport direction of karate-do development ruined the DO part of it (the way) and made it purely a show. Many people argue that karate competitions is only a part of karate-do. Well, yes, that was the idea originally but look what has happened to the art and what is happening to it currently. By the rules of competitions and in order to ensure safety of competitors and of course to avoid any legal consequences all dangerous techniques are banned. Dangerous techniques! Basically the most efficient ones. Well, you say - nothing wrong with that. And I agree. But now let's go on the club level and coach level (called DOJO and SENSEI in karate-do). If coach wants his students to win next competitions he is coaching them on the techniques that are allowed by the rules and do not spend too much time if any on the other ones. Day by day, year by year and we have what we have - we have lost a list of the techniques once known as distinctive signatures of SHOTOKAN KARATE-DO. Here is a list just of some TSUKI WAZA (punch techniques):

• MAWASHI
• HAITO
• NAKADE
• TETSUI
• KAKUTO
• SERIUTO
• TORADE
• KUMADE
• HAIWAN

We can continue the list of TSUKI WAZA and then to write a new one for KERI WAZA (kick techniques). That is what we are doing to this martial art. We are removing skills from the set leaving only the basic ones. If you watch any training session or even a competition event you will notice that the technical arsenal went down up to 10 elements the most:

• KIZAMI TSUKI
• GYAKU TSUKI
• MAYA GERI
• MAWASHI GERI
• YOKO GERI
• USHIRO GERI
• URA MAWASHI GERI etc.

 http://shoko-sato.com/master-shoko-sato-kyoshi

An even worse picture is presented in the KATA. Practitioners trying to impress the judges and the public choose very complicated KATA and leave the "less interesting ones" unattended and forgotten. You want see many people choosing BASSAI DAI or even HEIAN for their competitions. Everyone is picking at least UNSU or NI JYU SHI HO KATA. People learn new KATA sequence and barely knowing it start learning "next one" driven by competitions and grading, by their Ego and "greed" for glory and success. We have lost understanding what success in KARATE-DO means. Masters of the past would study 1-3 KATA all their lives trying to go deeper in deeper in its understanding.

Anyway we can discuss my points of view and argue infinitely. It will not make us better KARATEKA though. I propose to stop talking and start thinking and practicing. 

MAKING A FIST

I have been helping teaching kids (and adults) and watching children (and adults!) I realized that step number #1 in karate, regardless of the style, school, dojo etc., should be actually a lesson of HOW TO MAKE A FIST.

About 4-5 years ago I went through a very dramatic self-revision of my karate and one of the fatal mistakes I had identified in my own karate was the actual fist formation. With a weak fist a punch will never be powerful enough. Makiwara is a good test for it and I am planning to write about it later.

So, what was the issue? Little finger was not tight enough and the thumb was not in the right place. It has been fixed since. I believe I need to review it again. Therefore I am asking for your help and advice regarding any issues my theory and my application currently has. 

Making a fist (as I see it) should be happening in the following sequence:

1. Open the palm

2. Bend all four fingers (no thumb included) to their base in a way that the highest level of tension is created by your little finger, yes the "pinky" :-) Stay focused on that one during the rest of the procedure.

3. Roll them further towards the base of the palm creating a fist with a thumb still pointing out.

4. Now bend your thumb in a way that it makes a latch preventing the first two fingers (index and middle) to get released from the tight hold.

The way I see it is if the pinky is not tight enough the whole fist will be weak and if the thumb is not in place creating a latch the elements of the fist will be disconnected. All these lead to a weak fist, potential injuries, impossible work on makiwara and punching the air as the only use of one's karate.

And of course all this is supposed to be done as one and very fast. So, the more you practice the better. Nothing new, right?! It has to become as hard as a stone. Test it on the even flat surface (I use wall). Do not hit it (why would you do it?) but rather just softly put your fist against the wall the way you punch and see how strong or weak your fist is. Now imagine when you hit an opponent who is approximately 90 kg and potentially moving towards you throwing his attack at you... Right? Your fist should be extremely strong and placed correctly to survive the impact and create some damage to the opponent. Considering the fact that it is weak in connection to your arm point anyway.

Please feel free to comment, advise, criticize and just give any input you wish. This blog is the right place for it. Thanks in advance. 

Ossu!

Introduction. And so we begin or Why this blog

There are many pages on the Web dedicated to the Japanese art of karate-do (as many as of any other subject I guess). Here and there they provide useful information on the subject. Some of them contain interesting video footage, some written advices, many of them criticize the rest, forums, blogs, discussions, etc. I have been one of those addicted to the art for long time now and thus very interested in developing my karate, reading advices from the advanced karateka and trying to see different points of view. My karate is getting better. Slowly but surely. I have all my life (the rest of it) in front of me to continue this progress yet. No hurry though. I take my time.

Suddenly I realized that probably the best way to get my karate-do better is just to let all karateka Worldwide  to criticize my technics and to answer my questions (I have a lot). This blog will be following this bright idea!! ;-) I will be posting something of my karate (not necessarily something very advanced) and you, my brothers-in-art, are very welcome to crash my Ego with your notes, criticism, sarcasm and hopefully useful advices.

Please do not hesitate! I do not promise that I will take on board all of those ideas but I should and I do promise to read all and not to argue over any of them. My goal is to learn. So, "the cup is empty".

Thank you in advance. Ossu!

The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate: The Spiritual Legacy of the Master