The Way of Least Resistance

Continued from " Separate right leg "... Here's another taiji qin-na application I thought I'd share with you: the opening move of "repulse monkey". Let's go through the technique first: Again, you start in the finishing posture of single whip. Pivoting on the left (front) heel, you rotate counter-clockwise and execute an inward forearm "blocking" motion with your right (reverse) arm. The left arm continues to "fold in" and down (performing a kind of "suppressing" motion) while your right hand rises in a punch very much like the rising inverted punch of karate (especially in naihanchi kata), also seen in zuan quan in xingyi.  As you do this, you draw your weight back into cat stance. From there you you ward off an advance into your personal space by using your right hand to jam his hip and by lifting your front (left) knee to create a grappling barrier or "bubble" .  At the same time, you pull...

Introduction I have an idea that this article is going to surprise some folks.  Or, given my declaration at the end of last year that I was over "polemic writing", maybe it won't... Anyway, over the past few years, my thoughts on the issue of the " double hip " have changed subtly - but significantly - and I thought I'd elaborate on them. My views have changed not because I've altered my own way of practising martial arts (and karate in particular), but because I've come to understand better how and why others do so.  (I probably always understood this - but chose to write in my typically polemic style.) Yes, I've railed against the emphasis on "koshi" - hip use in kata very strongly. Why?  It seemed to me that it had become quite popular to practise this kata with a hip  pre-load  on every movement . Those who didn't do so (eg. JKA shotokan) were derided as lacking understanding or knowledge of the "true essence...

Introduction Like any transition in martial arts, the cross step ("kosa dachi" in Japanese) has its uses - sometimes very powerful ones. It also comes with significant, inherent weaknesses. On the latter subject, let me quote from the fantastic MMA writer Jack Slack in his recent article concerning Machida's " triangle kick " knockout of CB Dollaway: 
In karate there is the idea of  kyo , something I was writing about at length this week, but actually abandoned in order to publish my  Karate's Holy Trinity .  Kyo  is a moment of weakness in an opponent. When he is recovering from an attack, when he hesitates between techniques or mid combination, when he is breathing in or recovering his guard.  A cross step (kosa dachi) is such a kyo .  Let me explain why. Weakness #1: extra time and telegraphing First, it is important to understand that the cross step is really a species of "tsugi ashi" - where one leg skips up to the other (or cro...

One of the mysteries of naihanchi dachi is its stance.  I've previously written about this at some length and voiced my own conclusion that it is a variant on "mabu" - the horse stance. While many karateka would disagree with me, they are at least used to seeing naihanchi performed in a horse stance - ie. the "kiba dachi" (as seen in both Funakoshi's and Motobu's karate).  What surprises many karateka is the discovery that some schools practise naihanchi in the "Naha te" version of horse stance: shiko dachi (known by some as "sumo stance") - where the toes point outwards rather than straight forward or slightly pigeon-toed. Nor is this a modern innovation: photographs of old-time karateka show both kiba and shiko variations. So what's going on here? I think the answer lies in understanding that each variation represents a different tradition within the shorin ryu school of karate: kiba dachi for Shuri te, sh...

[Continued from Part 1 . ] The double block and uraken sequence Personally, I think the naihanchi shodan of Zenpo Shimabukuro is at its most interesting when it gets to the "double chudan/gedan block" (as per the adjacent image) - just before the uraken (backfist) is usually executed. It is here that Shimabukuro's version is truly unique in that it combines features from very distinct lineages . Of course, that's one way of looking at Shimabukuro's kata. Another is to ponder whether this "combination" actually reflects a more "ancestral" or "fundamental/original" nature of the version, complete with "embryonic" or "stem cell" movements capable of morphing into many of the various lineages we see today! Actually, the "double chudan/gedan block with uraken" sequence in this kata has long been a bug-bear of mine: I have lost count of the number of discussions I've had (in person, by corres...