Observations of AAKF nationals 2011 (Atlanta)

Karate competition is different than other sports, it is based on Shiai –testing each other for future development rather than winning trophies, it is based on one chance win or lose rather than accumulating points and it is only one aspect of karate, a mean and not an end.

The true winner in competition is the one who reflects and take lesson into future training.

If I won any competition, the following day Sensei Nishiyama would never tell me how well I did, but rather point at the many areas that needs work, and he will use the Shinai to help (not so gently) correcting me more than any other day.

It was partially to keep me humble and mainly since competition will magnify your weaknesses and habits so it is a learning opportunity we should not miss.

In the past nationals in Atlanta, some athletes did very well, but karate is limitless and there is always plenty of space for improvements.

I was very proud of the Power brothers who performed beautifully, and even when Barry and Brian had to fight each other they gave it all but with love as brothers.

Shiri, Taichiro, Kamil, marcus, salma and everyone did great and gave it all.

Of course each person has different weak and strong points, but here are some general points that I felt need work:

1.
On the attack, move foot first, body center second and than technique. A lot of times I saw shifting the body center too soon, which makes the initiation slow and expose space for counter. Also it makes it difficult to make pressure and causes floating at kime.

2.
On the Amashi Waza (shifting back using distance and than counter) footwork, the switch from back shifting to forward counter is too slow, and that is for 2 reasons: first, over using the legs, the body center should suspend the legs (ukimi), and move the legs, the legs should be soft and the feet light.
At same token, some people over shift the center, jump back, and create a lot of space between.

3.
Zanshin – most dangerous moment is after kime since we are at optimal distance for our kime, which is usually optimal for opponent if we miss. Many people let go mentally and physically after kime.
In kime as one delivers energy they should also be recharged physically, and have the mental awareness, monitoring.

4. Kime –mainly in the kata kime should be complete, pressure to floor and contraction of total body musculature, to the point that next technique just happens without a choice, effortlessly, as reaction.

Many people transit from one technique to next before completing kime.
Of course, to say that at kime we give all breath, maximum pressure and contraction is general since every kime is different depending on purpose.

5Kumite stategy – many competitors need to think more of making strategy to create chance rather than rush to attack and be faster.
Using the space and distance effectively should be considered more as important part of strategy.
To make strategy and set up, one has to accept the opponent’s attack and be comfortable and confident with the attack and anticipate and capitalize on it.

A budo story about the importance of breath

The following story was one of Sensei Nishiyama (and mine) favorite stories and he told it to us at least every 4,5 months, usually when the focus of training was on breath and timing.

An old sword master had to choose a successor between his 2 top students.

He decided to test them, and the test would be how many times they can cut a falling water drop.

They had a week to prepare, and they both train very hard, all day.

The first student practiced over and over, actually cutting a falling water drop.

The second student did not touch the sword; he practiced “cutting” the falling water drop with his breath and imagination.

Guess who won the test…you are right! At the day of the test the student who practiced cutting with the breath won and became the successor.

On the one hand we say that breath initiates the technique, and on the other breath catches the opponent’s rhythm and reaction is by breath, so reaction and action are one.

It is not as simple as that since breath is at top of the pyramid, and to get to the level that we can initiate and control all aspects of technique with breath and intention, there are lots of skills that have to be acquired.

The breath has to match and control internal muscle action and external body action and technique, it has to initiate action as chain reaction from the ground up, using optimal stance and posture and all parts of kinetic chain are linked. It has to use the right amount of motion and muscle action in the right time, from start to kime.

And only when all those skills are digested we can talk about breath reaction, which means, by passing the brain, not over analyzing and judging, which cause over information, than doubt, hesitation, unstable emotion.

Only when we allow breath reaction we can see the information that is available before the opponent even moves, we can catch his intention, allowing the natural breath reflex to work for us will also heightened our sensitivity, and ultimately bring us to level of “not knowing – yet knowing”. Seeing the opponent action is too late.

