aurik

So I'm sorta feeling like a white belt again. Okay, not quite. This week I started learning the kata Seiryu, required for nidan. Like every rank kata we have, it has a couple of new sequences in it that still scramble my brain after a week of practice. It also doesn't help that when our regional director calls cadence for group kata, he tends to go extremely quickly. However, I also have 1.5-2 years to practice this kata before being tested on it, so I'm sure in a few weeks I should start getting comfortable with it. I also started working what we call "10-point", which is the yakusoku kumite from a sister organization. It consists of 10 sequences which get more complex as you go on. I made it through the first 5 sequences and understand most of them... but again, it feels like drinking through a firehose again. And last Saturday I started learning Seichin bunkai (kata required for brrown belt). This was not a requirement for those of us who earned their nikyu/ikkyu/shodan during the pandemic, but it is being re-introduced again. So now I get to learn it again. Fortunately after knowing our other bunkai, I was able to guess what most of the attacks/defenses were, but there are/were a few unexpected ones. Lastly, on Saturday since the wife and mini-me were away for the weekend, I decided to do the trifecta aikido/karate/kobudo classes in sequence. Aikido was fun and re-triggered some old neural pathways. The Saturday karate class is always a fairly low-intensity class, so I was feeling pretty well before kobudo started. And then I nearly died in kobudo. All I was learning was the bo kihons, but doing that for most of an hour was exhausting. ANd then we did about 10 minutes of sai kihons. Let me tell you, you don't realize how heavy sai can get until you work them over and over for 10+ minutes. After the 3 hours of training, I just went home and crashed. Hard. Slept for about 2 hours and still was exhausted afterwards.

I don’t understand how this whole vaccine mandate thing became so political. We have vaccine requirements for schools already. We have had them for decades in fact. Many of the diseases we vaccinate against are mild for most of the people who get it, but they can be fatal for some, or have life-altering side effects (blindness, sterility). COVID is no less dangerous and contagious than diseases we already vaccinate against. I didn’t get vaxxed/boosted to just protect me. I also did it to protect those who cannot get the vaccine or who are immunocompromised. IMO it is the socially responsible thing to do.

Meijin gis are popular among advanced students at my dojo. Quality materials, various embroidery options available, and sizes available for certain styles up to 12.

This also relates to the concept of “chunks”. When you are learning something you can only handle so many chunks at a time. For a complete novice, a block is a chunk, a step is a chunk, a strike is a chunk. The more chunks you throw at a student, the harder it is for them to learn it. Now as students learn the material, the amount of information in a chunk increases. In Urchi-Ryu, we have common sequences that show up in kata and yakusoku kumite drills over and over. For example, we have a sequence with a left wa-uke, right tettsui-uchi right wa-uke, left boshiken-uchi, left wa-uke, right nukite. When these are first presented to the student at green belt, they are presented as pairs. Block/strike. Pause. Block/strike. Pause. Block/strike. At brown belt and shodan they are chunked in pairs. At Nisan they are e presented as one sequence. Likewise, as the student advances the sequences in the yakusoku kumite drills get more complicated. The first drill consists of single blocks and single strikes. The second drill starts with single block/counter combinations and moves to two attacks + counter. The third sequence has two, three, and four attack sequences followed by a counter. And our Dan kumite is performed as a flow drill of attacks and counters. So in returning to tht original thread, yes the beginner material really needs to be beginner oriented. No more than a handful of chunks such that are he beginner can digest.

One of the things we also learn is that there are MANY interpretations to a kata. When we start out with our first rank kata, we learn one interpretation for the moves in that kata. As we progress to more advanced ranks, different bunkai, and different kata and yakusoku kumite (which are in turn based on kata), we encounter different interpretations for the moves in a kata. For example we have (nearly) the same sequence of moves in multiple different rank kata -- step forward into a shiko-dachi, perform a left circular block, followed by a right elbow strike to the sternum/solar plexus region, followed by a backfist strike to the upper mandible. In the Kanshiwa bunkai, that move is interpreted as a defense against a knife attack and is performed exactly as in the kata. In our Kanshu bunkai, that is interpreted as a defense against a sword (or baseball bat) attack. Things get more interesting when we perform that sequence in yakusoku kumite -- there are implicit throws/takedowns in there. One possible takedown involves the elbow strike/backfist, then stepping forward to perform a o-soto-gari (outer leg sweep). The next throw option involves either a shoulder throw or hip throw, since the defender is in the perfect position for either of those. Our CI tends to present material 3 to 4 month cycles. Most of the time we focus on the specific material for our next rank, but he will season the required material with additional material to include things like throws, joint locks, self-defense techniques, and chokes. In each case, he'll show a sequence of the kata where this is derived from.

