Designing a Martial Art

Over at The Budo Journeyman, there is an interesting thought experiment. Based on what you know now and what you have experienced, if you were to design a new martial art from the ground up, what would it look like?

Below is an excerpt. The full post may be read here.

If you were to design a perfect martial arts system from scratch, how would you do it?

I know this sounds like a complete heresy, but just bear with me on this, consider it as a kind of wild hypothetical musing, an out-of-the-box riffing on a theme.

Why I think this might be worth having a go at:

·       It might just prompt a total reframing of what we think the martial arts are, and what we think they might be.

·       It’s possible that it could cast light on where engaging in martial arts training might fit into modern society.

·       It could help us to project backwards and perhaps encourage us to find a new angle to look objectively at what we are doing now (as practising martial artists operating within our own systems) and what we used to do.

This line of thought came out of some challenging and really interesting conversations I have had in the past with martial artists who like to compare systems.

Starting with the basics – Define your terms.

I am going to come at this through the lens of design. How would a designer approach this problem?

Designers would typically start out with a ‘brief’; a condensed description of just what problem needs to be addressed.

Before I get into specifics; here is the first point:

There are different ways of defining ‘martial arts’, in this case I am definitely talking about ‘unarmed combat’.

For successful design, what is it that you want to achieve? What would be the perfect outcome?

Without getting too descriptive, here are a series of possible characteristics that might be desirable:

1.       Whatever happens it must bring about an instant effect (prolonged engagements will up the risk factor considerably).

2.       There must be a minimal energy output. Energy expense in fighting can be incredibly costly and incurs further risks.

3.       It should not announce its presence (unless it is tactically advantageous).

4.       Whatever is done you should not inflict damage on yourself to achieve your end. This includes damage accumulated during training and preparation.

5.       There should be a zero continuation of threat (even from a downed opponent or their confederates).

6.       There should be a capacity to de-stress, decompress, debrief and detach after an encounter. This is important because of the potential for psychological trauma (anyone who has ever been in a violent encounter will know this). Without this programmed in, your ‘shelf-life’ becomes somewhat limited; like a gun with only the capacity to fire one bullet.

 

Head Injuries in Martial Arts

At the Budo Journeyman, there was a very good post about head injuries in sports in general and combat sports in particular. An excerpt is below. The full post may be read here.

There has been an ongoing discussion involving scientists, medical people and those with a vested interest in their favoured sporting activity.

The usual suspects; (sports most likely to…)

Boxing.

It might have started with boxing.

If you have any knowledge of the history of the sport at professional level you might be aware of the tragedies of the boxers Michael Watson who suffered catastrophic brain damage in 1991. Or Welsh bantamweight Johnny Owens who died from a dramatic head injury received in the ring in 1980. The debate has continued ever since.

As early as 1949 a British neurologist, Macdonald Critchley wrote a paper called, "Punch-drunk syndromes: the chronic traumatic encephalopathy of boxers", but at that time it was assumed that it was only boxers, and other sports escaped scrutiny.

Football.

Then there was the discussion around professional footballers who suffered accumulated brain damage just through heading the ball. Certainly, from the 1960’s onwards. But, back in those days, the way footballs were designed and the heavyweight leather involved, it’s not surprising. Recent research with historical elite-level players revealed a shocking statistic; that outfield players (not goalkeepers) are 50% more likely to develop dementia than a control sample.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/mar/16/footballers-50-more-likely-to-develop-dementia-study-finds

Rugby.

Rugby was the next sport to be put under the microscope. The debate centred around young players, and again, headline-grabbing injuries, broken necks and lesser injuries like concussions were splashed across newspapers.

Martial Arts.

For some reason the oriental-based contact sports seemed to escape the scrutiny, despite in the UK a couple of deaths in the early days of ‘full contact’.

The Gardening Implements of War

Over at Ichijoji, there is an interesting article about an unusual samurai weapon: a war rake.

Below is an excerpt. The full post may be read here.

 

Today, seeing the leaves beginning to turn to the gold of autumn, I was reminded of that perennial garden chore, raking leaves. It made me think of a reference I came across regarding a certain Matsuda Hidenobu, a warrior of some note who fought at the battle of Sekigahara (1600) during which he is reported to have used a long weapon called a kumade (literally ‘bear’s claw’) to bring down 11 mounted opponents whom his followers then dispatched. What had caught my eye was that the weapon he was depicted with was a large leaf rake

While it is true that the same word, kumade, is used for a modern leaf rake, this is very far from the weapon that Matsuda Hidenobu must have used.

