THIS MONTH IN TRADITIONAL KARATE
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LEE BATCHELOR - I vowed no one would ever attack me again!!! |
 Martial arts in the United Kingdom are undergoing a change. Not only are we seeing more people adopting the professional approach and securing their own premises, reality-based systems are coming to the fore and more and more people are realising that they wish (or have to) devise their own system of martial art, whether it's Karate-based, Kung Fu based, Taekwondo-based or 'completely new'.
I became the victim of an attack about 12 years ago. Pursuit of a martial art was a product of need to protect myself. We've all had a beating in our time haven't we? School playgrounds, etc. But getting to A&E to be told that I was about 1/2 inch away from loosing an eye (after being kicked in the face) rang alarm bells in my head. At that point I knew what I had to do. I vowed to myself that nobody will ever attack me, my friends or my family again and walk away unpunished! From the outset I was never dedicated to a 'traditional style'. My motivation was self protection and that was what I intended to learn. Sankujitsu became a mix of techniques from various systems. I picked-up things from Wing-Chun that helped me and they're included in the Sankujitsu system. Techniques such as the low-level shin kicks we practice - an incredibly powerful technique and one that's difficult to defend against. The taking down of an attackers 'guard' to move into grappling range, both came from Wing-Chun.
I think it's important to at least have a look at other systems, if you dismiss them then at least you've taken the time to do some research but there is always something to learn from everything - maybe even a lesson about one's self!...
Read more in the Digital Edition
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THE WAY OF THE 'CELTIC' WARRIOR - An interview with Paul Allan |
 When did you first start karate and with whom?
I started in Shotokan around 1970/71 with my first instructor, Ronnie Watt in Aberdeen I can vividly remember my first class at the school of Domestic Science by Queens Road. Ronnie was teaching, assisted by Brian Bothwell, both of whom being amongst the first black belts in Scotland and of course at that time, registered through Enoeda sensei to the JKA.
What are you your memories of the training in those days?
The first night I was dragged to the class by a friend, who was a green belt, it was the time when "odd job" featured in the Bond Movie 'Goldfinger' and there was a huge interest in the 'mystical' martial arts. There were 120 people in the first class I went to, which as you know, was not abnormal in those days. I was so dehydrated after that session, I remember I cycled to the Short Mile Pub in Aberdeen and drank 6 pints of Lager! I soon realized that this was not a good way to progress and for the next 6 years I drank no alcohol and changed my diet completely, I lost 2 stone in 2 months.
What was the training like?
Training was fantastic, well you will remember the old days, demanding, with no compromise. Ronnie was an inspiring teacher absolutely dedicated to Karate. I now look back at the old training regime and realize just how brutal it was, but that was the way it was back then and it produced some excellent karate -ka. I remember a guy called Mike Turnbull, walking along the line kicking students in the stomach to test their resolve and I can see by your smile George that Dunfermline was no easier...
Read more in Combat Magazine available from WHSmith and all good newsagents
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THE 3 K'S OF KARATE - Kata, Kihon, Kumite |
 I was intrigued by a conversation I had with two friends regarding their karate training in Shotokan. One is a Shodan (now affiliated with us and training in Goju) the other was a Shotokan brown belt and now a black belt in DKK (Daigaku Karate Kai). In chatting I was told they often practised 'free style' sparring. I was unsure what this was and, on asking, I was told that this was their actual sparring, since they do a lot of three step sparring which has its place but is very prescribed. So 'Free Style' is their sparring, though it seems to be a separate entity in respect to everything else they do.
In Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate (Daigaku Karate Kai), there needs to be a coherent connection between all facets of training - Kihon, Kata and Kumite. Kihon (Basics, Kihon Ido - Moving Basics) plays a very important function in starting off the karateka in the basic movements, muscle structures and weapons that can be utilised. This can be further developed in the learning of new techniques, working and understanding body mechanics, strength work and endurance.
Kihon (Ido) works on a number of levels. Many people perceive this as walking up and down the dojo without any reality connection; this notion is from those out side of karate and those that are practising. Kihon is actually a process for practitioners to understand:
How structure can lead to releasing power to develop explosive power (ki/chi), through correct body mechanics. This could be seen as an internal mechanism, (small movements that aren't always seen externally). Examples of external mechanisms include external being 'big hip movements' to generate power, but the smaller 'invisible' movements such as slight weight displacement or pushing into the floor to get equal opposite reaction to generate this explosive power, that are often misunderstood or misinterpreted as 'hip movement' are internal mechanisms.
Float, spit, sink, swallow, the four basic directions of movement, energy release and the fundamentals of Sanchin Kata (3 Battles Form). These four criteria have a wider meaning and within Sanchin it involves the embodiment of Okinawan Goju. On a basic level 'float, spit, sink, swallow, is to understand our own structure and that of our opponent. To be able to lift - float. To fire off-punch, shoot etc - spit. To lever, throw, drop - sink, and to swallow - to avoid and take, evade, as in 'Ju'. This is a very simplistic explanation, but is built upon as progression is made using and understanding stances and basics...
