Striking Targets

At the Art of Manliness blog, there was an article on striking targets for self defense. An excerpt is below. The full post may be read here.

Getting into a physical fight is never ideal, and every self-defense expert will tell you that if you can avoid a fight if at all possible, you should. But, sometimes you can’t, and if you’re attacked and need to protect yourself, it’s important to know how to fight back. The best way to prepare for this scenario is to train in boxing, self-defense techniques, or some form of martial arts. You can’t expect to suddenly know how to punch when you’re threatened; your reaction must instead be thoroughly well-practiced.

Regardless of your level of training, one piece of know-how you should have deeply ingrained in your mind is where to direct your blows should you find yourself in an altercation. What places of your attacker’s body should you aim for if you’re looking to cause the most damage and get the most “bang for your buck”?

The best places to hit someone are the most sensitive parts of the body, including the eyes, ears, nose, and groin. But there are also many other spots where thick bones don’t protect the body’s super sensitive nerves and organs. Knowing multiple pressure points like this can help you fend off your attacker better because they won’t be able to protect all these vulnerable places at once.

The numbered list below correlates to the above illustration; keep in mind that striking these areas can cause serious injury or even death — only utilize such blows when you’re truly threatened with death or serious bodily harm. When you are though, the rules of polite society and even the sporting ring are thrown out the window; you must be willing to fight “dirty” and do what you must to incapacitate your assailant. 

1. Base of skull/neck – Also known as a rabbit punch, hitting someone at the base of the skull can cause spinal cord injuries. Punching this area is not to be taken lightly and used only as a last resort.

2. Kidneys – A successful kidney shot will deal a great amount of initial and lingering pain to a person’s back and abdominal area. Make sure to aim your shot up and under their rib cage for maximum effectiveness.

3. Tailbone – The tip of the tailbone is a small, sensitive bone. If struck with a hard shoe or boot at the right angle, it can easily break, sending waves of crippling pain into your attacker’s rear end, lower back, and legs.

The BaguaZhang of Wang Shu Jin

Wang Shu Jin was a giant in the 3 internal martial arts practiced in Taiwan. He was a very big (heavy) man, who move very lightly on his feet. In his later years, he regularly visited Japan to teach his martial arts there as well.

Below is a video of WSJ and some of his Japanese students, practicing and demonstrating his BaguaZhang. Enjoy.

 

The XingYiQuan of Wang Shu Jin

Wang Shu Jin was a giant in the 3 internal martial arts practiced in Taiwan. He was a very big (heavy) man, who move very lightly on his feet. In his later years, he regularly visited Japan to teach his martial arts there as well.

Below is a video of WSJ and some of his Japanese students, practicing and demonstrating his XingYiQuan. Enjoy.

 

Shiai and Classical Japanese Martial Arts

There is a conception that Classical Japanese Martial Arts only practiced kata. At Ellis Amdur's excellent Kogen Budo blog, there is a four part series examining free-style training and CJMA, specifically in Yagyu Shinkage Ryu kenjutsu.

 Part 1 may be read here. An excerpt is below.

Part 1 – Introduction

With this series of articles, I would like to address a certain dissatisfaction with the common debates one sees online regarding koryū, kata training and sparring or what is called “aliveness.” These are typically framed in very binary ways, something I find incongruent with both my own experience of practice, my understanding of the history of koryū in general, and Yagyū Shinkage Ryū Heihō (YSR) in specific.

• This part will be an introduction to the argument I am addressing, the terms with which I will address it, a very general look at the history of shiai in classical Japanese martial traditions, and some of my own conclusions and speculations.
• Part 2 will be an examination of the appearance of shiai in the early historical record of YSR. Fortunately, the historical record is relatively well-preserved, and has been printed in a number of different modern sources.
• Part 3 will look at the modern (post-Meiji) history of shiai in YSR.
• Finally, in Part 4, I would like to present the YSR approach to kata and free training, specifically through the lens of what we call the “shiai-seihō,” or “shiai-gata.” I’ll note that this material is adapted from private presentations I’ve made elsewhere.

