MatsuShinshii

Shortyafter, To further expand on what Wastelander has already said... Ikken hissatsu is not a term we use. It is possible to kill with a single strike. However the concept as I have said and as Wastelander has stated is to end the fight quickly. This does not mean that you're going to punch someone and kill them. You elude to an opening not being an issue because the fight should be over after the initial strike. The thing is you are not open. The concept is that you have trapped the opponents attacking weapon and in so doing have prevented them from taking advantage of this perceived opening. The point is it's not an opening.

I'm by no means an expert but isn't the idea of traditional karate one strike, one kill/KO? So leaving yourself open wouldn't necessarily be a problem, because theoretically the opponent would be down before he can counter. If you look at it that way the centrifugal force idea could make more sense. Whether or not the idea is actually valid, I don't know, but it would make more sense in karate than in boxing IMO. That idea originally comes from Japanese swordsmanship, as best as I can tell. In karate, you will often hear "ikken hissatsu," which means something along the lines of "one fist (strike), certain death." In traditional Japanese swordsmanship, they refer to "ichigeki hissatsu," which means "one strike, certain death." In the use of a sword, that is a very literal maxim. With empty hands, it is simply not nearly as realistic. You should strive to end the fight as quickly as possible, yes, but you can't EXPECT to. You have to train for failure, not success. Nail on the head!

I think there is an argument for both. I have had my fair share of private "classes" and they have their place but IMHO do not replace group class. Famous teachers for private lessons; well I've had the privilege to train under what we would consider the hierarchy of our organization, but not sure that makes them "famous". Having said that I would have loved to study directly under Hohan Soken O'Shinshii. Even if it were to sit and talk to him about the art. That would be my dream class. As far as famous goes, I have trained under what some would consider famous and to be honest I found it to be no more advanced than training under any of our Kodansha. I won't mention names but I think the "famous" part goes to their heads and at least in my case, I found the classes to be less than what I expected. So I guess my answer is no, I would not seek to have private classes with anyone "famous".

Congrats!

I'm by no means an expert but isn't the idea of traditional karate one strike, one kill/KO? So leaving yourself open wouldn't necessarily be a problem, because theoretically the opponent would be down before he can counter. If you look at it that way the centrifugal force idea could make more sense. Whether or not the idea is actually valid, I don't know, but it would make more sense in karate than in boxing IMO. While the concept is to finish the opponent quickly and while I’ve heard this term used within the arts this concept does not explain leaving an opening as a purposeful act. I will not go further into this concept but will say this is not a valid explanation of fichidi.

I can't think for you or make decisions for you and your life. However as a father I would tell you that if you do not want to utilize the skill sets you already have to make a living then you have to develop ones that you will use to make a living. Yes college is a viable option but you will need to know what you want to do. No offense but it doesn't sound like you have that locked down. The other option and the best advice I can give is to get a job, any job. In working we find what we enjoy and what we disdain. This focuses the mind into what we don't want to do and opens a few doors into what we may want to do. It develops work ethic and a drive. I started working when I was 10 years old cutting grass, raking leaves and shoveling snow, when I turned 14 I started working at a hardware store and restaurant, I switched to construction at the age of 17, joined the Marine Corps, got out and had the old cliche of "every job known to man" then got serious and went right back to what I knew (construction) and have been doing it ever since. I also teach. If you enjoy helping others, that's probably the direction you should head. However I would take some time to find out about your options and work in those fields as a coop or intern prior to committing. The key is to learn what you like and what you don't. There are many that hate what they do and have to drag themselves out of bed every morning to go to work. The point is very few know what they want to do until the get some experience under their belts. Go get some.

