Which kata best represents your style?

[bushido_man96]

Its a nice form. You don't really get to see it a lot though because its only the more senior people who do it.

Here's GM Choi Jung Hwa doing it but I've seen videos of better.

Ah, now I see. Our organizations' senior black belt is a 7th dan, and he usually comes to one of our testings a year. He does that form. Our organization tends to have a different flow to the forms, but I'm sure it is the same form. Thanks for posting that.

In my teaching Style I would say that Jissen kata 1 and 2 would be the best kata that describe my style.

That was a very different form that what I have been use to seeing. I liked it, and I liked the bunkai as well. Pretty straightforward stuff. Is that a form unique to Ashihara style?

[Dobbersky]

In my teaching Style I would say that Jissen kata 1 and 2 would be the best kata that describe my style.

That was a very different form that what I have been use to seeing. I liked it, and I liked the Bunkai as well. Pretty straightforward stuff. Is that a form unique to Ashihara style?

Hi Bushido man, Yes this form is unique to the Ashihara style, (it is a Shodan kata) we have about 16 kata all taken from a similar stance and movements, Enshin also have similar kata but tend to grab a lot more as Kancho Ninomiya (based in Denver) was a Judoka before moving with Sosai Ashihara from Kyokushinkai to NIKO before he formed Enshin.

I feel the kata were created to allow better combat in the competitions and also to look more at street situations and take small, simple steps to overcome your attacker.

We focus on Sabaki a lot (I know that Sabaki is not exclusive to Ashihara but it is shown more in our techniques).

I still study Wado so enjoy the traditional kata (although I would if I was honest like to skip the Kyu grade kata and get at the Dan grade kata like Niseishi, Bassai, Chinto and Rohai etc.

I hope this helps

[Underlink]

i think rohie is a good kata to sum up my style its all about timing and breathing.

[Zanshin]

i think rohie is a good kata to sum up my style its all about timing and breathing.

Rohai?

Just out of interest, what is different about the breathing in Rohai compared to any other Wado Kata? Curious, caus I have never looked at it like that.

[tenshinka]

i think rohie is a good kata to sum up my style its all about timing and breathing.

Rohai?

Just out of interest, what is different about the breathing in Rohai compared to any other Wado Kata? Curious, caus I have never looked at it like that.

Rohai has many dynamic jumps, and one leg stances that call to for special breathing in alignment with posture and balance...

In TSD we have a saying that is "Control the Soo Ki, and Sink the Hwa Ki"...Basically the upper body is referred to as

Soo Ki" or "Water Energy"...the upper body (Water Energy) can easily get out of control, and cause sloppy technique when we don't focus on "Heem Cho Chung" (Power Control)...I.E. When putting "too much" power into hand techniques (soo sool), we tend to overcompensate with the upper half of our bodies, which cases leaning (sloppy posture).

The lower half of the body is referred to here as "hwa ki" or "Fire Energy"...Sinking your "Fire Energy" is basically dropping your center, focusing on your tan tien (dan jun), thus rooting yourself the ground.

Controlling your Soo ki, and Sinking your hwa ki, will allow you to have VERY solid, and controlled technique (even from one leg)...

The other factor is "Ho Hup Cho Chung" (control of breathing)...When you go up on one leg (crane stance), you breathe in, which focuses your attention on your "myung chi" (your solar-plexus), which allows you to keep your center easily, and as you execute a technique, you breath out (sinking your hwa ki, by dropping your weight, and attention, and relaxing your body in a "dead weight" state).

My Aikido teacher used to say when you breathe in your energy spirals upward, when you breath our, your energy goes spirals downward, this is natural control of the "Soo Ki and Hwa Ki" principle.

Just a few things we learn from Rohai in TSD/TKD...

[joesteph]

Basically the upper body is referred to as Soo Ki" or "Water Energy"...the upper body (Water Energy) can easily get out of control, and cause sloppy technique when we don't focus on "Heem Cho Chung" (Power Control)...I.E. When putting "too much" power into hand techniques (soo sool), we tend to overcompensate with the upper half of our bodies, which cases leaning (sloppy posture).

The lower half of the body is referred to here as "hwa ki" or "Fire Energy"...Sinking your "Fire Energy" is basically dropping your center, focusing on your tan tien (dan jun), thus rooting yourself the ground.

I've noticed on the Korean flag, Josh, that the symbols above the Um-Yang are heaven on the left, and water on the right, while the symbols below are fire on the left (opposite water) and Earth on the right (opposite heaven). I didn't think twice about heaven above and Earth below, but I'm used to thinking in terms of "fire and water," not "water and fire," and I wonder if the principles of where one associates water and fire, upper body and lower body, didn't work their way into the Korean flag.

A caution against too much power exerted by the upper, such as by hand techniques, as opposed to dropping the center to maintain a rooted position before committing power, makes me think of the second line in the Sip Sam Seh, in which the waist is where the power is. You have to have a lowered center and be rooted to harness that power, not be "top heavy" with emphasis/power and so be unbalanced.

Controlling your Soo ki, and Sinking your hwa ki, will allow you to have VERY solid, and controlled technique (even from one leg)...

This reminds me of Taiji. It also reminds me of, when performing hyungs, that to keep balance while turning, there's a right way to keep balance, and a wrong way of committing the body and so experiencing imbalance.

The other factor is "Ho Hup Cho Chung" (control of breathing)...When you go up on one leg (crane stance), you breathe in, which focuses your attention on your "myung chi" (your solar-plexus), which allows you to keep your center easily, and as you execute a technique, you breath out (sinking your hwa ki, by dropping your weight, and attention, and relaxing your body in a "dead weight" state).

I can't say that she has spoken exactly like this, Josh, but my instructor's teacher visits our dojang every so often and teaches a class. She places a great deal of emphasis on proper breathing, as well as relaxation and tension (such as to have the limb to be used for block or strike start in a relaxed state, then fire it off--the "tension").

[bushido_man96]

Thanks for the expanation, Dobbersky. I appreciate it.

[Zanshin]

i think rohie is a good kata to sum up my style its all about timing and breathing.

Rohai?

Just out of interest, what is different about the breathing in Rohai compared to any other Wado Kata? Curious, caus I have never looked at it like that.

Rohai has many dynamic jumps, and one leg stances that call to for special breathing in alignment with posture and balance...

Hi Tenshika,

In Wado Katas it is my understanding that breathing is performed naturally as an important part of all katas.

I have never been taught that this Kata has more emphasis on controlled breathing.

Also Wado Rohai has no jump in it.

But thankyou for your explanation from a TKD perspective. Interesting.

[ShawnMiller]

I would have to agree for Okinawin styles in general Naihanchi katas. But if you dig back far enough, Hakutsuru would be my choice.

[Shoto4Life]

Tekki for all okinawan styles!!

Okinawan? Wouldn't that make it Naihanchi???

Duh - haha - We call it Tekki though so Im gonna say Tekki.

I suppose I could also say that its a much improved form of naihanchi thus is superior and again would be referred to as Tekki not Naihanchi.

I will also say that Funikoshi changed the name but Ankō Itosu is credited with changing the kata. So no mainland arguements here. So prolly more accurate to say naihanchi=old way, and Tekki=new way.

After viewing a master and a local Shorin Ryu guy do naihanchi I much prefer the new version. The old way looks funny and weak!