In our bunkai, we almost never step straight backwards. We have situations where we pivot off the line of attack, where we step back to the side at a 45 degree angle, or where we step directly into the attack. The only two situations that I (yet) know of are in seisan and kanchin, and we don't just step back in these situations either. In seisan, the defender is facing an attacker with a katana (technically a shinai). The defender steps into a shiko-dachi, presenting the front leg to the attacker as "bait". As the attacker swings for the front leg, the defender jumps up and back, going over the attack and landing on the right leg. The attacker then brings the katana up for an overhead strike. Simultaneously, the defender jumps back to his original position, blocking the downward swing at the upper arm and pushing the attacker to the side, and then performs an elbow to the ribs, a backfist to the face, and a one-knuckle strike to the ribs. In Kanchin, the attack comes as a front kick. The defender drops his front foot back and into a shiko-dachi, which has the effeect of moving the torso out of the "power zone". The defender then brings his front hand up under the attacker's achilles while using the rear hand to "catch" the front of the foot. (Note, this works because you've stepped back beyond the effective range of the kick). The defender then stands back up into Sanchin, using the power generated by the legs to throw the attacker backwards. But no, we don't generally step back.

In Uechi-Ryu, the vast majority of our uke in kata are either mawashi-uke or hajike-uke. When performed at the beginner level, the mawashi-uke is a one-handed circular motion that covers the torso and face. However as a student advances they learn that the technique is more properly a two-hand technique where the “off-hand” performs a push-block/guide block to redirect the attack to a safe direction, while the nominal “blocking hand” then performs the circular motion to grab the attack while the off-hand then chambers for a counter. The hajike-uke is much more straightforward. It can be a block, a strike, or both. A beginner will perform this similar to a jodan barai uke, but advanced students will perform it moving forward and upwards. In one version, the defenders upward “block” will simultaneously move forward to intercept the strike and also strike the opponent in the face.

The primary reason I train is for enjoyment and stress relief. I generally don’t do tournaments, and now that I’ve earned my shodan belts are years away instead of months. However I never really pursued the belts for their own sake — I see them as ways of unlocking new techniques and skills. Now that I’ve earned my 1st degree I get to start learning new katas and new drills. So I train for th enjoyment and I try to put in my best effort every day.

I wouldn't say kata is beneficial. Kata is one of the core components of "karate" as I see it. The kata of a system define the system to a great degree. For one thing, kata is an exercise that you can do without a partner on your own every day as long as you have a little bit of space to work in. Kata lets you drill motions into your brain, lets you develop power and technique on your own, and most of all it gives you ideas to work with. For example, when I was studying Shuri-Ryu, the first kata we learned was Wansu. In that kata we had a sequence where the student would step into a kiba-dachi (horse stence), execute a gedan barai uke (low hammer block), then shift into a zenkutsu dachi (front stance) to do a reverse seiken-tsuki. As a student gained more understanding, they would learn how to develop a LOT of power in that hip shift from the kiba dachi to zenkutsu-dachi. Likewise, in our first Uechi-Ryu rank kata, the first three sequences involve the following: - Start in a neutral stance - Pivot on the left foot, facing left into a left sanchin-dachi. Perform a left wa-uke followed by right seiken-zuki - Pivot on the right foot, turning 180 degrees into a right sanchin-dachi. Right wa-uke, left seiken-zuki - Shift direction to face the (original) front, ending in a left sanchin-dachi. Left wa-uke, right seiken-zuki. One of the key elements here is to get off the line of attack. It's not just applicable in this kata, but that concept extends into all of our yakusoku kumite drills. To quote Mr Myagi (from the Karate Kid), "Best way to block a punch, no be there".

