Tuesday 14 January 2020

What do you do ? (what does that mean ?)

What do you do ? 

(what does that mean ?)

We pressure test as way of learning, controlled & random.
Flow drills as they are essential help with learning with practical hands on
/ every technique/ all of the striking techniques on pads and bags.
we train kata bunkai. 
 Awareness, positioning, pre contact clues, verbal awareness and Distraction from the first session.
(what does that mean ?)

Thursday 9 January 2020

Niseishi Kata



Niseishi.

This kata is practised in several different karate systems including Shukokai, Shito ryu, Wado Ryu, Shorin ryu, Okinawa Hakutsuru Kenpo and Shotokan karate. (In Shotokan the kata is called Nijushiho).
The kata varies slightly between these systems but is most certainly from the same lineage. 

The kata’s origin is thought to be Chinese.
 It was most likely brought to Okinawa by Seisho Arakaki (1840-1918). He also went by the name Arakaki Kamadeunchu. Arakaki was an official of the royal court in Okinawa and travelled to China to act as an interpreter in 1870. He learnt the katas Niseishi, Seisan and Sanseiru from his teacher, the warrior, Wai Shinzan. These kata were all practiced at the Southern Shaolin Temple. He later added the ‘harder’ karate aspects to these Chinese kata and taught them in Okinawa in the Naha district. 
Arakaki was considered to be a rather reclusive character and did not develop his own style of karate. However he taught many of the great masters including: Kenwa Mabuni, the founder of Shito Ryu; Tsuyoshi Chitose, the founder of Chito-Ryu; Gichin Funakoshi of Shotokan, and Kanken Toyama of the Shudokan school.
This probably explains why the kata Niseishi is practiced so widely.

When Funakoshi taught Niseishi kata in Japan, to make it more acceptable to the Japanese, he renamed it as Nijushiho.   The words Nijushiho and Niseishi both translate as “24 Techniques”. Nijushiho contains the Japanese Kanji, ni (2), ju (10), shi (4) and ho (techniques).
Together these characters can be pronounced, Nijushiho  or Niseishi.

This rather uninspiring name for a kata has some intriguing Buddhist symbolism. It is said that it is not simply an interpretation of the number of movements or techniques extant in the kata. Twenty-four is related to 108, which is an auspicious number in Buddhist scriptures. Both 2 and 4 are divisors of the larger number (though 24 isn’t). One hundred and eight refers to the 108 'afflictions' of the soul, which are to be symbolically stricken down in events like Kagamai Baraki (Japanese New Year). However, the kata itself is not a Buddhist exercise - the Buddhist symbolism is only an artefact of its originators, who were most likely Buddhists of one school or another.


So, what  about  the kata itself?   It is thought to originate from one of the Chinese "Dragon" styles. This kata requires you to move and defend from many angles. It contains both circular and linear techniques and requires good balance and coordination. This kata contains sudden contrasts between very slow movements, and explosions of power, giving the kata a distinctive rhythm.. Alternating fast and slow movements. 
The most common of today's versions are derived from Aragaki  (Arakaki) Seisho who lived in Okinawa from the mid-1800s, to the early 1800s . 

The Funakoshi  "Nijushiho" version is a derivative of the Shito-Ryu version, in a similar manner to the pinan kata having been passed to Funakoshi by Mabuni .
Gichin Funakoshi changed the name of the kata from Niseishi to Nijūshiho.  for the Japanese who would accept this much better than a Chinese   or Okinawa reference or  name   
  Both names mean "24 steps." This kata is also practiced in Tang Soo Do  a Korean type of Karate and is called E Sip Sa Bo in Korean.
 Due to its difficulty, this kata is often reserved for advanced black belt level students. Like its Japanese and Okinawian counterparts E Sip Sa Bo also translates to “24 steps.”

Nothing is precisely  known about the origins of this form, other than the supposition that it stems from a  Dragon Style Kung fu of china . The history of this Kung fu system is equally obscure due to the style's practice of passing on its traditions orally, with very little written history. The system probably began in the Shaolin Temple in the 16th or 17th century.  