I suspect that on the whole much of what I am talking about is present in other traditions, if not expressed or thought about in exactly the same terms. So, I want to stress that the ultimate goal here is not to boast about the specialness of YSR, but rather to hopefully inspire further study of these ideas in other traditions, and encourage a re-examination of commonly held assumptions.

Let’s begin by defining our terms. I’ll be using the term shiai throughout the series, mostly because that is the term used in the Japanese sources I have. What do I mean by “shiai?” Let’s first define its ostensible counterpart, kata-geiko (form training), as two-person practice utilizing certain pre-set parameters, the end result of which expresses one or a few predictable shapes. This would include very simple drills such as pad work, uchikomi-geiko in jūdō and kendō, and of course the more sophisticated kata of koryū.

Shiai is an engagement between two people with non-lethal intent, typically with semi-or full-contact, for the purpose of training or testing of skill, utilizing spontaneous expression of technique within set parameters partly or wholly outside the parameters of kata-geiko. This includes point-matches, non-point matches, jigeiko and kakarigeiko in kendō, randori in jūdō, “free practice,” and “sparring.”

I believe these can be seen as a spectrum rather than discrete items. Indeed, of the examples given above, kendō’s kakarigeiko in particular seems to straddle the line. I hope to provide another, more detailed example in Part 4.

Having defined our terms, let’s now look at the argument. The following represent ideas that I have often run into in discussions online, and even in printed material. The general argument can be summed up as this:

“Koryū didn’t spar. The masters of the old days didn’t have friendly matches; they had duels. The primary training method of koryū was kata-geiko. Later, in the mid-19th century, matches with bōgu became popular, which lead to the development of modern kendō, and Kanō developed his randori and shiai-system for modern jūdō.”

I have no desire to to rehash the old “jutsu vs. dō” discussion, but I think it is fair to say that, in general, classical schools are seen as kata-centric, conservative, and focused on either battlefield combat or dueling. Modern budō, then, is seen as shiai-centric, relatively innovative, and focused on physical and mental fitness. In terms of history, kendō and jūdō are seen as new innovations of the Meiji era, distinct from classical schools, many of which have died off. It is also generally assumed that the classical schools that remain are representative of their respective eras.

All of the above strikes me as perfectly reasonable given the information that we have had available to us. The problem, however, lies in that very last assumption, that extant classical schools are representative of their eras. It underpins everything else. But I would submit that we have a survivor bias issue. Extant classical schools, far from exemplars of Edo period and earlier ryūha, almost assuredly represent only the most conservative traditions.

It’s believed that there were some one thousand four hundred martial arts ryūha existing by the time of the Meiji Restoration. Together, the Nihon Kobudō Kyōkai and Nihon Kobudō Shinkōkai account for less than eighty. While not every extant ryūha belongs to those organizations, it’s unlikely that there also exist sixty-some other traditions needed to get us to even 10% of the number that once existed. I suspect that many, probably even most pre-Meiji kenjutsu and jūjutsu schools had a strong shiai tradition, perhaps even being shiai-centric, and that these schools eventually became subsumed into kendō and jūdō.

In my opinion, the real primary difference between classical and modern budō is not necessarily based on its approach to real combat, but rather that classical budō was proprietary, while modern budō is largely open-source. And rather than a break at an inflection point in Meiji, I think there was simply a gradual shift from the classical paradigm into the modern one. Certainly, some events accelerated this shift, particularly the modernization of Japan in the Meiji era.

 

Taijiquan Instructional Drawings

At Brisbane Tai Chi, there is a large number of instructional drawings which illustrates key details of practicing taijiquan. They may be found here and it is well worth studying them.

Complacency in Combat

Below is an excerpt from an excellent article that appeared and Kenshi 24/7, about how our martial arts training after a time can become fossilized ... or not. The full post may  be read here.