Rather than writing one of my signature novels, for the sake of time I will try to simplify the meaning of Fichidi (Hikite). As a kid I was taught in other arts that this is to increase power in your punch. The explanation was that the centrifugal force generated in this action of pulling/ pushing acted like a spring, increasing the speed and power of the arm extending to strike. This, IMHO, is not the case and is faulty reasoning that a westerner came up with to explain what they did not understand. If this were true this method would be taught in boxing as well as all fighting arts to maximize power. The other faulty premise in those not training in traditional arts is that it leaves you vulnerable as your entire body is open. Again this is a case of not understanding what Fichidi is. As Wastelander eluded to I have also heard that this is a simultaneous elbow strike and punch combo. Although this could be viable if you found yourself with an attacker to the front and to the rear the issue is how many times would this be employed in combat for the Okinawans/Chinese to create this technique for this purpose. This would have had to be pretty common to warrant the creation of such a technique. The answer is no, this is not the true meaning of Fichidi (Hikite). So why do we teach this method when striking? What I was taught is that Fichidi (Hikite) is part of one of the elements of our art, that being Tuidi. In our art we utilize elements with other elements (ie; Tuite with Muto or Tuite with Chibudi, etc.) It is a way to off balance, neutralize and gain the advantage over your opponent while making it difficult for your opponent to counter attack and making it easy for you to end the fight with minimal resistance. The methodology behind this technique is to grab the attacker’s weapon (arm, wrist) and twist it and then pull him into you as you strike them or to turn it into a throw or submissive hold. The concept behind this is that we use certain muscles to pull. If you were to simply pull your attackers arm he would be able to equalize your attempt if he were equally matched in strength or over power you if he were stronger. It has to do with body mechanics. In order to pull, you must engage the biceps and latissimus dorsi muscles. By twisting the opponents arm it straights it and turns the elbow over thus making it much more difficult for them to engage their primary muscles in order to pull back. On the other side of the coin you are engaging your primary muscles as you turn your fist up and begin to pull back and thus can easily over power your opponent. The primary method is to grab the opposite side arm. Basically your left hand grabs his left wrist or arm. As you turn (twist) your hand it turns the opponents arm so that the elbow turns out/up and the arm is straightened. This disengages and elongates the biceps muscles and makes it more difficult to engage them. This also turns the shoulder up and out. This makes it difficult to engage the “latts”. As you pull him forward this also shifts his center of gravity and breaks his balance. At this point he is unable to utilize his other arm to counter as it would be across his body and blocked by his own arm. This gives you the advantage to strike, throw, utilize an arm bar, etc., etc. If done to the same side arm the action of Fichidi is different as it’s more of a large, open motion such as seen in Quan Fa but the concept is relatively the same. Interestingly enough this technique comes from Quan Fa and is not the invention of the Okinawan’s although many like to claim it is. Hope this made sense and helps clarify.

Over the years I have heard many reasons why it is used and almost as many why it shouldn't be used. Most none traditional martial artists do not know why or what it is but rather execute it because this is what they have been taught. Those outside of traditional arts do not understand why you would leave such an opening. What have you been told by your teach in terms of why we use Hikite (Fichidi)? Have you been taught why it is used and what it's function is?

We use some Uchinaaguchi terms, as well, which I know probably confuses some people. I have to say, though, that it really excites the Okinawans in our organization when we use them Too true, they do love when you use their language. I have been on a mission to find the proper terminology in Uchinaguchi to replace the Japanese but it's been a few year journey and proven harder than I thought. I've been told that there just aren't words in Uchinaguchi that translate from the Japanese words and vice versa. Hard to fathom but that is what I've been told. It's about a 60/40 split. Most of the terminology is Japanese with only 40% being Uchinaguchi. Seems wrong. I personally would rather it be one or the other but would much prefer Uchinaguchi as its an Okinawan art.

We use both Uchinaguchi and Japanese in our organization. Why? I guess because my Shinshii might only have known a word or technique in that language and not the other. Either way as the post questioned... yes we have had others join and use a different terminology than what we use. I think it is quite common. I think the main reason is many instructors get their indoctrination in their chosen arts language inside the Dojo and if their teacher had never been to that country nor speaks the language themselves then misunderstanding meaning is easy to do. Thus you have one instructor calling something one thing and another calling it something else. If you want to know if you're right take a trip to your arts origins and seek out an instructor. They will correct you and you will know the proper terminology for your arts techniques.

If the schools focus is on fighting, yes. If the schools focus is on sport, no. To clarify a little more, if the focus is on all aspects of fighting then yes. What that means is not just striking or kicking but also grappling, throws, sweeps, take downs, controlling techniques (joint locks and the like), etc., etc. I don't mean mixing Judo and Jujutsu in, although you could, I mean teaching the whole art not just the sport side of the art. The problem with "Karate" when we speak of street defense is that the sport side of modern Karate is not suited for this type of fighting. They are more accustomed to longer ranges and time to throw strikes and kicks and 95% or higher of street fights is close range. This, unfortunately, is rarely practiced in modern Dojo. Realism in training is the key to the art being effective in a real fight.

Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great day!

Congratulations! Grandson or granddaughter? Grandson. He has me wrapped around his finger and will be very spoiled.

That’s awesome.

It’s official I’m a grandpa! I feel old.

As I like to say "it is what it is".

Criteria is subjective and based upon the art, organization and instructors requirements and expectations. There is no set criteria or standards for black belt nor any grade. If there were you would only have one art. Each has their own. I've seen BB's that IMPO were not deserving of Gokyu and in some cases I've seen students that I wondered why their instructors hadn't granted higher grades. It's subjective at best even within the same organization.

Oh if only that were true...

I hate the idea. I'm with Mazzybear. No!

More is not always better. Conversely less is seldom better. A syllabus should be designed on what works in the most efficient manner. The length of a syllabus is not as important as what it contains and whether is has been tried and tested in creating quality martial artists. To me this is a black and white matter. This is what it takes to get the information needed to the student and thus what is needed to learn the art as it has been passed down. Whether a student feels it is too long is not the issue and needs no explanation. You either learn it or you don't. the choice ultimately is up to the student. However this is not a choice in terms of changing the syllabus. If proven then it can not be altered. Removing or adding to an art changes the art altogether and thus alters the experience that makes a student into a teacher. Once alterations are made you set the precedence for future generations and before you know it the art as it was created is lost. Ex. Japanese interpretation of Okinawan martial arts. Whether you think it was damaged or improved doesn't change the fact that it is entirely a different art. Changes to the original syllabus can be profound. If it works don't fix it. That's my 2 cents.

I can see why some would gravitate to softer arts and away from hard arts as they age. However I do not totally buy into their reasoning. Yes age catches up with all of us. This does not mean its a bad thing. With age comes years of experience and knowledge. You develop better technique and become more efficient. When your young speed and strength are king. When you age technique and efficiency becomes king. These comes with experience and knowledge that only comes with years of training. My old Judo instructor was in his 70's. This is an art where you get thrown a lot. My first day I was matched up with a much larger and younger man and I spent the entire class trying to match his strength. This, what I perceived as a frail old man matched up with this larger lad at the end of class. This guy was twice the instructors size and I knew he was twice the instructors strength so I was naturally concerned. The funny thing was the larger guy, no matter how hard he tried, was unable to get the better of the instructor. The instructor threw this guy at will and with very little effort. After class he pulled me aside and said he had watched me try to over power my opponent and constantly get thrown to the ground. He explained that strength was not needed and that proper technique and body positioning would defeat strength every time. He stated that strength and speed can be used against your opponent with proper timing and technique. He demonstrated this on me in the next class, over and over. At first I was barely trying because I did not want to hurt him. After 30 minutes of getting thrown I began to try to over power and throw him. It worked against me and I was being thrown at will. The harder I tried to over power him the easier he was able to throw me. After a few months of training with the instructor and learning proper technique I was easily besting the larger guy. Not because I had become much stronger but because I learned proper technique. I've been studying my art for 40 years. I'm not as fast and not as flexible and certainly not as strong as I once was. However I am able to better students 20 and 30 years my junior. The difference is experience and technique. I don't need to be faster because I'm more efficient in the way I move, attack and defend. I have amassed years of knowledge and understand how to defeat someone that is stronger and faster. Youth = strength, flexibility and speed. Age = knowledge, experience, efficiency (economy of motion and timing) and technique. Loosing strength, flexibility and speed does not mean you have to find a different art or that you can no longer compete with those half your age. Actually I have found the opposite to be true.

If these are the same people that state they can stop someone or knock someone out without touching them (which I seem to remember they are) they are a joke. I buy into meditation to focus the mind, I buy into fasting because it does have health benefits but the whole celibacy thing (not for me). The whole no touch knockout and stopping someone with your mind is fake and utter nonsense. I don't care if you meditate, fast and abstain from sex your whole life, you can't knock someone out with your Chi. Pure bull pucky.

I've not come across that story but there are plenty out there.

I haven't studied Isshin Ryu but they are not the only art to strike with the thumb to the outside of the hand. We actually strike this way as well just not vertically.

That's awesome.