Divulgo o evento, a pedido do Sensei Roberto Takeshi

I Torneio Sul Americano de karate Goju Ryu Seigokan

Será realizado na cidade de Foz de Iguaçú em 11 de Setembro de 2008

Sensei Takeshi fala na presença ainda a ser confirmada do Sensei Shinsaku Murata da Seigokan Japonesa.

Estamos estudando uma participação do Goju do RGS.

Os interessados, façam contato conosco.

Tendo interesse, comunique imediatamente...

Dia 05/7/2008 faremos uma reunião no nosso escritório, à tarde, durante a fundação do SIPLAM - SIndicato dos Profissionais de esportes de Luta e Artes Maciais do RGS, e vamos aproveitar para consolidar a idéia.

Estão todos convidados a participar, dia 5/7/2008, sábado, 14:30 horas

Escritório?

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Atenciosamente,

www.padilla.adv.br/karate/goju

                     " Para realizar grandes sonhos
                          Precisamos grandes sonhos... "

Following on from my recent post regarding the Go and Ju of hojo undo.  Here is a short video which shows some of the main exercises practiced within the Shinsokai using the various hojo undo tools.

I remember reading in a health magazine a few years back that energy levels for men are at their lowest around 1pm.  It's interesting to see how western and eastern ideas often compliment eachother.

In relation to Goju Ryu, it is rumoured that Miyagi Sensei would alter his way of training according to the time of day and the seasons, also training in different natural environments.  I wonder how influenced Miyagi Sensei was by Chinese theories such as the above phrase from the bubishi.

According to Taoist theory, the day is divided between Yin and Yang.  The day being Yang, and the night being Yin.  Yang energy begins to grow at dawn, becoming stronger and peaking at noon.  Yang energy then begins to subside and Yin energy begins to grow from around sunset, peaking at midnight.

The sun is considered to be Yang, and the moon considered to be Yin.

According to Qigong theories, practice should be divided equally between dawn, noon, sunset and midnight in order to get an equal balance between yin and yang energy.

It is my opinion that Sanchin is the moving Qigong of Goju Ryu and should be practiced at various times of the day in order to help nourish and energise the body and mind.

Maybe we have prepared for the training the day before, the next morning, we bring all the training bag and office apparels to our office. In the afternoon, suddenly the rain pours down heavily and make us thinking if the rain doesn't stop, we will not go for the training. Eventually one hour before training starts, it still drizzles outside, we want to go to the training, but in the other hand, our comfortable bed feels like a better choice in this cold weather. Or maybe the rain has stopped, but our body feels tired after working for the whole day. These examples show that training doesn't begin when we bow to the shomen, but it can even begin one day before, when we fold our gi and pack our obi inside our bag. Going for our training is always difficult for everyone, but we have to strive to attend the training. This is also karate training, a mental and spiritual one. I am really impressed with Goodin Sensei's article about a woman that is recovering from cancer but already very eager to resume her training. Hopefully I can always remember the story whenever my mind roams away from my training. please read the article here.

The benefits of Hojo Undo training are well documented, and contrary to what many believe, I don’t think that modern weight training comes even close to providing a way of exercising that is so specific to karate technique. The important thing to remember here is that the Hojo Undo are not intended to build large muscles. For this purpose modern training methods are undoubtedly much more effective. The purpose of Hojo Undo is to help the practitioner realise a ‘feeling’ for specific technique. The muscle building and conditioning element of hojo undo is, in my opinion, a welcome side effect of the training.

The various tools of Hojo Undo within the Goju Ryu system can be split into light items and heavy items. Regarding this I refer to each category as Ju and Go.

Within the Ju category we find exercises using the Chiishi and Ishi Sashi. The various exercises for these tools are mainly intended to develop the muscles and tendons around the joints of the wrists, elbows, and shoulders; all of the important muscles and joints concerned with supporting a punching or blocking arm.

