Learning is Endless

The Basics are the Advanced Techniques

Select Page
steel horse kata

I remember someone saying: in Okinawa if you see two people fighting with fists–it is not a serious fight, but if their hands are open–watch out”! Unfortunately i don’t remember who said it. i have experienced the use of open hands in many Chinese styles and have see this form in Ishin-Ryu where some of the techniques are open handed. This is the first time i have seen it completely open handed. It is quite interesting.I know nothing about the performer or style, unfortunately

I also stumbled across this on youtube: I suggest you watch this one and the previous version and compare them.While it is obvious to those who know all three of the chulgi forms, that all three are being done as one unit–something that many have said was historically accurate, it being later split into three parts. That is not what i feel is key to what is important. those of you unfamiliar with some Chinese internal arts teachings will gloss over what is being demonstrated, but it is interesting to see them being resurfaced in Okinawan/Japanese interpretations. Aside from the open hand usages (something that all of you should do with all of your forms–it really opens up a much wider world of applications, look at the sequential tensions and relaxations, and how they are coupled to the techniques. You can see forced posterior pelvic tilt with the exhalation is used to stiffen the body structure to provide a solid attack platform. it is even fun to see the arm bar backfist combination that is picked up again in the Pinan/Heian series. I guess what is less obvious, but i am sure is going on is the Wave Form/whipping power/silk reeling power generation that is moving up the legs to the torso and expressed in the hands. The “TCM” explanations of this are probably best left to another day. But this is a terrific video