OUTSIDE STOP, INSIDE DON'T STOP

This is one of the most important, difficult and misunderstood aspects of kime, focus of mental and physical energies at impact.

Many understand the idea of pressure and contraction, but somehow many people stop the breath and momentum at kime which stops the energy rather than impart it to opponent, and at same time create qio (chance).

Sensei Nishiyama used to constantly scold us: "Don't stop the momentum".

At kime we talk about pressure to floor and sharp contraction of total body musculature, and we say that for a moment nothing moves.

Of course, one cannot make pressure to floor and move at the same time, one need a firm base, stance, in order to apply pressure to floor.

We talk about all parts of the body peaking and stopping at once, so all parts peak and achieve maximum speed and momentum at the instant of impact. Sensei Nishiyama used to say that at kime even the eyes don’t blink, no wobble, any wobble means leak of energy.

At the same token, the whole purpose is maximize shocking power, moment of impact is when energy starts transferring to opponent, and sensei Nishiyama used to give us images such as a car driving at full speed, you put the breaks on but do not stop the engine, engine is at full power, or imagine you push a wall, you obviously are not moving but all muscles are contracting to direction of the push.

Or Sensei Nishiyama used to stand in front of me and Aiko San stood behind him, and he told me to punch at him and my body stops in front of him yet inside my body continue to hit Aiko San.

Or Aiko San used to stand in front of me and she wanted me to punch toward her, and she could easily tell if my momentum stopped or the energy went pass through her.

There are many elements involved in not stopping the energy, first, the intention and breath should be to infinity, focus at contact but not stop.

Than try to imagine that your body center hits the target, and your arm or foot are merely an extension, making direction and being tools of contact.

This is important because in many cases the momentum of the body does not match that of the technique, and in other cases there is a lot of isolated tension in the technique arm and leg, which limit the technique to top power, and in other cases someone tries to control the distance by the contraction of the arm or leg which stops and chokes the energy.

The control of distance at kime should be from the body center using the breath, breath makes kime, than stopping is not stopping the momentum and energy. A punch could be a once inch punch yet the mental extension is to infinity.

Harvey Panick, the golf master said the one should pour the energy of the swing into the ball, this is a great image for karate technique.

Without going to details, I like to mention that what was said about breathing will not be applicable if the stance is not used properly, for example, in a Gyaku Zuki, front stance at kime, pressure by breath is applied toward the front foot, and the reaction of this pressure comes back to the back foot, and from the back foot through the center energy transferred to the technique, so the more pressure toward front foot the stronger the back foot becomes, and more energy is transmitted to line of technique, a wheel of energy is being created.

Of course, this has to become reflexive, so all one has to think is intention and breath.

So the interaction between breathing, body center and both feet is essential for maximum transfer of energy and momentum.

I would also like to add an important drill that Aiko San used to do with me, she used to stand in front of me and without technique, only by using kiai, she demanded that I would go thorough her, and the breath had to come from the lower abdominals, we would do this for hours.

She kept on demanding that the throat will be like pipe without effort, otherwise top muscles will contract in access, and energy cannot flow through, the body has to be like a clear tunnel so energy can flow in the needed line and in the right amount.

St. Louis Seminar

The seminar was held on May 21, 22 at the Mo Karate dojo, which is run by the Power Brothers.

This is passionate, family like dojo thanks to the Power brothers who are doing amazing job, always improving their own karate and lighting the fire at their students.

We worked on Kogo kumite, which is a great way to develop strategic kumite, one side is offense, making strategy, trying to create a chance, and the other response (defense).

The offense side learns to be purposeful, but without rush, with the objective of creating a chance rather than attack.

The response side learns not to be defensive, waiting, but take advantage of the opponent’s attack, or any space.

We worked on Kite kata, which was created by sensei Nishiyama with other masters of Goju and Shito-ryu.

This kata has elements from both shurei te and Naha te systems, and used in fukugo, kata/kumite mixed division. We worked on the small details of this kata, the way Sensei Nishiyama originally taught it.