In less than three month’s time I will turn 50. How I got to this age so fast I have no idea: I certainly don’t feel 50 (I look about 70 though!!!). It also feels like I arrived in Japan only a moment ago when, actually,  I’m in my 22nd year here. Something that does feel like I’ve been doing for a lifetime, however, is writing kendo-related websites. Anyway, with the big 5-0 coming up something I read by the famous Mochida Moriji sensei many years ago has been brewing in my mind, a copy of which has been pinned to my wall for at least a decade:

“In Kendo, until the age of fifty, one must study the basics with great dedication and make them one’s own.

Most people who think that they have mastered the basics are, in reality, still in the learning phase. This misconception leads  many people put study of the basics on the back burner. 

It took me fifty years to embody the basics of Kendo. My true training in Kendo began after I turned fifty*. This was because I started practicing Kendo with my mind/heart/spirit*.

At sixty, my legs and hips grew weaker. To compensate for this weakness, I relied on my heart. I worked hard to strengthen my weak points by using my heart.

At seventy, my whole body became weaker. This time, I practiced not moving my heart. When the heart stops moving, the other person’s heart reflects in my mirror. I made an effort to keep my heart calm and unmoved.

At eighty, my heart stopped moving. However, occasionally, stray thoughts still enter. I am now training to keep stray thoughts from entering my heart.”

* In the text Mochida’s “fifty years” is kind of mixed-up between “age” and “time practised.” His father taught him kendo initially, starting from the age of six, so we can infer it to mean “age” rather than length of time.

* Mind/heart/spirit: translation of 心 in Japanese is often not obvious. In this situation maybe “spirit” is the most apt, but I left “heart” in as it is a bit more… poetic.

* Date unknown but we can guess it was sometime between 1965~early 1974 (after turning 80 but before passing away in Feb. 1974)

Yeah, so I am basically 50. Realistically, I have achieved the highest grade attainable to me in kendo. In that sense, I am “done” and my kendo is “complete.” Of course, if you have read kenshi 24/7 over the years you know that I don’t actually think of kendo like this, but I do know people that use grade as a barometer (or at least seem to) to “completion” – which in itself is not necessarily bad, unless you actually do consider that kendo is something that can actually be“completed.” 

People with this mindset stop proactively learning and, retreating into their own kendo, shrink rather than expand. Not everyone is like this of course, but I have seen people like this, and continue to meet people like this even today. In the past I would’ve just branded them “lazy” but that is dismissive of their hard work until that point so, instead, I’ve settled on “complacent.” 

Fighting complacency is harder than you might imagine. In my case, I feel that I have achieved a somewhat good understanding of kendo mechanics, even if my execution is still only “moderate” at best. It would be relatively easy to just chill out, rest on my laurels, and enjoy my next few years of keiko. In fact, I’ve gone through at lot over the years, so I deserve some chill time, right?

 

Over a decade ago I wrote about a particular sensei who stated that there was value in attempting kendo’s highest grade, even if there was no realistic hope of passing it. Another time, I overheard a senior hanshi stop someone at the Kyoto Taikai and applaud them for attempting hachidan: “If you stop attempting it” he said, “your kendo will fall to pieces.” Whether the person had an actual chance of passing was irrelevant (often unsaid but sometimes intimated is the value of the attempt increases in proportion to the surety of your failure).

[Actually, I am actually in two minds about this: in theory it sounds solid, but the fact of the matter is it is a burden to attempt something where the chance of failure is 99% or more. Financially, it all adds up: travel, accommodation, testing fees, even a single attempt isn’t cheap (I know people that have tried over 20 times…). Anyway, I digress.]

 Over the past few years, first due to the arrival of my daughter then because of the pandemic,  I’ve found myself getting complacent (not lazy – I still do loads of keiko), in particular the amount of degeiko I do has been cut drastically: I used to travel to this-and-that keiko-kai and/or dojo in the Kansai region, and very occasionally wander further abroad. Nowadays, I only occasionally manage degeiko – well an adult degeiko that is. With my kendo club we do a lot of renshu–shiai and I do kendo with many different students from all over the area. Sometimes other schools have experienced kendo teachers I can have bash with, sometimes not. I also receive a bit of welcome variation in the guest from abroad that visit. In a lot of these cases, however, because people are coming to me (us) it’s psychologically different than travelling to keiko.

