Psy-ki-do: Predicate Matching for Rapport
Pat Parker here from Mokuren Dojo. Look at this! Black Belt Mama has so kindly agreed to let me post some of my crazy Psy-ki-do ideas on her most excellent blog. I have previously guest posted in this series on Dojo Rat's blog, on Marks' blog, and on Kris Wilder's blog. Also, Sensei Strange followed up with his own Psy-ki-do blog post.
Today's Psy-ki-do post is on teaching martial arts. I am a little hesitant posting about pedagogy on a professional teacher's blog, but as Dame Dorothy Sayers writes in the beginning of The Lost Tools of Leaning, you don't really have to be that informed to express an opinion.
Teaching in any domain, including martial arts, is about communication. In the domain of martial arts, you are trying to get your ideas about your skills out of your head and into someone else's head. But there's always some distortion between the teacher and the student.
- Often, the teacher has not completely mastered the skill, so his own understanding is incomplete.
- The student always filters what the teacher says through a set of presuppositions, creating an interpretation of what he thinks the teacher said.
- Often there are cultural or language barriers.
You can't really do anything about the first two points above. That's just the way the world works. But what about the third point – cultural and language barriers? It turns out that even when teacher and student come from the same culture and speak the same language, there can be language barriers.
Some really interesting pseudoscientific technobabble has come out in the last quarter of a century from the NLP folks. Despite having almost no shred of hard evidence to back them up, some of what they say is intuitively valid, as well as being potentially useful in the field of teaching and in the domain of martial arts.
If you check out the Wikipedia articles on NLP, you will see that much of what they say is based on this idea that different people favor different knowledge representation systems. What that means is that some people organize and store information in their minds visually, some auditorially (is that a word?), and some kinesthetically. Not really a ground-breaking or shocking theory. Mostly makes sense.
Well, it turns out that when speaking, people mostly choose their words unconsciously based on their internal knowledge representaitions, so when trying to communicate an idea, people tend to use words related to their own favored representation system. A classic example is the idea that a primarily-visual person might ask, "Can you see what I'm saying?" while a primarily-kinesthetic person might ask, "Can you feel it?" or "Do you understand me?" or "Do you get it?"
The NLP guys say that an attentive teacher can figure out, based on the student's word choice, what that student's favored representation system is. Then that teacher can match their own speech to that representation system to promote communication. In the example above, the teacher might determine that the student uses predominantly auditory words, and the teacher would deliberately ask, "Do you hear what I'm saying." The NLP guys call this "Predicate Matching for Rapport," and while this is an over-simplified presentation, this is the gist of it.
As I said above, this is pseudoscience, but if effective, it has great application in conflict as well as in pedagogy. Researchers often fail to demonstrate these effects, but the theory has an intuitively attractive feel to it (social validity). It feels aiki-like, the idea that by getting in synch with your student you can facilitate better communication.
Additionally, it's easy to learn to do, costs you nothing, and being more consciously attentive to your audiance just about never hurts the situaition, so here's the homework assignment:
Spend a day listening to people around you. Listen to see if they speak more often using seeing words, hearing words or feeling words. Do this for 2-3 days and then try deliberately using their favored choice of words instead of your own when you talk to them. Don't expect magical, hypnotic, Jedi powers, but watch to see if the tone of your conversation is different. I think you'll find this Psy-ki-do trick fun, interesting, and potentially useful in any teaching situation. Who knows, you might even get good enough at it that you could use it in a conflict.
Karate from an Outsider’s Perspective: It Turns Out It’s Not All “Hiiii-yah!”
My name is Lauren Balogh, and I am a karate virgin.
Yep, that’s right. I said it. I’ve never done karate.
Which made it particularly interesting when, almost four years ago, I started dating my boyfriend, a practitioner of Okinawa Kenpo Karate and Kobudo. I wasn’t sure what that meant, or what that meant for the relationship I was about to get into. Was he going to hit me? If he got mad, was he capable of killing me?
I knew a few guys that practiced martial arts around the college campus that we attended. They were mostly into MMA, which was crawling into the general public’s awareness at that time. What I knew of MMA was scary—a bunch of rough looking dudes who had a bone to pick (evidently a pretty big one) with other rough looking dudes beat the life out of each other, leaving teeth and blood in their wake. I kind of assumed this is what all martial arts were like, and figured maybe this wasn’t something I was looking to bring into my life.
