Asymmetry in sanseiru
Introduction Readers of my blog will be familiar with my previous discussion concerning what have become known as cluster “H” and cluster “M” goju-ryu kata (see my article The origins of goju-ryu kata: Part 1 ). Cluster “H” consists of Higaonna Kanryo sanchin, sanseiru, seisan and suparinpei. Cluster “M” consists of the remainder. Katas in both clusters follow a general design pattern as follows: A — an opening sequence B — the body of the kata, often capable of being broken up into smaller groupings, eg. B1, B2, B3 etc. C — a closing sequence. What differentiates the clusters in design terms is the portion I have labelled “B”: In cluster “H” this portion is largely asymmetrical (ie. right side biased). In cluster “M” this portion — and more specifically each sub-portion (eg. B1, B2, B3 etc.) is symmetrical (i.e. techniques — including turns — are performed more or less equally on both right and left sides). The particular asymmetry of sanseiru In no kata is the asymmetry of cluster ...