Western New York Karate Center
Shihan Bill
June 9, 2016

TIMING

Whether it is self-defense or sport karate, success in a hostile encounter depends on multiple factors.  Only some of those factors are within one’s control.  In addition to the choice of technique, “timing” can also be determined by a karateka.   For this article, timing refers to choosing when and how to take action. This article will examine timing and the multiple decisions for achieving the effective range of one’s chosen technique as well as how one’s rhythm of engagement can best disrupt one’s attacker.

Maai (pronounced, mah-eye) is the Japanese martial arts term referring to the “interval” or “engagement distance” used by a person engaged in a hostile exchange.  This concept involves not only the exact distance and the exact time one should execute a technique, but also how one gets to that point in space-time.

Distance – depending on the moment, the specific technique one wishes to execute will either require that one decrease or increase the distance from the opponent.  To decrease or close distance, one may need to take a shuffle step or perhaps one or two full steps.  Perhaps one will need to run or even take a flying leap! While one is moving, a “secondary” technique, as part of that movement, can be used to set up the “primary” technique; a kick or a sweep or maybe a simple feint can change the opponent’s body position and set them up to maximize the effect of the primary technique. Another consideration for closing distance is to simply hold one’s ground; if the opponent is in motion, allow the opponent to close the distance. Similarly, if one needs to increase distance in order to execute a technique, one could move back with a shuffle step or a full step back, but one can also choose to make the opponent move away simply by pushing them.  Along with these choices in changing distance, it is important that one have a sense for how much time it will take to change the distance, taking whatever steps or secondary actions, to arrive at the needed distance at the correct time. Competence with this aspect of timing, manipulating distance, can only come from repeated drills and purposeful practice of this concept when sparring.

Angle – engagements will generally line up opponents so that they are face-to-face.  While this maximizes one’s choices of techniques, both offensive and defensive, it does the same for one’s opponent.  Thus, in extended encounters, opponents will “work the angles;” each person will seek to create an angle of approach that provides an advantage over the opponent.   Certainly, the most advantageous position is directly behind one’s opponent where the opponent’s defensive options become minimal as do the offensive techniques they can bring to bear. But, the ability to move to the rear of one’s opponent is often also highly guarded against for obvious reasons.  Less well defended against, however, are flanking maneuvers; moving to the left or right side of one’s opponent. Particularly for the less experienced martial artist, having one’s opponent move “away” to their left or right is seen as less threatening than having one’s opponent moving directly toward them.  When executed by an experienced martial artist, this is a purposeful illusion.  Flanking maneuvers not only deprive an opponent of half of their body to use in techniques, flanking also can be used to subtly manipulate distance. One can increase or decrease distance in a flanking maneuver and it will be far less perceptible to one’s opponent.  Again, as with more overt manipulations of distance, one must account for the time required to work an angle before being in position to execute the primary technique.  And, again, to make this aspect of fighting essentially instinctual, one should engage in repeated drills and purposeful sparring practice of this concept.

Rhythm – there is a rhythm to engagement and this occurs due to the engagement style of the two opponents.  One can be aggressive, biasing significantly toward offensive versus defensive techniques with little regard for the actions of the opponent.  One can be passive, again with little regard for the actions of the opponent, one can significantly bias toward defensive techniques instead of offensive ones. Preferably, one should strategically take the actions of the opponent in mind when considering the timing of one’s attack. There are three strategies:

Go no sen – waiting to attack after the opponent.  Sometimes called “reaction fighting,” one waits to take advantage of the vulnerabilities exposed in the aftermath of an opponent’s attack. Go no sen can also have the psychological impact of putting one’s opponent into a more passive role as the opponent inadvertently seeks to deprive the reaction fighter of such opportunities by switching from offense to defense.

