starting or ready postures in MA

[Spartacus Maximus]

The open handed hands in front starting or ready position used in Okinawa uechi ryu karate makes a lot of sense for practical defensive use. Does anyone have an idea of where or how it came to be?

Perhaps it is another feature of this style’s Chinese roots. None of the other Okinawan or Japanese martial arts have anything similar. Are there other martial arts in the world with something similar?

[Montana]

5 hours ago, Spartacus Maximus said:

The open handed hands in front starting or ready position used in Okinawa uechi ryu karate makes a lot of sense for practical defensive use. Does anyone have an idea of where or how it came to be?

Perhaps it is another feature of this style’s Chinese roots. None of the other Okinawan or Japanese martial arts have anything similar. Are there other martial arts in the world with something similar?

Shorin Ryu Matsumura Seito does this also. It's our more advanced "ready stance" for self defense. Hands are up, slight bend of the knees, feet about 2 feet apart.

 

[Spartacus Maximus]

It would be immensely helpful to illustrate if pictures could be found to compare what you describe from Matsumura seito with what is familiar from uechi ryu. In the M.S posture are the open hands held in exactly the same way or are there minor differences between that and what is seen in uechi ryu?

[sensei8]

Our ready position is more upright than most MA styles with open hands.

Our reason for our upright position is we can transition much quicker. Our reason for our open hands is for a more relaxed posture before engaging with said targets.

[Spartacus Maximus]

@sensei8Does yours have the hands out in the same way as in Uechiryu? What about it is similar and what is different?

The hypothesis of the OP is that the posture might have been something common to Okinawan martial arts, perhaps originating in the Chinese martial arts from the time long before the styles known as karate were named and “seperated” into the ryuha known post-WW2. Probably going as far back as Matsumura or earlier.

It is interesting and maybe telling that the stance doesn’t seem to be known/used outside of Uechiryu, yet you are the second person from a Shorin/shurite style to say it exists. Having trained only in kobayashi shorin ryu(2 different lineages), this posture never was taught, demonstrated or practiced in any dojo. 

[sensei8]

2 hours ago, Spartacus Maximus said:

sensei8Does yours have the hands out in the same way as in Uechiryu? What about it is similar and what is different

To your first question…No.

To your second question…Similar/Different: Hands up; back hand in front of stomach with lead hand no higher than one’s shoulder. Our hands are kept close to our body.

Edited Friday at 10:50 PM by sensei8