The word ‘battlefield’ is often bandied about with regard to traditional martial arts – some of them really were created for or used on battlefields; others are more likely to have developed for civilian self-protection in what were very violent times. Some were probably meant as a kind of training to imbue discipline and other virtues in a suitable cultural package. Many are hybrids, adapting and developing military techniques for other purposes. But early examples of the use of the kumade can, indeed, be located on battlefields in early medieval Japan. 

This can be seen in artwork such as the Kasuga Gongen E-Maki (early 14th century - see above) and in the well known Scroll of the Mongol Invasion (13th century), and several instances appear in war chronicles, both on land and at sea. Set at an earlier date than both the aforementioned scrolls, the story of Taira no Yorimori being attacked by one Hachimachi Jiro, who hooked a rake onto his helmet, only for Yorimori to reverse the tables by cutting through the shaft of the kumade with his sword, the famous Nuke-maru, sending Jiro tumbling, and returning to camp with the kumade still attached to his helmet, has a ring of truth to it, despite the clearly fictional basis of many of the individual exploits in these tales.  These tales and picture scrolls were mostly created well after the periods they depict (not in the case of the Mongol Invasion scroll, however), but still in a time of pretty constant warfare, so they can be considered reasonably reliable in the weapons they depict.

Doubling as a weapon and a tool, it is difficult to ascertain the origins of this device, but its similarity to the kind of anchor used by small boats suggests this is a possible source. It is often depicted with a rope or chain wound around the shaft, and although I have seen no depictions (or read any accounts) of how this was used, it suggests the head may not have been too firmly fixed on the shaft and the rope/chain served as an additional means of controlling the opponent if the head became detached (or if the shaft was cut through, as in the story above).

 

Tao, The Watercourse Way

I posted before about ChunLiang Al Huang, who was one of the early Taijiquan teachers in the US, and part of the Human Potential Movement.

Here is another short documentary about him.

Capoeira. Let's Dance.

Below is an excerpt from the 24FightingChickens blog, regarding the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira. The full post may be read here.

In this article, part of our series on martial arts around the world, we will focus on capoeira or the dancing Brazilian martial art. Capoeira is such as unique and distinctive martial art that it can never be mistaken for another.

We were curious as to how it originated and how it was developed, and we found some very interesting things about it. We wanted to share them with you and we hope you enjoy reading this overview of capoeira.

The History of Capoeira

Capoeira dates back to the Brazilian colonial period. The roots of capoeira are in fact very tragic. Capoeira was invented by African slaves living in Brazil as a means of defense. It’s estimated that 40% of the Africans captured and sold during the Transatlantic Slave Trade ended up in Brazil; the highest number of any slave-holding countries.

It’s believed that capoeira emerged in the 16th century around the same time that the African slaves were brought to the Portuguese colony of Brazil. Some scholars argue that capoeira was inspired by the Angolan ritual combat called “Engolo” and that it thus originated from Angolan slaves.

Capoeira had a practical application and it was borne out of necessity. Slaves could obviously not own weapons, so they needed a way to defend themselves against other people, most usually the European ruling class.

Capoeira was especially necessary for fugitive slaves who were navigating the unknown Brazilian lands. The name itself “capoeira” comes from the Tupi words (the language spoken by one indigenous Brazilian tribe) “ka’a” (forest) and “paũ” (round), which stand for the areas in Brazil where slaves would hide.

The growing number of fugitive slaves eventually allowed for settlements to develop. While they were mostly populated by free black people and escaped slaves, there were also Europeans who hid to evade the law. The practice of capoeira flourished in these settlements, called quilombos. There, it evolved from a survival method into a martial art used for combat.

Meanwhile, as the country was entering industrialization and urbanization, many slaves were sent to the city with their masters. Unlike slaves in the US, Brazilian slaves were allowed to leave their masters’ property in order to look for extra work. This allowed them some free time, which could be used to practice capoeira.

Around the mid-19th century, the authorities took notice of capoeira and tried to suppress its practice across the land as they were fearful of slaves rebellions. The authorities began jailing people found to be practicing capoeira and even publicly executed some of them.

Slavery was officially abolished on May 13, 1888, but ex-slaves still struggled to make it in Brazil. Some used their capoeira skills and became bodyguards who were used by warlords. After a bunch of raids, Brazil formally prohibited capoeira in 1890.

Capoeira teachers sought to change the public’s perception of it and the martial art experienced many changes in the early 20th century, which changed its status into a self-defense technique.