But my boyfriend (who shall remain unnamed) changed that. Well…maybe not right away. A few dates in, while hanging out with friends, he showed me a self-defense move that put my right arm in quite the awkward—and mildly painful—position. But he didn’t do it out of anger, nor did he hold it for long. After my first surprised “ow!” he let go, and never did it again. My admittedly vague opinion of karate was already beginning to change.
A few more dates in, he showed me some self-defense moves. At the time, we both lived in a not-exactly-family-friendly part of town, and he wanted me to be able to get out of a bad situation if I needed to. “But isn’t karate about bringing down your attacker and stuff?” I remember asking, confused. No, he explained. Karate is about finding a way out; it’s about defense, not aggression. “Well what about those MMA guys on campus and on TV who are always kicking the crap out of each other?” I then witnessed the first of many eye rolls my boyfriend would direct toward pop culture’s MMA. Still, I wasn’t ready to believe that the martial arts weren't all “hiiiiii-yah!” and beating up bad guys.
It wasn’t until I saw my boyfriend in action that I really grasped the “arts” portion of the term “martial arts.” There really was nothing aggressive about it. Sure, he had a variety of weapons in his hands that he was wielding toward other people. But it was almost a kind of moving meditation; a conversation of limbs between two highly skilled people. The surprising lack of aggression really forced my perception of karate and the martial arts to change that night. I started seeing the martial arts, as, well, an art.
Watching him practice karate and kobudo gave me some perspective on understanding and acceptance. I watched him deftly handle people flying at him with swords and screaming, blocking their blows and maneuvering easily. He had to know exactly what his body was doing, and was capable of, at all times, otherwise the exercise could end pretty badly. He showed patience and understanding of his body, and had the willpower to focus his mind completely on what he was doing. He showed understanding and acceptance of his capabilities, and I admired him for it.
I was learning that it was all about discipline, not frustration. He wasn’t doing karate because he lacked of control of his emotions, he was doing as a way of controlling his emotions. Karate and the martial arts in general were not the flashy, backflip-heavy fight fest I thought it was—it was a tool for bringing out the best in people, both mentally and physically.
I may not know how to defend myself from a bo using sai (that actually kind of sounds like a bad idea), but I can say that after four years, my perspective of karate and the martial arts in general has changed drastically. When someone says they practice the martial arts, I no longer automatically picture one MMA dude punching another MMA dude until he’s unconscious—I now admire the person for showing such discipline and dedication to an ancient art. I don’t jump to the assumption that they are the bad guy, running up walls and roundhouse kicking people in the face. While I’m not exactly seeing karate from the inside, I can now say I can see it a little clearer—and I like what I’m seeing.
What is Sometimes Hidden, You Oversee
Not long ago I was bestowed the honorable certificate Of Kyoshi, through my Sensei, organization, and my peers (some of whom also share the same rank of Kyoshi). I was never the exceptionally talented student of the Dojo, but have received the complimentary nod of approval over the past thirty six years. I wrote an article last year for Admired Martial Artists on “ Kanjo “ Emotion, I hope some of you read and benefited from that advice. There are more qualified Sensei and Instructors out there who can train you physically and answer your questions, bettering your Martial Arts abilities than I could tell you, so I will let their advice take that precedence.
I am not an authority or claim to be one on martial arts behavior. I try to echo the words of the Sensei, Masters, Warriors, Philosophers, and Authors who have traveled that arduous road before me. Maybe I can relay to you some of their wisdom and thoughts, and you can draw your own conclusion, which might give some insight, on your journey, down the path of the Budoka’s Michi.
Kakusareta Hidden!
I was sitting on the floor in front of some spacious windows at my house with my note pad, contemplating what I should write this year. My minds attention was diverted to the sight of this large tree, and since it’s March there are no leaves, and it stood out predominantly against the crisp pale sky.
The tree contained a large main trunk, the same width and height (reminiscent of an average person), which then split into three main branches maybe four inches in diameter. From there three main limbs spewed, many smaller limbs, which grew many smaller branches to the hundreds of finest stems shooting upwards towards the heavens. I thought to myself, how convenient that I have found such a Shinto Metaphor. A somewhat comparative duality to the “ Deshi “ (the student), and Nature. The trunk, big and strong, being the Deshi, and the limbs being his or her arms and hands. What amazed me was how crystal clear the finest branches were, with its hundreds of stems going all different directions, reaching out into the sky, and I thought, this somewhat reflects the Deshi’s mind!