Sen no sen – attacking simultaneously. This is a strategy that seeks to take advantage of the inherent vulnerabilities that occur in stance and form when a person has launched but not yet completed a technique.  To be successful, one must be able to complete one’s own techniques faster than the opponent and thus such a strategy will demand more use of open-handed strikes and snap kicks, which, while delivering less force, are faster to complete than closed-hand or thrust kicks.

Sen sen no sen – preemptive attack. This strategy requires ki sensitivity. One must have a sense of where the opponent is dedicating their energy and therefore the likely technique the person is planning on taking. Then one must executed one’s own technique, one that is likely advantageous over the opponent’s planned action, before they even start.  This strategy can be further enhanced through sensitivity and manipulation of kokoro-no-maai.

Kokoro-no-maai – beyond the physical aspects of maai, there is a mental aspect: kokoro-no-maai (pronounced koh-koh-roh-no-mah-eye).  It is human nature to be distracted by sensory events, thoughts, and feelings.  But, we can also purposely seek to distract one’s opponent and in so doing disrupt their timing and gain the advantage.  If one ever wondered why Bruce Lee emitted a kiai prior to launching an offensive, manipulating kokoro-no-maai to one’s advantage is an excellent reason.

Western New York Karate Center

Shihan Bill

June 3, 2016

Being Grounded

The importance of one’s stance in karate is among the first lessons any student is exposed to and will be brought up repeatedly throughout the experience of training. For most students, however, the benefit that will be emphasized is only the physical one.  But, as discussed last week in our examination of karadakitai, the benefits of one’s stance is not only physical but also mental and spiritual as well.  We will look at all three aspects of the importance of one’s stance in today’s article.

The physical benefit of one’s stance should be familiar to all karateka: stability. Being in a solid stance when executing a technique will physically support the successful application of a technique whether one’s intent is offense or defense. Imagine a door; it can be used to keep the environment out and it can be used to let the environment in.  If that door is part of a properly built house, it will open and close easily and provide the desired level of security. But, if that door is hung on a frame in a shoddily constructed house, it may not close properly or open easily. If one does not assume a solid stance before executing a block or a strike, that block will not defend you as hoped nor can that strike have the fully desired effect.  The techniques will be undermined by the “shoddily constructed house” upon which they are based.

In addition to the physical benefit of stability, there is a mental benefit: heijoshin. Heijoshin is the ability to think clearly and make the most effective choices despite one’s circumstances.  Quite literally, heijoshin can be translated as “always level mind/heart.” Maintaining a level head while having one’s life threatened would be essential to being able to use one’s martial arts training effectively to manage a threat. Recent research in psychology provides insight into how one’s stance contributes to heijoshin. It has been found that overactivity in the amygdala of the brain is associated with anxiety.  Specifically, overactivity of the amygdala contributes to a state of hypervigilance, being more on guard than necessary, as well as an exaggerated startle response, displaying a reaction to a possible threat that is out of proportion with the nature of the threat. Exercises in “grounding,” directing a person to feel their connection to the ground through the soles of their feet, have been shown to significantly reduce the activity of the amygdala and thus reduce hypervigilance as well as the startle response. With this in mind, whenever one is even briefly in a stance, take a moment to experience that connection to the ground and thus achieve or maintain heijoshin.

Finally, there is a spiritual benefit that I will call, connection. In Chinese martial arts, Tai Chi in particular, the study of “Bu” is the examination of how qi can be accessed or dissolved based on the innate aspects of one’s stance.  In other words, by employing a well formed and executed stance, one not only gains access to the qi of the universe that can be applied to one’s techniques, one also is granted the ability to place the harmful energy of an attack out into the universe.

