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.

Horse Stance, Cat Stance and Other Stances

Today I learned that horse stance is to me as stairs are to Kung Foo Panda. 

I am really only comfortable with three stances - standard, cat and horse. Cat stance, which has the wonderfully rhythmic Japanese name of neko-ashi-dachi, is hard and needs to be practiced again and again. Up and down to get the weight distribution correct (80% on the back leg, so that the front foot can be lifted off the ground without loosing balance) and the synchronous arm and foot movements. Cat stance looks obviously wrong when not done correctly. Standard stance and horse stance are much easier to adopt, but not necessarily easier to do correctly - it's just harder to spot mistakes.

This Wikipedia link illustrates how complicated my world of stances is going to become.

Stances illustrated with footprints

Stances are absolutely key in karate and probably other martial arts and fighting in general. Since legs in the wrong place inherently predisposes to instability, nothing else you do will work effectively from a bad stance. So I really need to work on these. The thing is they are knackering! Standard stance (zenkutsu dachi) can just be adopted and looks fine, but actually you should push outwards with your legs so that they are under constant tension, not arch your back, tense your abdomen yet keep your shoulders relaxed. Horse stance (shiko dachi) is a cripplingly low stance that requires your feet wide apart, knees vertically above your ankles (shin bone vertical), knees pushed backwards, bum tucked in (generally don't stick your bum out. It means your core isn't tense and increases the curvature of your spine which is bad for your back as well as appearing comic). Not too hard until asked to hold it for minutes at a time - seriously hard. However, I must be getting stronger / fitter because this sort of carry on used to result in knee pain, but now it just hurts my thighs. This is progress. Like Kung Foo Panda I have found out there is no secret, just hard work

Those not distracted will notice that this stance is too high. She still looks significantly better than me, so credit where credits due.

Does Karate Cause Lower Back Pain?

For the last four weeks or so I've been suffering from lower back pain - central and sacroiliac. In general it's not a problem I ever had before taking up karate. I had some pregnancy-related lower back pain that resolved, but never daily pain. So is karate the problem? In part yes, but only because I'm suffering from general ligament and muscular pain caused by relative overuse. Any exercise would probably have triggered this. The hip rotation and kicking used in karate tends to work the lower back hard, but not in a damaging way as long as you warm up appropriately. Also I had very poor back endurance muscles (the ones you get by lying face down on the ground and lifting your head and shoulders off and holding) and almost no 'core stability' before starting. These endurance muscles associate with less lower back pain in clinical studies and are probably more important than strength per se. In general it helps to have some level of fitness before embarking an a vigorous activity! I chose not to which has gone against me. Also I sometimes arrive with no warm-up time. This is a very bad move for older adults, we definitely need at least a ten minute warm up, ideally much more.

In order to counteract this new problem, I've started to do standard core exercises while aiming to keep my spine as long as possible - straight leg sit ups that only rise to 30 degrees etc and I've also added in some yoga exercises aimed at lower back strength. These can be done easily at home with no need to embarrass yourself in the gym. I also watch my back when I'm in standard stance which is quite wide and can lead to over arching of the back if you're not concentrating. Additionally, when practicing at home I try to be symmetrical and practice mirror image basic combinations. Once or twice I've used an anti-inflammatory gel or 'Deep Heat'. These measures seem to have done the trick and it seems to be easing off. In the long run, karate should make me better off by increasing my lower back flexibility and strength.

For an attempt at evidence based sports medicine without reading the journals, try this web site:
The Sports Injury Bulletin

Can Karate Make You Look Good?

Since I only started half way through October 2012, it may be too early to conclude anything about the effect of karate on my appearance. however, I do look different - better - since my body shape has changed. My waist is narrower (I know, I've measured). My stomach is flatter and my thighs don't wobble. I haven't lost weight, but I suspect I have more muscle and a little less fat. Don't get too excited, I won't turn heads in a bikini, my face is unchanged and I'm still 41 years old. Karate does not have the power to change that, but it can make you look better. I suspect this effect is more noticeable for people like me who were previously totally unfit - the curve of improvement is steep! Another good thing to add it that karate doesn't make you bulky in the way lifting weights would and it also develops all muscles not just one area like tennis or cycling. Overall, I'm very pleased with the effects and would highly recommend karate to all.

One thing makes me a little sad now that I have come to enjoy and be interested in karate. I am very unlikely to ever be good at it because of my age. This is true for most sports, but starting age 41 is just too late. If I ever get good, I'll always know I could have been better if I'd started at 15 or 20. Still, better late then never.