Professor Mario Aleixo was among these capoeira practitioners who wanted to change and formalize capoeira, along with Anibal “Zuma” Burlamaqui who published Ginástica nacional, Capoeiragem metodizada e regrade, the practical guidelines of capoeira. This new capoeira drew inspiration from judo and wrestling in order to turn it into a “proper” martial art”.

Mestre Bimba practiced traditional capoeira, but also incorporated techniques from other martial arts just like Professor Aleixo and Zuma. Bimba founded the first capoeira school in 1932, although the martial art remained illegal until 1940. Fortunately, despite the many changes to capoeira, the original style still exists today and it’s known as Capoeira Angola, noting its roots.

Book Review: Martial Arts Politics Explained: History, Culture and Comedy by Jonathan Bluestein

It has been said that if there is more than one person in a room, politics is at play. 

Anyone who has spent any time in the martial arts world knows that martial arts politics is as common an pervasive as the air that we breathe.

Martial Arts Politics Explained: History, Culture and Comedy by Jonathan Bluestein, examines this phenomenon.

What the book is not: it is not a blow by blow description of the continuous shedding of derivative styles of Kyokushin Karate, the divisive split in Aikido when Koichi Tohei left the Aikikai or the homogenization of the 9 Tae Kwon Do kwans into the ITF and WTF; although there are some descriptions, such as the fragmentation of Ed Parker's Kempo. This book, however, makes them all more understandable.

What the book does is look beyond the usual easy explanations for martial arts politics, such as money, status, etc to the deeper issues that are at play.

Even the types of schools and organizations of martial art can influence it's politics. There is a difference between a strict "traditional" Japanese dojo, a MMA gym or Taijiquan in the park. 

The styles may lend themselves to what may become politics. A good point is that Okinawan (and later Japanese) Karate styles all have basically the same forms, techniques and training methods. What differentiates them is where the teacher chooses to place his emphasis and which other styles of martial arts and teachers he may have trained with in the past. Wado-Ryu Karate, for example, has a heavy influence from a traditional style of Japanese Jujitsu.

A section of the book I particularly enjoyed was an lengthy overview of the history and practice of Krav Maga, the Israeli martial arts. Krav Maga was always something I wanted to know a little more about, but was something I couldn't quite pin down. It's all much more clear now.

One of the features of the book that I very much enjoyed were guest chapters written by current martial arts masters regarding their own experience with martial arts politics. It's refreshing to read the inside story. 

And then there are the cults and clowns that seem to float around the periphery of the martial arts world. The book takes a good look at them as well.

Martial arts practice is a path which demands that we carefully select our steps, or we will stumble. Martial Arts Politics Explained: History, Culture and Comedy represents a flashlight which helps to illuminate the path, at least as far as some obstacles go, to help us to avoid pitfalls.

I enjoyed Martial Arts Politics Explained: History, Culture and Comedy. I think you will too.

https://a.co/d/1ZmeRmK

The State of One Heart

At the Isshindo blog, there was a a post about Isshin no jotai, "the state of one heart, one mind." An excerpt is below. The full post may be read here.

Isshin no jōtai [一心の状態]

The Japanese concept of Isshin (一心) can be translated as “one heart” or “one mind.” It signifies a state of complete concentration, focus, and unity of intention, where the mind and heart are aligned toward a single goal or purpose. In martial arts and other disciplines, Isshin embodies the idea of wholehearted commitment to an action or task, with no distractions or divided attention.

Core Meanings of Isshin:

1. Undivided Focus: Isshin represents a state of undivided focus or single-mindedness. In martial arts, this can mean that the practitioner must be fully immersed in the moment, acting with full attention and intention without allowing external thoughts to interfere. Whether performing a kata, sparring, or responding to a threat, the martial artist must unify mind and body in the present action.

2. Heart and Mind as One: The term “心” (shin or “heart-mind”) refers to both cognitive and emotional aspects in Japanese thought. Therefore, Isshin suggests not just mental focus but also emotional dedication, merging the rational mind with feelings like passion, determination, or even serenity. In practice, this can mean acting with full sincerity, whether in physical movements or personal interactions.

3. Spiritual Undertone: In a broader, spiritual context, Isshin can reflect the principle of purity of purpose—having a clear, unobstructed path between one’s intentions and actions. This idea aligns with various Japanese spiritual and philosophical traditions, such as Zen Buddhism, where one cultivates a state of awareness that transcends the ego or distractions, acting with clarity and purpose in every moment.