The kanji for SHI-AI (試合) could literally translate to “trying something out together” or perhaps a “trial together” which is relatively close to the English “competition.” When we do renshu-shiai I always mention to the students its not SHI-AI (試合) but TAMESHI-AI (試し合い), which – despite being the exact same kanji – emphasises the “trying” part of the experience. That is, the students should  a) test to see how their kendo fairs in front of an (sometimes unknown) opponent; b) not be over worried about “losing” or “winning” as it’s only practice; c) try out various waza or seme patterns to see their efficiency, whether they can actually execute the techniques under stress, and to see what needs improvements, and so on. 

Aikido - Karate Intersection?

Below is an excerpt from an article that appeared at The Budo Journeyman, which posits that during the development of Wado Ryu Karate, there were certain direct influences from Aikido's founder, Morihei Ueshiba.

The full post may be read here.

The story goes that Konishi had a connection with Ueshiba Morihei (1883 - 1969), a truly divinely inspired martial artist, also somewhat of a shaman and a mystic. In terms of martial arts of the Japanese tradition Ueshiba was almost on another planet.

The general impression we get of Ueshiba is that he was somebody who was ploughing a very lonely and insular furrow, in a very niche area; but this is incorrect. There was a cross-current involving other martial artists, through the sword and other traditions, so it doesn’t seem too far-fetched that there should be some relationship between Ueshiba and Konishi, or even Otsuka, but only up to a point. (a key facilitator might have been Kano Jigoro?)

In all writings about Konishi this relationship with Ueshiba seems unambiguous, and there are even mentions of Otsuka, Konishi and Ueshiba training together ‘almost daily’ says the Ryobukai source (see below). But I am not so sure, and what does that mean anyway?

What does seem rather odd is that the Otsuka camp, in all the retellings of his particular personal story, make no mention of any connections between Otsuka and Ueshiba (I have tried to tease this one out with those involved with the continuing Otsuka connections, but with no luck). Like all traditions, the retelling of the tale always includes some element of ‘curation’, so one has to be careful when trying to get to the bones of the matter, especially with all the time that has elapsed.

A couple of things to set context with Ueshiba:

Historically, the timeline tells us that Ueshiba finally settled in Tokyo from 1927 and stayed there all the way through to the war years. So, possibly, right place, right time?

It has to be remembered that he was ten years older than both Konishi and Otsuka, (he would have been around 45 to 50 years old at the time, and as some would say, in his physical prime; this was before he adopted the long wispy beard look, the elder shaman that he became).

With Konishi, the general story is that he showed Ueshiba the solo kata he had been working on with Okinawan karate, and Ueshiba was not impressed.

In Konishi’s 1976 interview published in Fighting Arts International magazine, he said, “I can remember showing him (Ueshiba) some of the Pinan kata, and he didn’t like them at all. In fact, he advised me to give them up. I asked him to give me a year to come up with something different. After a great deal of thought, I devised kata which I thought had better movement. After give or [take] six months, I showed them to him and he approved”.

In the Dave Lowry article on Konishi in Blackbelt magazine, he says that Ueshiba “encouraged him to create a karate kata that emphasized a formal system of footwork”.

An article on the Fighting Arts website by Omi Akihiro, has this to say about the kata, “The footwork, the body movement, and the applications ("bunkai") in these kata are based on both Karate and Aikido principles”.

Konishi named these kata, ‘Taisabaki’.

Tai Sabaki Shodan, is described by one of the current senior instructors of Shindo Jinen Ryu (Ryobukai), as, consisting of “a chain of actions, with no pause after each action”. Which seems to be one of its defining characteristics. To just describe it as such, you might conclude that it flows like a kind of speeded up Tai Chi; but no. Looking at it through my Wado lenses, the pauses seem quite similar in length to the way Wado kata are performed today.

