Koken and Gedan Harau

Well special Sunday night training with Ibusuki Sensei was just great, as we went back to basics, covered Heian Shodan, Nidan and Sandan as taught by Funakoshi Sensei, and revised Hangetsu. We also practiced Koken/Kakuto in Ju-Ippon Kumite.

The interesting thing about yesterday's session was Ibusuki Sensei breaking down some of my inbuilt conceptions about Karate. I won't say they are misconceptions, because the point is that Karate is not a cult to be practiced by robots ossing themselves to stupidity. It's evolved. There are are many copies. Of course I wouldn't want to single anyone out. The other side of the coin is how much of what I learned in the KWF is obviously "correct" (and great!)

In terms of through the looking glass, I do stress that I am only trying to honestly discuss my own lack of knowledge- what might be revelatory to me might me cringingly obvious to others. So apologies in advance.

Kihon:

Basics were the same as standard Ibusuki Sensei kihon (see last week) but 注意点 chui-ten were

a) Remember to cover the crown jewels when kicking maegeri- the course of the knee is always protecting the groin, otherwise, well, the resulting weakness can be a painful lesson. Ibusuki Sensei kicked me so that I just felt enough pain to remember the point. Thank you for that ;-).

b) As any competent instructor will tell you, getting your leg back is critically important, unless you are turning maegeri into oigeri and following through with a tuski, headbutt, elbow smash, whatever. In order to make things interesting, Ibusuki Sensei started trying to catch my leg. Once I'd been dumped on my arse a couple of times, I soon got back the hang of it. Key point- smash in and whip back!

狐拳/ 鶴頭 (koken/ kakuto) "fox fist/ crane head" Ju-Ippon Kumite

This was just great and quite revelatory to me on a number of levels, because (a) it's bloody good and (b) I am astonished how far "standard" Shotokan I learned has come from common sense.

First of all we loosened up breathing and exercising, loosening our shoulders by practicing whipping up and down and hitting each other with fox fist. Ouch! Nick Gardiner sometimes demonstrates this, and whipping is an elemental part of Asai-ryu Shotokan as demonstrated by Andre Bertel Sensei. But it's always quite shocking how much more painful getting hit by, and how much easier and faster it is to whip someone with koken/kakuto than seiken or shuto.

After warming up and getting the hang of what I can only call controlled whipping, we practiced two Ju-Ippon drills used as kuzushi-waza:

a) Uchi-age-koken, whip koken uppercut against face punch

This started off pretty formally as an adaption of age-uke gyakuzuki, except use koken against the jodan-zuki and smash into the chin with koken instead of gyakuzuki. The key point is almost that the move is sen-no-sen... the split second you see the attack you go to smash opponent. If linear isn't working, go in at an angle and use koken-haito and get inside, finish up with elbow smash or headbut.

b) Gedan harau, headbut against stomach attack

This was actually closer to a standard kuzushi-waza that I am sure would have made Enoeda Sensei light up like Christmas! Any attack to stomach is basically whipped away to throw opponent of balance then in and up like a ballistic missile and headbut launching up into the chin. Ibusuki Sensei said to me very politely "please refrain from being nervous and remember to deal with your opponent....um....decisively...." which, translated from a very polite and sage 80-year-old gentleman into south London English is ... well...I won't go there!

Commentary: Gendan Harau Part I

I deliberately used the term gedan harau as opposed to gedan barai because Ibusuki Sensei believes that gedan barai is not a block and it is not done in hanmi (more on this later!) At least that's what they used to do in Shotokan until the JKA changed things!

Until the low kyus, for beginners to get the kihon ugoki, gendan barai is fine being taught as a block. But almost as soon as some basic kihon movement is understood, then gendan barai should be used as a harau, and if possible as a kuzushi-waza. Basically you sweep the leg or grab it and then smash forward into your opponent with a rising headbutt or elbow smash, haito, whatever distance and timing in the split second you have works!

Heian Kata

Today was H.1-3 and revising of Hangetsu

Summary:

H.1: Gedan Harau in Shomen = Taikyoku Shodan

As far as Ibusuki Sensei is concerned, Heian Shodan is Taikyoku Shodan, i.e. there is no hanmi. Secondly, as I was taught originally, the sequence is bang, bang-bang! for the three age-uke (all in shomen) and for the three oizuki.

H.2:

Same as KWF/ JKA

H.3:

One point I had forgotten is that the fist fumikomi stamp is preceded by a turn into the stamp. The second is that I have become so enamored with YS JKA version (as in the video) of H.3 that I tend to use snap uraken instead of going over the top.