4. Isshin in Martial Arts:

• Karate: In karate, Isshin is particularly important because it enables practitioners to act decisively and with full commitment in every strike, block, or movement. Hesitation, second-guessing, or a wandering mind could create openings for an opponent, making full focus essential. This concept also encourages karateka to unify their techniques, spirit, and intentions into one, bringing everything into a singular, cohesive action.

• Other Budo Disciplines: Similarly, Isshin applies to other Japanese martial arts like kendo, aikido, or judo. It is often associated with quick, decisive actions and perfect timing (e.g., when an opening presents itself, the practitioner must act immediately with full presence).

5. Application Beyond Martial Arts:

In Japanese culture, the concept of Isshin extends beyond martial arts. It can apply to various crafts, professions, and even daily life, reflecting the importance of doing things wholeheartedly. Whether an artisan is working on a piece of pottery, a chef is preparing a meal, or someone is simply conversing with another person, Isshin signifies complete immersion and sincerity in the act.

The Development of Wado Ryu Karate Kata

There was an excellent article at The Budo Journeyman about the development of kata within the Wado Ryu karate style.It makes one think about how kata developed within one's own style. An excerpt is below. The full post may be read here.

 

In this instalment:

·       The canonical Wado kata.

·       Kata as ‘form’.

·       Western projections on to kata.

·       Taking the kata literally.

·       Chasing rabbits. What we grasp with one hand, we lose with the other.

·       When body mechanics started to become important.

·       Those ‘extra/advanced’ kata.

·       Otsuka Sensei reveals some of the meaning behind moves in the ‘extra’ kata.

·       The concept of the ‘all-rounder’ as an ideal rather than a reality.

·       The controversy over the Okinawan origins as they relate to Wado.

A focus specifically on solo kata.

The kata of Wado karate and the teaching intentions.

Starting from the most basic of basics; the solo kata of Wado are intended as a set of teaching steps, incrementally adding challenges as we move up the grade ladder.

Initially, in the UK and Europe the core kata were set with the five ‘Pinan’ kata, plus Kushanku, Naihanchi, Seishan and Chinto. An acknowledged canonical nine solo kata.

To many western Wado students the rationale behind the core solo kata seems to be the most difficult to justify – but not so with the Japanese Sensei. For the Japanese there are no questions to ask, it just is what it is.

This is wrapped up in Japanese culture and is actually quite alien to western thinking. If you want to get a handle on how ‘kata’ (in its broadest term) exists in Japanese culture I would recommend the book by Boye Lafayette De Mente, ‘Kata – The key to understanding and dealing with the Japanese’.

Kata as ‘Form’.

You have to have a good understanding of written Japanese to pick apart the Kanji used for ‘kata’ and, take it from me, Otsuka Sensei had a very nuanced interpretation of how the character should be manifested in physical form. See the generally available – though ‘limited edition’, Otsuka kata book, and the chapter/section on ‘kata’ and ‘Igata’, the latter is a simple template, with no meaning beyond being a mould to make other identical artefacts. Its purpose is limited to that end (question; do we do kata with the sole objective of getting good at kata?)

Where the waters got muddy.

This intention is obvious to the Japanese Wado Sensei, but not to us westerners. We have a tendency to project other ideas on to the kata, ones that are more in-line with western linear thinking. This doesn’t square with the Japanese outlook though. Westerners, when struggling to find meaning will invent a meaning of their own. This is why there is a compulsion to shamelessly indulge in reverse engineering.

The Japanese were not immune to also creating simplistic applications for kata moves; but in lots of ways these were just adjuncts to the functional lower-level paired kata.

It’s easy to criticise these as just being ‘karate formal techniques used against other karate formal techniques’, but they are not meant to be judged as self-defence techniques, they are just another formalised set running a similar agenda to the kyu grade paired kata, (either Sanbon or Ippon Gumite).

The critics would ask; how do you square these as being Self-Defence? The frustrating and annoying answers are, ‘they are, yet they aren’t’ and ‘it depends how you define it’. Or an answer that would really annoy them, ‘they are, but you have to go the long way round to get there’. That last one is a more honest answer. It just means that you look at the whole discipline of kata training as involving a long list of agenda items and somewhere way down comes the idea that the fuller list of accumulated abilities has a good chance of being useful to you in a fight. Another handy question is; if you have enough years’ experience behind you, do you find yourself using strategies learned in kata in your free fighting? If you don’t, then there’s definitely something missing in your training.

Misunderstandings through taking things very very literally.