Niseishi" means "twenty four steps". This is likely to be a reference to the number "24" which holds spiritual significance in Buddhist lore.

Dragon Style Kung fu seeks to emulate the imagined zigzag footwork of dragons. Its strikes are described as having their energy rise up from the feet and legs, as hip rotation guides the force through the fists, into the attack. From this description, we immediately think of the movements like this in Seishan. Kata Seishan's primary influence was Fujian White Crane Kung fu, but it demonstrates what one would first think of from this description of Dragon Style movement.
This type of motion is vaguely suggested in Wado Ryu's Niseishi Kata, but upon examining the forms of Dragon Style Kung fu, the influence becomes more apparent. The Dragon Form is much more dynamic than Niseishi, but it is not difficult to see the similarity of the techniques of the two forms

All of the katas that are named with numbers (Niseishi(24), Seisan(13), Sanshiru (36) and kata from other styles, Suparempai(108), Nipaipo(28), Seipai (18), Gojushiho (54) etc.) were practiced in China and passed to Okinawa in the 19th century and earlier. Historians debate the significance of numbers as kata names. There are several theories, the simplest being that the number was the number of movements in the kata when it was created. Others think that in ancient China, a charting system was created numbering the vital points on the human body and sets of movements were created to attack these points (see the “Bubishi”).
As with most cultural phenomenon in China, there is a definite Buddhist influence on some kata names. In Buddhism, the number 108 has great significance, specifically referring to the 108 defilements . This is reflected with the kata as many of the kata names are factors of 108, i.e. Gojushiho (54), Sanshiru (36), Seipai (18).

Niseishi (Nijushiho) –means 24 moves or 24 steps. The exact origins of the kata are unknown. It is known to have been practiced by Tomari-te. In its varied application of tension and relaxation, and immediate transition from slow application of Kime to rapid execution of consecutive techniques,. The kata affords practice in various grasping and countering techniques, and employs much use of elbow and open hand locks and counters, and demonstrates the use of  unbalancing to gain advantage. It  may have been created by Ankichi Aragaki. Sensei Nakayama tells of being taught this kata by Kenwa Mabuni the founder of the Shito-ryu karate school. Practiced by: Shito Ryu and Wado Ryu. Nijushiho by Shotokan.

Wednesday 8 January 2020

the quickest and most efficient way.

Kissaki Kai encourages students to avoid confrontation.

If this is impossible or unsafe, it promotes finishing confrontations as quickly as possible.

Attacks are aimed at the most vulnerable parts of the body, and training is not limited to techniques that avoid severe injury; some even permanently injure to the attacker/perpetrator/opponent.

Drills provide for maximum safety to students by the use of protective equipment and the use of reasonable force is training.

Students learn to defend against all variety of attacks and are taught to counter in the quickest and most efficient way.

Training also covers the study and development of awareness to develop an understanding of ones surroundings, learning to understand the psychology of all confrontations, and identifying potential threats before an attack occurs.

Training also cover ways to deal with physical and verbal methods to avoid violence whenever possible.

Kissaki Kai is known for its focus on real-world situations and when necessary its extremely efficient and brutal response.

Each Class includes most/some/or all of the following to some extent;
Practical Application, Critical Analysis, Logic, practical Philosophy, purposeful deception, strategy,
Physics, Anatomy, History, Research, Awareness, Physiology, Sociology,

Vince Morris is world renowned for his no-nonsense approach

Vince Morris is a Karate-ka that has become world renowned
 for his no-nonsense approach to martial arts and fighting.
He is also the founder of Kissaki Kai.
Vince Morris
But I just cannot seem to get it to work
         by Vince Morris (c)

But I just cannot seem to get it to work!;
How many times have I heard that crie de coeur ; in the Dojo? In the practice and learning of the application of Kata techniques there are some important points which have to be well understood - even mastered - before techniquescan be effected seemingly effortlessly and with optimum results.
Lets start at the basic concept of “what is a kata technique”.   First it helps to think of each technique (or sequence) as merely a rigid representation of the outward form of a particular defensive paradigm. Each is no more complete in itself than a word in a dictionary truly encompasses all that is necessary to understand it and to use it correctly.