Gendan Harau

Ibusuki Sensei is adamant that gedan barai if taught as a block to kicks is ineffective. He also says that the switch to hanmi from shomen was brought in by Nakayama Sensei for training purposes. Ibusuki Sensei said that gendan harau is to sweep away or help avoid a leg and it is stupid to try to block it- which is more powerful- an arm or a leg?

Or Pieter Van Wck.

However, teaching it as a block is ok for beginners just to find a rationale for them to use it. However the use of gendan barai is for decisively avoiding or sweeping and going inside an opponent. The other major point is that hanmi is weaker than shomen and creates unnecessary distance. In particular the KWF use of Hanmi is just YS brand and part of his philosophy but would be unrecognizable to Gichin Funakoshi. That's not a criticism of YS, just a fact.

Hangetsu Revision:

1. Avoiding Darth Vader breathing: Ibusuki Sensei said a very little noise is OK in the opening sequence.

2. Weak Stance: again, common sense to the rescue. Ibusuki Sensei pointedly said that Hangetsu datchi is very important to do strongly. He is very very reluctant to criticize others, but he said "Abe-kun's front leg is too much at an angle and easy to kick." I didn't say this folks. Don't shoot the messenger

3. The maigeri, gedan, tsuki and age-uke sequence is a sold bang-bang-bang-bang as taught to Ibsusuki Sensei before the JKA.

OK that's it for today! I think next week's post will be on "Why Shotokan and Not Krav Maga."

Yoroshiku,

Paul & Yuko

Vintage Armagnac

Vintage Armagnac

Well, well, well, like fine Vintage Armagnac coursing through the veins, a session with Ibusuki Sensei just makes you feel great. Today's session, the first session Ibusuki Sensei has taught since January, had quite a bit of background as we heard some stories from him about several things that might surprise many of today's Shotokan practioners, particularly those that have been brought up on a narrow diet of Karate.

Today's practice consisted of Ibusuki Sensei's version of Kihon, which brings us back to moves and combinations of techniques practiced pre-Nakayama Sensei/JKA, together with his own Kihon, and work on Kanku-Sho and Hangetsu.

"Today we'll do Hangetsu, because it is the last of the Kata; next time, we'll start from the beginning with Heian Shodan" said Ibusuki Sensei.

Before I go on to explaining the training a bit, I'd like to open with some of Ibusuki Sensei's philosophy and understanding of Karate, as related to us this morning.

Orthodoxy and Stupidity: Seiza is Punishment, Not Art

So Ibusuki Sensei believes Karate can evolve, but he is only interested in what works. The first point is that today he believes a lot of energy is misplaced. One example is adherence to traditions that are plain silly. For example Ifrah Sempai told us a story about how he knows a 92-year old woman who has won tremendous respect for her commitment to 修行 shugyo, aesthetic training. The lady in question was a devoted 茶道 sado (Tea Ceremony) specialist who would spend up to 7 hours a day in 正座, seiza, dragging herself along on her knuckles, perfecting and refining her movements. The result was that she developed huge 拳蛸 kendako that would make a Karateka proud.

Now I guess the vast majority of Karateka, and Karate-otaku reading this respect the Japanese concept of 道 do. And, well let's face it, a lot of us enjoy the masochistic elements of this, the idea of self-discipline, purification, idea of getting stronger, etc. etc. (As YS says, most people who belong to the KWF are 奇人変人, kijinhenjin, weirdos and cranks, in fact he regards it as a badge of honor!) So a lot of people might respect the idea of of our lovely old Japanese lady punishing herself for her art. How splendid, right?

"Nonsense" said Ibusuki Sensei. "Many Japanese people forget their own history. Seiza was originally a punishment forced on criminals and scoundrels to torture them. Later it was appropriated into various Japanese shugyo, particularly in the Meiji Era" (no doubt to control people!) Basically too much seiza is bad for the knees, lower back, circulation and only fools would punish themselves with some sort of blind devotion to seiza. So there you go!

Commentary on Shotokan Karate by Ibusuki Sensei:

1. Oi-zuki

- First of all, oi-zuki is almost useless in a street fight because its so obvious. In fact most of modern Shotokan as expressed in shiai or competition is useless because it's so obvious. Most street fights are decided at short range with headbuts, hooks, kicks to the knee, gouges and spinning and circular techniques "not the ridiculous jumping around and competition Karate of today."

2. No Kumite in Original Shotokan Karate Training

He said "Funakoshi Sensei said that he didn't like Kumite fighting because it immediately distorted Karate from its original meaning." Kumite was brought in by post-war Japanese students and Funakoshi Sensei was really unhappy about this.

