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Events, Activities & Seminars
SummerFest 2005
Save $25! Early registrations ends June
25th. IUKF "paid-up" members
receive an additional 10% discount!
Click here to
register on our secure store server.
This year's SummerFest "collectible" t-
shirt is absolutely beautiful and are
only available (free) to those who register before July
1st.
I'm working on the camp schedule and will be
publishing it on the SummerFest
site early in July. This promises to be one of the best
camps ever. Don't miss
it!
Join IUKF today!
IUKF Board of Directors' Chairman Dr. Paul
Haydu and his team are
doing a fantastic job building the federation's
membership and creating interest
in the many projects IUKF has created. All members
are invited to participate in
on-line conferences and seminars, private members-
only forums and additionally,
enjoy the discounts on products and IUKF activities,
like SummerFest, Cruises
and 2006 trip to China! Click
here to receive your free membership kit!
4th New England Junior Championships!
You know. . . I
believe we are getting better at
running this Junior Tournament series.
Most importantly, we are
listening to the competitors, the parents and the
dojo owners who have been
supporting the series and making sure that mistakes
are not repeated.
The Fourth Series will be starting soon. Although
we had a record number of
dojo involved in the third series, there still are a lot
of "holdouts" who for
one reason or other, refuse to either support the
series or encourage their
junior students to participate.
If you are one of those "holdouts",
please reconsider and "get involved"!
Your junior students will benefit from the experience
of competing in an open
format; your dojo will benefit from the excitement of
building a competition
team and believe it or not, you will enjoy watching
your team compete. As your
team improves and as they earn more medals and
trophies, you too will understand
why the series can be an important motivational
factor in your dojo.
One of the many changes that will be
implemented this year will be the use of
"Team Officials". (Discussed in an earlier
Eastern Arts Newsletter) Please
contact Len
Testa to learn how your
dojo can become part of this "team"
training. Oh yes. . . You adult students
will enjoy the benefits involved in being part of this
team. Consider having a
Competition Team workout every week, where your
adults work on their judging
skills as the kids learn and practice their fighting,
kata, weapons and demo
skills!
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Dear Archive Readers,
In my last newsletter I described an experiment
that I hoped would validate
what I had learned from Kanei Uechi and Ryuko
Tomoyose involving Sanchin
breathing and Uechi-ryu breathing. Although I felt
comfortable with what I was
doing and teaching, there was a part of me that
questioned the validity and
effectiveness of the training, based on what some of
my colleagues and
associates were saying on the forums.
On the second "thread" in Van
Canna's Self Defense Realities Forum,
after eleven pages of posts, all the posters agreed
that what I was teaching was
OK or had merit and although new and different,
warranted further evaluation and
testing.
Needless to say, this consensus of opinion on
such a volatile subject has
been a huge breakthrough for a subject that up until
now, saw few Uechi
practitioners agreeing on anything. Conceding that
there is something called "Sanchin
Breathing" which teaches a repeating
breathing method and when used during
"stressed" effort, enables the student to
draw on and use in a "natural" manner
(Uechi breathing) a variation of the Sanchin
Breathing. (Which often is very
similar to more recognized and recommended
breathing methods. WHEW. . .)
Ok, one Uechi target eliminated. Now. . . If we
could only find someone to
defend the old and venerable "cooperative
drills"!!! :)
And as though "Doctor (MD) to
be", Greg Postal read my mind, in the
mail today I received the today's featured article,
Uechi-Ryu Yakusoku Kumite As
A Self Defense Training
Progression
I hope you enjoy the article as much as I did. If
you wish to communicate
with Greg and continue the discussion of the
"cooperative" drills, please visit
Bill Glasheen's Forum
and "get involved"!
George E. Mattson
Why "Cooperative" Drills!!!
Uechi-Ryu Yakusoku Kumite As
A Self Defense Training
Progression
The yakusoku
kumite of Uechi-Ryu, Kyu Kumite
and Dan Kumite, were developed with the goal
of training students in such
essential skills as ma'ai, tai sabaki, hyoshi and
uke waza
(distancing, body movement, timing and reception
techniques respectively).
In recent years, these drills
have been increasingly
criticized by some proponents of "realistic
training" as being stilted and
worthless for developing an efficacious skill set for
self defense. This point
is well taken, especially in regard to those
uechika who continue to
practice these sets in precisely the way they initially
learned them: as
halting, staccato movements with a uniform pacing
throughout. This error is
compounded by those yudansha who practice
both kumite at what they feel
to be black-belt level by simply increasing the speed
and/or force of the
movements while retaining the same training
methodology they used as white
belts. The problem with this approach is the
possibility that these individuals
are fooling themselves (and in some cases their
students) into believing that by
practicing this way they are coming closer to reality
and therefore better
preparing themselves for "street self-
defense."
