karate do kyohan

welcome to gyaku-waza, the art of protecting oneselfagainst unprovoked acts of physical violence. the term, gyaku-waza [逆暀], literally meansreversal-techniques, and describes a group of close-quarter self-defense practices originallydeveloped to be used against being violently seized and held or controlled by an aggressiveopponent. such close-quarter methods contrast the kind of defensive strategies commonlyused against distanced-based impact-style

attacks such as being kicked, punched or struckby an opponent. gyaku-waza brings together dozens of time-honoured escape and counterpractices into a single study and represents an integral part of the overall curriculumof koryu uchinadi. dating back to a time before the developmentand propagation of modern styles, these old-school

self-defense practices are based entirelyupon those original empty-handed and one-against-one domestic acts of physical violence, whichhabitually plagued the 19th century southern chinese culture, from where this art evolved.having enjoyed a close liaison with okinawa, during their old ryukyu kingdom period, fujian-basedquanfa practices, and in specific shaolin qinna, are historically considered the progenitorsources from which these local self-defense skills trace their true origins. in spite of the contemporary argument, suggestingthat these old-school methods are in some way antiquated, inferior or not as functionalas today’s gladiatorial-like cage fighting competitions, may i simply say that, whilethere may be similarities between the two

disciplines, the art of self-defence was nevermeant to be presided over by a referee in an arena, matched evenly by weight divisionsand experience, timed by rounds nor bound by rules. therefore, as actual fighting hasno connection with these criteria, why then should training be limited by style? as the human body has always served as boththe primary target, and principal attack vehicle, it doesn’t actually require rocket scienceto be able to identify the scope and nature of those generic themes used in empty-handedand one-against-one domestic acts of physical violence. by understanding the strengths andweaknesses of the human body, and the nature of how those attacks most commonly experiencedin physical violence endanger us, we can better

prepare to protect ourselves accordingly.therefore, and irrespective of whatever else may be going on in contemporary society, thisirrefutable evidence not only confirms why such generic themes remain timeless, it alsounderscores the value and importance of keeping such original practices alive. simply put,gyaku-waza transcends style and goes directly to the heart of self-defence. a forgotten theme in modern karate, the habitualacts of physical violence [or hapv for short] are currently regarded as the original contextualpremise against which all fundamental fighting skills were once tested for efficacy beforefinding their place as accepted practices. by methodically re-enacting the domestic assaultscenarios, which originally threatened the

well being of common chinese people, we arebetter able to perceive the true intentions and significance of those practices passeddown to us through the fascinating mechanism called kata. once, a riddle wrapped in a mystery insidean enigma, it took me years of research to arrive at, what in essence is, such a simpleexplanation! identifying the hapv provided the pioneers of this art with a definitivecontext from which to study, test and develop sound fighting practices. one would thinkthat such an obvious premise would be evident even to the most ardent disbeliever, and yet,apparently because of the lack of historical documentation supporting this hypothesis [andthat is if, in fact, there ever was any in

the first place], there remains conservativeopposition. seemingly content to blindly accept rule-bound, incongruous and unchallenged practices,which clearly do not represent the habitual acts of physical violence, traditional-basedgroups argue that it’s not possible to determine the “original intentions” of kata as thepioneers left no written instructions or explanation. i simply ask, in all sincerity, what couldbe more transparent than the hapv premise? a living art – a work-in-progressi fiercely respect the history of this art, as i do its okinawan heritage and openly payhomage to both the culture and the pioneers of such an important legacy and yet, traditionwas never meant to be about preserving ashes, but rather, in keeping the flame of its spiritalight. the great zen master, basho, clarified

the pioneer’s message for all of us whenhe wrote, “don’t seek to [blindly] follow in the footsteps of the men of old; but rather,[continue to] seek what they sought.” embracing a “living art,” means we mustheed such wise advice to maintain a “work-in-progress” mindset. in doing so, we ensure that eachgeneration is able to continue studying the art, using the latest information and technologyto constantly improve ways of better understanding and passing on these time-honoured applicationpractices for future generations. the beauty of understanding this simple message liesin discovering that what brings all styles together is more important than what separatesthem…this is the spirit of the art, and this is the soul of karate.

study the old ~ understand the newas the traditional kata of modern japanese karate is linked back to the ancestral kataof its older okinawan counterpart, long before the pre-war emergence of “style”---andnot forgetting that the counterpart traces its origins back to southern chinese-basedfujian quanfa and shaolin qinna---it stood to reason that what applied to the originalprogenitor forms should also apply to today’s practices. in the interest of corroboratingthis assumption, i am one researcher who found it necessary to make several journeys to fujianand the legendary shaolin monastery, along with many other se asia ports of call, tomeet, work and study with many of the most leading authorities of these historical fightingarts.