Other sources suggest that the footwork is inspired by Aikido methods. Certainly, if viewed closely, the changes of angle show some interesting possibilities in terms of transition.

As for the name ‘Tai Sabaki’, I can predict that some Wado people can get hung up on this (you can see it in the comments underneath the YouTube video). But they have to be gently reminded that Wado doesn’t OWN the concept of Tai Sabaki; Wado has its particular take on methods of Tai Sabaki as ‘body management’ that are quite sophisticated and well developed. Tai Sabaki can be read at different levels of movement, from basic to advanced, it’s all over the wider spectrum of Japanese martial arts.

 

 

The Right Timing

Below is an excerpt of a post that appeared at The Thoughtful Sensei blog. The full post may be read here.

When I was a little tyke cameras were fairly primitive compared to the ones available today. It was simply a black box with a non-adjustable lens and a button on the side. It did have a view port for all the use that was so you could at least aim it. And it took "ok" pictures. If you wanted "good" pictures then that Box Brownie was not what you wanted as the final product could have a wide variety of results which is why in many family photos everyone is guessing whether that's Uncle John or Aunt Lucy. If you wanted the really good photos then you went for a pricey camera and a photographer who wasn't someone with just a box, but instead someone with high end equipment.

 

Years ago my Sensei wrote a book and in his book he wanted photographs that weren't just guys standing around looking good holding bokken and styling in their gi, or posing with their hands stuck in the side splits of their hakama. He wanted "Action" shots (stress on "action") with uke elevated at head level with their feet in the air as they slammed into the mat. Real action shots, the kind only a professional sports photographer could do.

 

Back in those days it was all mirror and mechanical shutter oriented. There was no such thing as digital SLR so the ability to run a camera through 200 frames as the throw occurred and then picking the single best frame out of the 200 simply did not exist. So he went out, did extensive research and found the best sports photographer in the area who was well known for his action shots of pro-football, pro-baseball, and pro-basketball moves.

 

Sensei' rationale was that since you only got a split-second to hit the shutter button he needed someone with the experience and the eye to pick "that" precise moment so that only one to two shots were needed, as opposed to lining up the ukes and pounding them until he had that one shot he was looking for and then having to call the chiropractor for the ukes since plowing into the mat is a bit different from catching a ball. Having that "eye" for the action and intuitively knowing that single precise moment in the midst of high speed action to hit the shutter button was due to years of experience and knowing the moment.

 

Such is true martial arts training. The experience gained from the experience of when and how to "push the button" is what determines the guy with the Box Brownie from the guy with the digital Hasselblad. Repetition, repetition, repetition is the secret whether it's sports photography or high level martial arts.

 

Catch Wrestling

 

 

The Passing of Kina Toshimitsu of Okinawan Kenpo

Below is an excerpt from Ikigai Way about the passing of one of the notable karate masters of modern Okinawa. The full post may be read here.

On October 29th, 2024 we learned about the passing of Kina Sensei. I’d like to take this opportunity to discuss his impact on the world of Okinawa Kenpo Karate.

Born October 13th, 1941 and growing up in a post-World-War-II Okinawa, Kina Toshimitsu felt the need to get stronger as he became an early teen. His father told him to study karate and recommended a dojo in Nago. Nago was considered remote in the northern part of the island compared to the populous Naha, but there was a famous school operated by a gentleman named Nakamura Shigeru. Nakamura Sensei was renowned for his technique and striking power and it seemed like a perfect place for Kina to develop his abilities.

As time passed Kina Sensei developed a reputation as a talented fighter. He distinguished himself by winning kumite and kata divisions in the 1960 All Okinawa Open Karate Tournament¹ and placing well in a variety of other competitions. His reputation for kumite drew respect from competitors and dojo-mates alike.