The importance of the spiritual benefit of one’s stance cannot be stressed enough as it applies to one’s martial arts practice.  As a person, one is finite.  We not only have a distinct beginning and a distinct end, we also have a limit to our personal resources.  If we depend solely upon ourselves, we will inevitably experience an end to our ability to respond to the challenges. We will become exhausted in a fight.  But, if we tap into the qi available in the universe around us, our resources become as infinite as the universe itself.   One’s ability to maintain oneself in a fight becomes inexhaustible; like the Terminator, you will not quit until your opponent is no longer able to oppose you.  But, the spiritual benefit of one’s stance is not restricted to obtaining energy; one can also disperse energy.  As a lightning rod protects a home, one’s stance connects us to the infinite.  We can direct the energy of an attack from our body and into the universe similar to how lightning is channeled away from a home and into the ground upon which it stands. A karateka, connected to the qi of the universe through a proper stance, could conceivably not only continue to attack and defend inexhaustibly but also do so without taking any significant damage.

Stance is the key to invincibility. It supports our techniques through stability. It helps keep us level-headed so we do not panic in a fight.  And, it provides us with access to limitless power for our techniques and an unlimited buffer against the damage attempted by others.  As a final thought, it is important to note, that the key to success in conflict is not only attending to the quality of one’s own stances through a fight; one must also attend to disrupting the stances of one’s opponent and thus deprive them of all the benefits we know a proper stance provides.

Western New York Karate Center
Shihan Bill
May 27, 2016

Karadakitai

Karadakitai (pronounced, kah-rah-dah-kee-tie) is the Okinawan term for body conditioning.  The most commonly practiced form of body conditioning is kotekitai (pronounced, koh-teh-kee-tie), arm conditioning.  But there are other foci for body conditioning such as ashikitai (foot conditioning) fukubukitai (abdomen conditioning), etc.  While not unique to Isshin-ryu, reportedly used in similar styles such Shohei-ryu, the practice of body conditioning has fallen out of favor in almost all other martial arts as the emphasis on sport karate has taken precedence over self-defense and preparing for practical application of martial arts in real world situations. This week we focus on the reasons a serious martial artist should engage in karadakitai.

The purpose of body conditioning is multifold. First, is the physical “toughening” of the body. Karadakitai provokes a physiological response in the body that reduces the experience of pain and injury over time.  Martial artists who engage in karadakitai report less bruising and less injury related to ever increasing physical impacts.  Some propose that there is an increase in the activity of the basement membrane between the dermis and epidermis and an increase in the density of the reticular region of the skin but there is little scientific evidence to support this.  There is some evidence reported for an increase in the density of the skeleton, which would reduce the likelihood of bone damage, related to the “microfracturing” associated with the “sub-traumatic” injury associated with activities like karadakitai.  Regardless of the physiological explanation, the outcome remains the same; those who incorporate some form of karadakitai in their training also report less physical consequences of the practice of martial arts.

The second purpose of karadakitai is the mental toughening of the martial artist.  As most students can attest, the first time they are asked to practice a technique with a partner, even though they have been practicing the technique successfully on their own, is experienced as being awkward.  The truth revealed by that experience is martial arts techniques are not solely the mechanical execution of a coordinated set of body movements; there is a mental component associated with physically interacting with another person particularly one who is viewed as a threat.  Furthermore, the actual experience of a potentially damaging blow, to an unconditioned body, can lead to the person having an acute stress reaction.  The first time a person experiences being significantly struck can be quite literally stunning; that the struck person becomes unable to access their training for what they should do next and will remain immobile.  This could obviously have devastating consequences if a person is in a real life situation where the initial blow is only the start of a series of attacks. Karadakitai gives a martial artist the opportunity to become used to physical contact with other people. More important, it can desensitize or make the martial artist less reactive to being struck and better able to maintain their ability to respond effectively.

The third purpose of karadakitai is the spiritual toughening of the martial artist.  As said by General Sun-Tzu, “to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill.”  Thus, it could be said that one of the most important abilities a martial artist should seek to perfect is the ability to win a fight without fighting at all. In the study of kiaijutsu and kime, we can see that projecting a spiritual energy that convinces would be attackers that they will fail, can end a fight before it has even begun.  Karadakitai is one method for developing one’s kime or, put more mundanely, confidence.  The practice of karadakitai over time will inform the martial artist that they are much sturdier than might be imagined and that while certain physical threats remain unpleasant, there will be increased confidence that one will survive nonetheless.  That increased self-confidence, based on the repeated experience of being able to manage punishing strikes, can not only buoy one through a confrontation and inoculate one to despair, as indicated above, it can have the effect of causing an attacker to despair and quit possibly without attempting a single strike.