Miushinau to Lose Sight Of.
A new student usually physically excels rapidly, their abilities and body take a different shaping – stronger, faster, healthier, balanced (like a strong trunk) in a relatively short amount of Dojo time. As their skills continue to flourish, they start to reach plateaus in their training, which tend to get longer, and the Deshi starts to struggle psychologically. This mental struggle seems to continue no matter how hard they try to overcome certain aspects in their training. So they start looking elsewhere and expanding their mental branches, trying new technical electronic training devises, the newest up to date modern information, supplemented training regiments, which invigorates some enthusiasm to override this state of stale progression, but usually is a short term experience. Ultimately, they learned something new, but the form or technique that they struggle to comprehend is not new, it is of the old ways. So as students plateau they also experience a circling factor where they continue to encounter the same kinds of problems on various different levels.
After awhile students tend to question why they are spending so much time tormenting themselves, practicing some ancient and feudal art that has no value in modern society. They also hear the voices of their spouses and families expressing concern and discontent.
Why keep on going through this emotional roller coaster, of anxiety, sore muscles, and injuries that are inevitable in training? Why strive for a goal that is certainly unreachable?
While many budoka do indeed quit, some are filled with a strange sense, a slight hint at first that may seem like the feeling of guilt. The source of this anxiety is different though, it is actually a glimmering reflection of the Bushido. This sense or feeling has been unconsciously instilled in a practitioner throughout their training in the form of giri, or moral obligation. Through giri it becomes honorable to uphold oneself and the Mudansha and Yudansha that train hard and sweat right along side of you. This is one of the unreachable destinations of classical martial arts in that one needs courage, strength, and fortitude to forge oneself like steel, to face adversity, to endure all the barriers and trials in the Dojo and most of all, out of the Dojo in this modern world we face each day.
This is how the Martial Arts fit to modern society, not in battling your opponent, but waging the war of the self.
It is the forging of the self that makes responsibility and moral obligation, the technique to shaping better adults. This is the arduous road or path that we as martial artists travel, that the Budoka overcomes and shares the Spirit with fellow Deshi.
Let's look at the part of the Tree you don’t see. The Japanese word is ” Ne “(pronounce like neh ) Roots, or ” Nezuku ” to grow Roots, which metaphorically if you're following along,” Konpon “means Origin, or Foundation.
The Tree is just as vast below the surface as it is above the surface, and this is what maintains its balance in all types of weather. The soil “Tsuchi” (pronounce soo chee) and Ne, roots are what nourishes the Tree. Similar in the Martial Arts, Asian Heritage, Cultural, Spiritual, Religious and Ethical elements and principles, are the many facets and arteries that are deeply instilled within, and fuel the Arts themselves.
In recent years we’ve had the luxury of better understanding the roots of the tree through the help of Articles, Books, Films, and Music (parts of culture that previous generations couldn’t have had access to). Here in these chronicles, articles and stories is the Spirit, Courage, Honor, Bravery, Perseverance, Etiquette and Rituals, which through these Masters, Warriors, Sensei, Ryu, Priests, Scholars, Craftsmen, and Musicians are told the Hardships and Trials and Triumphant justice against countless odds. Whether it be the Battlefield or Dojo, the soothing melody of the Shakuhachi or the thundering of Taiko drums, to the Solitude of Poetry, to the Vibrations of the Buddhist Mantra or the Temple Bell, or to that quite distinctive taste of Sushi and Sake. The list could go on an on! The Physical Training still remains the same at the outer form, but it is this time to develop the inner form.
The inner self, this is also priority to daily training. Maybe something, in these elements might have that fuel, for you to forge ahead, to uplift your spirit, to divert some time to nourish the mind, not only the road of the body. Lastly there is an old book Written by a Samurai named Yamamoto Tsunetomo; it is stories of Samurai and their life and a way of behavior and response to that behavior in the Fuedal times they lived. But here I am just going to use the title as a fuse to start your search for answers. Its called “ HAGAKURE ” Hidden behind the Leaves.