at the shaolin temple with chief abbott shiyanpu where better to hide the obvious than behindmyth, mysticism, and unchallenged tradition? where, other than in a japanese cultural traditionlike karate, which as a matter of custom venerates its masters, but prohibits critical thinking,could one preserve such a myth? without even the slightest change to the human body, orthose domestic acts of physical violence, which perpetually threatened it over the courseof history, i wondered how something so obvious remained so deceptive for such a long time.only through extensive cross training, meticulously studying the original works of the pioneers,and thinking outside the box, was the obvious ultimately made evident. summed up best inthe words of sir arthur conan doyle’s fictional

character, sherlock holmes, “once you eliminatethe impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” form vs functionbecause the focus of kata shifted from function to form, during the turn of the 20th centuryunder the guidance of itosu ankoh, it’s not completely surprising that so too didthe mindset progressively change in support of its new outcomes. used as an educationalvehicle through which to funnel physical fitness and social conformity, kata served well japan’sxenophobic demands upon rural okinawa to produce able-bodied conscripts in support of its warmachine during a radical period of military escalation. introduced as a cultural recreationto japan’s mainland the discipline quickly

developed a strong following and new directionamidst pre-war university students. prevailing conformist mentality, however, ultimatelyreshaped the simple okinawan tradition in the image of accepted japanese budo culture. “improvements?”in addition to the new stylish cosmetic apparel, adopting a system of recognizing various physicalcompetencies, and a name change, which concealed its chinese origins and long-standing presencein okinawa, the most radical change to the art of self-defence was the development ofjiyu-kumite [free sparring] and the competitive format through which to test one’s skilland fighting spirit. with such dynamic revisions, kata took a back seat to the popularity ofa new and challenging rule-bound tradition.

in the wake of this popularity, and the lackof understanding its original premise, a new set of practices were developed and called,“kihon-waza.” following a simple pattern of attack and defence, kihon-waza broughttogether fundamental techniques that could be performed alone or in pairs. using punches,blocks, kicks and strikes, in basic postures, kihon-waza replaced the former emphasis onceplaced solely upon the repetitive practice of kata, and quickly became the accepted trend.fashioned in the accepted image of japanese budo culture, aggressive yet compliant attackerswere pitted against prescribed responses in one-step “fighting” exercises and setprecedence for explaining, kata application. countless impractical fighting drills weresubsequently established as mandatory criteria

and accepted as authentic tradition wherethey have basically remained unchallenged to this very day. irrespective of how naã¯ve or misguided wemay think that conformist generation was, an unbroken reluctance to condone any practiceoutside what is today considered, “ the accepted norm,” remains impressively intact!a longstanding japanese custom of imitative behaviour, and its supporting trickle-down,or halo-effect, as perpetuated through the senpai~kohai mechanism, is strengthened byself-serving propaganda, and a robust loyalty to one’s “style.” notwithstanding, iam confident that the presentation, which lies before you, will save many learners thetime, confusion and frustration of wandering

aimlessly through the endless minefield ofmyth, half-truths and outright deception, which cleverly shroud the inner-workings ofthis art. gyaku-waza leaves no room for the kind of ambiguity exampled elsewhere in traditionalkarate; i.e., the kind of ambiguity which has given kata, such a "bad name." stylesome forty years of study, vast international travel and relentless cross training havehelped me identify and overcome barriers i never even knew existed within the art ofkarate. some barriers unintentionally impede learning and understanding the true essenceof this wonderful art. the biggest obstacle of all, and yet so seemingly innocuous, is“style.” certainly, this is not to under

appreciate that all training must eventuallybecome personal and individual, as such a time-honored outcome is completely acceptableand ultimately inevitable. nor is it to undermine the significant achievements or wonderfulcontributions made by those who pioneered the modern interpretations of this art. rather,i speak of the stylization of rule-bound learning practices and the inflexible mindset, whichprevents critical thinking, hence impeding progress. is it unintentional that style-basedpropaganda nurtures the kind of loyalty that commonly considers other styles inferior?gradually, i became less interested in style and more concerned with what circumstancescaused people to develop them. learning to look beyond style, in an effort to discoverthe actual source from which they came, will

be paramount in accepting the lessons thatlie before you. gyaku-waza represents the pathway betweenphysical engagement, responding appropriately and controlling or submitting an opponent,without the use of lethal force. because there is no ambiguity surrounding any of the contextualpremises, nor the application of its fighting practices, the learner is able to clearlyidentify and understand both the strengths and weaknesses, of each scenario. once cloakedin an iron-clad ritual of secrecy these time-honoured, and highly functional prescribed applicationpractices, employ an impressive collection of fighting tactics ranging from percussiveimpact, joint manipulation, limb entanglement, nerve pressure and cavity seizing, to bloodand air deprivation, balance displacement,

