Sorry for changing up the Rolling Stones lyric in the title. As you can tell from the deafening silence, I have not posted in nearly one year. Lots of things were going on. I know it is hard to regain an audience but I will be posting again and hope to get back to what led me to start this blog to begin with.
My back has been improving steadily and I've signed up for Uech-ryu classes at my old school later this Summer. I don't intend to go full out (go for next rank, etc.), at least not now. I've always liked the spiritual and meditative aspects of traditional martial arts and find that it's more complete when you train in a group rather than just alone. I hope to go into this further in future posts.
Until then, take a look at the Sanchin testing video. It is being conducted by Gushi Sensei and I believe the student on the left is either his son or grandson. The other student is using sanchin jars - you can find out more about them here, but essentially they are used to develop hand strength/grip. They also are the reason for "Uechi Shoulders".
When you study traditional martial arts, you expect to learn about fighting and self-defense. And in most programs and schools, that's exactly what you get. One of the things I like about studying Uechi-ryu Karate is that you can get more out of it than just the self-defense.
Uechi-ryu allows for experiencing the culture of Okinawa. The history of the islands is fascinating and in the DC-area there are good opportunities to observe and take part in Okinawan and Japanese cultural events. Many teachers incorporate parts of the culture in their classes, especially those that have studied for extended periods of time in Okinawa. Many TMA schools make periodic trips to study and train in Okinawa and there are events in the US to check out.
There are many local events sponsored by the Japanese Embassy and by Okinawan organizations. One of the bigger ones here is the Shin Shun Kai Spring Celebration in Annandale, VA. My Uechi-ryu school participates yearly by performing karate and applying it in traditional and non-traditional ways in a 10-minute routine. It's a good way to enjoy and experience the culture and to entertain the crowd. Below is a recent performance video. Keep training and learning.
One of the major parts of karate that Uechi Kanbun and other karateka-ka of his time studied was gusuri. Gusuri is the Okinawan word for medicine and Uechi's gusuri was derived from the alternative medical system he studied and traded in for 10 years in China.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is one of many categories of AMS, including homeopathy and herbalism. Traditional Medicine has been used in every culture and place from Asia to the Middle East, Europe to the Americas. It is continued in use even after the advent of our current medicine based on science. I tend to use what works for me. For example, if I have a fever, I will use ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help knock it out. But if there was an otherwise harmless plant or extraction that had the same effect, I would use it instead. It's a personal preference.
When it comes to bruises and some muscle pain I have found that ointments/salves with Arnica (Wolf's Bane), which is native to Europe, helps them heal faster that without any treatment. Arnica has been used in Europe for years and is purported to help with other ailments as well. I can't and won't vouch for these. There have been studies conducted on its effectiveness in healing bruises but none scientifically demonstrate that it works any better than a placebo. Yet it works for me.
Arnica comes in different forms and concentrations, I have not tried them all. I tend to stick with products made by Weleda, a well-known Swiss company that is a "...manufacturer of natural cosmetics, nutritional supplements and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs". Disclaimer: my mother's best friend worked at Weleda's major site in Stuttgart so we always got discounted and free samples growing up.
The website I use to buy Arnica creams has many Weleda and other products but you need to know some German - prices are in US Dollars though. See the link below for Paul'sMart Europe. You can also find it on Amazon.com. Target and CVS sell other brand arnica products but I don't know anything about the companies or their products. You will find some Weleda products in Whole Foods but the prices they charge amount to highway robbery.
I am not going to recommend arnica but believe it can help heal bruises more quickly than anything else. You can also condition better, and more often. :)
I don't have much information on where this clip came from other than it is a Uechi-ryu dojo and the clip is from a BBC series called "Hai! Karate". See links for the show here and here. It's a really well done video on what you can do with Uechi conditioning. Enjoy.
Last night was a great workout, especially the conditioning drills. I thought I’d be banged up but not one bruise in sight. J Conditioning in Uechi-ryu karate is another facet of training that leads to better protection from attacks and may help keep you in a fight longer to win or to get a chance to run away.
It’s important not to abuse your partner during these drills because you only work on conditioning certain areas of the body, and strike/kick in specific ways. It also keeps the “conditioner” from hurting their wrists, legs or feet. My technique in this drill was good at first (we exchange alternating strikes and kicks with rotating partners) but worsened as we went on. Apparently after my kicks to the thighs I was steadily moving closer to my partner instead of getting back into Sanchin. My Maai (spacing) was way off and I was using the wrong part of my leg to use to condition my partner. Luckily my partner was Master Folta so I got a good lesson out of it.
My issue with Maai was a product of me not having control over the first battle in Sanchin. I was so focused on kicking to the correct part of the body that I lost sight of my overall focus. I’ve still got a lot of work to do on my Mushin.