As every Sensei continues to say, “ Keep Training!"
Sayonara Z san.
* * *
I would like to acknowledge and credit and list some authors and their books who write so in-depth and eloquently on the subjects that you just read about. You can order these at any bookstore. Also a list of some Music CD’s that have a variety of Traditional and Modern variations of Traditional Japanese Music, which also can be acquired at certain book stores.
Sword and Brush : The Spirit of the Martial Arts. by Dave Lowry
Traditions : Essays on the Japanese Martial Arts and Ways. by Dave Lowry
Furyu the Budo Journal. by Wayne M. Muromoto this is a Quarterly Magazine.
Japan: Kabuki & Other Traditional Music by Ensemble Nipponia Nonsuch Rec
Samurai Collection by Various Artists : Pacific Moon Records.
EASTWIND by Masayuki KOGA : Fortuna Records.
The linked books and musical selections above can also be purchased through The BBM Review store via Amazon. Just click on the link.
This is your last chance to leave a comment and be entered to win one of the Admired Martial Artists month giveaways.
Deepening the “Way”
Filed under: Admired Martial Artists Month, Guest Post
By Maj. Bill Hayes, USMC (Ret.)
“Old Student” of Shobayashi-ryu Karate-do
Each of us engaged in serious martial arts training has a desire to develop our martial skills to the fullest – it would make no sense for us to commit to hard and complex training in a traditional or classical dojo with the full intention of remaining unskilled. Yet, when some of us examine more closely what it is we actually doin the dojo we may come to realize that we are, at least on occasion, impeding our own develop.
Take, for instance, our desire to develop “warrior mindsets” when involved in application training. The mental aspect of such training is meant to bolster our physical ability to inflict necessary, ethically justified, injury upon a real attacker. Accordingly, one would be foolish to approach such a “heavy” endeavor with the same attitude one might bring to a “lighter” weekend tournament match. Tournaments, despite their many manifest benefits, do not, as a matter of course, place us in peril of losing our lives or being maimed. Tournament fighters often operate with the understanding that a match may last for several minutes, during which time fighters can execute strategies and tactics while protected by the rules of fair play, good officials, and a pound and a half of safety equipment.
On the other hand, “Life Protection” practitioners well understand (and accept the fact) that their next physical engagement may be their last one and, rather than thinking that they have several minutes to “do their stuff” (score points), their overriding concern is the death or disablement of the opponent in front of them – right now. (Remember that when it comes to Life Protection the fundamental mindset involved is always a quantal one – your opponent will live or your opponent will die – or – you will live or you will die.) Hard-core, yes, but “appropriate” if our arts are to have combative substance, and vital if we are to survive the emotional burdens which routinely accompany and follow true encounters. By the way, we can have such depth without also having too much “darkness.”
When I was a young Marine studying in the Kin Village Rendo-Kan Hombu dojo on Okinawa, my teacher (Shimabukuro, Eizo, 10th Dan, Shobayashi-ryu Karate-do) related numerous stories of Life Protection encounters from To-de's early days. Shimabukuro, OSensei, recounted these events with great zeal after our daily training sessions and I never failed to marvel at them for their own sake as well as for the cultural and mindset contrasts they represented. For instance, in America, should a police officer, acting in the line of duty, be forced to draw his or her weapon and shoot an assailant they are immediately suspended from regular duties, their weapon is surrendered, and they are often told to see a "shrink," or some other counselor, "first thing Monday morning." On Okinawa-if a "Just Warrior" were forced to use his or her skills in defense of life and society-and did so successfully-they were given a party! Such warriors were welcomed back to their village with songs, dances, and a feast! Even the old Ryukyuan justice system was structured to facilitate such occurrences. Back then, if a "Just Warrior" was, for some reason, required to submit to arrest following a Life Protection incident, his fellow villagers were allowed to petition local authorities for his release. Not only was the release routinely granted, but, such "Bushi" were often subsequently honored by their feudal Lords with additional lands and titles for their courageous deeds. Quite a far cry from where we find ourselves in today's society.
Now, as a practical matter, how does one begin to train to develop Life Protection mindsets of old in today’s modern era? Initially, I recommend two basic “tools” – the first mental, the second physical – both involve our martial culture vessels – our kata.