At my shodan test yesterday, we had an interesting discussion -- in Japanese "shodan" means either "beginner degree" or "little degree". In other words, at shodan you have mastered the basics, but you still have a LOT to learn. The other thing they mentioned was that MANY students see "black belt" as the goal, and not a milestone along the way. For every nidan out there, there are many many more shodans. I guess one of the reason that people quit was that they see it as "I got my black belt, cool, I'm done!". I actually worked with a guy who said that very same thing about his son -- "He did TKD and got his black belt". All past tense. My CI's opinion is that once you earn your first degree, you go back and re-learn everything and apply what you've learned to it and start doing your kata, bunkai, and yakusoku kumite with a black belt level of understanding.

At our dojo, a (adult) dan grade is considered a "permanent" grade. In other words, if you stop training for awhile (more than 3 months), you can still come back as a black belt. However, there is also the expectation that it will take a couple of additional years of consistent training before you can be considered for the next dan grade. Kyu level students that leave and come back return as a white belt, but after a refresher period (depending on grade) are permitted to re-test for their previous kyu rank. This of course only applies to students of our dojo. I'm not sure how it would apply to other Uechi-Ryu students. We actually had a student (1st degree) who took 10+ years off and started training again with us. I remember the first time I trained with him -- it was his first or second day back. He was a bit overwhelmed by all the material he had to re-learn, but he is picking it up pretty quickly. He's definitely not as crisp or as sharp as he was back then (I imagine), but re-learning a skill goes much faster than originally learning the skill.

So I haven't posted in this thread for awhile, but Zach and I have both been continuing to train hard and consistently. Yesterday I successfully tested for my shodan rank -- a big milestone for me. It was the most intense and difficult test I've undertaken so far. I partnered with my CI for the partner work, and he kicked things up to eleven; I kicked my intensity up as well. I was able to hit every segment with power and intensity, but the bunkai section left me seriously gassed. In the end though, I did pass! Here are the obligitory pictures: [/img] Zach is still training hard and training well -- he should be testing for his nikyu in the next couple of months.

So the test is over and I passed. I’m one word, it was intense. There was a possibility that I was going to partner with a JBB who was testing for his adult shodan, but he was unable to test today due to other commitments (baseball). Instead I tested with my Ci… and he kicked things up to 11. I had planned on pacing myself during the bunkai, but he brought such intensity to the attacks and defenses that I had no choice but to kick things up a notch as well. By the end of the bunkai I was pretty seriously gassed. Fortunately the bunkai is the last of the technically difficult items on the test, and with the number of examiners, I had at least 5-10 minutes between sessions to recover. I was able to hit every segment strong and I am proud of what I did today. I know a few areas I flubbed slightly, but I never heard that dreadful, “can I please see that again” (which means you failed at something). After the test was over and I got home I crashed hard from the exhaustion and adrenaline let-down. Now on to the next step!

DP, fortunately that caveat does not hold here. My CI is a 6th degree Renshi and his father is an 8th degree kyoshi. The other members of the board are 7th, 5th, and 4th degrees.

Another option would be a photo collage of several of your students ranging from beginner to advanced of different ages showing them doing cool stuff and how much fun they're having. Of course you'll want to get their permission first.