For example, I can try to learn a foreign language from a dictionary, and although I
would indeed get a fair idea of what the word actually meant (its various major and
minor meanings) I certainly would not be able to converse like a native speaker without bringing other knowledge into play.

To really master a language it is necessary to consider the how; aspect. How is it used in
daily speech, how in formal speech, how in slang? How does age or familiarity alter its
usage? How does volume alter its effect? How does tone affect it?
Then we have to consider its place in a sentence - the grammar of language which
differs with each language - the syntax, even the actual way in which it is pronounced.
To be really a master of the tongue we also should consider semantics, the way in which
words change their spelling and indeed their entire meaning over a period of time. We
would not, after all, wish to appear peculiar by speaking in archaic and anachronistic
terms !

If this seems obvious then forgive me, but it is just as necessary to approach the basic
dictionary of self-defense - the Kata - in exactly the same way.

Rules of Combat
There are certain rules of combat; (the grammar & syntax of fighting) which are
common currency to all those who regularly engage in combat, albeit of a sporting or a
military nature; and these rules remain the same, regardless of the particulars of any
individual combat.

A Militarist strategy might be to feint a weakness in a defensive position to entice an
attack on that position by an enemy in order to effect a pincer movement and thereby
trap and defeat him. In Shiai, one fighter might drop a hand to leave an apparent gap in his defences to pull out his opponent;s gyaku-zuki. This is exactly the same strategy.

These would appear obvious - nevertheless, why should it not be just as obvious that
each defensive paradigm in a Kata might also be preceded by just such a similar
stratagem?

The Bubishi (the old and revered Bible; of Okinawan masters) contains advice such as:
"To attack in the East it is necessary to feint to the West (paraphrased).
Such an admonition would be unnecessary to any student practicing daily under the eye
of his master, and to attempt to include it at the start of every technique or sequence in
a Kata would be to create a monstrosity, when in fact simply knowing&; is enough.
Just as there are ;rules; for language there are;rules; for combat, and exactly in the way
that language is made up of discreet chunks which have a variety of purposes according
to their usage, (parts of speech, nouns, verbs adjectives etc.) we find techniques which
vary in objective and execution according to the function they are currently required to
carry out. (an upper block; which is also a knockout strike or an arm-bar).
If you do not fully understand “all the nuances and complexities of speech” you can
never master the tongue - this precisely the same when you come to consider the 'parts'
which make up the whole  of a combat art.

Each word in the dictionary has a number of meanings - some similar - some mere
derivations - and some words are simply homonyms - that is they may sound the same
(indeed they may even be spelled the same) but their meanings differ, sometimes
radically (Bank; [as in financial] Bank; [of a river] Bank; the turn of an aircraft etc.)
It would be nonsense to describe one meaning as right; and the others ;wrong - they
are simply different. In the same manner, many techniques which appear on the
surface to be identical have actually often very different functions.
Reflecting the ancestry of the traditions from which they emerged, it is reasonable to
accept that there are distinct categories of technique in the same way as there are parts
of speech recognizable by their derivation and function.

Thus in analysing any particular technique or sequence from a Kata it is essential that
one brings to the task not only the background knowledge of tactics and strategy won by
experience in combat but also a thorough understanding of the five levels of bunkai-
jutsu: Nage-waza (Throwing techniques) Ne-waza (groundfighting techniques) Shime-
waza (strangling and choking techniques) Kansetsu-waza (joint and limb locking
techniques) and finally Atemi-waza (variety of percussive techniques).

To each main section there must then be considered the variety of sub-sections within
each.

In each Waza For example in the Atemi-waza section we find the whole variety of methods of
traumatising the attacker from punching, kicking and striking to poking and ripping and
the use of the anatomical vulnerable areas - the vital points of Kyusho-Jutsu.
If we consider the Shime-waza we find methods of sealing the breath; (attacking the
airways) and sealing the blood; (attacking the flow of blood to the brain).