and controlling an opponent in both a standingclinch and or on the ground. gyaku-waza effectively deals with being violentlyseized and or held by an aggressive opponent as habitually exampled in one-against-oneempty-handed domestic acts of physical violence. using a variety of strategies to protect oneselfthere are dozens of escape and counter techniques featured in the overall drill. the attackscenarios range from the classical wrist, hair and garment grabs, being seized fromvarious standing positions, the dangerous clinch, headlock, full nelson, and variouskinds of bear hugs, to different kinds of chokes, joint-locks and limb manipulations,single/double leg takedown, and defending oneself on the ground, including escapingthe mount, passing the guard and dealing with

back control, along with being punched andkicked in the face by the attacker while down. once again, it’s thanks only to the obviouscontextual premises that these classical escape and counter tactics, found within the traditionalkata of okinawan karate, are best understood. practice expectationsbased largely upon the original essence of old-school shaolin qinna practices, i havesuccessfully fused together the individual scenarios and presented them from severaldifferent positions in order to get the best vantage points for study. i believe this isthe best way to learn and remember the order in which the lessons are delivered. throughoutthe entire routine only passive resistance will be required in order to build familiarity,while at the same time promoting a safe learning

environment. beyond satisfactorily escapingand or countering each of the individual attack scenarios, partners will not be required---atthis point in time---to follow-up with additional responses, control tactics or submissionsof any kind. the entire purpose of entry-level learning is simply to become familiar witheach of the attacks, understand their application dynamics, and potential variations, alongwith providing the prescribed defensive applications. caveat emptorgyaku-waza introduces a practical set of prescribed counter-responses to classical attack scenariosin an effort to continue building and strengthening the overall effectiveness of one’s self-defenceskills. like all other drills in ku, the response practices featured here represent a cross-sectionof the most practical reactions under these

common circumstances. in no way, however,should these prescribed counter-techniques, or any other prescribed ku practices for thatmatter, be seen as the only responses to such habitual circumstances, but rather acceptedas interchangeable concepts strengthening the overall functionality of this practicalmechanism. the truth is that there are many ways with which to effectively respond tothese common acts of physical violence. that said, one truth which should be widely accepted,tells us that, “everyone is an individual and liable to react differently under chaoticcircumstances.” to this end, the prescribed practices exampled in gyaku-waza provide someof the most functional counter-techniques found anywhere.

the clinch & ground defensein traditional karate we quite often hear things like, “a good reverse punch willdefeat most opponents,” or, “nothing beats a solid front kick to the testicles,” etc.look, while no one can argue such logic, it’s the naã¯ve presumption that assumes one actuallyhas the luxury of facing their opponent, together with the worst case scenario question, whichbegs to be asked; how effective would this limited mindset be in the event that the reversepunch didn’t find its intended target or the that front kick fell short of being effective?more importantly, how about if the said person was abruptly attacked from behind, seizedin any number of ways commonly exampled in physical violence, and or wound up on theground with an aggressive opponent on top

of them? i doubt anyone could dispute thesense it makes to be well prepared, and never need such a set of skills, than to leave yourwell being to chance! a forgotten aspect from this art’s early origins, gyaku-waza representsan indispensable component of one’s overall self-defence skills. bringing it all togetheras being seized, caught in a clinch and or being held by an aggressive opponent so oftenrepresents the principal entry point of physical confrontation, gyaku-waza must be recognizedas an important first line mechanism in self-defense. as the catalyst-like practice is also a vitalcomponent in understanding how all the other ku application practices work together, itis highly recommended the drill be acknowledged

as one part of a larger whole --- that ofcourse being the entire ku curriculum. bringing it altogether means, “the whole becomesgreater than the sum total of its individual parts.” the common threadfrom a defensive point of view, gyaku-waza is a complete method in and of itself withoutthe need for additional measures. however, a firm believer in preparation, and leavingnothing to chance, “it just makes more sense to have a complete toolbox and never needall the gear than it is to consider the alternative!” i am confident that such thinking is far morein line with the original intent, approach and teachings of the pioneers than is theconformist mentality, which advocates style

and form over function. as such, gyaku-wazais better understood when fused together with rest of our curriculum. simply put, it isthe common thread weaving together the comprehensive fabric of ku. practice make perfect: train like you fight& fight like you train after having achieved familiarity and confidencewith the prescribed attack and response scenarios, it becomes necessary to increase the intensityof your practice. of course, this advice applies across the board with all ku-based two-personpractices. by making a gradual to exponential shift from the passive resistance learningstyle, presented in these lessons, to a maximum aggressive resistance, intensified by thechaotic elements of screaming, struggling