I couldn't find a good picture to demonstrate this so here is a picture of Elvis Presley doing some sparring. Is that a shoken? :-)
Classes started last week after a longer than normal break. Two things stuck out for me.
The first was how much my shoulders were sore the next day. I can't recall doing anything unusual except for some extra sparring drills at the end of class. These worked on covering large distance and speed. The Sanchin testing was not particularly hard either (the shoulder muscles are also tested for tightness, to check your balance and how 'grounded' you are). Spooky.
The second, and more important to me, is even with a relatively small class where the ranks are within 1-2 kyus of each other, we always seem to use the same partner for two-man drills (bunkai, Kyu kumite).
I stood back for a second to see how the dynamics work (who would seek out who) and nothing really changed from last session. This is in spite of our Sensei advocating working with different partners. Working with the same partner over and over may help you prepare for a rank promotion test, but not your overall technique or even your basic ability. It actually hurts your advancement.
These drills aren't going to necessarily help you in an actual ambush or a bar fight, but working with different partners helps you adjust and use you skill in these drills more effectively. If you work with a shorter person, you get used to his or her reach, attack speed, etc. If you suddenly have to work with a taller partner with unknown reach, attack speed, etc, you will get flustered and be more likely to screw up the drill. It's happened with me and I see it with other students too. I am going to try to break this up a bit.
Overall working with different partner types (men v women, tall v short, more experienced v less experienced) will increase your brain's ability to quickly adjust to different 'threats'. Conditioning your brain in this way can be applied to every aspect of your martial art and in life. Most importantly, you learn to react better and this alone could save your behind.
As I got older and moved on from playing lots of sports like basketball and football and lifting, I gained weight. Lots of it. I did not have the time to go back to playing any team sport and time at the gym ended up being wasted by half-hearted goes at the stair climber, rowing machine, etc.
So I sat around a lot eating in front of the TV at night doing nothing. None of these ways to work out really worked for me. There was no real incentive for me, it was like I forcing myself to go to a job that I didn’t like. I did make some progress, but it never lasted.
Uechi-ryu, and I imagine most styles of traditional Okinawan karate, really do give you a great overall workout. For example, when I perform the Sanchin, or any kata, “properly”, I am winded. These are pre-arranged movements that don’t last more than a couple of minutes.
When done properly, the practice of Sanchin will give you many benefits. These include everything from core development to efficient breathing, aerobic conditioning, flexibility, muscle toning, coordination, stamina, and overall strength training. And these are just the physical benefits. It sounds like a lot and it is. This does not come quickly but you feel results within a month.
Additionally your mind becomes more focused on what you are doing at the present and you will become more aware of your surroundings. The military, police and self-defense industry call it situational awareness but it is more than that. It’s also an internal awareness that helps you reach your body’s potential.
Since I have been training in Uechi-ryu, I have noticed that I breathe better all the time, not just when training. I have lost most of the weight I’ve gained since college and my stamina has increased. Without any weight training, my upper body especially has also become more defined.
The fact that Uechi-ryu is more than picking up street-fighting skills appeals to me and I can combine the different elements to make me a better karate-ka and a more fit person, mentally and physically.
This is a video of Gushi Sensei (10 Dan) performing Sanchin. It is an extreme example, but so are the hotties and studs in the NordicTrack commercials. I do have three of his DVDs, the technique is excellent and he is a great example of getting his body "only" from Sanchin and karate (he told us at a seminar that he never did any weight-training or body building). He conducts seminars around the country at various karate schools.
Note – I now do other exercises to help with my back, flexibility and aerobics.
I started studying Uechi-ryu in 2006 when my son, not me, enrolled in a kids class. In my school, the children's curriculum is more about focusing, listening, coordination and confidence. All of which are taken in small steps and kicks, and are measurable. Not everyone can teach children this and keep their interest going - we were lucky. This is not a "belt factory" for kids. They must really demonstrate knowledge, some history and of course, skill.
I researched many different types of MA styles and schools and made sure to avoid McDojos. I found Uechi-ryu and for the reasons above, chose it. The school is currently run mostly through the Fairfax County Park system with classes at multiple RECenter locations. This helped reassure me that it was respectable.
Parents are encouraged to be in the dojo while the kids are training and actively participate in certain aspects of class and to help ensure their children practice some at home, including performing some of the katas with them.
I began by trying to perform the Sanchin kata with my son. After a few weeks I was hooked. Four years on (minus eight months due to an unrelated back injury) I have reached the level of 2 Kyu. This is two ranks from a black belt. It is not easy and you just don't breeze through the rank promotion tests. I have skipped ranks at lower levels but also failed my first 2 Kyu test. Failing it made me re-focus on the "Mind" part of Sanchin and I set a goal of attaining the rank of 1 Kyu in December.
It's no guarantee, but you have to set a goal, no matter how small, if you want to reach it. Arigato.
