Sanchin of Okinawa karate, from M. Higaonna, Sensei
Sorry Could not publish the youtube video here.
In this youTube of Higonna, Sensei he discussed the breathing of Sanchin. I know Rouchiichi that we discussed breath (kokoro, kokyu-chikara). I have been working on the tanden with my jo, and working with the students to understand this tension of breath and how it relates to the movement of sanchin. Most nights I find this much like catching a storm cloud ( we are bracing for the first real winter storm of the season), just has I reach for it hits, and its gone. Both my students and I are getting better but I seen to hit the breath with the step, about one out of twenty attempts.
Please listen to Higonna, Sensei discuss the second form of breathing in sanchin:
"There are two forms of breathing in Sanchin. One is directly from the nose, down into the lower abdomen or tanden. The other is done with a feeling that the air travels…Up around the back of the head. Down the spine, and up into the tanden where it is wound up like a spring.
Both of these are done harmonizing the breathing with the movement
Press the feet hard into the floor and turn them outwards (inwards??) Tighten your thighs and your buttocks"……. M Higaonna
Finally the Question: Roushiichi have you ever hear the breath described like that?? The first part we have talking much about. The second was news to me.
Aloha Tony,
ReplyDeleteThe key here is the term "feeling". For us beginners that is. The Senseis have worked on this way more than we have and are in a different realm of consciousness. Listening to the Japanese, I took is as Higaonna Sensei’s explanation as a sort of visualization. This visualization is aided by the one, the physical tightening of the body employing the turning inwards if the feet (of course if you "grasp the floor with the toes then you heel will turn out and vice versa”; two, the forced breathing pattern.
He emphasized also the "puckering or tightening of the butt hole" which forces the lower abs to turn upward whilst tightening the back muscles. I believe that at this point the visualization takes place. Physically you breathe through the nose and bring it down. Naturally there is no physical way you are going to breathe up the back (my opinion) (^^). Hmmmm. But wait! Doesn’t our whole body react to our breathing? Doesn’t our breathing change depending on the stress or mental condition we experience? Isn’t one of the purposes of Sanchin to calm the mind?
Tony, on using the Jo. One of the pitfalls of using the Jo with a partner is that rather than using it as a reference point to your tanden, it ends up merely as physical push and resist. In other words the concentration is not on the tanden per say, but in the resistance to the “push”. Watch out for that! (^^) Try practicing Kakie in cat stance. More on that laters!
Hope this helps!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWh-uhw4C9s
ReplyDeleteTony,
I remembered this video from some time back.
Notice in particular the difference bewteen Uechi Ryu (Gushi Sensei) and Goju Ryu (Higaonna Sensei)
Goju employs a slower paced dynamic tension with the hip and abs movement emphasized along with the deep breathing. Uechi "appears" to done quicker and less emphasis on the hip and abs movements.
It is hard to discern with the Chinese instructors as they preformed in loose clothing.
Thank you Roushiichi, as per the norm of karate-do...so much to understand. I was not able to underestand much of Higaonna Sensei's Japanese, or is that okinawian dialect? SO if I understand the second method of breath is more of a visualization of what the breath does for the mind, and then the whole body, bring the body to a calm but ready mind.
ReplyDeleteI will investigate the issue with the Jo, did find some student pairs just trying to push each other over using the physical contraction of the abdominal muscles....it is fun to feel...but I understand not the reference that you want us to feel....Sanchin kata in cat stance??? UMMMM
I will be off now to review video's....Thanks again for the help...
Good Morning Roushiichi-- Learned this morning of Kakie..I had only to this point understood kakie as in kakie uke. I have been watching the pushing hands drills, and some more advanced drills with ne-waza also...much like what is shown at the budosai festival. I have learn only very very basic pushing hands....but leaning more about them this morning...looks like a nice way to speed up and flow the bunki of kata... here is a very advanced in my understanding of the pushing hands, not sure if you saw it or know practice this??...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIALyhPHgeI&NR=1
Roushiichi, this might be completely off topic, but the words Nyumon, kyohan and kihon, used by Funakoshi, Sensei. I think I understand kihon, as basics. But what does the other words mean?
ReplyDeleteThought I had tonight at Practice, as I did the Sanchin kata slow for the new students to learn....I thought, I am getting into a bad habit, my kata is always slow now....thinking it might be time to pay more personal attention to speed of the kata....all kata....your are correct it will not be slow, when its needed, and it might not make the judges happy either ....
ReplyDelete(^^)Nyumon入問=to enter a specific topic, study or school; Kyohon教本=textbook; Kihon基本= basics
ReplyDeleteBack at home from dinner at Zippy's. Stuffed to the gills and feeling nauseous. (**#) The mashed potatoes were super runny, obviously instant. Gaaaaah!
With regard to kata speed. I always take it that the slow portions are meant to be a dynamic tension tyoe exercise. Try doing all the kicks slowly in the kata! Talk about building up muscle control! Reminds me of Bruce Lee in the side kick position while talking. Fufu how many of us tried to imitate that and failed at first! Gahahaha.
I feel that you need to teach newbies at a slow pace so that you can explain. However in Okinawa Sensei never taught Kata slowly, we just did it! Us newbies had to "catch up". (^^)
I believe you have to find a balance between slow and fast Kata. Try doing all the Heian Katas at "combat speed" it will be the "ancient" version of the now popular High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) aka Tabata or Little Method. So you see, the Senseis of the past were already on to this training method.
One HIIT style kata followed by ibuki and nogare for breathing control. You quickly fins out whether ibuki and nogare really rejuvenates the body. Then on the next Kata.
Now taking Sanchin, in a real situation we will not have thew time to execute Sanchin in its commonly known form. Nor will we have a "time out" period to do it. So teh question remains "What is Sanchin's real purpose and how do we use it in an actual confrontation" With that question in mind the Uechi version seems to be better adapted to actual confronations.
A perpetual question. At least for myself. That is why I like to practice Sanchin while jogging or just walking, my concept of "moving sanchin".
If Sanchin was meant to help you in a actual fight, then there would seem to be a need to be able to do sanchin at a different pace.
Of course, this idea mya be ludicrous to the Sensei such as Higaonna Sensei.
(--#) Gaads all the typos! The mashed potatoes are really killing me! Sanchin will only help keeping it in! (^^)
ReplyDelete