To some degree the early pioneer Japanese Sensei in Wado karate unintentionally added fuel to the fire of the naysayers and the critics.

I would refer you to the crowd-pleasing demonstrations that Suzuki Sensei performed showing ‘applications’ of Pinan kata, which the uneducated audience took very literally (the truth was that back in the 70’s and 80’s we were all ‘uneducated’).

Example; in the demos we unquestioningly accepted that the upper and lower ‘X’ blocks were showing two hands dealing with one attack, whereas in Wado this strategy is considered an anathema. (There are examples where two hands are deployed into the same zone, but each doing a slightly different job, but not a literal Juji-Uke). This was just another unacknowledged different level of formalisation.

The Aging Martial Artist

There was a post over at Budo Journeyman about aging and training. An excerpt is below. The full post may be read here.

I found myself in a gym recently, training alongside the usual mixed clientele of weights, machines and treadmill enthusiasts; each of us within our own bubble.

The oldster (like me) were operating on a very different agenda to the young guys. Get beyond the classical quote from Horace, "Eram quod es; eris quod sum" – “I was what you are. You will become what I am”.  And you’ll fully understood what they were after; because, forty years ago, that was me.

But the more senior trainees seemed to have very different goals in mind. I’d like to think that these were the wise and enlightened ones, who figured out that the slippery slope into senescence cannot be halted, but at least it can be slowed down to a snails’ pace.

Over the last decade I have been on a deep dive into the issues surrounding exercise and human physical functioning; in fact, I have written quite a few layman’s pieces on this in past Substack posts. But, I thought I would share a few of my own lightbulb moments.

Here is the first.

The decline is not slow and incremental.

Recent research seems to suggest that it’s not a slow ticking clock that causes physical decline but actually, across the sexes there are two significant spikes in dramatic decline. One occurs in the mid 40’s; scientists knew this but initially thought that statistics were skewed by the menopause in woman in that age group – but no… men have identical declines.

The other spike is in the early 60’s. A Japanese Wado teacher warned me of this, “You wait till you hit the 60’s barrier” he cheerfully told me.

So that’s the bad news, but it’s better to be warned ahead of time than to live in ignorance and then be blindsided by it.

Recent article on this subject in the Guardian.

Weight training as you age is good for you.

Let me call it ‘resistance training’, the whole weight training thing is tainted in my mind. Too much vanity involved. I have seen so many young guys sweating it out in the gym with the mistaken belief that it will help them get laid. All that effort to follow an unfounded theory that big muscles are sexy. The reality is that it’s all about impressing other men.

Initially my research on resistance work suggested that as muscles lose their elasticity with aging joint injury is liable to occur. If the supporting muscles around a stressed joint are strengthened and atrophy is avoided (through under-use) then these muscles and ligaments will kick in if the joint is abruptly taken outside of its normal range, or suddenly jerked into a danger zone. Think of how a seat belt works; a sudden jolt and everything locks up tight.

Atrophy is a total curse to the aging body. Spend any time around old people and it’s clear what’s going on. Watch anyone in their senior years manoeuvre themselves in and out of a chair and you’ll get the picture.

But, although the theory holds up, there’s more going on.

Break down and build up – at a cellular level.

It’s simple really; there are two systems going on as we age; the actual aging process, the one we can’t avoid, and then there is decay. The first we have very little control of and the second we can actually do something about.

‘Ageing’ is about hair going grey and skin losing its elasticity, there’s not a lot you can change about that, but ‘decay’ is a different matter.

Decay becomes a big issue when we hit our forties or fifties. Like a switch is flipped that turns us away from the jolly indestructibility of youth and the signals that tell us to grow, and instead towards the signals that cause decay and senescence.

The good news is that this process can be hijacked to offset the proclivity towards decay, and trigger positive growth. The key is exercise and activity. It all sounds very ‘common sense’ but we have too many distractions in our lives, too many excuses and it is so easy to push it aside.

(I am grateful to the writings of Chris Crowley and Dr Henry Lodge for these very basic insights).

Put simply; at cellular level the whole body operates under a system of break down and rebuild better. Even in normal life, without exercise, we experience micro-traumas. These set off a process of rebuilding that goes beyond mere renovation. And this is where exercise comes in.

It’s not too dramatic to say that a workout is like a demolition job at cellular level, but once the ground has been cleared the expert builders move in and create something much better. In the process of demolition cells that have had their day and are just laying around either doing nothing or waiting to mutate into something much more sinister are actually cleared away.