Shotokan and the lost art of Kobudo

When you train on your own on a daily basis it can be difficult to remain perfectly motivated. One way to get around this is by varying your training – change kata, combine your kihon in new ways etc.

My favourite way of mixing things up is through the practise of traditional ( and sometimes not so traditional) weaponry.

Historically, karate wasn’t really “empty handed”. Most of the great pioneers of karate were proficient in the use of weapons. Some of these old kata still bear their names – such as Sakugawa no Kon.

It is therefore no surprise that we also find many of the Shotokan masters are/were also skilled in weapons – Kanazawa, Asai, Stan Schmidt and even Gichin Funakoshi himself!

Aside from adding variety to your training, weapons help you to develop focused strikes and blocks as the weight of the weapon forces you to accelerate your limbs from the centre.

Each weapon helps you develop specific ways of moving:

• The nunchuku will help build range of motion of the shoulder and a driving hip rotation. In turn this develops large scale movement.

• The bo,surprisingly for a weapon of its size, develops compact, efficient movement, over large movement in fact hinders the bo. You’ll also help build grip strength if using a heavy bo.

• The sai are great for developing wrist and grip dexterity. Its actions most closely mimic that of the empty hand – therefore they have a very direct impact on punching and blocking technique.

Regardless of weapon, you’ll also get the chance to explore stances and footwork not normally found or infrequently practised in Shotokan.

Below is a defensive technique from Sakugawa no Kon.

Training karate kata in confined or restricted spaces

When training in the dojo one normally has plenty of space to carry out a full range of manoeuvres. However, when training at home, this is not always feasible.  Even if you have a nice big yard to train in, inclement weather can move your training indoors.

Luckily for me I have a dojo in the back of my garden.  However, while it is fantastic for most training: I have the space for a makiwara, weights, mirrors and weapons, certain kata are impossible to train. Likewise training kihon up and down is difficult too. Many karate masters were known for their ability to adapt their training to their environment (e.g. Sensei Asai).

For kata there are a number of possible solutions to the problem of training in a confined space:

 

1.  Choice of kata. Some kata take up less space than others, while some are absolute hogs.

A selection of kata that take up minimum space: Bassai Dai, Kanku Dai, Tekki Shodan, Nijushiho

The space hogs: Jion, Heian Shodan Kanku Sho, Gojushiho Dai and Sho.

Oddly the space taken up by a kata seems to have no bearing on its difficulty or number of moves. It’s also worth thinking about the shape of the space taken up by the kata. Nijushiho is boxlike, while Gankaku is much more linear, a narrow rectangle.

Kata from Goju-ryu are also worth considering: Gekisai-Dai ich/ni, Sanchin, Tensho, Saifa, all occupy very little space. (Although some are hogs – e.g. Sanseiryu)The Gekisai dai kata are a good replacement for the Heians in some respects.

Obviously this is of no use if you have no control over choice of kata (Such as for grading purposes)

2.  Kata modification. Change the kata to fit the space.

I should put a warning on this method, while modifications for training purposes can be useful; they are absolutely no substitute for the real thing.

Many forms can be modified so as to take up less space. The Tekki are a good example. Rather than sideways stepping, simply raise the knee and back to the ground.

Using shorter stance substitution is a useful modification:

Naihanchi dachi for kiba dachi

Neko ashi dachi for kokutsu dachi

Sanchin dachi for zenkutsu dachi

 You’ll find that in the main, these substitutions will allow for a full range of techniques in a much more compact space. However this method is not suited for beginners as it may impart poor habits.

 3.  Fragmenting the kata.

Practise one part at a time, break the form into bite sized chunks that don’t take up much room. For instance, practise the four shuto’s at the end of Heian shodan on their own as a mini kata. This can be very useful, as it helps you focus on the stubborn areas that you are finding more difficult. 

All three options have their pros and cons. However I feel the last option is probably the most practical and beneficial.

 

 

Two approaches to generating more powerful karate techniques

Over the last year I’ve been investigating methods to generate more power in my basics. Essentially, I’d closely study a particular karate master, attempt to figure out how they generated their power and then tried to experiment on a makiwara or a punch bag. Of course this is only an interpretation of their methods, in many cases I’ve never had the opportunity to study directly under them.   I’ve found two instructors whose methods especially suit me.

 

Sensei Asai:

• Having a smaller build, this appealed to me. His movement was very liquid. It is very obvious that he drew his power from extreme relaxation and large scale movements of the limbs. He appeared very “un-Shotokan” in his movement.
• His approach is very similar to what I’d been taught as a kyu grade. As a consequence I found this the easiest to replicate – with excellent results. However if you struggle with relaxation in techniques you will find this method difficult. Good hip flexibility is also needed.
• One weakness with this approach is that while single power attacks are easily achieved, delivering very rapid multiple power combinations are not as easy. The reason is that there tends to be a very slight lag between each technique. I noticed this even in high level exponents of Asai’s method. Of course, this is a moot point if only single attacks are needed.

 

Sensei KImura:

• I had learnt his method from Sensei Johan Roets (South Africa). Probably not that well known in Shotokan circles, Kimura was a master of Shukokai and influenced many South Africans. He utilised plyometric-like principles to generate very rapid explosive movement.
• Another excellent method, it also minimises tension and I found this especially useful for generating multiple power techniques.
• Although very effective, the plyometric nature of the movements means that a great deal of stress is being put on the body (Joints in particular). I have ‘over-trained’ this method a couple of times which, while not seriously injuring me, did leave me with a few ‘niggles’, especially in the knees, which is never a good thing in my book.
• I would however suggest using it, but, like any plyometric training, do so sparingly.

 

Overall the best approach seems a combination of both. Asai’s approach for everyday training, but with Kimura’s approach thrown in every so often to enable multi strike ability.