Fancy book learnin'

If you learned everything you know about Karate from books and the Internet, then this post is for you. If you are a student of Karate, taking instruction from a Sensei in a karate school, then this post is not necessarily meant for you, but please continue reading.

At this weeks class in Hampton, the senior students were going over Tehodoki-no-waza, and when we got to number five, there was some interesting discussion. When we were initially taught the technique, it results in a choke-hold. When I was acting as a bunkai dummy during my brown belt test, my partner performed technique number five as a take-down. Basically, I learned it as herp, and he learned it as derp. Now, both techniques are valid, and they are both very effective. The question that arose last night was "Which technique is correct?". My Sensei says herp is correct. The book, on the other hand, clearly shows the technique as derp.

Once the discussion was finished, we determined that, for the time being, we were to perform the technique as herp rather than derp, which was fine by everyone there, as that was how we learned it. Last night in Apohaqui, I discussed this with Renshi, and he says that derp is correct, no matter if you want to perform the technique as a take-down or a choke-hold, but the herp technique is very effective. We took a few minutes, and he was able to assist me in fine-tuning both techniques even further.

We have a technical manual so that we understand what we are required to learn and work on to achieve the next level, not so that we can learn the techniques out of them. Discussion about the techniques with others in the class, or better yet, with your Sensei, is essential. If you are learning everything about Martial Arts from a book, you only have a small portion of the story, and are lacking very important information and training that can only be received in a class with a knowledgeable teacher. You're not getting the whole story.

I'm not saying that Martial Arts books are a bad thing. On the contrary. I own several books, and refer to them on a regular basis.  Books should not be your primary source of Martial Arts instruction. They should be a secondary resource to broaden your understanding of topics and re-enforce what you learn in the dojo.

Find a local school. Attend a class. Give it a try. You'll see that it is well worth the investment. If you end up in a McDojo, then that's a whole other ball of wax.

"Karate is a traditional martial art that is meant to be conveyed directly from a properly qualified teacher to a willing student. It cannot be learned from a textbook, however well put together."
Dr. David R. Smith - President, Canadian Chito Ryu Karate-do Association

Word.

12 months down ...

So my 1st Kyu test was a success (Yay me!).  I now have a nice list of items, courtesy of my Sensei,  of things that I will need to improve upon before the end of classes this June. On top of that, I'll be learning all of the new Kata, kihon and bunkai required for Shodan. That doesn't really amount to a huge amount (Chinto, Kihon-Kata-San, which I already know, Nage-no-kata, and a few jumping kicks), but everything must be performed perfectly. My technique must be flawless, and I know I have a ways to go before everything is flawless.

So, Sensei says that I should be looking at May / June 2012 for my Shodan test. Thats about sixteen months to prepare, and I am really looking forward to the journey. I've come quite a ways in the past twelve months, and I'm amazed at what I was able to accomplish.

• Eight Kilos dropped
• 2+ Inches gone from my waist
• More muscle mass added
• (Much) More flexibility
• Re-learned (and fine tuned) five Kata
• Re-learned eleven Kihon
• Learned 2 new Kihon that didn't exist the first time (There's a Kihon-dosa-yon??)
• Learned the finer points of Bassai
• Learned Tehodoki-no-waza
• Learned Ju-ni-ko
• Removed flaws from my punching technique
• Identified issues with my ukemi (aka, still working on that active foot)
• Removed inconsistencies in my stances
• Grasped the concept of Shime, Shibori and Hari (I do not remember this being mentioned the first time at all)
• Learned, and now regularly apply, several terms and concepts (Ichi Gan people!)
• Began diving into the history of Chito-ryu and Okinawan Martial Arts
• Began learning Kata from other styles
• Started instructing junior students.

All of that in exactly one year. On February 1st, 2010, I walked into the Hampton Dojo of KV Karate in a white T-Shirt and track pants, wondering if I was going to survive the first work-out. On February 1st, 2011, I walked out of the Apohaqui Dojo of KV Karate with a Brown Belt. Twelve months down, out of countless more as I continue my journey.

"Karate-Do is a lifetime study."
Mabuni Kenwa Sensei - Founder of Shito-ryu

Twenty-four

Niseishi translates to "twenty-four" in English. If you take a look at all of the steps in Chito-ryu Niseishi-dai, some of them can be a little hard to imagine that they are a single step, while other steps are simply just that; a step. I remembered reading an article a while back that said "Every move in Okinawan karate has purpose, no matter how small or trivial it appears". I'm paraphrasing, but you get the general idea.

So what are the steps? There are countless videos on YouTube to guide you through the steps, but a large majority of them are not for Chito-ryu. Even the ones for Chito-ryu are a little off. Granted, the performer is demonstrating the kata as a 4th kyu should practice it, and that is probably who the video is meant for. I'm a bit of a visual learner, but I still need the explanation to go along with it for better understanding. There is only so much you can learn from a video.

