Hand positions in kata

Many of the techniques and positions in traditional kata are not understood. One example many of you may relate to is found in many kata. I remember asking my sensei (around 1970) what a particular hand position meant. At the time I was doing Heian Yondan. There is a place in the kata where the heels of both feet are touching with the feet pointing slightly outward. The hands are placed together at the right hip. Both hands are closed into fist with the right fist knuckles facing up. The left hand is on top of the right fist with its knuckles facing down. Right after assuming this position the left hand executes what looks like a down block to the left and at the same time a left side kick is executed. When I asked my sensei why the hands were placed at the right hip (what we called a cup and saucer position), he said that it was only a chamber point or cocking point before the block and kick that followed. This bothered me for many years. As anyone that has tried to use the moves found in the kata as they appear to be used, knows that the moves don't seem to work. It also did not seem likely that the creators of the kata would waste time practicing positions and moves that were not effective for combat. Many years later I began to understood how the creators of the old kata hid moves in plain sight. This so called cup and saucer hand position can be used effectively in many different ways. The easiest and quickest to learn is based on a cross hand wrist grab. In this application an attacker grabs your right wrist with his right hand. In response, you rotate your right hand clockwise while pulling it to your right hip. As soon as you begin to rotate your right hand you place your left palm on top of the attackers fingers preventing him from letting go. As you pull your hands and the attackers to your left hip, you step out with your right foot into a horse stance. By the time you reach your stance you have the attackers hand trapped at your right hip and he is off balance. To complete the move you will lower your left elbow so as to apply an elbow lock while keeping your grip on the attackers right hand. This is only one of many ways that the cup and saucer hand position can be used effectively for realistic self defense.

Okinawan Bo seminar / March 24, 2007

For those of you interested in traditional Okinawan weapons. I will be teaching a seminar on the bo on Saturday, March 24th, 2007. The seminar will be held in Woodbridge, Virginia, from 10: AM to 1:00 PM.

The seminar is open to all ranks and styles. For more information contact me by email at makotokendo@yahoo.com (Be sure to mention the bo seminar in the title or I might delete your email by mistake)

Hope to see you there,

Stanley / Soke

How many years of martial arts training do you have?

How many years of martial arts training do you have?

This question always makes me laugh. It is a question that I have heard discussed many times. When asked this question by others, I realize that they will not get the full value of the answer I give them. This is because many of us tend to think in one dimension. Most of us either attend school or work full time. This means that most martial arts students train an average of one to three times a week. My case is somewhat different. My life has been anything but the norm. While I did attend school and some college between 1967 and 1975. From 1967 to 1973, I trained a few times a week like most people. However, I spent all my free time training too. Then in 1973, while attending college, I opened my first dojo. From that point I trained and taught five or six days a week. During those years I continued to study under different master instructors.

In 1983, I moved to Charleston, S.C. to receive more training. For the next few years I trained privately with one of several high ranked masters almost daily.

In early 1985, I got married and moved near Washington, D.C. Quickly I began teaching full time. At the same time I maintained my contact with my two main instructors. From 1985 until late 1992, I trained and taught almost daily. An auto wreck put me out of training for many months. Eventually, I began to train daily again. This continued until late 1997. In mid 1997, I started back to college to earn a B.S. in the IT field. In the fall of 1997, I closed my commercial dojo. Since then I have continued to train and teach a small group in Virginia privately.

So how many years of training do I have? It is hard to measure based only by counting years. If I were to count the hours I’ve trained, it would be several times what the average person trains during the same number of years. Now when someone ask how long I have been training, I know that they don’t realize that I have much more experience than it appears. Even so, I will celebrate forty years of martial arts training in mid June of 2007.

Would you burn you belt?

True story:

I have the privilege of having a friend that has spent many years studying in Okinawa under a true Grand Master. My friend would always wear a plain black belt when he practiced. Those of us that trained with him from time to time knew that our friend held a very high rank. Yet he always wore the plain black belt. Then one day he came in wearing a masters belt of red and white panels. We asked why the change. My friend told me that his Instructor had told him to start wearing the masters belt. This went on for a while. Then my friend started coming in with the plain black belt again. After a few weeks I asked him why he changed back to the plain belt. He replied that the masters belt was starting to affect his training. He went on to say that he could not allow the belt to interfere with his training. Then he mentioned that he had burned the belt, so it would not be a temptation to him. At first I was shocked, It seemed almost dis-respectful of him to burn his belt. After thinking about it for a time, I began to realize what he was really saying. Although it is proper to respect a masters belt, it is not what is important. The martial artists worth stands on what he is capable of, not on what belt he wears. To wear a belt that one does not honor is dis-respectful to what the belt stands for. That day I decided that if my belt ever interfered with my training or my image of myself, I too would no longer wear it.

What kind of Martial Artists are you?

For many years I have made it a practice of paying attention to other martial artists. Not only do I look closely at what they can do, I go a lot further. It is hard not to make judgments based on first impressions. As human beings, we all tend to do it without thinking about it. Sometimes first impressions of others turn out to be very different from what the people are like once you get to know them. However, first impressions many times will give you an idea of an individuals mind-set.

For instance, if I enter a place where I meet an individual or group of associated individuals, I will take note of their Gi. Along with that I will look at the Gi, how it is being worn, how the belt is tied, and any writing or patches present. My experiences have shown that several things are good indicators of the individuals I’m observing. The belt and how it is worn is a good example. Often I see the belt tied in a rather untidy fashion. Correctly the belt should be tied in a square knot. The knot hole in most cases should be facing to the persons left side. The ends of the belt should be about the same length, meaning that they hang down to the same level. When I see belts that are un-tidy, I must assume one of several things. The student may not have ever been taugfht how to correctly tie their belt. The other assumption is that the student does not care how their belt is tied. In either case clearly there is either a lack of instruction or a lack of caring.

Next I will look to see what type of Gi the individual is wearing. Is the uniform a traditional Gi. Traditionally karate Gi were either all white or all black. Some styles will allow students to wear what is known as a “salt and pepper” Gi. That is to say a Gi that is black and white. This can be worn with either color being the top color. If I find an individual that is wearing a Gi that is multi-colored, red, blue, green, ...etc. I suspect that the arts they practice is not traditional. Usually this will indicate an individual that practices what I think of as something more suitable for a circus than for realistic self-defense.

The wearing of patches is another aspect I take notice of. Traditionally the karate Gi either had no patches or it had one patch. When one patch is worn it is placed on the left side of the Gi top over the heart. Some organizations allow their students to wear more than one patch. While there is nothing wrong with this practice, it can be abused. Some students will cover their Gi with a number of patches. As the number of patches increases, the quality of realistic self-defense is usually seen to diminish. Although there are exceptions to this it is generally evident.

There have bee times when I have visited a gathering of martial artists where a few individuals wearing multi-colored GI with many patches turned out to be very good martial artists. However this is usually not the case. To me the martial arts are not about trying to wear a GI that stands out in a crowd. To me I’d rather look neat, traditional, and respectable. My Gi should be clean (not creased), have one or at most two patches (displayed straight not leaning to one side), and have a belt correctly tied. This shows knowledge, respect for tradition, and an attitude that I care how I do things.

Lastly, I would rather be know by the quality and effectiveness of my technique than by how colorful I am. My belt rank is not important. When I practice or teach my art others will make their own judgment as to how skilled and knowledgeable I am. Fancy belts, colorful uniforms, patches, and acrobatic moves mean little when it comes to true martial arts skills.