Let's face it self training in any discipline is difficult. Distractions and doubts, injury and illness, plateaus and personality all come into the mix of success or failure. My self motivation was exercise and self discovery through something familiar, yet from the distant past. It evolved soon enough to become a passion rediscovered. Invigorated in spirit by its depth and breadth in martial arts study I began digging into understanding the reality behind each movement. The wealth of quality teaching is found on Youtube with a bit of trial and error. Once good pages are discovered they are favorited and often visited. John Burke, OneMinuteBunkai, ShotokanSensei, Iaian Abernethy, KarateByJesse, Andre Bertel, any H. Kanazawa, T. Asai, or old Shotokan masters found on Youtube are such blessing to watch.
For me motivation is found on multiple fronts: one is performing the kata in such a way the masters of old would approve. Two is understanding the kata in real world context: at least a couple of real world applications per series of techniques. Three is the health benefits - powering through a 20 to 45 second kata with full power and intent is very physically taxing. It's a full body attack sequence lasting long enough to end an accost with no other alternative. Think of it, the typical attack is over in a few seconds: distraction and attack almost simultaneously then quick retreat - hopefully without knives or guns involved. Kata teaches one to attack intensely for a period of time sufficient to end the altercation and initiate retreat.
The other method I employ to keep the motivation is structured training. I have a set number of kata I know. Currently the number is eighteen: Heian 1:5, Tekki 1:3, Bassai Dai, Kanku Dai, Jion, Enpi, Wankan, Hangetsu, Gojushiho, Sochin, Meikyo, Nijushiho. These kata are a complete system of fighting with numerous applications of disabling and killing techniques. Remember, each technique combination has multiple levels of meaning.
I systematically work through all the above kata in different numerical phases throughout the year. Spring is the reintroduction outdoors of the kata so all are done in low repetition, five typically, cycled through over the course of a month. In the summer I work on getting creative - more heavy bag used for distance and timing rather than impact is practiced. Kata is outdoors and cycled through at varying intensities to feel the interaction of the entire body as one cohesive unit in attack mode: very terminator! Fall is now the time to learn new kata: this September it's been Nijushiho, which is considered an advanced black belt kata in Shotokan karate. I believe it is fast becoming my number one kata due to its fluidity, beauty and intensive attack sequences.
Winter, well winter is interesting. This is when my garage door is often closed - often it is opened too, even on the coldest days. This is the time I work on the higher level interpretations of the kata, again in a cyclical methodology. Where breaks, twists, cranks, throws, take downs, etc... are practiced. This is the heart of karate jutsu!
Well that's it for now...
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Why Kata Is Important
Kata, or similar training methods, have been around for centuries for all martial arts discipline. I won't go into detail, since I'm not a historian, but just envision any ancient army practicing for battle. Their "kata" may have looked vastly different, but it's underlying purpose was the same: to rehearse predefined fighting principles in an orderly fashion.
Modern martial arts kata most definitely have an important purpose in teaching their respective arts. Key fighting principles can be found within each technique, regardless of how insignificant the technique may appear. Often these techniques are hidden: whether by design for artistic or protective purposes, or due to the ignorance of the person practicing, learning, or viewing the kata.
My original aim in January 2010, when I decided to relearn the seven kata of my youth, was simply to test myself in my physical ability compared to my youth. I quickly decided though to make the study much deeper: I consider myself immersed in a self study course comparable with any high level in depth discipline. There is a wealth of good information online via blogs and Youtube. Think of it: we can watch the masters of our martial arts disciplines over and over - in slow motion, pausing and rewinding.Couple this with the excellent writing found relating to martial arts study and the modern intelligent student can gain great insight in their discipline: even redefining it based on their own needs (as I am doing with Shotokan) by studying other related disciplines.
For me, kata is the life-blood which connects me to the thread of Shotokan karate, through it's nearly 100 year history. Certainly it has evolved from when Gichen Funikoshi brought his Okinowan karate to Japan and began the process of molding it to the Japanese way. Apart from this lineage connection though Shotokan karate is much more: it's a way of viewing life from a "movement" perspective. What I mean is kata teaches a way of moving the body to accomplish protective tasks: whether they be strikes or kicks, throws or take-downs, grappling or breaking. All kata movement has meaning: in may cases multiple - it's all up to how you interpret and practice. It's this freedom to interpret, test and practice which makes kata study so intellectually stimulating.
That's all for now...
Modern martial arts kata most definitely have an important purpose in teaching their respective arts. Key fighting principles can be found within each technique, regardless of how insignificant the technique may appear. Often these techniques are hidden: whether by design for artistic or protective purposes, or due to the ignorance of the person practicing, learning, or viewing the kata.
My original aim in January 2010, when I decided to relearn the seven kata of my youth, was simply to test myself in my physical ability compared to my youth. I quickly decided though to make the study much deeper: I consider myself immersed in a self study course comparable with any high level in depth discipline. There is a wealth of good information online via blogs and Youtube. Think of it: we can watch the masters of our martial arts disciplines over and over - in slow motion, pausing and rewinding.Couple this with the excellent writing found relating to martial arts study and the modern intelligent student can gain great insight in their discipline: even redefining it based on their own needs (as I am doing with Shotokan) by studying other related disciplines.