Mental– live out of your imagination – not just your memory. Recall that imagination involves visualization (within kata) while memorization involves rote performance (of kata). Moreover, memorization leads to making choices made by others (executing the same “block”, responding with the same punch or kick – each and every time). Visualization, on the other hand, allows you to make choices possibly nevermade by anyone else before – a situation which you may face during a real encounter on some tomorrow. One method molds but limits you – the other frees you to perform response based movements – the essence of intuitive competence. Memorization is imposed from the outside and is fine during the “shaping” process which takes place during the first several years of training in dojos. Visualization is a product of your inner self and is an extension of skills displayed by dojo seniors (in good dojos).
Physical– this one’s really simple. While moving from memorization to visualization imagine or train with a partner who is holding an actual weapon. (The weapon can be a very short stick, a set of sai, or a Bo – using them all will force you to better appreciate the basic distances [near, mid-range, and far] as well as help you explore a slew of new angles – no matter what applications you’re working on.) Visualizing or actually facing a weapon will create a sense of urgency and also stirs a set of physiological responses which help prepare the body for combat – the adrenaline rush, increased heart rate, and more, can be “force multipliers” should Life Protection ever be necessary.
With respect for all that you are,
Bill Hayes
Bill Hayes is the award-winning author of, “My Journey With the Grandmaster.” He publishes a quarterly martial culture newsletter; is a “warrior wellness” consultant; and conducts seminars in the U. S. and Europe. He is a founding Subject Matter Expert for the U.S. Marine Corps' Martial Arts Program, is the Director of the Okinawan Shorin-ryu Karate-Do Research Society, and is also Director of the Shobayashi-Kan Training Group. You can reach him directly regarding any of the above by emailing him at oldstudent1 at cox dot net.
There Are No Stances in Kobudo
Filed under: Admired Martial Artists Month, Guest Post
By: C. Bruce Heilman, Hanshi, Okinawa Kenpo Karate Kobudo
Although "kobudo" is commonly referred to as an "extension of ones open hand karate", the reality is that kobudo is only an extension of the open hand concepts and not the actual stancing and techniques.
I can still remember the day when I first heard my Instructor make the statement that …"there are no stances in kobudo.” My Instructor was none other than Seikichi Odo, the head of the Okinawa Kenpo Karate Kobudo system and considered one of the top kobudo practitioners on Okinawa. At the time, being a die-hard traditionalist brought up on the value of strong basics, etc. I at first considered that I had a "hearing problem" and that I had just misunderstood my Instructor’s statement, as English was not his first language and Japanese was not mine. However, as time went on I began to understand that I had indeed heard him correctly and that my earlier perception that …"kobudo was just an extension of ones karate,” was off the mark.
With the passage of many years, I now have come to fully understand and accept this concept, and I have to admit some enjoyment when I now find myself making that very statement at various kobudo seminars I give internationally, and see the same look of astonishment and initial disbelief in the eyes of some of the seminar participants. It’s the same look I must have had so many years ago. It makes me wonder if that "smile" I thought I saw on my Instructor’s face so long ago when he first introduced me to the "statement" has any relationship to the one that I'm accused of having occasionally used when I now discuss the same topic.
Let us begin the detailed examination of this statement by first looking briefly at the historical development of Okinawan Kobudo.
Kobudo's Historical Development:
The study of ancient martial arts weapons and their related techniques has, over the centuries, resulted in the development of a variety of schools and systems. These systems can be divided into two basic groups purely for combative purposes: 1) Bugei – martial arts, and 2) Budo – martial arts. The Budo form was developed from the Bugei and Jitsu forms. The Okinawans call these forms "Kobudo" or ancient weapons arts.
Around 400 years ago, Japan began to assert control over the Island of Okinawa. One of the edicts forced the Okinawan people to turn over their weapons to the Japanese. The move was made by Imperial Japanese leaders with almost no realistic political foresight and very little insight into the Okinawan way of thinking. The ruling classes assumed that to gain political and financial control over this tenacious island race, all that was necessary was to disarm the people. Little did the authorities realize that the Okinawan people were such a nationalistic race and so strongly devoted to freedom that they would go to any lengths to deceive and/or hide the weapons they needed to fight their oppressors. Thus the weapons were called "farm implements,” but underground the fighting population was training in the use and proficiency of these tools. Soon the weapons masters became a most feared force in the battle for political freedom, feared by the Japanese and idolized by the Okinawan people whose protectorate they were.