This raises the question: if
there are so many dojo
utilizing these training methods in arguably backward
and counterproductive
ways, why not eliminate these drills entirely? In fact,
many dojo have done just
that, most frequently advocating substitution by
jiyu kumite as a method
of teaching the same skills that Dan Kumite and Kyu
Kumite claim to teach. The
benefits and drawbacks of jiyu kumite have been
much debated elsewhere and I
will not discuss them here, except to point out that
it is often extraordinarily
difficult to address specific training goals utilizing jiyu
kumite. Many dojo
recognize this and will add short drills designed to
teach techniques or
inculcate principles which later can be employed in
sparring, or in self defense
situations. Though they may differ markedly from Kyu
Kumite as practiced in that
same dojo, these mini-drills are frequently not much
different in composition
from sequences in the yakusoku kumite. In short, I
would argue that the reasons
for continuing to practice yakusoku kumite are
twofold: first, if properly
utilized, they can in fact serve as valuable training
tools; second, they are
familiar in some form to Uechi students everywhere,
and can thus form a common
"language" which allows students from
different dojo to train together.
Some of the best models of
alternative training methodology
for yakusoku kumite can be found in the Filipino
martial arts. Due to a variety
of cultural and economic factors, these martial arts
are, on the whole,
generations closer to the reality of fighting than are
the Chinese/Japanese arts
on which Uechi-Ryu is based. In the traditional
Filipino arts, one needs only to
look back a generation or so to find an instructor
who was involved in challenge
matches where victory and defeat were
demonstrably clear. Leaving aside any
moral implications of these practices, the pragmatic
result was a culling of
those techniques and training that left an
escrimador the loser. It is
therefore instructive to look at these training
methodologies when
reality-focused training is a primary goal. Like
yakusoku kumite, the attacks
and defenses are prearranged and well known to
both students. A common example
of this is sumbrada sometimes termed a
"rolling pattern," some version of
which is utilized in many Filipino styles, notably
Cabales's Serrada Escrima.
The Filipino model yields good results because the
pattern is utilized as part
of a training progression rather than
remaining a static exercise. Any
successful training progression must help develop the
necessary basic tools in a
beginner and then allow the more advanced student
to bridge the gap between
drill and reality. In contrast to the
"traditional" advanced way of practicing
Dan Kumite and Kyu Kumite - moving faster and more
forcefully without changing
anything else - the advantage of the Filipino model is
the development of
considerable fluidity (readily apparent to anyone who
has seen skilled
escrimadors "playing") while training
within a set pattern. Nevertheless, there
are also students of the Filipino arts who are
tremendously fast and strong when
they "roll," but who will be hit
consistently when faced with an opponent who
departs from the pattern. If a student skips too
many steps in his/her mad dash
on the road to reality in any martial arts practice,
the building blocks are
weak and will not hold up under the barrage of even
a moderately skilled
opponent determined to inflict damage. At the same
time, if one keeps hammering
away at the same basic drills ad infinitum
without adapting them to meet
more advanced training needs, one merely becomes
an accomplished beginner
regardless of what rank one holds.
As long as the concepts
discussed above remain paramount, any
prearranged drill (e.g. Dan Kumite, or the various
Yakusoku Kumite of other
Uechi organizations) can become the foundation for a
successful training
progression. The following example using Kyu Kumite
is representative of the
program I use with my students. The steps below are
arranged in roughly the
order in which I introduce them, but can also be
mixed and matched to work on
the development and/or sharpening of specific skills.
In each step, changes
introduced in previous iterations can be retained
while incorporating new
aspects into the drill, or students can return to the
more traditional version
with only the newest variable added. Initially, of
course, students start off
simply learning the basic sequences and performing
them in typical "white belt"
Kyu Kumite fashion: attacks aimed at non vital
targets (e.g. sternum) for
safety; one move per count; slow unfocused
attacks. As students demonstrate
basic competence, speed and focus of attacks
should be increased, though attacks
are still delivered singly with a count for each attack.
Students should be
encouraged even at this level to practice in a fairly
realistic fashion within
the confines of the basic sequences and strikes
should land if the defense
(i.e., ma'ai, tai sabaki and uke waza) is not sound.
After students have
achieved this basic level of competence in the drill,
any of the variations
enumerated below can begin to be added:
(attacker) should now direct attacks at more
vital targets such as face, solar
plexus, and groin. Returning to
non-vital targets for a brief time
as each new segment of the training
progression is added may be
advisable for safety.
Same as
A, but now uke launches attacks
at variable times after the count.
Attention should be paid to ensure tori isn't
anticipating the
attack by moving or blocking early. Uke
should be discouraged from
making a game of this segment by
"faking" the
attack.
An entire
sequence (e.g. the first half of #1) is
performed in one direction after
each count; uke performs all attacks,
and then becomes tori on the
next count.
Same as
C, but uke should attempt to
attack fluidly with no breaks in
the attack other than those forced by
tori (e.g. when tori has trapped
uke's side kick in #4). At this point,
it will be necessary for tori to
adapt traditional uke waza and tai
sabaki toward "what
works." Also by this stage uke's punches should
be
launched from sanchin kamae with
no chambering, and should return to
sanchin immediately after full
extension.
Tori adds a
takedown or restraining technique at the
end of each sequence.
