The Way of Least Resistance

[Continued from Part 1 . ] The double block and uraken sequence Personally, I think the naihanchi shodan of Zenpo Shimabukuro is at its most interesting when it gets to the "double chudan/gedan block" (as per the adjacent image) - just before the uraken (backfist) is usually executed. It is here that Shimabukuro's version is truly unique in that it combines features from very distinct lineages . Of course, that's one way of looking at Shimabukuro's kata. Another is to ponder whether this "combination" actually reflects a more "ancestral" or "fundamental/original" nature of the version, complete with "embryonic" or "stem cell" movements capable of morphing into many of the various lineages we see today! Actually, the "double chudan/gedan block with uraken" sequence in this kata has long been a bug-bear of mine: I have lost count of the number of discussions I've had (in person, by corres...

Introduction Hot on the heels of my articles about "stem cell" movements , I came across this version of naihanchi shodan kata recently, courtesy of a Facebook group to which I belong. Naihanchi (in particular, naihanchi shodan) is one of the most popular and widely known and practised karate kata on the planet, so I think it is one that is truly worth examining more closely. And in my opinion, the version below provides one of the best benchmarks for analysing the various differences and similarities. Naihanchi shodan by Zenpo Shimabukuro This is a performance by Zenpo Shimabukuro, head of the Shorin-ryu Seibukan karate organisation. He is the son of the founder, 10th Dan Zenryo Shimabukuro , the longest-seving student of Chotoku Kyan who, along with people like Choyu and Choki Motobu , Kentsu Yabu , Chomo Hanashiro , Gichin Funakoshi , Shinpan Shiroma , Choshin Chibana and Kenwa Mabuni , studied directly under the legendary grandmaster Anko Itosu , who was ...

Here's a technique I somehow hadn't considered for the cage (although on reflection it is one of the civilian defence methods that is reasonably suited to that enviroment): the "double punch" from naihanchi/naifunchin/tekki . It was in December 1986 and my brother and I were visiting our sensei in Durban, South Africa. One hot and sweaty morning, during one of the many intensive private trainings at his dojo, sensei asked my brother and me to consider the application of the naihanchi/naifunchin/tekki double punch technique - and report back to him in an hour or so. It was a kind of test. Now the "double punch" is exactly that: a full sideways facing punch with one hand, the other a shorter "hook" punch (also executed sideways). Try as we might, we couldn't think of a rational reason for having 2 punches to the opponent - at such vastly different reaches. We thought it might be in case you missed with the first one or the second one... ...

Readers of my blog will be aware that I am at odds with many karate practitioners in relation to how the kata naihanchi/naifanchi should be performed. I have previously detailed my dislike of "hip shaking" - ie. pre-loading or telegraphing the hips to gain extra power - in practically every technique in naihanchi/naifanchi. However I have recently become aware of another point of disagreement I have with many schools over their practice of this kata: the stance. Many schools today practise naifanchi in what amounts to a relaxed, shoulder-width stance, with feet parallel. This is known as "heiko dachi" in Japanese. Even if it isn't exactly a heiko dachi, it is very near it (it certainly isn't a horse stance which is one and a half to 2 shoulder widths between the feet). Consider, for example, the video below: Naihanchi shodan by Onaga Michiko - performed in what is, to all intents and purposes, a normal shoulder width stance I presume that the basis for ...