So, I present to you, in glorious Technicolor, my step-by-step guide to Niseishi-sho/dai. I'm assuming that you are starting the kata from the standard uchi-hachiji-dachi, with your right fist covered by your left hand at belt level.

1. Inhale through your nose, and then exhale through your mouth while performing kakewake-uke. Make sure to tighten your tanden muscles on the exhale. (Niseishi Bunkai, steps 1 through 6)
2. Move your right foot into migi-seisan-dachi (2nd kyu and above - sanchin-dachi).
3. Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Inhale through your nose again, and at the same time, draw your fists back to your belt. Exhale through your mouth, and push your fists out into chudan level haiko-zuki. Your fists should be approximately one inch apart, which puts the contact points of your fists at about the same width as your eyes.
4. Move your left foot up into uchi-hachiji-dachi.
5. Inhale through your nose, and then exhale through your mouth while performing kakewake-uke.
6. Move your right foot into migi-seisan-dachi (2nd kyu and above - sanchin-dachi).
7. Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Inhale through your nose, and at the same time, draw your fists back to your belt. Exhale through your mouth, and push your fists out into chudan level haiko-zuki.
8. Slowly draw your left fist back to your belt.
9. Oi-zuki (kiai).
10. Gyaku-zuki.
11. (Niseishi-dai) Turn your head 180 degrees to the right and look over your right shoulder, and shift back into shiko-dachi, uraken-uchi.
12. (Niseishi-dai) Turn your head 180 degrees to the left, move your right foot to the right into hidari-seisan-dachi, mae-te-zuki. When you perform the mae-te-zuki, shift backwards so that you thrust your ushiro-empi into the opponent behind you.
13. (Niseishi-dai) Gyaku-zuki.
14. Move your left foot over to the right so that your is almost directly in front of your right foot. This takes you off of the line of attack. At the same time, open your hands, draw your right hand back to prepare for a shuto-uchi, and bring your left hand to the center of your chest for a tekubi-kake-uke. Twist your whole body so that you end up in a kosa-dachi, shuto-uchi to the temple. The twisting action is what gives your shuto-uchi power. This all must be performed as a single action. (Niseishi Bunkai # 7)
15. Mae-keage with your right leg.
16. Step through the kick, and after landing, draw your left foot up into a kosa-dachi that is perpendicular to your line of attack (but keep your focus in front, on your embusen). Kosa-uke beside your right hip to grasp your opponents punch. (Niseishi Bunkai # 8 & 9)
17. Pick both hands up into an arc to draw your opponent off balance while moving your left foot back along your embusen into shiko-dachi. Once securely into shiko-dachi, and your hands are now on the left side of your body, heito-uchi with your right hand to your opponents ribs.
18. Turn your head 180 degrees to the left and move your right foot out so you can get into hidari-seisan-dachi (2nd kyu and above - pivot on the heel of your right foot into hidari-chokusen-seisan-dachi) and shuto-uchi to the temple.
19. Mae-keage with your right leg.
20. Step through the kick, and after landing, draw your left foot up into a kosa-dachi that is perpendicular to your line of attack (but keep your focus in front, on your embusen). Kosa-uke beside your right hip to grasp your opponents punch.
21. Pick both hands up into an arc to draw your opponent off balance while moving your left foot back along your embusen into shiko-dachi. Once securely into shiko-dachi, and your hands are now on the left side of your body, heito-uchi with your right hand to your opponents ribs.
22. Turn your head 180 degrees to the left and move your right foot out so you can get into hidari-seisan-dachi (2nd kyu and above - pivot on the heel of your right foot into hidari-chokusen-seisan-dachi) and shuto-uchi to the temple.
23. Bring your right foot up into musubi-dachi and slowly perform haishu-uke with your right hand. Your focus still remains straight ahead. The haishu-uke should finish slightly behind your head. The purpose is to move off the line of attack and slightly push your opponents punch behind your head. (Niseishi Bunkai # 10)
24. Cross both hands (still open) in front of your face. (Niseishi Bunkai # 11)

That's it. The twenty-four steps of Chito-ryu Niseishi-dai (or twenty-one steps to Niseishi-sho, whichever floats your boat).

Things to watch out for?

1. Know your embusen. If not, then there is a lot of places where a small error in your line of attack will result in stances being off more and more.
2. When you kick after the shuto-uchi (steps 14 & 18), make sure to bring your knee up on the inside of your elbow. I know it only makes sense, but you would be surprised how many people don't, and then all of a sudden, the elbow is an obstacle for the kick.
3. The kosa-uke, in my opinion, should be performed like you're grasping a punch, not like you're gently laying your hands in flowers, one after the other.

Niseishi is the first kata learned in Chito-ryu where the karateka demonstrates Zanshin. You could read the Wikipedia article on Zanshin here, but I prefer this write-up at FightingArts.com. You know that part in the kata where you block a punch without even looking? Yeah, that part. That's Zanshin, which, by the way, is step number twenty-three out of twenty-four.