...and back to the animals, do you use snake crane and tiger in every move?

Hi Steve,

not a trick question but I know you place alot of importance in Sanchin and Tensho kata, these arn't Wado kata so I was hoping to understand where you worked them mainly, what teacher's lineage etc etc.

I realise Nathan Sensei has worked with you a while back, and your still good friends etc etc.

Be good to see your stuff one day, I will aim to make that happen.

Hi Jim

I learned it from Chris Rowen and Nathan Johnson, but most of my knowledge comes from Kung Fu and Tai Chi sources.

That's why I'm asking and posting my views.

How could I forget Chris Sensei and you are long term friends as well,

understood, as you may know I work out with one of Nathan Sensei students, and met/trained a little with Chris Sensei.

Both excellent at what they do IMO.

im guessing your sanchin and tensho are likely not to similair to the Goju that Chris Sennsei teaches in emphasis,

ie nearer what Nathan Sensei teaches (in the shape of the kata anyhow, I realise you have different thoughts on application etc etc).

My kata are now quite different from both Chris and Nathan.

You're just gonna have to visit Jim...

What I find with my fellow Goju Instructors the ones that have added Tai Chi or internal Kung fu to their studies have a different and more applicable method of training Chi, I'd venture to say that they train the internal aspect on a higher level.

Breathing is important to them but its done differently and more purposeful then in Goju. One fellow that trained with my Instructor and his Instructor and now versed in Tai Chi was able to help heal the woman in a elderly couple that the medical Doctors had gave two months to live.

I do a pretty good job at destroying but this healing and internal health I'm envious of most Tai Chi here is only health related most inform me I want the Yang or Chen version. Most of the Goju guys that have studied Tai Chi or rarer then that Pakua say that it opens their eyes to energies beyond of what they knew it shows the how to and when to. Most studied Tai Chi with with My Sensei's, Instructors and Chief assistance Master Hardy who has pasted away maybe 10 years ago. At the time I was too busy explorer the hands on or h2h application of dealing.

Sometimes I feel that Goju/Uechi has the path to the door but not the keys to unlock it.

Perhaps the problem isn't in the style...but in incomplete transmission?

That's why I think it's good to talk and share.

You might enjoy this article I wrote on the subject some time ago.... this one and another 60 articles I've written can be found here - http://www.shikon.com/Articles.htm

I love sanchin, a ‘core’ kata to many karate systems, it adds the qigong aspect, harmonising mind, breath and body. It consists of three sections gradually increasing the level of difficulty in physical co-ordination and breathing technique. In the first section you move one side at a time opening and closing one side of the body with a whole breath followed by a half breath (to prevent dizziness), in the second section you move opening and closing both sides of the body at the same time flexing the spine whilst taking deep breaths utilising the abdomen and opening and closing the chest and back; in the third section you apply the highest level of co-ordination with each side of the body moving independently of the other with the highest level of restrained and focused breathing.

All the time the body is holding the internal connections and pumping the internal energy….

“Soften guys….. soften…. You’re moving like a car with the handbrake stuck on… the tension is also limiting the amount of breath you can take in, sink the chest and open the back…”

“I thought I was…”

Sensei put his hand on John’s lumbar region, “you have to open all the back, your lower spine is seized, you need to be able to open here to ‘bow’ the entire spine and open the ming men to energise the kidneys – hold your posture but keep softening...”

John was obviously frustrated as he couldn’t do it… “It just won’t move!”

“The muscles are seized, it will take time for you make the necessary neurological connections and be able to soften and flex, but it will happen if you keep working at it.”

“Will this make a better ‘root’?”

“Yes it will.”

This made Bob pipe up. “I don’t understand this ‘root’ business Sensei, surely if we ‘root’ it will render us immobile?”

“That’s a common misconception Bob, it’s a part of a process that actually increases mobility, speed and power…”

“How can that be, surely to ‘root’ you have to be immobile?”

“What are the four ‘ideas’ in sanchin?”

“You mean to sink, float, swallow and spit?”

“That’s correct.”

“Why do we have to sink?”

“To give us our root?”

“We sink because it’s the nature of our internal energy to rise, that’s why we have to constantly push it downwards – and how do we do that?”

“By releasing the ankles, knees, hips, lower back and chest?”

“That’s right, we ‘soften up’ to allow our bodyweight to ‘sink’ into and be held by the muscles and tendons, we ‘swallow to bring our internal energy and awareness into our seiki tanden and then down into the feet, but what happens then?”

“Dunno….”

“It naturally ‘bounces’ upwards – we help that with the various ‘pumping’ actions of the body, this is all a very rapid process and allows us to ‘float’ and move with great lightness and agility, the faster and and more powerfully we can do this – the faster and easier we can move. Then what?”

We’ve sunk, swallowed and floated – so I guess we ‘spit’?”

“Exactly, with the internal connections ‘hard wired’ into the body by persistent, knowledgeable training, the energy is always there and available to be spat out to the opponent.”

“So the root is only a momentary part of the process?”

“That’s right, it’s linked to ‘sink’ and ‘swallow’ and is a part of grabbing, pulling, trapping, locking and dislocating and is immediately followed by and mixed with ‘spitting’ – but without this process, how can you be light, agile, mobile and powerful?”

“It certainly puts sanchin into a completely different light…”

“That’s because sanchin is the ‘core’ of all movement, these ideas should permeate all martial technique to make them more effective.”

“But sanchin stance is hardly a mobile stance is it?”

“It is if you do it properly, take the stance…….. okay, now pump as we discussed and lift the back heel to spiral and drive a punch…”

“Yea! I floated and spat! – That’s cool!”

“And if you had used the energy to slide the feet, you would have moved very easily.”

“At last, someone’s made sense of ‘root’ ‘float’ ‘swallow’ ‘sink’ and ‘spit’..”

“Put it into the other training in sanchin kata and you’ve got a powerful learning tool..”

“You can see why it’s the core kata in many systems.”

“Yeah in both Chinese and Japanese…. Sanchin is a good method of training the ideas but not the only way.”