I encourage all martial artists to incorporate some form of karadakitai into their training.  Talk to your sensei, learn body conditioning techniques, and start toughening up your body, mind, and spirit!

Western New York Karate Center
Shihan Bill
May 20, 2016

The Journey… Part Three

Prior to the early 20th century, Okinawan martial arts had been forbidden from public practice for over 400 years. Okinawans trained in private and usually only within a given family.  As Japan strove to be a world power, they took note of how Okinawan workers, who were known to be practitioners of Te, were also healthier than other workers.  The Japanese took an interest in promoting Te and thus the ability of the Okinawans to openly explore and develop Te into the Okinawan martial arts systems we are familiar with today.  And, most important for Isshin-Ryu practitioners, it opened the door for the diverse training Master Shimabuku Tatsuo was able to enjoy.

It is noteworthy that while Japanese nationalism led to the return of the public practice of Okinawan martial arts, Japanese nationalism also led to the development of the word, “karate.” The Japanese directed the Okinawans to replace the kanji symbol that meant, “Chinese,” which can be pronounced as “toe” or “kara” with the kanji symbol that can also be pronounced as “kara” but instead of meaning “Chinese” it meant, “open.” Thus, the term for Okinawan martial arts shifted from “to-de” to “karate” and its interpretation shifted from “Chinese hand” to meaning “open hand” in 1936.

It is of further note the Japanese forbid the Okinawans from applying the “jutsu” suffix, common to Japanese martial arts, as this suffix was reserved for Japanese martial arts and not for the “peasant fighting ways” of Okinawans. Thus, Okinawan martial arts would not be called karatejutsu.  Since then, however, Okinawan martial artists have argued at times to use the “do” suffix to convey that karate is a way of life. While not forbidden, this usage was discouraged and never generally caught on.  Okinawan martial arts are still commonly referred to simply as “karate.”

For this final installment of the history of Isshin-ryu, we will examine the four most influential martial artists that Master Shimabuku trained with.  We shall start with his first and most influential teacher.

Kyan Chotoku

Kyan Chotoku (1870 – 1945) was primarily a Shuri-te practitioner and a major contributor to Shorin-ryu, but has also been credited as a master of Tomari-te. Master Kyan overcame significant physical challenges from childhood (known for being small in stature, suffering from asthma, frequently bed-ridden, and with poor eyesight) and became a renown martial artist. As an adult, he was well known for having and promoting a colorful lifestyle; he was noted for encouraging his students to visit brothels and engage in excessive alcohol consumption.  His first teachers were Matsumora Kosaku and Oyadomari Kokan but most notably he also trained with Master Matsumura Sokon.

Master Kyan was the first teacher of Master Shimabuku, from 1932 until 1936, when he was about 66-years-old, and taught him Seisan, Naihanchi, Wansu, Chinto, and Kusanku kata. He also taught Master Shimabuku Tokumine-no-kun and basic sai techniques. Master Kyan’s sai techniques inspired Master Shimabuku to create the sai kata, Kyan no sai (named in honor of his master) as well as Kusanku sai.

Master Shimabuku originally named his martial arts system after Master Kyan: Chan-migwa-te.  This was inspired by Master Kyan’s nickname, Chan Migwa, which means, “squinty-eyed Chan.”

Master Kyan died in 1945, around 75 years of age, due to fatigue and malnutrition following the Battle of Okinawa.