Read more in the Digital Edition
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STYLE YOUR OWN WORKOUT - Interactive Fitness Drills |
 Iain Abernethy is at the forefront of Karates kata interpretation and application. His investigative powers and martial arts prowess have created a high degree of respect ithe world of karate. Most recently Iain has been working with Summersdale on a highly innovative and interactive DVD. This DVD allows you to design your own workout on the fly with Iain giving helpful advice. Hearing about this new project, I was sent to discover more from Iain and find out just how it all came about.
How did the idea of an interactive DVD come about?
It was when we were filming some of my DVDs on kata application that Nick Atkinson put the idea to me. As most people reading this interview will know, Nick is the manager of Summersdale Productions and they are on the cutting edge of martial arts DVDs. Nick said that he felt the technology of DVDs wasn't being fully exploited and that the drills I use in my training and teaching would lend themselves very well to an interactive format.
Prior to this DVD, marital arts DVDs have always been something you sat down and watched, or they contained a single workout; which may or may not match the needs and level of the viewer. However, DVDs can be so much more than high quality "video tapes" and it makes sense to move things forward and fully explore/exploit the available technology.
The thing that most people don't appreciate is that a truly massive amount of work goes into writing, filming, editing and producing a DVD. After spending ages getting everything ready for the kata application DVDs, I was looking forward to a break from DVDs production ... and then Nick goes and puts this idea in my mind just as we finished filming. We hadn't even packed the cameras away! Nick is a great guy and I quickly forgave him. I thought it was a superb idea and my mind was instantly buzzing with possibilities. I found myself constantly thinking about how such a DVD could be structured and all the things you could do with it. All very exciting; but it did mean my "break" from DVDs only lasted a few minutes!..
Read more in Combat Magazine available from WHSmith and all good newsagents
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THE 30 WOMAN KUMITE - The Hardest Test of my Life! |
 I was sitting in a café on a spring afternoon, enjoying a girlie chat, when my mobile rang. It was my Sensei, Shihan Gavin Mulholland, with a question for me. Did I want to attempt my 2nd Dan grading, which would include the 30 Man Kumite? What could I say? The answer had to be 'Yes'.
Once I'd hung-up, I found small talk had become difficult. My throat was suddenly very dry. I had seen other people taking the test, including my twin sister Charlie, and I knew it was one of the hardest things I would ever attempt in my life. The 30 Man Kumite would be a line-up of 30 fighters, in my case mostly women, but probably a few men too. I would be fighting them, one after another, for one minute each, full contact. The only breaks would be a two - minute pause after 10 fights and another two minutes after 20. Normally, the test takes place at the annual DKK summer camp, but I was getting married in the spring, and this would clash with my training. After some deliberation, Gavin conceded that I could take my test in December. I had eight months to prepare.
Sensei Gavin has always said the grading is done before you step into the dojo, and the test itself is just the fulfilment of hours and hours of hard training. I took this to heart, and decided to begin my training right away. But since I had not attempted this sort of test before, I was not quite sure what to do. In the end, my fiancÄe (the club's sempai) took pity on me and gave me a regime that he had used successfully for his own 30 Man Kumite. He called it 'The Punisher'. With a printout of his programme in hand, I woke up early each morning (a big character-change for me) and made my way to the local tennis courts to begin my training. This lasted all of two weeks, and I discovered two very important things. Firstly, I am not able to anything worthwhile in the morning; and secondly, 'The Punisher' sucked! Fine for comic book characters, but not for me. I knew I would need to change my regime to something that suited me personally. I decided on training at lunchtimes and evenings, and this worked much better...
Read more in the Digital Edition
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THE WAY OF SANCHIN KATA - By Kris Wilder |
 This is the seventh of several articles investigating Sanchin Kata, its origin and application to traditional karate. This material consists of excerpts of various sections from the book The Way of Sanchin Kata: The Application of Power by Kris Wilder. The goal of these articles is to illustrate some of the methods of training Sanchin Kata and making the knowledge of the past masters relevant and meaningful for modern karateka.
Knuckles
Our two hands alone contain one-quarter of the bones of the adult human. They are able to perform a broad range of tasks, from removing a sliver from a child's hand to smashing boards. The hands are a means of communication, with simple gestures to full-blown languages. They communicate a range of emotions from anger to love.
Sanchin also tells you how to form you hand into a weapon that can shatter boards and deliver hard blows to your opponent.
The striking surface of the seiken, or fore fist, is the first two knuckles of the hand, the index and middle finger knuckles. However, they do not share the weight of the strike evenly; the index finger knuckle takes seventy percent of the strike while the middle finger knuckle takes the remaining thirty percent.
Final rotation of the fist keeps the little finger slightly below the level plane. This rotation insures that the first two knuckles make primary contact and keeps the shoulder of the striking arm in the downward position...
Read more in Combat Magazine available from WHSmith and all good newsagents
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