POLAND SEMINAR

I was teaching the Poland seminar on Saturday and Sunday, May 7 &8.

This is an annual seminar that was regularly taught by Sensei Nishiyama till his passing at 2008, and now I teach it annually.

300 instructors and black belts participated last weekend in beautiful Stara Wiez, from Poland, Czech, Lithuania, Russia and Great Britain.

Stara Wiez is an amazing place, a karate village in the midst of beautiful forest and mountains, a place that can only be born out of burning passion to karate, and all my appreciation for Vodek and the Polish traditional karate for bringing a dream to reality.

The atmosphere was amazing; true learning atmosphere and true love for karate.

I was teaching Hangetsu and Tekki San dan, and through those katas showing movement and combat principles, which we than applied to kumite.

In hangetsu we stressed using the breath and maximizing muscle action, and than in Tekki sandan, we demonstrated how same principles are used in smaller action space, where muscle action becomes more important, connection, sequencing, and tranfer of energy through the kinetic chain are crucial to making big power in smaller action space.

Than in kumite we went through Oji waza (response timing) and Shikake waza (set up and strategy).

At the end of the first day the final tournament of the Polish league was held, and the level was great, real fun to watch how this athletes are getting better every year.

The top 2 men and women will participate in the World Cup in June.

Inner pliable force vs. outer rigid force

The power of karate

Inner pliable force vs. outer rigid force.

When one begins karate training the focus is on the outer form, at this level when one wants to make strong technique there is normally a lot of tension and strength involves.

As we progress we realize that through the outside form we should learn to move from the inside out, the outside form gives us the means, the position of mechanical advantage and it contains the principles that when internalized allow us to move from the inside and make power effortlessly.

At advanced level one should realize that when the body is tense it is very hard if not nearly impossible to connect and transfer energy from feet to legs to torso to top technique.

You see, the external form gives us the mechanical advantage where minimum effort can be used to achieve maximum force, but it is not a given, one has to understand the underlying principles. In fact, Kata is symbol of principle, the external form is a mean to understand and digest the underlying principles of movement and combat.

Only when one is soft and elastic we can make total connection and transfer of energy, when soft and properly aligned and moving in proper sequence we can make clear tunnels and the energy will transfer without interference or discontinuity, and energy increases at each segment.

That is why good form is only the first step in learning, next, when good form is natural, we learn to move from the inside out and from the ground up; from around the spine musculature and than energy increases in a ripple effect to the outer big muscles and to the extremities, and we do this by using the breath.

We must learn to put the intention, ki energy and breath in the Tan Den, center of energy, located 3 fingers below the navel and toward the spine.

When we move from the center, or the small diameter of the spine around the sacrum, energy increases in ripple effect.

We learn to use the breath to store energy internally, by interaction of the abdomen and back, and than to release energy from the back using the breath as trigger.

Than we have no back motion, the preparation is internal, and therefore the opponent does not know my timing, and has very little space to react to my technique, and we can react quickly to any space and generate force to any direction at an instant.

When we reach this level, when the body is soft and connected, energy is stored and released from inside, the technique is sequenced correctly, and every segment move in the right time and in the right amount, the body follows the intention, breath and ki energy.

At this level there is no hand, the whole body is a hand and there is no foot, the whole body is a foot, the power of technique is tremendous and there are no gaps or holes for the opponent to attack, and yet we can utilize any space.

Back to moving from the centerline of the body, you see when the muscles around the spine activate first, and the spine is stable and aligned optimally, the bigger outer muscles, will be in optimal length and will have a stable platform to move from and therefore they can be soft or contracted in the right amount and time, they can be used to the full rate of contraction.

If you ever see Sensei Nishiyama punch it seem soft and effortless, but I felt it many times, and it feels like a heavy hammer hitting you. On the other hand, some athletic people look strong but the effect is minimal, when one move from the outside it is impossible to be soft, and utilize the full range of muscles contraction/relaxation.

To reach this level we need good guideless, teacher, but even with the best teacher one can be stagnant in training, understand intellectually but not digest internally, unless one develops awareness of self and increase sensitivity, and one must constantly reflect on self.