Thanks, Tyler! Last night's class was really good. For some reason I felt pretty gassed during hojo undo, but I felt my techniques were pretty strong throughout the beginning of class. One of my favorite training partners was back -- he's recovering from a dislocated shoulder, so I let him control the speed and intensity during kote kitae. He's a lot of fun to work with and we tend to work at about the same intensity, so it was great to see him there. We then worked ashi kitae (leg conditioning), and he's one of the few people that actually kicks me hard enough that I get real benefit from it. Good times! Individual sanchin was pretty crazy. During individual sanchin training, we perform sanchin with shime testing, and the instructor calls out the sequence of moves we're supposed to do. Typically it is four steps forward, pivot, four steps back, pivot, four steps forward, followed by the double strikes and the wa-uke strikes. Last night I performed this with our CI's father (kyoshi 8th dan). Well, he decided to really mess with me by changing the sequence, all while pushing/pulling/striking me to try to throw me off balance. He caught me off-guard on the first pivot, and I didn't do it as cleanly as I would have liked, but all in all I felt I did pretty well. Afterwards he told me that was the best Sanchin he had seen me perform -- and I told him, "You really were messing with me there, weren't you". His response was, "That was your Sanchin test. What you're doing next Sunday is for the audience -- as far as I'm concerned, you just passed it." After that we broke into groups. We had a really good balance yesterday -- four instructors and eight students, so each instructor worked with a pair of students. I worked with one of the stronger junior black belts (testing for adult black belt next week) on Seisan bunkai. It was a lot of fun and we both did pretty well. Our CI watched the whole thing, and gave us minor corrections throughout. I did get clocked a couple times when he got a bit overzealous (once on a tettsui-uchi to the temple, once on a bear-hug grab where he went high and brushed my left eye). Our CI did mention that in a black belt test things are wired to eleven and if your partner accidentally hits you, keep going. However, if the judges feel you are abusing your partner they may deduct points. All in all it was a really good session and we both were able to make some fine-tune adjustments. After that, the JBB had to leave so I worked with my CI and his younger brother on dan kumite. I felt that the one I did with my CI was one of the best ones I've done so far. I understand there are still areas I'm not perfect, but I'm feeling that I'm at a really good place for the test. I then repeated it with his brother (godan, super tall and strong), and he told me that felt really good as well. After that, we worked kata and then finished for the evening. 4 days to go, and I'm feeling really good.

Congratulations, Danielle! Before you know it it'll be another 15 years, time here seems to fly by.

Thank you for the encouragement, Bob. I really appreciate it. I know that I'm about as well prepared as I can be for the test next week. However, I know that my weakest areas are still the two sword defenses in the Seisan bunkai. Specifically, I need to get reps in with a GOOD partner to improve. I know that my partner for the test itself will be my CI, so I know that he'll make me look good. He'll also not let me get away with anything -- if I miss a defense, he will definitely let me know I missed the uke. At his father's birthday, I did ask him to not pair me with that nikyu for this particular week, because I do need to fine-tune my bunkai. I'm also planning on attending the prep class both times it is offered (wednesday and friday), so I can be as prepped as possible. I know I'm ready. I just want to score as high as I possibly can. Our CI has mentioned several times that a passing score on the test is 80 or better. Most shodan candidates usually end up in the 81-83 range, mainly because of things that they haven't been taught yet. I know that my CI wouldn't let me test if he didn't think I would pass -- I just want to do the absolute best I can. Thank you, Swede. I'm in that spot right now where I'm just nervous and excited enough that it should help my focus. I am not so nervous that I'll be unable to perform well.

Glad to hear you’re still training, Swede! And speaking as a parent it is a more fulfilling experience when you get to share it with your mini-me as well. I generally do one or two classes a week with my 9 year old son; we also have our age/rank specific classes. I have really enjoyed watching him grow and mature through karate. He has now been training at this dojo for about 4.5 years, and he should be testing for nikyu in the next couple of months. I don’t always stay to watch him in class, but when I do I’m very proud of how far he has come.

One week to go. A week from this coming Sunday I’ll be testing for my shodan rank. I’m feeling pretty good about most of the test. Tuesday night I attended the advanced adult class. We started out as usual… junbi undo, hojo undo, and sanchin. We then went off to do kotekitae and individual sanchin. When it came time for my sanchin feedback, Kyoshi (our ci’s father) showed me a subtlety to the wa-uke that Kanei Uechi had first showed him as he was preparing for godan. It involves using the secondary hand to trap/capture an opponent. It took quite a bit for me to understand what he was showing but then the light clicked. I’ve spent the past few days practicing it slowly and I’ve almost got it down passably. Another hundred repetitions before the test though… Unfortunately the rest of the class did not go as well. I was partnered with the nikyu who took most of COVID off so he is still very rusty. We worked our way through Dan kumite but only made it through half of one side of the bunkai. I really need to get some more reps in before my test. Thursday night I attended the early adult class and got to do some teaching. We had a new student on his second class, so I got to work with him on the hojo undo, kotekitae, and yakusoku kumite #1. After that we worked on kyu kumite and Dan kumite - one of my partners was a junior black belt who will be testing in November for his adult black belt — I was able to share some tips for how to deal with much larger/stronger opponents. Mainly it boils down to “don’t try to block me head on, get out of the way.” Tonight was prep class again. Only minor corrections on Seisan that I can practice over the next week. We also got invited to Kyoshi’s 72nd birthday party. Fun times!