Miyagi Chojun

Miyagi Chojun (1888 – 1953) was the adopted son of a wealthy business man. He began his martial arts training, in Naha-te, at 9-years-old with Aragaki Ryuko and then Higaonna Kanryo. When he was 27, he travelled to China and studied Shaolin wushu (prior to the monastery being burned to the ground in 1928) as well as studying Baguazhang. In 1929, Master Miyagi merged his study of Chinese wushu with Naha-Te and created Goju-ryu (meaning, “hard soft style”). Interesting note, the original “The Karate Kid” film series was written by a Goju-ryu stylist and the character of Mister Miyagi was inspired by the real Master Miyagi.

Master Miyagi is the second teacher of Master Shimabuku, from 1936 to about 1938, when he was almost 50-years-old.  Master Miyagi and taught Master Shimabuku, among other things, Seiuchin and Sanchin kata. He also trained other students who went on to create their own systems such as Seigo Tada, founder of Seigokan.

Master Miyagi suffered his first heart attack in 1951 and died of a second heart attack in 1953 at 67-years-of-age.

Motobu Choki

Motobu Choki (1870 – 1944) was a Shorin-ryu stylist descended from Okinawa nobility.  Master Motobu was the third son of Motobu Palace. But, being the last of three sons, despite his intense interest in martial arts, he was not entitled to learn his family’s style of Te. Thus, he spent much of his youth training on his own.  During that time, however, he managed to train with some of the most prominent Te practitioners of the time, most notably his first teacher, Master Matsumura Sokon.

Master Motobu insisted on testing his fighting prowess in street fights in the red light district of his town; being of noble birth, neither teachers nor peace keepers had the authority to stop him. He reportedly highly favored Naihanchi kata as the “fundamental of karate” and practiced this kata almost to the exclusion of any other.

When he was about 47-years-old, in 1917 Master Motobu, was invited to Japan to demonstrate Okinawa martial arts along with Master Funakoshi Gichin, the founder of Shotokan.  Master Motobu’s insistence on the need for practical application and evaluation of techniques as well as often being at odds with Master Funakoshi as to how karate should be taught, did not win him favor in Japan. While Master Funakoshi would be invited back to Japan five years later and eventually invited by the Imperial court to remain in Japan and teach Shotokan karate to the Japanese people, Master Motobu was not.

In 1938, around the age of 68, Master Motobu was the third teacher of Master Shimabuku for about a year. As one would expect, Master Motobu emphasized with Master Shimabuku the “practical” application of martial arts outside the dojo.

Master Motobu died about five years later, in 1945, at the age of 74.

Taira Shinken

Taira Shinken (1897 – 1970) was an Okinawan kobudo master.  He was given up for adoption as a child and took his mother’s maiden name.  He had to work in the sulfur mines of Minamijima and suffered a permanently crippling leg injury when a mine shaft collapsed. He first studied Te with Master Funakoshi around 1922 but in 1929 he began his study of Okinawan kobudo under Yabiku Moden.

Master Taira created the nunchaku kata, Taira no Nunchaku as well as being credited with creating a kata using metal horse stirrups, Maezato no Tekko. He mastered over 40 traditional Okinawan weapons kata. To revitalize the vanishing art of Okinawa kobudo, he established the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinkokai in 1955.

When Master Taira was about 58, after he established the Ryukyu Kobudo Hozon Shinkokai, Master Shimabuku came to study Okinawan kobudo with him. Master Taira taught Master Shimabuku Hama Higa no Tulfa, Shishi no Kun, Chatan Yara no Sai, and Urashi Bo.

He died at age 73.

Through our examination of the lineage of Isshin-ryu, the men that trained and influence each other over time, can one should now better understand the underlying inspiration of the One Heart Way.

Western New York Karate Center

Shihan Bill

May 16, 2016

The Journey… Part Two

Last week we explored the history of Isshin-ryu up to 1609 when the Japanese conquered the Ryukyu Kingdom and made it into a vassal state of Japan.  The Japanese maintained the ban on the open training of To-de as well as Ryukyu Kobudo.  We now jump ahead over one hundred years and examine the two men honored with being major contributors to the establishment of Te but also, by extension, major contributors to the modern roots of Isshin-ryu. 