However it is wrong to consider these categories in isolation as it soon becomes
apparent that in use one techniques from one section merge into those of another, or
may be used to facilitate those of another or of a combination of the others.
For instance, one might feint an attack to the groin in order to bring the opponent's head
forward (tactics) by using a strike to a vulnerable area, then seize and lock part of his
anatomy (arm, neck) in order to manoeuvre him into a throw which you then follow by a
strangle.

It is obvious then, that in a sense categorisation is false as each section actually works
with others to produce a 'sum greater than the parts' so to speak.
However, within each section are methods of application which must be thoroughly
mastered before each can used effectively to contribute to the overall outcome.
It would be a senseless waste of time and opportunity to effectively bring down an
assailant into a control position only for your Kansetsu-waza to be ineffective and he
gain his release!

A proper understanding of the use of locking methods would have avoided this.
Thus a master will have much more to bring to a self-defence situation than appears
obvious at first glance.
Methods of breath control to bring down his heart-rate, an ability to accurately assess
the body language and stance of the attacker, confidence which allows control of his own
movements, automatic use of distraction methods to create opportunity, moving without
conscious thought to positions of advantage relative to the attacker and so on.
All this before a physical Kata technique is carried out!
In fact, the rules of combat are fairly simple and self-evident, but that in no
way detracts from their importance.

Looking at just a few:
Never stop until its over! - Do not fight in an ichi - ni - san manner, simply flow one
technique into another and never stop until the fight is finished. This sounds initially an
obvious statement, however in many Dojos throughout the world emphasis is placed
upon attaining the one powerful gyaku-zuki which will halt the contest. I see time and
time again one combatant deliver a fast middle level punch which stops the proceedings
and is adjudged to also have ;stopped; his opponent.
If only in reality it were so simple. What happens if the downed assailant grabs the
defenders legs and pulls him down to the ground? What if in the street the punch simply
had no effect? The defender has wasted perhaps the only opportunity that existed to get
in a telling and effective technique!

Never stopping until its over Never stopping until its over has much to recommend it!
Always move to a position of advantage - Always move to a position of advantage - This
sounds obvious, but actually in my experience very few people as a matter of course
utilise Tai-sabaki and Ashi-sabaki to unbalance an attacker or to shift to a position which
nullifies his effectiveness whilst enhancing their own.
Many times just an upper body movement will be made which will not be sufficient and will also leave the lower limbs vulnerable.

Always use methods of distraction –
Very few people do this spontaneously immediately an attack is made.
Distractions, by the way, do not mean simply pretending to strike in one direction in
order to open up another (although this is of course a legitimate example).
No, it means doing anything to weaken either the opponent's concentration or indeed to
actually strike in one area in order to inculcate what the Japanese sword master Zen
teachers would call "a stopping mind." Very few people do this spontaneously
immediately an attack is made. Distractions, by the way, do not mean simply pretending
to strike in one direction in order to open up another (although this is of course a
legitimate example). No, it means doing anything to weaken either the opponent's concentration or indeed to actually strike in one area in order to inculcate what the Japanese sword master Zen
teachers would call "a stopping mind."
In other words a sharp slap to the testicles will bring the attacker's attention away from
his grip on your throat to allow easier execution of the bending of his fingers or whatever
release you will effect. Remember that master Ueshiba, the great Aikido teacher, stated that Aikido was "90% Atemi!"

He knew perfectly well that in actual combat any throwing technique is facilitated by a
blow or strike, often just used as a distraction method.
It should be noted too, that each of the 5 categories of Bunkai-jutsu has its own
subsection of rules; too! For example we see that under the Kansetsu-waza heading we
find a rule which states: You should continually alter the amount of pressure applied to a joint or limb lock in order to maintain effective pain control.  Any student not knowing this fundamental rule; will never be able to impose effective pain compliance control of an opponent.
The reason why in the  days there were many fewer ;Masters than we see today is
that the martial art they were attempting to master was much more complex and
interesting than that masquerading under the title of Karate today!

If we lived in a world where the need for an effective personal self-defense was an
anachronism, then perhaps - except from a merely historical basis - it would not matter
that the training in most Dojos I visit throughout the world pays only lip-service to the
reality of combat and most time training for competence in modern , sports orientated
karate.