I enjoyed the original movies when they came out, and the show is a lot of fun to watch. I’m looking forward to seeing how Chozen fits in with season 5.

I once did the same thing when I slipped and whacked my ribs on the side of the tub. Embarrassed the heck out of myself and bruised the heck out of my side. Glad you weren’t seriously hurt.

I'm making the assumption that your primariy focus is some type of striking art (karate, TKD, etc). I would take a look at your kata and two-person drills and look for throw/lock/choke opportunities as "finishing moves" at the end of those sequences. For example at our mid-level kyu ranks we have a prearranged "kyu kumite" sequence that has five sequences. The fourth sequence ends with the attacker performing a downward chop aiming towards the defender's head. The defender then steps into a shiko-dachi (low stance), performs an elbow strike to the sternum/solar plexus, and follows that with a backfist strike to the opponent's upper jaw (right beneath the nose). This postion has the defender primed to perform a number of different throws, such as an ippon seionage, o-goshi, or a number of other hip or shoulder trhows. In our "official" version, we perform an outer leg reap (o-soto-gari), but again, the position offers plenty of opportunities. The fifth sequence of those drills ends with the attacker performing a right roundhouse kick. The defender then performs an "x-block" (combination of gedan barai uke & chudan barai uke), then performs a watashi-uke (circular block), which spins the attacker around. The defender then finishes the attacker with a shoken-tsuki (one knuckle strike) to the back of the skull. This also places the defender in a prime position for several techniques, such as a rear naked choke. Our official version has the defender kicking the attacker's leg out from underneath him while pulling back on the shoulder, taking him to the ground, and then finishing him with a strike to the neck or floating ribs (whichever presents itself). I'd start with what the drills you're already comfortable with, and find the grappling techniques that present themselves in those drills.

Many moons ago, I studied aiki-jujutsu, which is nominally a predecessor to aikido. They key (fundamental) difference between aikido and the aiki-jujutsu I studied is the concept of the stun. Short version: When defending against an attack, your first move consists of a strike to give you a half-second or so to perform your lock or throw. I've seen other advanced aikidoka who have mentioned that very same concept. My understanding of aikido is that it generally assumes a willing (or at least non-resistant) attacker. A quick strike to the face or solar plexus can turn most untrained attackers into a willing subject -- for at least a half-second or so.

It's not immediately apparent when watching kata videos, but Uechi-Ryu has a concept of "flow" to it, where you generate power in one sequence and then carry that power and momentum over to the next sequence. This is somewhat opposite to the concept of "kime", or focus, and this concept of flow is where the kung fu roots come in. "Kime" and "flow" can be seen at two ends of a spectrum, and a student can choose how much of which to blend into their own technique. For example, in our first rank kata, Kanshiwa, the first 3 sequences are: Bow, step left to a natural stance, move hands up to tiger kimae. Pivot 90 degrees to the left into sanchin-dachi, left circle block, right seiken-tsuki, return right hand to kamae. Pivot 180 degrees to the rear into right sanchin-dachi, right circle block, left seiken-tsuki, return left hand to kamae. Pivot 90 degrees to the left into left sanchin-dachi, left circle block, right seiken-tsuki, return right hand to kamae. As a student gets more advanced, they can introduce the concept of "flow" into these basic moves as follows: - A student can use first pivot to "prime" their block and provide extra power to that wa-uke (circular block) - The student can then, instead of returning his hand to kamae proper, can then "flow" into the next sequence by immediately doing the 180 pivot and use the motion he would have returned to kamae to "prime" the next wa-uke. It can be very subtle, and it's not something you'd necessarily see in an instructional video, but the kung fu influence is certainly there.