and vulgar language, as it more closely examplesthe actual intensity and conditions of a reality-based violent encounter, you will be able to ultimatelyaccomplish functional skills. while it may sound difficult, and there’s certainly nodenying the ever-present element of danger, it is a pathway which forms the basis of ourku process and it is unquestionably obtainable – and to this end your training must continue. the bubishithe original ryukyu bubishi with such little historical documentationlinking okinawan karate back to it chinese progenitor source in fujian, the discoveryand subsequent english translation of the bubishi represents an important milestonefrom which to study and better understand

this art of self-defense. while progress mayhave improved various aspects of present day medical science, and information technologyhas most certainly advanced our methods of training, its advice on fighting remains asvalid today as it was back then. one need only study its lessons to clearly see whyits advice was held in such high regard. in fact, nowhere is its discourse on the applicationof technique more relevant than with the practices featured in this presentation. according to several highly respected pioneersof modern karate, the bubishi is a veritable treasure trove of information. authoritiessuch as funakoshi gichin, miyagi chojun and mabuni kenwa, all treasured this invaluablemanual on the art of self-defence. appearing

for the first time in public in his 1922 publication,“ryukyu kenpo karate-jutsu,” master funakoshi drew liberally upon its lessons and consideredthem important enough to also include them in subsequent publications, such as, “rentangoshin karate-jutsu,” published in 1925, and the 1934 master text, “karate do kyohan.”in addition to the original work being undertaken by this writer, bubishi excerpts from funakoshi’swork can be enjoyed today through the comprehensive english translations produced by john teramoto,made available through kodansha international, and that of harumi suzuki-johnson, producedby neptune publications. in spite of the pioneers of shotokan, goju and shito ryu emphasizingthe value of this important work, it would appear as if their recommendations were largelyignored as little of its practices appear

anywhere in the contemporary interpretationsof their disciplines. what’s surprising is to learn is just how few have actuallyeven heard of this manual; much less understand its nature. even more poignant is discoveringthat the most ardent opposition to the lessons endorsed by funakoshi himself are found inthe modern legacy that succeeded him. representing an independent translation iundertook specifically for this presentation, the following advice summarizes articles #14& #16 of the bubishi. i sincerely hope that it might serve to enhance your study of gyaku-wazaand, if you don’t already have the publication, temp you to make it a valued part of yourpersonal library. ----------- “most people who learn the art of self-defense use it onlyas a last resort or to help others…and never

fight arbitrarily. if, however, you are requiredto fight remember, speed is of the utmost importance, as is an indomitable spirit. behard but not unyielding, strength can be overcome with pliability, and the contrary appliesto the opposite. if an attacker is careless, his negligence must be exploited. if, in thequest to defend oneself, the attacker gives ground, it is essential to give chase, butnot at the cost of becoming distracted or letting down your guard. in every situationyou must be ever mindful of your surroundings. irrespective of advantage, or disadvantage,always remember that every scenario has characteristics that determine which prescribed tactics tobest use. in the same way that twenty-four hours make up a day, so too is this set oflaws immutable and must never be forgotten.”

“deception can be used as a valuable toolto win advantage; for example, if you’re in a standing clinch struggling for controland need to seize a limb, first grab his testicles … pain withdrawal reflex will force theattacker to grab your wrist at which time you can easily counter it. the same conceptapplies to many scenarios. if you seek to have the attacker move closer, simply stepback to provoke movement and the desired opening. if and when your hair is grabbed, it meansthe attacker is close enough to strike with both of your fists. slapping the ears destroyshis balance. stomping is an effective deterrent in ending the fight. fighting on the groundrequires seizing the moment and taking advantage of his frustration. if seized from behindwaste no time in smashing his face with the

back of your head before striking with theelbows. if bear hugged from the front, knee or seize his testicles. don’t forget todistract him with your left hand before smashing the intended target with the right hand. toprevent an opponent from getting too close to you stick out one arm like a fence whiledisplaying a fist with the other. when your garment is grabbed, strike the face, or useyour palm to chop the throat. while it is advisable to kick first if one is at a greaterdistance, it can just as easily follow the punch. kicking requires greater distance thandoes striking with the hands but each can be used together in combination. if and whenyour limbs are entangled, or garment is snagged, twist and turn your torso abruptly and strikewith the other fist, knee or foot immediately

in order to break free. often, it is fasterto strike with the fist if the attacker favors kicking…this is a matter of distance andtiming. it works even better if one creates a weakness to entice the attacker and thenquickly takes advantage of the opportunity. avoid high kicking at all costs and take advantageof any opponent who stays to high in his posture. when the lower body is attacked rain furydown on top of him. when the upper body is attacked go low and take his legs out fromunderneath him. another way of countering a hair-pull is to bend over and attack thewrists and rotate or twist them fiercely before kicking the attacker. the same goes for athroat-squeeze. finally, continue to practice your combinations and remember, keeping mobilemakes if difficult to be struck by an opponent.