Uechi-Ryu.com

Lately I've been working more and more on some of the more basic principles of the style that I see many advanced students don't get. Specifically I've been troubled at watching folks do advanced kata and noting how the energy in their thrusts and kicks aren't coming from the core. Oye vey! That's something they should have picked up at least by shodan.

So sometimes you need to take the principles out of the box, and apply them elsewhere. After spending a good deal of time doing Sanching "jar" training with dumbbells (a pretty easy and neat way to cheat on a classic training process), I decided to take the principles to "knee walking" on the mats. If you want to know what this is and see someone who is pretty good at it, check this.

knee walking

I have a slight variation on it (close to what this guy is doing) where my ankles are as far apart as the feet would be in Sanchin. Why? Well for one, it makes it easy to forward or back roll right from this position, thereby increasing the movement options. Secondly, note how easily this guy stands up, and yet he comes up in musubi dachin. Do a slight variation in foot placement (you'll see him occasionally be there), and you spin 180 degrees right into a Sanchin.

Anyhow... note how well this person moves forwards, backwards, pivots (magate), turns (mawate), and can maneuver off of a line of attack (tai sabaki or tenshin). While the level is different, all principles are the same. Posture is the same too. Note how well this person keeps his Sanchin posture (erect spine, pelvic tuck, etc.). Also note how little "English" is needed with his arms to move.

When I learned aikido, all my techniques had to work at this level. And there's no reason why one can't do a complete Sanchin kata with this movement. Add in a few rolls to embellish and expand on the foundation. This guy throws in some forward rolls...

Warmup Exercises: Shikko (Knee Walking) & Rolling by Gregory Soon

... but if your feet are farther apart (as in Sanchin), you can backwards roll just as easily.

Stand up and twist back down again, etc., etc. Suddenly you really don't know know or care about what level you are using to execute your movement. And you become much more conscious of the large muscles used to keep the core moving.

Think it's easy? Try it.

- Bill

Looks a lot like techniques in Iaido Bill.

F.

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Sans Peur Ne Obliviscaris
www.hinghamkarate.com

I know good technique when I steal it.

But seriously... Yes, I picked up a lot of this in both aikido and the bit of iaido that I did. My point with the students was the same lessons I learned when I took aikido. Whatever technique we learned to do on our feet, we had to learn how to do from seiza or on our knees. In a world of mixed martial arts, it makes sense to be able to fight at any level from being on your back to standing up, and everything in-between.

I in fact use the example of doing two cuts from seiza to standing (disembowl and decapitate) to show how you don't need to wait until you are standing before you get back in the game again.

Furthermore, you don't really need to learn new principles to move on your knees. You have the same posture issues, the same use of the core in technique, the same turns, tai sabaki, etc. Tie it all together and you get more bang from the same body of knowledge.

- Bill

It's all in the hips baby!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1W7-vD_JNw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFsjLAUV ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Oq9mkK ... re=related

I've been thinking of using these with a couple of my fellow training partners who somehow get their legs out ahead of their hips when moving. Removing the legs and forcing the use of the hips/core is often necessary when trying to get the feel for movement. Especially when working real close.

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I was dreaming of the past...

This is great stuff, Mike.

I'll have to forward that one video of Master Ohshima to Ray Berry. But of course that would be preaching to the choir, since that's his instructor, and Ray is one very scary dude.

- Bill

After watching the videos. I definitely see where Ray Berry moves like his instructor. He has great hip dynamics in his kicks.

Vicki

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"Cry in the dojo, laugh in the battlefield"

Ohshima's karate offspring are big on hip dynamics. When I first started training under my friend Don it was square one. Tekki Shodan, training on the log, moving through the woods, irimi and anything else that could get into my skull that the hips in this style were key.

Look at this version of Tekki Shodan to see excellent hip action as you can't make this work without the hips moving. Now try this footwork on a nice unstable log and you're having fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqFh02sN ... re=related

For what it's worth we tried to teach this footwork to folks in a karate school and they kept trying to reach one leg around the other without getting the hips involved. Most lost their balance and some even went boom.

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I was dreaming of the past...

I was going to start back at Ray Berry's Tuesday night class last night but ended up not being able to make it...very dissappointed. Last night I slipped outside on a patch of wet leaves while emptying compost from my Ratouille. I did a half split, landing on one knee, and my right hand, which I sliced and bruised. Both were iced down and are sore.

The worse part of it all, however, is what I missed in Ray's class last night. I wrote him to let him know I would be missing class. He responded to me that I missed a bunch of kicks and some suwari. Below is a link to Torite and Suwari-Waza. Torite is escaping and Suwari is techniques from a seated position...just what we have been talking about.

Double Darn!!!

Regards,
Vicki

Shotokan Karate torite & suwari-waza exercises:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8tTFS-ArAk

_________________
"Cry in the dojo, laugh in the battlefield"

What happened to Jorvik's post?

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I was dreaming of the past...

Anyways...

Use of the hip in close.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKtk5x6SKE4

A bit of high tech suwari.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E25yobMvmWI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPddN8JD ... ature=fvwp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRhmbYF_ ... re=related

Watch the hips in this drill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaPPyUnJ ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m18M9bB-Bs8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bygQcvuxfM&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl_LdJ0uTaw

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I was dreaming of the past...

Here's another couple of things to practice while on your knees.

Suwari Push Hands: http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=448541

Suwari-Waza Kokyu: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US_FYDzNh0w

Suwari waza Shomenuchi Iriminage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQhrbQ3F6bY

Regards,
Vicki

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"Cry in the dojo, laugh in the battlefield"

Umm... It took a bad turn. And as gentlemen, we came to a mutual agreement that we'd just drop that whole sidebar. We have principles of engagement that we operate under in our discussions. One of them is not to style bash. So when that happens, we take a step or two back.

The praying mantis video was interesting, so I took it over to a new thread. But that has nothing to do with practicing principles of core involvement at a level other than on one's two feet.

Bill