Here is an interesting video of applications for Tekki (Naihanchi) Shodan. These are those Shotokai guys again. I thought that the first application shown was really odd, but then about 3/4 of the way through the video I realized that I was entranced. All in all, pretty cool.
___________
Subscribe now for free updates from the Mokuren Dojo blog
There's a Shotokai club here in Tulsa; I've never seen them, unfortunately. I keep thinking that one of these days, I'm going to borrow my son's camera and go visit as many local martial arts classes as will let me and blog about each one. The Shotokai club will be one of the first.
ReplyDeleteYeah--in my dreams, I'm going to have that kind of time...
Shotokai intrigues me because some of the concepts seem to have been, shall we say, reverse-engineered. Have you read the story of how Shigeru Egami refined his punching technique? On the one hand, it could be said to be fanaticism carried to a level bordering on neuroticism; on the other, he wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than he could achieve.
Wasn't Egami the guy that issued the open invite for anyone and everyone to punch him in the gut? He wanted to see what technical variations led to more pain or displacement, etc...
ReplyDeleteas you say, sort of reverse-engineered - karate-do via ukemi.
That was great. I have done Tekki Shodan for years and would never have come up with those applications.
ReplyDeleteExactamundo; Egami was Shotokai's founder, and on the one hand, his devotion to achieving a truly effective tsuki is inspiring; on the other hand, inviting the kind of damage he did to his internal organs ain't nothin' short o' nutso.
ReplyDeleteBut notice his conclusion: relaxation is key to a truly effective tsuki, yet peruse what Shotokan book I will, I have yet to find one that doesn't say, regarding punching, first tighten the fist. That takes a whole lot o' zip out of the tsuki right out o' the gate.
Not that Shotokan folks don't hit hard. They do. I know. But Shotokan power comes from trunk rotation more than anything else, at least as far as I can see, and it is certainly not enhanced by the muscle tension throughout the motion. I've tried it both ways: rotation with relaxation, and rotation with a tight fist. Guess which way I hit harder?
Just my opinion, worth about what you paid for it.
I really like the take downs.
ReplyDeleteI like this stuff better than most karate styles.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see a bigger focus on kuzushi, before I believe the chain of techniques would work effectively.
Thanks for sharing that.