3. 狐拳/ 鶴頭 (koken/ kakuto) "fox fist/ crane head" and forgotten techniques

Much of the Shotokan Karate today is a grossly simplified version of Shotokan as practiced before JKA. A major example is the forgotten use of 狐拳, "fox fist" which is also known as 鶴頭 "crane head" was often used for block and counter attack in Shotokan, but somehow got edited out. This is very interesting for us as we love Asai-Ryu 鶴翼 (kakuyoku) "crane's wings" kata.

(BTW, I've noticed some hillarious stuff out there, for example "Kakioku Shodan", which brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. Kaki in Japanese is 蠣 which means oyster, or 柿, which means persimmon. The idea of the Okinawan peasants basing their self-defense strategies against arrogant sword-head Shimazu on flying oysters intrigues me. Or perhaps they chucked fresh fruit at them? I think I need an 泡盛 ;-)

...and oku means "deep" or "inside." So perhaps this is "profoundly philosophical oysters kata."

But it's lovely to see our first, and forever wonderful Sensei Richard Amos in the Kakuyoku Shodan video. Pity about the title though. And "Bonkai." What on earth is that?)

If you are angry, I am, in fact, half-joking.

4. A Block is an Attack

While blocks have become systematized and formalized, in original Karate the block was always designed to contain an attack.

I realize that many of these points will be known to more experienced Karateka and might be new to others, but I just wanted to get these main points in.

Today's Kihon

1. Maegeri, three-count and then two-count

- Main point: protect Crown Jewels at each point in kick, never open up knee. How many times have I forgotten this? Donkey!

2. Maegeri, yokogeri, ushirogeri, one-count

- Main point: any kick above chudan in a streetfight verges from risky to nonsense, attacking the knee and shin "discourage" opponents

3. Zenshin chudan hiji-uchi

Main point: smash into your opponent, it doesn't matter about looking good as long as you keep your balance low, then you can follow up with something very dirty

4. Zenshin chudan hiji-uchi kara ballistic jodan hiji-uchi

Main point: smash face, throat after winding or smacking ribs, through your whole body and centrifugal force into it. Basically take your enemy's head off!

5. Kibadachi kara uchimawari uraken

Main point- generate huge centrifugal force and whip out. A thug won't know what you are up to if you master this so spin and smash.

6, Kibadachi kara uchimawari uraken, gyakumari uraken

Main point: have a really smashing time!

7. Kibadachi kara soto-uke, instant snap uppercut choku-zuki

Main point: this is an "Ibusuki original", whip the soto-uke into a vicious punch to the throat or uppercut to jaw, nose, etc.

8. Kibadachi kara uramawashi uraken, gyakumawashi uraken, juji-uke tsuki

This one gets the blood going- the main point is turn the juji-uke into a throat attack- you should smash the opponent down.

Kata

1. Kanku-sho

Teaching Point: Original Kanku-sho kick is from conventional Kiba-dachi and chudan and, whump! go straight down: NOT the massive amount of leaning over and the theatrical spin you see today. Sports Karateka love making a meal out of this one, but none of this existed before the JKA.

2. Hangetsu

a) Breathing is deep, calm and dignified and NO NOISE breathing throughout the whole kata. First uke is inhale deeply 吸って sutte (inhale deeply) through nose and then tsuki is 吐いて haite (exhale) through mouth making NO NOISE. You can see that people who do not understand or have not been taught properly pass some sort of weird Darth Vader breathing off and on as Hangetsu. This is, in fact nonsense.

I asked specifically asked Ibusuki Sensei about "making noises" in Hangetsu and he looked confused by such a silly question. He said "Meat eaters who adopted Karate are very strong." And in his eyes was laughter. Bit of an evil glint, actually.

You can purse your lips a little, but a competent Karate instructor will be able to see that you are breathing correctly without you doing some sort of Darth Vader impression.

b) The final hiite (ryote hikite) is done exceptionally slowly and always keep your neko-ashi dachi as low as you can.

OK that's if for today folks. We are holding a dinner party tonight and yours truly is the chief cock. (Cock in Japanese means cook! None of your sarcastic comments please.) Meanwhile Yuko is across from me practicing Kanku-sho. She was deeply irritated by discovering some people think they are practicing kakioku shodan- "what are they, idiots?"

Well, Yuko, you tell me. I can't do Heian Shodan properly yet. Because as I am finding out, Shodan is only the beginning. ;-)

Yoroshiku!

Paul.