No count. It
may be advisable to reintroduce a count
as new aspects are introduced to
the drill to allow controlled learning.
No count
and should be performed with one partner as
uke all the way through (i.e. #1
through #5), with the goal of
"chaining" together all
the attacks in one direction. Some sequences may
need to be altered slightly to
accomplish this.
Tori may try
to interrupt uke and counterattack before
what is traditionally
the last attack in that sequence.
As in
H, but after tori successfully
interrupts the attack, s/he
immediately begins attacking with another
one of the sequences (thus
becoming uke).
Sequences
performed singly but uke may attack with
any sequence s/he
chooses.
Tori starts in
sanchin kamae, uke starts the
attack from a neutral stance with
hands at his/her sides.
Both uke
and tori start in a neutral stance with
hands at sides.
Uke may
"break the pattern" for one move at a
time,
adding one attack drawn from
elsewhere in the drill but should then
complete the sequence that s/he
initially began.
Uke can
begin with one sequence and end with
another.
Uke may
attack with a random mix of 2-3 techniques -
all of which should be from Kyu
Kumite.
Uke may
change the attacks in the kumite to more
"realistic" ones.
Examples could include hook punches instead of
straight punches in #1, varying
the angle of attack for the club attack
in #4, substituting a low round
kick in #5, etc. This will necessitate
tori changing some of the uke
waza, some of which will not work for
specific attack variations.
Two or more
attackers (as in kanshiwa bunkai),
each of whom attacks with a
different sequence. Of primary importance is
that tori remain aware of all of
the attackers. To that end, s/he may
need to alter the tai sabaki or
ma'ai, and should ideally try to use the
uke against one another.
Although the various aspects of
the drills above can be
introduced in a different order depending on the
needs of particular students,
the direction of the training progression should
proceed in a way that takes
into consideration both safety and skill development.
To this end it is useful
to balance the concepts of risk and predictability as
aspects of the progression
are introduced. As students progress in their training,
either risk can be
increased or predictability can be reduced, but care
should be taken not to
change both parameters at once.
The concept of maintaining
correct structure when in the role
of tori is crucial to this entire process. One should
not make the mistake of
interpreting this as an injunction to perform these
drills as if they were
kata, but rather to ensure that the techniques
within the drill are being
performed correctly regardless of which thematic
aspect of the drill is being
emphasized at the moment. Although the execution
of the technique may not appear
smooth or pretty, especially when uke is throwing
multiple attacks in quick
succession, the true test is one of efficacy. For
example, assuming that the
attacks are being performed honestly - i.e. with the
intent of landing the
strike - it should be rapidly apparent whether or not
the uke waza has been
performed correctly.
I have attempted to outline
above what I consider to be the
essential elements of any yakusoku drill which has
self defense skill
optimization as its goal. Given the limitations of the
print medium, some of
this may not be as clear as I would like. Please feel
free to contact me with
questions or comments.
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New Website Feature!
Eastern Arts Review!
Martial Art Book Publishers send me
one or two books a month for
review. I try to read the ones I have an interest in,
like David Finkelstein's "Greater
Nowheres" and Evan Pantazi's
"Kyushu" books, but end
up
giving the others away or having them end up in a
mountainous pile of "to do"
projects. While attempting to complete Kenji Tokisu's
new book on Miyamoto
Musashi, His Life and Writings, that included a new
translation of the Book of
Five Rings, my good friend Dr. J.D. Morenski
wrote, telling me about a new Musashi book he had
just purchased, called
"The
Lone Samurai: the Life of Miyamoto
Musashi".
by William Scott
Wilson.
J.D.
and I began to discuss the
possibilities of collaborating on a review of both
books, which sound like a
great idea. As I thought about the possibilities, I
thought that the timing was
perfect for the creation of an actual feature on our
site, where reviews of
anything interesting to our readers, might be
published. I asked J.D. if he
would take on the project as our editor and after a
few weeks of back and forth
discussion, he accepted.
Because of other projects, I
was unable to complete my Musashi review, but J.D.
did complete his and used it
for the "featured" review in the premier
issue of
Eastern Arts
Review.
Although our Eastern Arts
website is primarily focused on martial art topics, our
readers are very
intelligent, multi faceted individuals who have wide
spread interest in a many
sports, activities and products. So, even though
most of our reviews will
probably be on books, don't be surprised if Bill
Glasheen and Rich Castanet
decide to write reviews about the latest
"muscle" car or in Bill's case, a
"hybred"
three wheel vehicle, capable of going from zero to
sixty in 30 minutes and able
to run on potato skins; or a Van Canna review
on his latest acquision of a
Uzi machine gun or flesh colored throwing knife, able
to be concealed in one's
thinning and greying hair! :)
And
don't expect all reviews to
be mushy and complimentary. Most of you will
remember J.D. on the forums, where
his caustic humor and "tell it like it is"
attitude, riled more than one reader
and a few moderators. I expect this feature to be
one of our most popular within
a short time. J.D. has included a link a
"guidelines" link for anyone interested
in sending in a review or who would like to become
part of his team.
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