Today, much of the Island of Okinawa has undergone its own industrial revolution, and most of these crude farm implements have been replaced by mechanical and/ or power tools. Yet, the history of these weapons is still part of the rich traditional background of Okinawan Martial Arts, and as important as the physical aspects of the arts.
Kobudo practitioners today, as did their ancient predecessors, perfect weapons techniques by training with kata specifically designed to teach and perfect directional movements, transitional movements, body alignment, balance, grace and coordination between body and weapon.
Further we must recognize that the practice of Okinawan Kobudo, although not formally part of Karate, is almost inseparable from an historical viewpoint. Okinawan Karate practitioners are generally involved to some extent in the practice of Kobudo. While most are at least proficient with a few weapons, few if any can use a wide range of weapons with a high level of proficiency.
The major difference between Karate and Kobudo practice has been that historically, Kobudo practice has not been as systematized as with Karate. Kobudo practice has tended to be focused upon separate "Kobudo Associations.” The very existence of these Kobudo Associations has however, over time, started a trend towards systematization of the Kobudo training, techniques and katas generally around "lineage lines" rather than "karate styles."
Thus, it is clear to see that historically, Okinawan Kobudo has been more organized around "lineage lines" with the practitioners of a particular kobudo lineage coming from a variety of karate styles. Examples of such "lineage lines" include: Taira, Matayoshi, Odo, Motoburyu, Chinen (Yamani-ryu), Kuniyoshi (Honshin-ryu), Uhuchiku, etc. Kobudo Lineages.
However, it is also recognized that some of the kobudo lineage lines have been strongly influenced by the stylistic preferences of its practitioners. The key here is that karate stylistic preferences have only influenced – not dominated the kobudo practice. Therefore, I submit that the conceptual aspects of kobudo practice are more important than the various karate stylistic technical considerations – i.e.: kobudo is kobudo when we come down to the basic concepts – it either works or it does not.
The Role Of Stances:
Since the preference for/and technical execution of stances differ between the various karate styles, -from long Zen Kutsu Dachi's, to moderate length Seisan Dachi's, to short range Sanchin Dachi's – we must therefore look at what the underlying purpose is for a stance.
The underlying purpose of all stancing is very simply – to provide a stable platform for the body – balance. The differences we see in length preferences are not important – it is just the stylistic preference. The balance the various different stances provide, permit the practitioner to exercise "control over the centerline."
In Karate, this "control of centerline" is accomplished by placing the hands "on-guard" positions between ourselves and our opponents. Without a strong balanced foundation, the guard positions would be ineffective. It can also be seen that one may need to make slight adjustments to the "guard" positions depending upon the type of stance being used (long vs. short) in order for the karate-ka to keep correct and effective control of the centerline. This concept is not a stylistic one – it is just good karate.
In Kobudo, the same basic concept of "control of centerline" also exists. The only change here is that this "control" is affected by the “weapon" rather than our hands as in karate. In fact this viewpoint, I believe has given rise to the initial misconception that most karate practitioners have that "weapons are just an extension of one's karate techniques." The key here is that we must also look at some of the other key concepts that must be considered in kobudo practice.
Other Key Concepts:
Among the other key co
nsiderations that are important in kobudo practice are: removal of target, natural relaxed movement, angle attacks, and range of weapon considerations.
The meaning of "removal of target" becomes clear to anyone who has fought with weapons. It is just good common sense to present the minimum target to an opponent and when attacked to be able to remove the target from the path of the opponents attack. In this manner we get away from the "Little John and Robin Hood" picture of two people pounding away on each other with their staffs, to one of being able to "slip the attack" and counter-attack.
In order to be able to remove the target, we have to learn how to "move in a natural relaxed manner" – flow followed by focus. The techniques with the weapon should be more related to wiping techniques than to clubbing or power techniques.
