The Way of Least Resistance

Possibly one of the most neglected surfaces of the body in the art of deflection or, as I've called it, interception , is the upper arm/shoulder.  It just doesn't seem practical. But it all depends on where the punch is launched from. If the punch is a high cross, jab or hook - sure: the shoulder can be very hard to use. But if the punch has any "rising moment" to it - whether it is a pure uppercut or merely a slightly rising cross - the shoulder/upper arm can come in very useful; particularly if you're caught in a surprise attack, where your shoulder/upper arm may very well be your last line of defence. I really began to realise the utility of this surface as a tool for interception when practising systema with Alex Kostic.  In systema, you learn to "ride" blows, and this frequently involves "rolling' them over and around your upper arm - even if you have to shrug your shoulder slightly. Both the Chinese and Okinawan arts solve thi...

Bob demonstrates the applications shown in my video. A few years ago my friend Jim asked the following question on the Traditional Fighting Arts Forums: "I think I'm right in saying there is not 1 authentic, traditional Okinawan 'form' that has a complete 2 man Bunkai in existence?"  Jesse Enkamp  replied with this answer : "One word: Seipai!"   I think Jesse-san was right in this (and also about the fact that, as he said, it wasn't the only one!). That said, I also think it is quite rare for Okinawan and Chinese kata to envisage or even permit a literal 2 person application; to my mind most forms were created entirely for single person performance - bearing in mind that such things as embusen  (floor pattern), repetition of certain sequences, etc. make a literal 2 person application unlikely. You can't see the detail, but my right arm is trapped. However occasionally, just occasionally, you get a significant portion of a kata ...

Many years ago I was at the house of my friend (and student) Damon. We were studying for our final law school exams. During a break I was absentmindedly going through some kata movements (I recall that it was seipai kata from goju ryu) when one of Damon's other law school buddies, a fellow named Ian, came around for a visit. Seeing me performing the kata in Damon's small kitchen Ian furrowed his brow and shook his head in mild irritation. "Why do you guys keep doing that stuff?" "What 'stuff' do you mean?" "You know - that 'Ha so karrrateee!' business. I kind of get why you might do it in classes, but what the hell makes you want to do it standing around in... someone's kitchen for God's sake!" I was a bit taken aback by Ian's critical response to my impromptu practice. Among traditional martial artists this sort of "training" is really quite common. The next time you're with a karate friend, notice h...

I was asked on a forum why the suffix “te” is added to numeric kata names (such as “sanseru te”, “seisan te”, etc.). Furthermore why not the non-numeric kata names (eg. kururunfa)? The Chinese martial arts often add "step" (“pu” or “bu”) to the name of a technique or a form in order to give it some sense. Hence "mabu" is their term for shiko/kiba dachi and it means literally "horse step" . The same goes for zenkutsu dachi (gong bu - forward step). This is to avoid the absurd labels "horse" or "forward" without any qualification. In this case "bu" or step has the same function as stance or "dachi". They sometimes use the suffix "ji" meaning technique, but if the particular technique involves a stance or moving, "bu" or step is preferred. In Okinawa it is traditional to add the character "te" after kata instead of "pu/bu/ji". This is a cultural tradition that distinguishes Okina...