Is Sanchin dangerous to practice?

[Dobbersky]

All

This is possibly from misinformation, I read somewhere a while back but I never got to ask the question A brief discription follows:-

"Sanchin translates as "3 Battles" or "3 Conflicts". This has many meanings. First it refers to the struggle to control the body under physical fatigue. With fatigue the mind begins to lose focus and thus the spirit begins to diminsh as well. Therefore Sanchin develops discipline, determination, focus, perserverance and other mental attributes. The Chinese refer to this as Shen (spirit), Shin (mind) and Li (body). Another possible interpretation refers to the "Three Burners" of the body as decribed in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

One of two "heishu " Kata of Goju-Ryu, Sanchin is probably the most misunderstood Kata in all of Karate. In contrast, it is probably the single most valuable training exercise in Goju-Ryu. Like the other Kata of Goju-Ryu, Sanchin ( Samm Chien in Chinese) can be found in several Chinese arts, particulary the southern styles including four styles of Crane Boxing, Dragon Boxing, Tiger Boxing, Lion Boxing, Dog or Ground Boxing and Monk Fist. Sanchin has such aspects as deep, diaphramatic breathing found in many internal arts as well as external attributes like mechanical alignment and muscular strength.

Because many martial artists have little or no understanding of the true history and nature of the Chinese arts from which Okinawan Goju-Ryu has its roots, Sanchin has become little more than an isometric form performed with dangerous tension and improper breathing techniques.

The original Sanchin that Higaonna Sensei learned from RuRuKo (1852-1930) was performed with open hands and with less emphasis on muscle contraction and "energetic" breathing. With the changes brought about by Emperor Meiji (Meiji Restoration Period 1888-1912), Higaonna Sensei changed the open hands to closed fists as the martial meaning was no longer emphasized. Later Miyagi Sensei would again alter the Kata in pattern alone."

My question is 'Is Sanchin dangerous to practice?'

I read that if the breathing drills are done incorrectly it causes internal damage and can reduce or cause premiture death through Rupture arteries etc in the lung/diaphram.

I await your responses and answers to resolve, confirm or squash any myths about this lovely kata practiced by many styles.

[KarateOx]

Well, I only know what I've read, (and I was raised to believe half of what I see and none of what I read) but there was a study done on the stresses Sanchin had on the body when compared to weight training. One of the big problems detractors have with Sanchin is that it will raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels. However, this test, performed by doctors and scientists, hooked a Martial Artist to a weightlifter, and had one perform Sanchin, the other squats, all the while, monitoring blood pressure, heart rates, etc. Turns out that performing Sanchin raises the blood pressure about as high as performing a heavy squat. The strain on the body is about the same. Are there other factors to consider? Probably, but in terms of strain and pressure to the head and system, it is not too bad.

[furry_Homeboy]

I haven't thoroughly researched and checked everything on this subject but anyway, at the school in which I learn karate, we have a kata similar to Sanchin, with an emphasis on breathing and somewhat "slow" movements. But anyway, i was wondering this once as well.

My understanding of it is that it is not dangerous, but can be. If you do not breathe as you do the movements, but rather simply attempt to tense your muscles as much as possible and hold your breathe, you can possibly raise you blood pressure. It has something to do with something called the Valsalva Maneuver where someone holds their breathe and tenses their muscles in some manner (wieght lifting, going to the bathroom, Sanchin, etc...). I have actually read that a number of people die on the toilet due to raised blood pressure while unknowingly performing the Valsalva Maneuver. (To put it politely, but bluntly, it's quite common to perform it while defecating.)

However, if we are focusing on the issues of the Valsalva Maneuver, then the important thing is that deep breathing while exerting/tensing your muscles is essentially the "anti-vasalva maneuver". So if you do Sanchin with the focus upon the breathe, I do believe that it is actually verygood for you as it will also teach you to continue to breathe deeply even while your muscles are tense, which will hopefully lower your blood pressure if you take that practice into your daily life.

Though I don't practice the Sanchin Kata, I still like breathing katas and am going to continue practicing them. Still the choice is yours.

The ultimate test though is what your body is telling you. Listen to it.

[Kuma]

I am personally still involved in the study of Sanchin and do it daily. When I was recently deployed to Iraq, I made it my goal to focus entirely on Sanchin and did it 3x a day, every day, for my entire deployment, not to mention times when I would break parts down and really try to work on a specific principle for it.

Isometric exercises are typically static, but in some cases (like Sanchin or Harry Wong's "Dynamic Tension" books) they can be done through a movement to strengthen each portion of the movement. Isometric strength training is one of the quickest ways to build strength by utilizing your own muscles as resistance.

Sure, Sanchin elevates your blood pressure. But so does any kind of physical activity. The average person will be able to do Sanchin with no physical problems whatsoever for a long, long time. If you have high blood pressure or an iffy heart already, might want to check with your doctor, but aside from that there is nothing wrong with it.

[Sokusen]

I would think if people were dropping left and right due to Sanchin we would hear about it. Especially in this day and age of litigation. As a Uechi practitioner Sanchin is a very important Kata to the system, you might even say it's the beginning, middle and end to all of our Kata. In Uechi-ryu we do not utilize the dynamic breathing as seen in Goju, but there is a noticeable focus on the breath after every strike. Sanchin is a great kata to learn how to focus your body and control your breathing. If done correctly, you can use Sanchin to calm yourself down and catch your breath after a taxing workout.

[sensei8]

My question is 'Is Sanchin dangerous to practice?'

No!...Simple answer to a simple question! BUT, don't listen to any of us UNLESS one of us is a board-certified MEDICAL DOCTOR!

[Kuma]

http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/karate/sanchin.html

This is a good link that you might find interesting. It's Sanchin kata from a Western medical point of view.

They checked the blood pressure and pulse of each participant during Sanchin kata and then during three sets of squats with 70% their bodyweight for 12-15 reps. There was no difference and they discovered it's just like any other strenuous exercise, not really any more dangerous than anything else you could do.

[bushido_man96]

Like any type of physical activity, it can probably prove to be dangerous when it is done the wrong way. As long as you stick to sound movement principles and breathing principles, then it'll be just like any other physical activity: good for you.

[KarateOx]

http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/karate/sanchin.html

This is a good link that you might find interesting. It's Sanchin kata from a Western medical point of view.

They checked the blood pressure and pulse of each participant during Sanchin kata and then during three sets of squats with 70% their bodyweight for 12-15 reps. There was no difference and they discovered it's just like any other strenuous exercise, not really any more dangerous than anything else you could do.

This is the article I was talking about. Thanks Kuma.

[bbk2132]

In a seminar with Sensei Bakkies, the IOGKF's Cheif Instructor from South Africa, we worked Sanchin, and he said that the danger was in developing hernias.

I suppose that maybe if you were not tensing the body or breathing correctly, and you were really over exerting youself continually this could happen. But i'm not a doctor.

If no one has ever seen or heard of anyone dying from practicing sanchin then i think it is fine.