The concept of "angle attack" is also very critical and it goes hand in hand with the consideration of the effective "range of a weapon". We can classify the various different weapons of Okinawan Kobudo into one of three groups: 1) Long Range (nunte bo, yari bo, bo, etc.), 2) Intermediate Range (sai, tunfa, kama, nunchaku, nunte sai, etc.), and 3) Short Range (tekkos, etc.). Obviously, when one has an intermediate or short range weapon and is faced with an opponent with a long range weapon, if you stay at full range you can only at best be able to defend. For you to counterattack you must get in on the opponent, and an angle attack is the best means to accomplish this task.
Next, I draw your attention to an overview of the kata of traditional Okinawan Kobudo. Here we see that the most dominant type of attack presented in the traditional katas (of all the lineages) is the "lunge punch position" – lead hand and foot, same side forward. This is not just a fluke – but it is critical when one considers the issues of removal of target, range of weapon, and angle attack.
Modification of Stancing:
So as a practitioner of Okinawan Kobudo, the important point is not from which karate style you derive from, but rather that you understand that in order to make the kobudo work one needs to understand and be able to execute the concepts discussed above to get the most out of your kobudo practice.
Now we come back full circle to the initial statement of this article, that … "there are no stances in kobudo." The statement does not mean that no stances exist, as we have already discussed the important role of stancing in providing the foundation for balance and movement. But rather what is meant is that the "standard karate stances" are not employed in Okinawan Kobudo. The stancing concept is employed but the actual technical aspects of the stances must be modified. Remember, in open hand, we adjust the hands to effect the same "on-guard" positions out of different karate stances. In kobudo, since the distance between the "guarding portion of the weapon" and the body is larger than in karate, the adjustment is made in the stancing to permit effective centerline control.
The amount of adjustment to the stancing depends upon the length of the weapon. In using a short range weapon such as the Tekkos (claws), the range of adjustment is minor as the weapon is closer to the body. With the long range weapons such as the bo, the adjustment to the stance becomes more significant. In all cases, the end result is the same – effective control of centerline from a natural position – i.e.: just good kobudo that works.
The first area of adjustment for all forward facing kobudo stances is an increased emphasis of the use of the "pigeon toed" position for the front foot. The turning in of the front foot and flexing the front knee to where it is over the big toe of the support foot not only provides a level of protection for the inside of the leg (against attack), but also removes the front leg from the trajectory of the weapon during blocking or attacking techniques. This latter issue is an important consideration as the closer the "swing" of our weapons comes to a straight line to the target the more power we can deliver. Additionally, this type of front foot position provides an excellent basis for pivoting the rest of the body when removing the target.
The second area of stance adjustment focuses on the width of the stance and the opening of the hip position. A normal karate forward stance (Seisan or Zen Kutsu Dachi) uses shoulder width as the guide for the correct width. In kobudo practice the width is adjusted to less than shoulder width with the hips in a more open position. Thus the typical midrange and long range forward stances tend to be narrower and longer than their karate counterparts. It is through these adjustments that the Kobudo-ka is able to maintain control of centerline and minimization of target in a natural relaxed manner.
With respect to the use of the Neko Ashi Dachi (Cat Stance) in kobudo practice, here we also see the need for stance adjustments. Use of the standard karate Cat Stance presents too large of a target and does not permit effective control of centerline. The adjustment here is to shift the rear (support) foot into a position pointing 90 degrees from the opponent and open the hips to point in the same direction. This position is sometimes refereed to as the "Okinawan Back Stance" in some styles of Okinawa Karate. This position permits the practitioner to basically "hide behind" the weapon and makes covering centerline and clearing the defensive zones an easy task.
If one does not make adjustments to their stancing, then you are faced with the situation I refer to as "winning the battle, losing the war". By this I mean, since by using a standard karate stance in kobudo you will be presenting a larger target to your opponent and at the same time have a harder time maintaining control of centerline. When an attack comes you will have to clear a larger defensive area with your block and as a result leave a greater opening for a follow-up attack – thus the situation of getting your first block off but finding yourself hit with the follow-up attack – winning the battle/losing the war!
So in conclusion, while stances do exist in Okinawan Kobudo, they are not the same as those employed in our open hand arts. The concepts are the same, but the technical execution changes. Thus, perhaps a better description of "kobudo" might be to say it is …"an extension of basic karate concepts rather than basic karate techniques."
To read Hanshi's article "An Overview of Okinawan Kobudo" from last year's Admired Martial Artists Month, please click here. To read more about Hanshi Heilman, please go here.
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