FIGHTING FROM THE INSIDE

At high level when 2 people are facing each other, there is no random movement, everything is purposeful.

Not only there are no random techniques but there is no unnecessary movement in the interaction.

When we are advanced it is not only that the technique is stronger and one can produce more force with less action, but that we become more sensitive to the opponent’s movement and intention.

Our ki energy can be projected to the opponent so we need less movement to give threat and break the opponent’s rhythm and the same ki energy serves as our antenna, perceiving the opponent’s energy. At this level we fake or project our energy at the right moment when the opponent has to react, or we can remove, not show our energy, to create emptiness at the opponent and than attack.

I use to spend a lot of time sparring with sensei Nishiyama and sometimes Aiko San without technique, only breathing and feet. This kind of sparring might seem strange at first, but it has amazing benefits. If you wonder, I could never beat neither sensei Nishiyama nor Aiko San, not even one out of ten, but I learned a lot.

One learns to close the gaps and remove spaces in one’s own movement, while learning to detect and anticipate even smallest spaces.

Kumite becomes subtler, and one learns to appreciate the importance of breath in reacting, initiating technique, make fake or set up, and seal spaces in our movement.

One learns that to truly be able to use the breath to do all of what mentioned above, we have to go back to the basics and kata and polish the interaction, of breath muscles and technique.

This kind of training also eliminate end gaining, since there is no technique and you don’t really get each other, it teaches one to be in the moment, and in addition not to rely on quick arm or leg but rather on perfect time and than speed is addition.

Keep in mind, the goal in karate is to remove unnecessary action, make movement more pure, this is true as far as technique and as far  as moving with an opponent, therefore learn to move from the inside, fight from the inside.

The difference is in the small details

We tend to focus on what can easily be seen, like speed and power, but if we pay more attention to the small details, speed and power will come more effortlessly.

Take for example the postural direction of “eyes back”, a very simple and subtle direction that has many implications.

We say “eyes back” which is not a physical movement but rather a prevention of head forward posture that is so common, and allowing the spinal muscles to extend the spine and head up against gravity as 5 yrs old naturally does.

With the eyes back and the spine extended, body action, such as rotation, is effortless and has more range.

The back muscles, thoracic extensors and scapula adductors are at optimal length for function, and therefore force from the feet can transfer through the sacrum and than the thoracic spine using those upper back muscles. If the head is forward top power using the shoulders in isolation is likely.

When the head is aligned properly the weight of the head assist with using ground reaction, more pressure to back foot is available.
With head forward the weight of the head will make the front leg heavy.

Eyes back allow for holistic view, and the mind can be calm, and we can talk about breath reaction and breath initiating the technique, rather than analyzing and than moving.

Head forward posture will reverse the thoracic curvature, with time the shoulders migrate forward and movement at the shoulder will not be at optimal axis of rotation, which wears out the shoulder.

The more the head shifts forward the more lever arm and stress on the lumbar spine.

Now this is just one example, there are countless examples of small details that appear not so important but make a world of difference when they all come together, those small points make the difference between efficient movement of an expert, and novice techniques that are strength dependent.

This is the beauty of karate, what makes it an endless, unlimited journey, where one can keep getting better and better even at the age when physical strength is declined.

THE OUTCOME IS DECIDED BY WHAT HAPPENS IN BETWEEN

We know that achieving Todome (finishing blow technique) is essential in our karate, as Budo says: “Seeking the beauty of one finishing blow technique”.

But even if one develops strong technique, it is no guarantee that it can be used effectively. When facing a skillful opponent there are other conditions necessary in order to create the situation and seize the chance for execution of finish technique.

Without proper interaction even strongest technique will work only against beginners.

For a long period Aiko San (who I see as much as my teacher as Sensei Nishiyama was) and myself used to meet on Sundays, and work on some subtle points of technique, and than have lunch and discuss training.

In one of those lunches we discussed “I Patsu Shobu” – one chance win or lose, (not sure if the spelling is correct).

She explained that the term come from hunting, where it is not enough to be skillful in the use of bow and arrow, but one has to consider the direction of the wind, time of day, terrain and many factors to achieve the chance to shoot the bow and arrow and than one has to have perfect technique.

Point is, we must pay more attention to the in between, the interaction with opponent. Understand and lead the rhythm, read the opponent, make strategy, control the distance according to my strategy. Develop reaction and timing to seize the opportunity in an instant without gap. One has to be able fully commit and carry out the strategy or adapt the strategy to the changes in the opponent, so even while fully committed one is not blind but have awareness. All of these must be part of our game. We must learn to be more sensitive to opponent intentions and inclinations, not only think of our own technique. We must know when to push and when to pull, in the push there is always a pull and in the pull forward energy, and we have to maybe sometimes be able to remove our Ki energy from the opponent and than when the opponent relax, we attack instantly.

We can be sensitive and patient only when relaxed, yet not sloppy, so we can say relaxed focus, or soft outside yet strong inside.

This is true physically as much as mentally; even when the outside is relaxed the very inside is firm, so we keep potential energy and a base to move from.

