Poland Seminar, May 11,12, 2013

Last weekend I was teaching the annual international traditional karate seminar in Dojo Stara Wies, Poland.

I had great time; there is nothing more inspiring than when people have great spirit and genuine quest for knowledge.

There were over 250 participants from Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, England, Lithuania and maybe I forgot some.

We worked on fundamentals such as posture, and stance, body dynamics, timing of technique, and of course Kime and how to make Todome.

Than we worked on Kata Sochin, as a mean to understand the fundamentals and relationships to applications.

Sochin kata has many subtle technical details, but also requires certain feeling and energy projection.

We spend a lot of time working on set up strategies and the subtleties involved.

Stara Wiez Dojo is an inspiring place thanks to the vision of Vodek and collaboration of all Polish karate people.

The Polish people show us what can be done when people work as a team, and it is great to see that everyone who comes to camp aside from being passionate about karate also love to be with each other, like a big karate family.

The art and magic of karate is in the small details which are derived from principles.

There are many teachers who can teach techniques but only few who can teach the art of karate.
Use the form as a vehicles to understand and digest the principles.
The principles and details derived from them make the magic of karate, make the technique effective and effortless, and applicable to any circumstance.
Follow the form and you will be limited to the form, follow the principles, digest the small details, make them your "body system" and you will be limitless, beyond form, and you will effortlessly be able to apply and adopt the technique to any changing circumstance, any space, with maximum effect.

Czech Republic Seminar Last Weekend

Just returned from Czech Republic seminar, it was a great, with 100 participants from Germany, Ukraine, Russia Poland and of course Czech Republic.

Spirit was great, the atmosphere and friendships even greater.

Vladimir Pucha and his team from Ukraine drove 15 hours non-stop and than step into training, I really appreciate this spirit.

We spent a lot of time going through details of kata Hangetsu, Kanku Dai and kata Kitei (which was composed by sensei Nishiyama for competition).

Once we went through the precise form of each kata, we went on using the kata as a vehicle to understand and internalize principles of technique and application, which are contracted within the kata.

We spent a lot of hours practicing Shikake Waza (strategy), with many variations of Sasoi Waza (invite) and combinations including timing and distance.

The level was obviously higher than last year, the enthusiasm even higher, Nishiyama karate is going from strength to strength.

I landed in LA slept for an hour and a half and went to dojo to teach; now I need some rest.

Thank you guys for the hard work.

KIME - TOTAL BREATH, TOTAL ENERGY PASS THROUGH TARGET

There are many details to effective kime, which obviously have to come together to the point that you just have the intention of finish technique, and all the details will happen by themselves. At this point your body knows how to make kime.

But no matter at what level we are we always have to revisit and reflect if we apply all aspects of kime optimally, we can always get better. Sensei Nishiyama was never tired or bored of repeating the principles and details of kime, and there was always something subtle, new, that could be learned.

Breathing “through pass” target, “give all air, give all energy”, Kiai destroy opponent”

Those are different ways to describe a similar aspect of kime. This is an aspect of kime that is difficult for many people, to mentally give everything, and to give all air through pass target, which means all energy and momentum transfer to opponent.
Actually, giving all air is a mean to give oneself totally, not to hold back anything, as budo says “no mind in the technique”.

Giving all air is giving all energy, as Nishiyama Sensei used to say “one period of breath is total amount of energy”, it should be done in the shortest time, and is only effective when the breath matches with the technique, and than at impact there will be maximum pressure to floor and total body contraction to technique line.

Make sure not to blow the air, but pressure to floor and as reaction air goes out, than your throat will stay soft, the breath is not in the throat, the throat is just like a pipe.
The breath/kiai peaks at impact but does not stop, don't push we need shocking power.

When one gives all air, next breath starts as reaction, therefore next technique or kamae starts naturally (zanshin), you don’t do it, it is done by itself.

Giving all air solves the problem of “snap back”, since “snap back” happens when half the breath (energy) goes to technique and the other half (of breath/energy) goes for the pull back, which means that only part of the energy goes to the target.

At the same token one should not stop and hold the arm extended, this is a dead arm, and it is a space for opponent to counter.

Giving all air solves this problem as well, since when you give all air, next technique starts as a reaction, and you don’t cut and stop at kime.

“Snap back” is especially bad since while “snap back” the momentum is going back, there is one extra motion, space between techniques, which the opponent can capitalize on.

In any case, the more skillful a person is, the shorter the instant of kime is, and one can give all air and deliver all energy in shortest amount of time.

“give all air” is a feel, and is changing depending on the technique, target and purpose.

Tsuki (punch) to the face is different than to the body, when punching the body more penetration is required and deeper kime, while the head gives, and impact need to be sharper, so energy is transfer before the head gives, even when looks like snap back, all energy must be tranfered first, even in striking techniques (uchi waza).

The point is that once the momentum is delivered there is no point to stay, next technique or kamae are transitioned to naturally, as reaction.

“Snap back” usually happens because one protects itself, wants to recover quickly, but when the chance is there and you are ahead of opponent, no worry, you must try to finish.

“Snap back” also happens when the breath cuts and the body bounce, and “snap back” results.

“Snap back” is also result of sport karate competition, when scoring is awarded for just reaching the target. Those kind of rules encourage training for just reaching the target with the fist, not passing through with the whole body. 

