You Are Your Only Opponent

Although a lot of thought is given over to potential opponents in martial arts - either in the form of sparring classmates or that would-be attacker - it seems more and more to me that karate is all about the person doing it and less about other people.

I have recently begun to think less about others - how I am doing vs. how they are doing - and more about what I am doing.  Sparring I now realize, is not fighting. It's about me making contact with my opponents body without causing injury or pain and not letting them do the same to me. If it were a fight, it would be a free for all, anything goes business. It is not. Similarly, training is only about me and what I do, or don't do. Carrying on in class even when my master thinks that 600 kicks followed by thirty minutes in horse stance is a normal warm up, is down to my mind over my body. Also, once shown a kata, is down to me to cement it into my mind, develop my understanding and then, test of tests, perform it under pressure. Mind and body working together. I am the only one who can fail.

What I had thought of until now as a sport practiced in order to be used against others, now seems to be a challenge for me alone. I'm not sure if this is a common feeling, but it feels quite lonely doing karate. I would add to that frustrating, but rather amazingly, I can do things now that I could not have done only four months ago. That in itself is incredible since I am not especially talented. I also look completely different then I did four months ago. I am thinner and more toned. I've dropped a dress size and feel better physically and mentally. For that I thank my master. Karate may be hard and it seems to me now lonely, but it is worth it!

Karate and Back Pain - Update

It's been about two months since I started to get lower back pain. I had hoped, in the absence of an injury, that it was caused by general strain from using new muscles and making new movements. I did three things:

1. Ensured I was in the correct stance without over arching my back
2. Did some yoga with focus on exercises for the lower back. I try to do 15 minutes most nights
3. Carried on with karate as usual

I'm relieved to find that a combination of these has worked. I now get the occasional ache after a hard session, but I'm better. So it probably was all due to being previously unfit and not having enough muscular support. From now on, I hope that being stronger and fitter along with the symmetrical focus on strengthening the core that goes with karate, will actually protect me from lower back problems in the future.

Moves Hidden Within Kata

Traditionally kata was a way of passing down sequences of moves. It is a form of combat done by one person against a series of unseen opponents with the aim of practicing fighting sequences. Each move has a meaning - it is a block or stroke against your opponents move. I'm not sure why this started, perhaps seeing and doing is more effective than text. Alternatively, it may have come about when martial arts such as karate were illegal and hence practiced in secret and could not be written down. However, over the years two things have happened; firstly, some of the meaning has been forgotten, or rather not passed on, and therefore you just have to make an educated guess as to what it was actually meant to mean. Secondly, many katas are simplified to the point that some moves are partial or only implied. Sometimes this was done to avoid exposing children to potentially killing strikes such as in the Pinan Katas which were specifically designed for children. For example a spear hand to the windpipe becomes one to the solar plexus instead. Fair enough.  However, some of the moves hidden within kata can be surprising. For example in Pinan Godan the final moves essentially comprise grabbing your opponents testicles and pulling them upwards to shoulder height rapidly whilst simultaneously thrusting your other hand down to strike his groin region, assuming the departure of his testicles was not a sufficient insult to stop his attack.

YouTube footage of Pinan Godan in a style similar to the way I have learned - the move described is at the end and repeated in mirror image - the 'pulling' hand moves very fast and is hard to see

This would be best performed with your opponent being male, naked and in horse stance for maximum ease. It does raise ethical issues regarding the appropriateness of attacking a man so described since he may not have full mental capacity. Alternatively, assuming a more typical, clothed opponent, it is likely you would pull both the clothing and groin upwards, tipping him off balance and perhaps the downwards strike is in fact to the head of your now falling opponent. That's the challenge of making up Bunkai! Either way, it is not always clear what the moves mean, but I find that if I invent an explanation, even an incorrect one, it makes the kata much easier to remember and to do well.

A Plug For Terry Pottage

I recently came across Terry Pottage - a 7th Dan Shito-Ryu - who has made a very helpful series of DVDs.

Amazon link to volume 1 - Pinan Katas

So far I've only invested in volume one - Pinan Katas. He goes through each kata at speed so that you get a feel for the timing, then slowly to give you a chance to visualize the technique and then explores some of the bunkai. Not too complex and it really helped me to understand what I was doing. He also comes across as a nice bloke.