The problem is that as one of my Japanese training partners said to me a long time ago
about the difficulty in trying to master two different martial arts -It is impossible to
chase two rabbits at the same time!

Whilst gaining expertise in the sports arena brings about definite plus points, it also
immerses the student in an ethos which continually stresses: no attacks to the testes, no
attacks to the eyes, no attacks to the throat or neck, no dangerous throws, no strangling
or choking, no continually attacking the limbs, no pulling the hair, no spitting in the face,
no head-butting, no fighting on the ground, no gouging and so on.
Thus, without even recognising it, the student is automatically conditioned into
acceptance of new rules of combat; which colour his or her reactions in times of stress.
And all this takes place in an arena confined and protected by not just these rules but
also by the presence of the referee who is always there to step in to prevent injury and
to break up combatants who come to grips with each other.

Old ways
Therefore, the main problem today is that few students ever learn in the same manner
as those who studied under the direction of the old masters. It was much more an
individual rather than a group process, and each student was constantly under the eye
of the master who would continually assess and correct the efforts of the student.
In order for the student to become fully apprised of the rules of combat they were
continually matched with a partner in training drills (Tegumi) which emphasised
bumping, slapping, pulling, striking, throwing and all the other ancillaries to technique
which are essential background knowledge.

In most modern Dojos this is not usual. Therefore unless the student gets practice
elsewhere a huge and important part of martial arts 'grammar' and ancillary concepts
are just not available to them. Therefore although in sports terms they may well be
effective, in the real situations they are often out of their depth and can get into real -
sometimes disastrous - trouble.

However, to confine ourselves at the moment to Dojo training, how could it ever be
possible for a student to begin to understand the profundity of the techniques with a
Kata if he or she - through no real personal fault - has not got the background
knowledge to see where a technique could actually be much more than would
immediately be apparent, and does not possess the experience of the ancillary rules of
combat to make the technique work at its most effective level?

If you have followed me so far, then you must be beginning to realise that the Dojo tri-
partite division of training into Kihon, Kumite and Kata - although indeed effective in
terms of modern sport karate - is deficient in important areas.

In order to allow students to become fully effective in the defensive traditions there must
be time set aside for considering and investigating the 5 elements of Bunkai-Jutsu, and
of exercises which - if not the old tegumi drills (see Patrick McCarthys video) - then at
least Kumite which is centred on Kata and which is performed with regard to the various
rules of combat; should be initiated and practised regularly.
If this is done, eventually the students appreciation of the art will be enhanced,
understanding of essential concepts will be inculcated and defensive efficiency increased.

By Vince Morris. http://www.kissakikarate.com/ Kissaki Kai Karate

The Founder Of Kissaki Kai


 
Sensei Vince Morris is founder of Kissaki-Kai Karate-Do, and he teaches realistic effective,
karate including kata bunkai (breaking down applications of common kata) and how to apply
these in a realistic way.

Sensei Morris has taught all over the world, including teaching police officers, military groups and government agencies, and in the process he has had to put his training to use to actually save his life. Its also been pressure tested by those groups he has taught for effectiveness and practicality.
This means that he has made sure that all of his applications really do work, and thats the kind of kata application everyone should like.
The research that he has done on bunkai from the kata has spawned many imitators, over the years and continues to do so.

As you can imagine we have had great seminars in the past with Sensei Vince Morris, often
with eager (and at first sometimes apprehensive) people in attendance, we usually have
many enthusiastic partners to work with and more often than not it’s great to see people
with different training/martial arts backgrounds training together with enthusiasm.
Vince doesnt make it over to Ireland as often as we and he would like so it’s great that we
take every opportunity to train with one of the world’s leading authorities on applied
martial arts. Since the inception of the Kissaki-Kai Karate-Do International in 1992. We have
had some great feedback on our seminars and courses and our aim is that everyone gains
something to add to their martial arts repertoire.

Just in the context of Self Protection (Is That Self- Defense you say)

Just in the context of Self Protection  (Is That Self- Defense you say)

Why are so many people looking for self-defence at “random” martial arts academies and sports
gyms, Its because they do not  know any better!