In my dojo I try to get everyone to avoid the tendency to rush to attack and only think of outcome, and one of the first conditions is that one must be able to accept and welcome the opponent’s attack, and have the confidence that no matter what attack comes, I can handle it and make it into opportunity, that is why we practice so much Oji Waza (response) footwork and have to face many opponents.

Only than one can be patient and relaxed enough to take the risk necessary to create a chance, put oneself in danger (calculated danger) welcome the attack and be ahead of it.

Czech Seminar

Just finish teaching seminar in Czech Republic, it was great, 90 participants, from Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and of course Czech.

Everyone was passionate, spirited with will to get better.

It is so good to see that we are keeping the beautiful karate system Nishiyama Sensei taught us alive and flourishing.

It is not an easy system to learn and not for everyone, it is a very intricate system, and there is a lot of confusion in ITKF about what is Nishiyama Budo karate.

Those who are willing to truly learn this karate will benefit greatly.

We are going to keep a clear direction and the purity of our karate.

We worked on fundamentals, such as posture, using stance and ground reaction, coordinating the breath with body dynamics, muscle action and the use of the feet, maximizing impact power to make todome by using snap, pressure to floor and total body contraction in shortest time to line of technique.

We used Niju Shi Ho kata as a vehicle to understand some of the fundamentals, and to use full range of muscle action, and smoothness between techniques without compromising kime.

We spend a lot of time understanding and practicing footwork of Oji Waza (response timing) and a lot of time doing Shikake Waza (set up and strategy), especially combination attacks, and how to set the right situation and timing for combinations.

Thank you for your passion and hard work all participants, lets keep getting better and better, infinitely.

Feed forward Mechanism –sport research. “Inside body move first than technique starts”, Sensei Nishiyama.

What is “Feed forward mechnizm”?

Australian researchers (1988) discovered that the smaller, inner, stabilizer muscles, those closer to the spine, in a healthy person, are firing 30-50 milliseconds before arm movement and 110-130 milliseconds before leg movement.

This activation meant to stabilize the spine and alleviate stresses from the spine, and at the same time to allow the stable spine to provide a base from which the bigger, outer muscles can generate more force and be more effective.

This research is what started the “core” craze in the fitness industry.

In karate we understand this sequence and teach people how to move this way for many generation. This knowledge resulted from experience without high tech.

Both karate, sport research and physical therapy professionals can learn from each other.

I incorporate many physical therapy exercises to enhance people “feed forward” function, and moving out of optimal postures. No one can teach a person how to move from the center out and integrating the whole body to one direction as a good karate teacher.

In karate we talk about moving from the center, but if this center is not stable, we cannot drive a strong technique from the center, and the tendency will be to use top power.

Sensei Nishiyama explained, imagination that inside technique already finish, than breathing activate the inside muscles direction of technique, than muscles around spine move and in a ripple effect, outer muscles join and than extremities (technique).

The research shows that in people with back pain this activation is delayed, in other words, the spinal activation starts after the arm or leg movement, and therefore the spine is not stable against the forces created by those movements.

How can one move from the center if the center is not stable and cannot provide a foundation for movement.

This inner muscle activation does not need to be strong, and actually a too rigid torso wills interfere with performance.

This activation is movement specific, and being successful in lying positions on the floor does not carry over to pushing, pulling and rotation standing.

Many people with strong abdominals still have back pains since it is not the strength but rather sequence of activation that is important.

One of the reasons we lose this activation is bad posture, in which the inner, small, slow twitch muscles begin to act as fast twitch muscles, which are not suited for stability tasks.

In karate many generations ago, before we had high tech, we said, “Inside body moves first, than technique.”

This of course is hard to explain in writing and has to be demonstrated, and it was one of the main subjects of training in Sensei Nishiyama last 2 years of teaching.

“Make a mistake, we need mistake”

Sensei Nishiyama repeated that sentence many times, at least once a week. It was enlightening for me, I always try to be perfect and now he tells me to make mistakes, at first it seem contradictory to the concept of “always do your best, as if last chance of your life”.

But in reality you can never do your best if you do not accept mistake, you will always be inhibited, will confirm, will do things carefully and will not be able to give your whole being into the technique.
Sensei used to say: “Once you go, only god knows win or lose”, "don’t worry about results".

Only when we accept mistake we can go into unknown areas, away from the habitual and convenient.

Welcoming mistakes and correcting them, this humility is the only path for true learning.

"Do every technique as if it is last chance of your life"

"Do every technique as if it is last chance of your life".

Sensei Nishiyama told us many times.

This is the seriousness we want in training, since karate is not a basketball game that you can lose points and make up for it and gain points later.

Train as if your life will depend on it the next day.

This is not easy to do, because thankfully, we don’t have this kind of danger in our lives, and in the dojo everyone is friends and no one intend of hurting someone else, which is how it should be of course.

In order to develop real sharp mind and reflexes, avoid sloppiness and avoid unneeded movement and gaps of intention, we must imagine our opponent have knife.

Keep the friendliness in dojo, and we help each other learn and develop, but at the same time keep the seriousness.

Sensei Nishiyama used to get upset at me if I smiled to my partner doing sparring, he wanted total seriousness, and of course he wanted us to respect each other and not to hurt each other.

He hated sloppiness and bad manners.

“Always do your best” he used to tell us, in karate and life.