It is, of course, easy to reach the target with just the fist than with the whole body connected and total momentum delivered to target.

Some ideas of how to give all breath and energy through target:

Before technique, look way beyond the opponent, intention beyond opponent to infinity, your feet stop inside opponent but breath continue through, it should feel as if your body wants to keep going, yet your feet holding the body from going. If you look to the spot you hit, your  breath/energy will stop there.

Another idea, feel as if your body stops yet inside your body continue through opponent.

Another idea, Imagine your kiai has no echo, the sound does not come back, I like this idea a lot, Sensei Nishiyama told me this over and over.

Another idea, think not of poking the opponent but rather thrust a spear through.

Posture, precise timing of body segments make for effective technique and a healthier musculoskeletal system.

In karate we strive to achieve todome (finish technique) and at the same time we seek longevity in training. Both effectiveness and longevity are achieved by using precise movement of specific segments out of optimal static and dynamic postures and alignment within total body movement.

Maintaining or restoring precise movement of specific segments and the relationships between segments is also the key to correcting or preventing musculoskeletal pain.

The biomechanics of human movement is similar to the mechanics of machines, in that the longevity of components and efficiency of performance require precise movements of the rotating segments.

In contrast to machines stress on the human tissues is necessary for optimal health, stress in the right amount can improve the strength of tissues.

Too much stress can harm the tissues and too little stress is not effective.

The loss of precise movement can begin a cycle that harms the tissues over time.

As with other mechanical systems alignment is important. Optimal posture and alignment facilitates optimal movement.

If alignment is faulty before movement starts, correction is needed to achieve ideal configuration, which must be retained throughout the movement.

The more ideal the alignment of the skeletal segments, the more optimal the performance of the controlling segments such as the muscles and nervous system.

Similarly, if alignment is faulty there is greater chance of causing microtrauma to joints and supporting structures.

Studies have shown that the spinal segments subjected to most movement are the ones that show the greatest signs of degenerative changes, especially when movement deviates from ideal.

Optimal muscular performance is achieved through subtle adjustments of muscular length and strength, as well as through patterns of recruitment, and this produces and maintains the alignment and balance of human joint motion.

In Karate we constantly work on posture and alignment along with optimizing timing of movements. Timing of movement refers to external segments, and internal muscles action, the right amount of activation in the right time, and harmonious interaction of muscles action with the external dynamics.

We also should stretch the typically tight muscles and strengthen the typically over lengthened and weak muscles.

It is interesting to note that research shows that altered posture causes loss of proprioception (kinesthetic awareness and feedback mechanism through mechano-receptors in the skin, muscles and tendons) and altered timing of activation.

For examples people who sit for prolonged periods with head forward posture show loss of proprioceptor cells around the lumbar spine, and the smaller muscles around the spine such as multifidus, and inner fiber of lumbar erectors, which are supposes to fire before movement and for prolonged periods (stabilizers), are starting to act as fast twitch fibers, their activation is delayed, and is for a shorter periods.

Those changes mean that the stability of the lumbar spine is compromised and with it also the effectiveness of the bigger, outer muscles which are the “movers”.

In karate terms optimal posture and timing of movement means, quicker start of technique, increased total movement speed, more powerful body snap and acceleration, and stronger and more complete muscles contraction at kime, and at the same time less stress on joints.

Optimal posture and precise sequencing is what makes karate technique most effective on the one hand and it is what makes karate so beneficial to keeping the health of the musculoskeletal system.

Project strong ki energy, have strong spirit, yet your mind and body are calm and relaxed.

Project strong ki energy yet stay relaxed.
When setting up an opponent, project strong ki energy, yet stay relaxed, the more relaxed I am, the more pressure I can put on the opponent and the easier to unsettle the opponent, and at the same time it will be easier to react and take advantage of what the opponent gives us.
If I am not relaxed when pressuring the opponent, I am not responsive, and my fake is not as believable.
If I am relaxed I can move less in order to move the opponent.
Being relaxed come from accepting the opponent's attack, and I can accept the opponent's attack when I am confident that I can react to whatever attack might come.
I want to stay calm, yet make the opponent uncertain, in doubt.

Posture advise from Aiko San

This was one of the great advises I received from Aiko San, it was in one of the national championships, she pulled me to the side, and told me: “try to imagine your head as a ball resting delicately on your shoulders, if your head lean to either direction it will fall this way, if it is to fall, it should fall between your legs.”

Than she make me do yori ashi with Gyaku Zuki, first slow and than at full speed, and at kime, I had to check if my head was to fall to either side or between my legs, to be correct my neck had to be totally relaxed.

We did this for over an hour, I forgot that I was there for competition, and looking back this little advise was worth more than winning 5 national championships.

When the head just rests and floats on your shoulders, in addition to improved posture, lengthening the spine and reducing compression, there are lots of benefits: the tension in the neck and shoulders is reduced, the breath and the energy can be condensed and lowered to the Tan Den (lower abdomen), so our power is coming from where it is supposed to, and the power can be delivered effectively to where intend to, without escape of energy.

As we deliver energy we store energy in the center, which is not possible if there is access tension and top power.

Aiko San gave us those small, wise advises that had huge influence. 

I use this advise regularly in my training and teaching.