Martial arts academies and sports gyms keep telling everyone they teach “self-defense”
(just because it looks like and attack / fighting, doesn't mean it is).


Another reason is that most people have never been in a real life and death struggle and
their familiarity with violence  comes only from TV and the movies.


Real attacks  occur suddenly and viciously, seemingly out of nowhere -- and when we least
expect it. They usually consist of surprise, multiple attacks and ambushes -- with guns,
knives and other weapons.


There are no rules, no time outs, no breaks, no referees and these attacks are usually over in seconds.

There are no sports schools, that prepare you for this level of violence; and  "sports
martial arts"  are so out of touch with reality.To find the answer is to merely browse through any newspaper and see what type of crimes are being committed? You will find assaults, rapes, shootings, stabbings (lots of stabbings), road rage, car- jacking, home invasions, kidnappings, hostage situations, snipers and threats of terrorism. What sport martial art school prepares you even one of these threats? Absolutely none!

 Most people say no one can truly prepare you for this type of violence - but that is untrue.
There is reality-based defense. This is the way we should all train, and in the near future
integrated reality-defense will most likely overtake traditional martial arts in popularity.
I await the day.

A fundamental difference between an integrated reality-defense program and traditional
(and sports martial arts) is that its weapon-centric. In other words, in the vast majority of
cases, if you are attacked, it will be by the business end of some sort of weapon. Therefore, its in your best interest to know this.

Traditional sports schools are in a time-warp and believe their shiney lovely techniques will win the
day [over any weapon]. Another important difference is that “traditional sports martial arts deal only with the immediate physical threat, whereas reality-based methods include the whole gamut,
including pre-conflict, conflict and post-conflict. This includes awareness strategies, conflict
diffusion and resolution, de-escalation, pre-emptive strike, adrenaline stress, self-medical
management, how to speak to the police, prosecutor attorneys and more.

The last major but essential difference with traditional sports arts is that good reality-
defense programs teach through scenarios in simulated environments. The closer to reality
the environment is, the better you can recall the experience. So - a dirty, smelly, low-lit, and
dangerous looking parking lot is the ideal place to practice robberies and car-jackings.
Astonishingly, very few Self-defence training programs present this in their curriculum.

Baby Sitting, Sloppy Jokes, Deceivers and Egos

Three Opinion’s  from various social media posts

 (A) 
For 43 years I have been training and teaching, the only money I made was to cover costs, but It
never actually did ever cover my costs. It seems the current day young student cannot  manage to train and dedicate themselves to much more than strapping a mobile phone to their hands and the adults do not have the time to commit to more than an hour a week.

Now  could water down my karate and call it something else and teach 5 year old children boxing
type moves,  loud shouting lots of game exercises to fill in the time, get the parents to sign up to a
year’s babysitting subscription, but we have standards and I won't drop them.
And yes there might be another club(s) doing all of the above, go to them go training with
them. If when asked what they are teaching, they might reply, it is mixed martial arts !!
This type of stuff, makes my karate all the more precious, because it’s thought out, researched principle and concept based honest training, in applied practical Karate .

 (B)
People searching for karate do not know the difference good and bad, right or wrong. They
are innocent. So the first karate that advertises well or knocks on their door they will join,
not knowing the difference.
If they are wise, they will first examine, what is being taught, investigate by asking people
who know about proper karate and then make a commitment. Sometimes people can be
gullible by a good sales talk.
Now in Australia we have 16 and 17 years old 3rd and 4th Dans taking classes. How is that
even possible? No wonder karate is becoming a sloppy joke with some really dreadful
reputations out there .

 (C)
We have two types of leaders in the karate world. The first type are the sincere teachers
doing their level best to teach the art. The others are karate instructors today who are either
(a) exploiters, (b) thieves, (c) deceivers, etc. who have no interest in the development of
students.
Their only interest is all ego based, money, fame, glory, and a whats in it for me, mentality. The
sincere ones will hold on, but they are hard to find, by those who want self-defense and life
skills lessons.