Sakugawa Kanga

While generally ascribed as a major contributor to Okinawan Te, the root martial art of Okinawa, given that Te has its roots in the 14^th century and that Sakugawa was born in the 18^th century Akata village, it is my opinion for what it is worth that he is more accurately described as a practitioner of Shuri-te who had a profound influence on Tomari-te and Naha-te.

1750 – Sakugawa began his training in To-de, presumably in secret, with a revered Ryukyu peichin, Takahara.  Peichin (meaning scholar-warrior, similar to the Japanese Samurai) Takahara is attributed as being the first to explain the principles of “do,” martial arts as a way of life. Takahara instilled in Sakugawa that a martial artist should, first, be compassionate and have humility, second, strive for a complete understanding of all techniques and systems of karate, and third, dedicated to the seriousness of karate by engaging in actual combat.

1756 – Sakugawa is referred by Takahara to study with Shifu Kwang Shang Fu, also known as Shifu Kusanku, a Chinese ambassador residing in the village of Kanemura (the area of Okinawa formerly known as Naha).  Kusanku was a Chinese master of Ch’uan Fa or “Fist Law,” having studied with a Shaolin monk in Fukien province.  It is interesting to note that in Japanese the same kanji used for Ch’uan Fa are pronounced, “Kenpo.” Sakugawa studied with Kusanku until his death in 1762 and developed the kata Kusanku in his honor.

Matsumura Sokon

The year that Matsumura first started training with Master Sakugawa is unclear other than to indicate that Matsumura was young and Sakugawa was very old.  Sakugawa reportedly died in 1815 around 81 years old. Given that Matsumura is reported to have trained for five years with Sakugawa, if that corresponds with the year of Sakugawa’s death, this would mean that Matsumura started training with Sakugawa around 1810. Matsumura is reported to have been born in Yamakawa village in the Shuri region of Okinawa.  But his birth year is reported as early as 1798 and as late as 1809. Using the earliest birth year for Matsumura, 1798, would make him 12-years-old when he first started training with Sakugawa.  This is believable but also then fascinating as Matsumura reportedly had then developed, by twelve years of age, such a reputation for disobedience that Sakugawa trained him only out of an obligation to Matsumura’s father.

1836 – Matsumura, possibly around the age of 38, is recruited into the service of the Ryukyu vassal lord, King Sho Ko, and given a peichin title.

Matsumura would eventually become the chief martial arts instructor for the vassal state of Ryukyu and also the bodyguard of King Sho Ko as well as the last two vassal lords, King Sho Iku and King Sho Tai. It was reportedly during this time as the champion of Ryukyu that Matsumura was directed to deal with a Chinese sailor, possibly a pirate, named Chinto. Chinto had taken refuge in a cemetery of the mountains of Tomari after he was shipwrecked. Chinto was stealing from the local Okinawans and generally acting like a shipwrecked pirate. Matsumura has been described as blindingly fast and deceptively strong and possessing a pair of unsettling eyes; he reportedly was never defeated in a duel although he fought many. Legend has it that while Matsumura was not defeated, he was at least equally matched by Chinto.  Matsumura went on to train with Chinto for some time and eventually created Chinto kata in his honor.

In addition to creating Chinto kata, Matsumura is credited with installing Seisan, Naihanchi, and Kunsanku kata in the Shorin-ryu system.  He is also credited with teaching several major martial artists of the 20^th century including Kyan Chotoku and Motobu Choki.

With the end of the 19^th century, we can see how, through Sakugawa and his legendary student Matsumura, the foundation of Isshin-ryu has heavy influences of Chinese martial arts particularly in the influence of Shifu Kusanku on Sakugawa and the dread pirate, Chinto, upon Matsumura.  Next time, we will look at the 20^th century instructors of Master Shimabuku: Kyan Chotoku, Miyagi Chojun, Motobu Choki, and Taira Shinken.