Entrance to the Barn Dojo....

Saturday, April 09, 2016

See a man about a horse?

Well, if you'll excuse me, I've got to see a man about a horse.... Ok, I'm back. What does that even mean? No, I know what it means, but where did it come from? A euphemistic way of saying one needs to hit the loo, the john, the can.... Reminds me of a student--he was from another style but was interested in studying kata that actually had bunkai--who trained with me for a short time. He came to class one evening and told me he had to leave early to make it to his black belt class at another dojo. Oh, wait, that's not a euphemism. It is messed up though.

The first move in Saifa kata.
What I was really thinking about--not horses--was how people go off and study other things all the time. I understand the concept of cross-training and all, but what good does it do to study another karate style? I mean, if I'm going to seminars on Shorin-ryu or Uechi-ryu, how does it help my Goju-ryu? Hopefully, the martial principles are going to be the same, and if that's the case, then all I'm left with is a collection of other kata or techniques or bunkai taken from those "other" kata. And Shotokan, removed as it is from Shorin-ryu? Wouldn't I be better served putting in the same time training my own system?

Of course, but what I really find amusing is packing off to a seminar given by a big-name instructor who comes and teaches bunkai/applications to a kata that's not part of his own system--any kata really and sometimes with the instructor's request that some senior student from the hosting dojo should demonstrate the kata because the guest instructor doesn't know it!!! If he doesn't know the kata or the style, how could he know the bunkai or applications? Because he has a great imagination...and an awful lot of chutzpah. Ok, so this is a rant. Sorry about that, but this sort of thing, bolstered by exposure and hype on the Internet, seems to be burgeoning lately.

Dropping into horse stance and
attacking with a forearm to the neck.
So lest I get caught up in the maelstrom of flying debris, I'll try to get back to kata and bunkai. How about the first move in Saifa? Here's a question that came up the other day: Everyone steps forward with the right foot, feet coming together, with the left open hand around the right fist. But then it starts to differ. Some schools pull the hand away, thinking that the aggressor has seized the defender's right hand. Some schools bring the right forearm up across the attacker's left elbow, executing an arm bar. So what's right? (Some people avoid this question altogether. They voice the wonderfully liberal underpinning of relativism--there's no right or wrong, just different. But don't we correct students when they punch or kick or block incorrectly?) So, why is it wrong (and by that I mean the bunkai is wrong, or not good, if you will) to simply pull the hand away? Because it doesn't really put a stop to the aggression. The confrontation merely starts over again, with a slightly more aware attacker. Holding on to the attacker and executing an arm bar is a bit more effective. However, an arm bar executed across the attacker's elbow, horizontally, pushes the attacker away. The better alternative is for the defender to bring the right arm up, over, and down on the attacker's left arm, while the defender's left hand has hold of the attacker's left hand. This technique has the effect of forcing the attacker's head down and keeping him close. The next moves in the sequence have the defender grabbing the attacker's head, because it is now in range, and bringing the right forearm down on the back of the attacker's neck.

You see, some of this is thematic, and you'd never know it if you didn't actually train Goju, like if it wasn't really your own style, you know, like, and you didn't actually train it every day like. But whatever.




8 comments:

  1. Giles, nice to see another post.

    Since most folks study vacant styles, it doesn't matter to them what they study. As you have said, they are collectors.

    I'll be back soon,
    Bill

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree with your terms but this week I been studying kusanku as a favor to a student(black belt in shorin ryu) Helps me to compare the styles. The contrast between some things are huge.

    ReplyDelete
  4. One of the things you may want to consider is that there may be varying degrees of application. So in the case that you cited, a beginners application would be as an escape, whereas an advance application (probably taught to more advanced students) would be the use of arm bars and head strikes.

    On a different note, I have read your blog from the beginning an find your analysis interesting and thought provoking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Michael,
      While I agree that there may be more than one usable interpretation for kata movement, it's hard to imagine that the authors of classical kata had multiple interpretations in mind when constructing kata. And this is the problem throughout modern martial arts, the original intents have been lost. This is evident in the punctuated, stop-action performances of kata that abound in the martial world now, where each "movement" is a "technique" unto itself rather than, as we see in Goju, part of a complete sequence.

      Bill

      Delete
    2. I never bought the multiple application from one technique. I think that in a case of death of life you need an automated response. What I see (and that it's a brilliant idea) is that a technique can be used in different ways depending from the angle of attack and the stepping

      Delete
  5. I'm pretty much convinced that modern karate is a bunch of garbage because there are so few people like Giles Sensei. Most of us operate a commercial dojo and find trouble in maintaining the interest of the students long enough for them to improve enough for them to notice.
    I my experience people really enjoy modern kickboxing per say, since it is easy to learn and allows for a "playful interaction" between students.
    Goju is not easy... The ideas may be clear to Senseis Giles or Bill but for beginners...? This is a long and unrewarding road that for most humans, can only be traveled if there is some form of entertainment to pass the time. Few people really get to understand Goju... Hell, few people are interested in this discussion and in my opinion... This is likely to be the most insightful blog out there.
    In your eyes Sensei Giles, are there any games we could play in the dojo that would both help develop Goju and engage students?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cristobal,
      Well put and something that I have not considered. I have had lots of people leave my dojo because "this is too hard." Personally, when I was a purple belt in a Shorin-related style, many years ago, I asked, "What does this mean?" and never good good answers. Hence my study with Giles. Granted my prior experience gave me a perspective that most beginners couldn't imagine.

      Thanks,
      Bill

      Delete