For me, kata is the life-blood which connects me to the thread of Shotokan karate, through it's nearly 100 year history. Certainly it has evolved from when Gichen Funikoshi brought his Okinowan karate to Japan and began the process of molding it to the Japanese way. Apart from this lineage connection though Shotokan karate is much more: it's a way of viewing life from a "movement" perspective. What I mean is kata teaches a way of moving the body to accomplish protective tasks: whether they be strikes or kicks, throws or take-downs, grappling or breaking. All kata movement has meaning: in may cases multiple - it's all up to how you interpret and practice. It's this freedom to interpret, test and practice which makes kata study so intellectually stimulating.
That's all for now...
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Why I Started Self Training in Shotokan Karate after 28 Year Hiatus
A little about my Shotokan Karate history first:
I started training the winter of 1979/80 at American Karate Studios in Glenside PA - actually the studio was in Jenkintown when I started, but moved to a larger space in Glenside a few months later. Marc Steiner was the owner and main Sensei. He had trained under Teruyuki Okazaki, who is the leader of the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF). Our studio was an independent school though (as best as I remember). I trained there for about two and a half years, then at a local YMCA for a few months before stopping for various reasons (mostly busy with college and work). I had reached the rank of 3KYU and had learned all the Heian katas, as well as Tekki Shodan and Bassai Dai. All in all it was a good experience with good camaraderie among the students and teachers.
Fast forward to January 2010...
For whatever reason I wanted to show my wife Tekki Shodan so I looked it up on YouTube and felt an immediate connection to my youth training in Shotokan Karate. I decided then to relearn all the katas I learned in my youth and it's been a blast ever since. I was rather surprised how quickly they came back to me with the aid of Sensei Youtube. My goal was to learn each kata in the order I originally learned them, but to also learn them in mirror image equally well. By the summer I had learned all well enough to take on the task of learning a new kata. I researched all of Shotokan's 26 kata and decided to learn Kanku Dai. Since then I have added in order: Enpi, Jion, Tekki Nidan and Sandan, Wankan, Gojushiho Dai (based on Kanazawa's naming), Sochin, Meikyo and most recently Nijushiho. Simply learning the kata wasn't enough I learned along the way, since we all can agree kata without meaning serves little purpose other than exercise. I also began the quest of searching Youtube for meaningful bunkai videos, as well has martial arts blogs focusing on practical karate from a traditional perspective. Thankfully, while the bunkai videos where relatively few, the blogs weren't so my education was greatly improved. I learned soon enough to broaden my perspective of understanding techniques from a strictly Shotokan perspective (as least as taught to newer students) and began looking at kata movements in the light of standing grappling, throws, controls, breaks, as well as strikes. I've tried interpreting each movement from an offensive/attack perspective as well.
That's all for now...more to come...
I started training the winter of 1979/80 at American Karate Studios in Glenside PA - actually the studio was in Jenkintown when I started, but moved to a larger space in Glenside a few months later. Marc Steiner was the owner and main Sensei. He had trained under Teruyuki Okazaki, who is the leader of the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF). Our studio was an independent school though (as best as I remember). I trained there for about two and a half years, then at a local YMCA for a few months before stopping for various reasons (mostly busy with college and work). I had reached the rank of 3KYU and had learned all the Heian katas, as well as Tekki Shodan and Bassai Dai. All in all it was a good experience with good camaraderie among the students and teachers.
Fast forward to January 2010...
For whatever reason I wanted to show my wife Tekki Shodan so I looked it up on YouTube and felt an immediate connection to my youth training in Shotokan Karate. I decided then to relearn all the katas I learned in my youth and it's been a blast ever since. I was rather surprised how quickly they came back to me with the aid of Sensei Youtube. My goal was to learn each kata in the order I originally learned them, but to also learn them in mirror image equally well. By the summer I had learned all well enough to take on the task of learning a new kata. I researched all of Shotokan's 26 kata and decided to learn Kanku Dai. Since then I have added in order: Enpi, Jion, Tekki Nidan and Sandan, Wankan, Gojushiho Dai (based on Kanazawa's naming), Sochin, Meikyo and most recently Nijushiho. Simply learning the kata wasn't enough I learned along the way, since we all can agree kata without meaning serves little purpose other than exercise. I also began the quest of searching Youtube for meaningful bunkai videos, as well has martial arts blogs focusing on practical karate from a traditional perspective. Thankfully, while the bunkai videos where relatively few, the blogs weren't so my education was greatly improved. I learned soon enough to broaden my perspective of understanding techniques from a strictly Shotokan perspective (as least as taught to newer students) and began looking at kata movements in the light of standing grappling, throws, controls, breaks, as well as strikes. I've tried interpreting each movement from an offensive/attack perspective as well.
That's all for now...more to come...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)