Is it hard?

[Deliriously Crazy]

Hey I just graded to green belt, 1 stripe (4th Kyu) and i just wondered, is Sachin hard? It seems like a really complicated kata. I found it difficult to do Konshu! All help would be appreciated.

[dmsdc]

Seichin is one of my favorites!

Seichin makes your brain work a little more becuase now you have to use the tenshin stepping you've been working on in hojo-undo.

It also asks you to slow down a little bit and really work your balance to get into the cat stance and do the scooping blocks.

If you're really comfortable on one leg you'll find this kata a whole lot easier to deal with.

One way I work on my balance is by standing on one foot, putting the other behind the knee and standing for a while. When you think you've got it down, close your eyes. When you've got that down, close your eyes and do your scooping blocks. Now doing them in the kata with your eyes open will be a snap!!!

Almost everything else in the kata is stuff you already know (either from konshu or from hojo-undo)

good luck & good training,

Dana

[Brian Barry]

I don't think that Seichin was that hard for me to learn. Like Dana said, a lot of it is from your other kata. However, some moves in Seichin are tough, and will feel very wierd for awhile. Give them time, practice those movements again and again, and eventually they will become natural for you. But don't sweat it, it's not too tough.
Also, like Dana, Seichin is one of my two favorite kata.
Have fun, keep training!

[LenTesta]

Welcome to the Uechi-ryu.com Forums Deliriously Crazy!

Seichin is without a doubt the hardest kata for the rank that is learning it.

Like other students of Uechi-ryu, Seichin is also one of my favorites, especially when we peform a bunkai of the kata defenses.

Dana is correct in her statement that the hojo undo you have been practicing will now be implemented in this kata. However there are a few new movements such as the koken(groin strike) and the "hawk chases sparrow block" which is performed in the cat stance.
Another new movement is kicking with the rear leg. Then there is the double nukite strike and grab learned in the opening movemnts of Sanchin used to reposition your opponent into an oncoming attack. The ending move to this technique has the student learning another new move which is called morote shoken gamae (two shoken fists). Another new movement (one that most Uechi-ryu students do not perform while sparring, but should learn to do so) is the retreating after the elbow strike while blocking and resetting into a sanchin stance, this move will be repeated after the second elbow strike at the end of the kata. This kata also prepares you for some of the movemnts in Seisan, such as the hands together double nukite to the throat or solar plexus and the subsequent block to lower the arms as you reaise your knee to strike, and the before mentioned koken strike. My favorite move comes near the end of the kata. After executing a shoman nukite hajiki (finger flip eye strike) there is a very impressive scoop block with the left arm and knee raise with the left knee while blocking with a reverse palm heel with the right arm. This technique will be demonstrated and practiced during my seminars at the SummerFest Camp in July.

My suggestion for learning this kata is to break it down into 3 parts. Part one will be up to the double shokens. Part two will end after the turn and second koken strike. Part three will be the reaminder of the kata.

Do not concern yourself with learning the proper moves (performing them perfectly) until the entire sequence is learned. Then your instructors can begin fine tuning the movements after you have put the three parts togeter.

Good Luck and Good Training.



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Len

[Joe Graziano]

Great advice Len. I share your favorite technique sequence as my favorite also in this kata. I also wholeheartedly agree, it's the hardest kata to learn at the time it's introduced in the curriculum.

[Brian Barry]

Len,
Do you have a formal bunkai choerographed for Seichin? If so, I would be very interested in hearing about it, as I have been working on Seichin's bunkai lately.

--Brian

[LenTesta]

Yes, I have a formal bunkai that I use in the dojo. However it takes a lot of time away from other dojo work to learn it. Most of the time we break the kata down in the three parts I mentioned above and concentrate on individual and multiple attacks on just those defenses.

I allow the attackers to punch or kick with whatever side of the body that they want to. The way the defenders body is positioned before the attack dictates the attackers left or right techniques.

I also practice variations of attacks on the defenses, such as leading with a kick when a punch is expected. This method weeds out the defenses that doesn't work with all types of attacks.

I will be using many of the defenses of Seichin in my seminars at the SummerFest Camp


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Len

[Spike]

I believe to learn the "moves" in a basic mode - sanchin is one of the easiest to learn. Learning and applying to do these moves on a more in depth level can make it become one of the most complicated katas of all!

[seisansister]

sachin is fairly difficult because there's a lot of new moves in it. it might take a while to make perfect, but its a really cool kata once you get the hang of it!

seisansister