I have been very interested inthe Hanmi postion as aposed to shoulders square to shomen on the execution of chudan tsuki. When I first started to train we stood with our shoulders square and our tanden under and facing shomen. From my training in Flynn, Shihan’s dojo I thought I understood that during blocking the body should be hanmi, and that the body should be "less than hanmi" for the tsuki, but not square to the shomen. From my last trip to Vermont, I took away from the first night, that during the third phase of the punch, Tomari-te, we should be very close to square, using the hiki-te to draw us back and also stabilize. I was wondering how you “stood”, full hanmi, less than hanmi on tsuki, square on tsuki?
I am thinking as I am teaching this last night...that this shomen vs. hanmi position may very some with time in karate-do. I am thinking or seeing that punching for the new student comes from power of the upper body, and that as we age it must come form koshi and the lower body. When I first introduce hips to students, I see far to much "gyration" in the movement. How I am losing my hips, and asking there role in the movements of karate?
I can not get the youtube to show on the blog entry...but please look at Kagawa, Sensei at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdIJVDKJ_Os&feature=related
(^^)Ohayou Tony. Now this is a topic for a PhD thesis. Just my 2 bits worth for now. I need to go get Yuta's Dog Food (naturally the most $$$ one). Nothing but the best for that *utt!! Just Joking. Hmmm Anyways.
ReplyDeleteI look at this topic from a practical point of view (very simplified).
1. It is better not to be squared off against an attack. Offers less of a target.
2. The "hanmi" position is more of a "wind-up" position for your attack. So in essence should you need to block your body is wound up to propel your counter attack.
3. Now, I have never seen anyone do a tameshiwari with his shoulders squared away. There is always some form of "follow through".
In addition I have never seen any without a wind-up, sometimes exaggerated for show.
I am not totally convinced of the importance of "koshi" or hip. I feel it is more a natural flow of the body. In other words you rotate away from an attack and come back with the counter. Just imagine a rubber band, stretched and released it generates power, unstretched just a limp piece of rubber.
Neither am I totally convinced on the theory of power from the tanden and or the alleged power generated by kime despite the fact I keep trying to master it. For example (again very simplified) if power is generated from the tanden, then there is no need for any other preparatory movement. We should be able to generate a power full punch or kick form a standstill squared off position.
With punching, I believe that the back muscles (deltoid, trapezius, Teres minor and major, Obliques) have a bigger impact on the power. As we say 背中で突く (senaka de tsuku) punch with the back. With that said, you need to have strong abdmoninals to support the back.
More laters!
Part 2 on Hanmi and additional ? on hikite.
ReplyDeleteAh. The mysteries of karate. I often wonder how hikite came into being and wheter it actually orignated as adding "power" and "stability" to our tsukis. First of all I am a dyed in the wool beleiver in the "natural stance" or shizentai. In my case this shizentai is the "negotiation stance" (See Kimura Dojo blog).
You might consider this a modified hanmi stance.
Offer less of an target to the attacker yet maintain balance. From this stance the "hikite" is used as off balancing the attacker by grabbing/controlling the arm which is used in the initial attack. An important point here is that you do not allow a follow-up attack. With that said how often do we practic with this in mind? Why do we continue to teach that the primary purpose of the hikite is to support a thrust?
Lets look at some other "facts".
From a full contact standpoint when do we ever use the hikite in kumite? As far as I know onluy when we sweep the opponent and do the "kime" pose. When we punch combinations do we use hikite? Probalby not since the non-punching hand is used to protect the head or body.
Now in IKF(AAU) style competition kumite the hikite plays an important part in appealing a point. Watch the videos and the "art of hikite" is a performance in its own (^^). Now when they hit are they using the hikite for increased speed and power or is it an act? Very difficult to say. The speed of those competitors are amazing. including their kicks as well.
Look at Daidojuku (Kudo) kihon sometime. Their hand techniques are straight from boxing. No hikite? So I am presuming that Azuma Sensei saw no need to the hikite. Now I need to get some literature on Daidojuku and see how they train in their blocks. My memory has faded and I can't quite recall if they retained Kyokushin style blocks. If so, why did they retain the "form" of hikite in the blocks while eliminating them in punches? (^^)
Ahh so interesting.
So my question to y'all is "Do you believe in hikite?" That is up to each of us. You need to believe to improve and teach.
Aloha
Researching....
ReplyDelete