Kina Sensei was a contemporary of other notable Okinawa Kenpo practitioners such as Odo Seikichi, Oyata Seiyu, and Nakamura Taketo.

According to Kiyan Toru, Kina Sensei often ran his classes much like that of Nakamura Sensei himself. There was a focus on individual training, ranging from makiwara to hojo undo to kata. Kumite was held utilizing the protective bogu gear of which Nakamura Sensei was an early adopter. Nakamura Sensei also taught kobudo, which Kina Sensei absorbed while seeking additional correction from Chibana Kenko Sensei². He learned bo, nunchaku, tonfa, and sai, but became very proficient with the sai. He also developed an affinity for the karate kata Kusanku.

Kina Sensei continued to teach throughout the decades, drawing no excess attention to himself and attending many events in a gentlemanly manner. He had an unassuming dojo in Shuri built out of a small community building.

Kina retained a loyal and diligent group of students but also hosted visitors from abroad. I had the good fortune to visit in 2023 to train with sensei.

 

 

Conserving a Set of Japanese Armor

Below is an excerpt of an article that appeared on the British Museum website about how they went about conserving a set of 17th century armor they had acquired. The full post, with many photographs, may be read here.

Using funds from the JTI Japanese Acquisition Fund, the Department of Asia has recently acquired a fine set of Japanese samurai armour and accessories dating from the 1700s. During the Edo period (1615–1868), Japan was largely at peace, so armour was more for ceremonial occasions than for battle. It was a beautifully decorative ensemble of finely crafted materials, including metal, lacquer, textile, leather and horn. Each of these presented different challenges for the team of conservators at the British Museum.

The samurai armour required extensive conservation and mounting before it could be put on display. This is because it had been privately owned with no known previous conservation records. After initial assessments it was clear that it was covered in dirt dust, had damage to the lacquer, degrading textiles, and needed structural support for mounting. During its 250+ hour treatment we learned a lot about the techniques used to create the armour, with some interesting surprises along the way!

When the object arrived at the Museum it was quarantined for several months to ensure that no pests or infestations were present. Usually objects will be frozen to kill any insects, but due to the amount of lacquer and metal (which can break when quickly expanding or contracting due to changes in temperature), quarantine was the best option. Many of the wood and horn pieces from the armour and its storage box showed signs of damage by pests. While wood damage can be seen as unsightly, interestingly some horn damage can be seen as a sign of affluence that the owner was able to afford real horn as opposed to a substitute.

One of the first things we did was clean the armour. There was a lot of dust in crevices that could scratch the surface when trying to spruce up the metal. We used a soft brush and a special Museum vacuum to carefully clean the dust off.

During a surface clean conservators can uncover partially obscured surfaces, helping us gain a better idea of the object's overall condition. For example, while cleaning the cuirass over 100 insect casings were found hidden beneath the silk cording.

The armour has several textile elements including the collar, shin guards, silk cords, tassels and sleeves – many of which had degraded over time and from light damage. Light damage fades dyes, and weakens the fibres causing them to split and disintegrate into fibre dust. The parts dyed a light orange/pink colour were especially damaged so our senior textile conservators set to work securing the loose fibres by using very fine silk thread and custom-dyed nylon netting where the armour needed additional support.

Our main concern was the lacquer covering nearly all of the armour. When lacquer is new it's glossy with a smooth, shiny surface that is resistant to most environmental conditions. But over time light can damage lacquer and create tiny microcracks in the surface, making the surface appear dull. The armour had many areas with cracks that needed treatment to protect the exposed areas and prevent any more damage.

Because the adhesive we use dries very slowly (it takes over five days), it is important that any area we are trying to stabilise has continuous pressure. For this, we use a modified Japanese method called shimbari – it utilises a wooden frame and flexible bamboo sticks that allow the conservator to apply even pressure across an entire surface, whether flat or curved, over a long period of time. Coupled with clamps, we were able to re-secure lacquer that no longer lay down flat.

 

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.