This is the beauty of traditional karate.

CZECH REPUBLIC SEMINAR, APRIL 15-17

SUMMERY OF SEMINAR AND MATERIAL COVERED

Seminar in Czech Republic was held April 15-17; there were 110 participants from Czech, Poland, Germany, Lithuania and Chile, many of them are regular students of Sensei Nishiyama who used to come to LA dojo. I really enjoyed teaching, it was such a great group of karateka, eager to learn, curious, working hard and asking great questions, in this kind of environment, it is like a karate laboratory, there is mutual learning. And, to the credit of karate, in the same class there were some tough athletic young guys, middle age people, women and kids, all can enjoy karate working according to their abilities and reaping benefits according to their interests.

I always try in my seminars to give a whole picture of how karate principles interlink, seeing the reasoning and wisdom in our system, rather than do a bunch of techniques and applications.

This way I believe people can take with them knowledge for future training.

OUTLINE OF SEMINAR:

Posture

We described what is a good posture and how a good or bad posture affects the technique and the Psyche.

I also try to give tools and drills to make good posture tangible and get feedback as to having a good posture or not because what we feel is right is not always accurate.

Stance, ground reaction

2 types of stance, kamae stance and kime stance, principles of functional stance, and understanding that every action is reaction from floor, even one finger move, it is from the feet, breath activates the feet.
And again, giving tools to get feedback if one is really using the floor in each techniques.

Main power is from body center using ground reaction.

Power from center by body dynamics and muscles action.

Body center connection to elbow and to knee.

Technique is always from body center to elbow to contact area or from body center to knee to contact area, and that includes sequence of movement; body action first technique is result.

Breath

Breathing from floor initiate technique, breath make muscles direction of movement, either from the center out or from the outside to the center (reverse transmission), breath make kime and type of kime.

Hiding the inhalation in order to expose chance.

Speed and power

Initiate technique quickest without back motion.

Muchimi – body like whip, total body snap, acceleration.

Kime – pressure to floor for acceleration and mean of transfer momentum to target.

Sharp total body musculature contraction for maximizing shocking power.

Kumite, Applications

I always like to relate the principles taught in the basics to kumite because that is what basics are ultimately for. The beauty in Nishiyama karate is that every technical detail has reasons both in regard to effectiveness of technique and applications. High level kumite depends on internalizing principles of technique.

We practiced Unsoku (footwork) and using Ukimi (suspension of legs from body center.

Rhythm, we did drills using breath and footwork to catch (and ideally conduct) opponent’s rhythm and keeping the maai.

Reaction by breath bypassing the brain, using Sen timing.

Zanshin – not giving mental or physical space after kime, we did some important drills to develop zanshin.

Stressing that the more we give everything in the technique the more physical and mental preparedness we have, and Zanshin is effortless.

Oji Waza (response techniques)

Sen, to anticipate, we practiced progression of Sen timing drills and variations of sen.

Go no Sen (hitting the opponent after first technique or between techniques)

Uke Waza (blocking) block is attack opponent technique on the way to attack his body, foot moves first than body center.

Amashi Waza - using space to avoid attack and counter in the off rhythm.

Understand Mikiru (estimate opponent range).

Mawashi Waza – foot circle, avoiding the opponent’s line of attack and counterattack breaking, switching the rhythm.

Shikake Waza – set up, creating a chance, strategy

Yomu – read opponent intentions, first step before forming strategy

Types of Shikake

Sasoi Waza – invite, using fake, considering the distance, making the fake in the right moment, the right amount of fake depending on the opponent eagerness to attack.

Tsume – press the opponent, infinitely and smoothly coming into his space forcing him to attack, and anticipating him.

Give bait - when detecting the opponent waits for counter, give the opponent a technique to block, and use the space between his block to counter, switching techniques sharply.

Combinations – when the opponent retreat and we can initiate in between his rhythm with small techniques to close the space while staying mentally/physically ahead, finishing with big technique.