Within the Go category we have the heavier tools such as the Tan, Kongoken, and Sashi Ishi. The exercises for these tools work toward strengthening the muscles and tendons in the back, chest and hips. The overall aim of the heavier equipment is to help the practitioner learn how to connect the limbs to the torso, creating that chain linking effect so that there are no weak links between the contact point of the arm, and the power generation area of the tanden and hips.

Finally we look toward connecting the limb, to the body, and then to the ground. We achieve this through use of the nigiri game, developing the feeling of having your weight pulled down through the body in one straight line, into the feet.

Simplified, the theory looks like this;

Ju - Contact point of limbs

Go - Connection from limb to torso

Nigiri Game connects the above unit to the feet and the ground, moving as one unit.

In my own personal training I try to keep an even balance between all three areas so that I do not create any weak links by overtraining one area. Each session I’ll choose one Ju tool and one Go tool, using nigiri game in between repetitions of kata to get a good feeling of connecting my body to the ground.

Sanchin Shime, makiwara and kakie practice give the practitioner an opportunity to feel the interaction of each area of the link, and to see where his weak areas lie.

Those who train from Miyazato Eiichi Sensei's line of teaching perform the bow by bringing the hands onto the front of the thighs.  From what I can see, this is unique to the Jundokan.  The reason for doing this, rather than holding the hands rigidly still at the sides as in most Japanese dojo, is that bringing the hands to the front is considered more humble.  It is a way of actively expressing courtesy through visible movement.

Although rei is something you hold inside, within your character, it is important that practitioners of karatedo express rei in their everyday actions.  In a world which is becoming more and more self-centered, karatedo can have value by instilling within its practitioners this sense of courtesy. 

Just like expressing rei in an obvious way through bringing the hands to the front of the thighs, rei must also be expressed through visible actions such as having good manners, being true to your word, and behaving respectfully toward other people. 

If practiced with this in mind karatedo can be judged on its value as a tool of personal development, rather than its mere physical acts which, if viewed on their own, have a questionable value in todays society.

Participaram do evento as seguintes equipes:

01- ASSOCIAÇÃO GOJUKAI SUL - VIAMÃO;

02- ABCEPAKES – ELDORADO DO SUL;

03- ACM – PORTO ALEGRE;

04- CIJZS – PORTO ALEGRE;

05- HACHIMAN – GRAVATAÍ;

06- CPIJ – PORTO ALEGRE;

07- CMPA – PORTO ALEGRE;

08- IPPON – SAPIRANGA;

09- KENSHUKAI – TRIUNFO;

10- TORA – PORTO ALEGRE.

O evento contou com a participação de 198 atletas, sendo 22 alunos da EMEF GETÚLIO VARGAS.

A equipe vencedora no geral é composta basicamente por alunos da EMEF Getúlio Vargas, que possui aulas de karate gratuitamente após o turno escolar, sendo estas aulas ministradas, desde 2006, pelo Professor de educação Física Altemar Sabino da Silva que é faixa preta 4º dan de Karate.
.
QUADRO GERAL DE MEDALHAS

1º LUGAR - ASSOCIAÇÃO GOJUKAI SUL DE KARATE
10 OURO, 15 PRATA, 11 BRONZE;

2º LUGAR - ASSOCIAÇÃO TORA
10 OURO, 5 PRATA, 6 BRONZE

3º LUGAR - CPIJ
9 OURO, 3 PRATA, 4 BRONZE;

4º LUGAR - CIJZS
6 OURO, 10 PRATA, 10 BRONZE;

5º LUGAR - ASSOCIAÇÃO HACHIMAN
4 OURO, 3 PRATA

6º LUGAR - CMPA
3 OURO, 6 PRATA, 1 BRONZE.

Last Saturday was Tomiyama Sensei's seminar. My expectation was high, due to his credentials and he is more or less a traditional karateka(although the term 'traditional karate' is of course debatable). I was certainly not dissapointed. He is a true traditionalist, at least in my own view. The seminar was about sanchin kata. He covered body mechanics, alignments, techniques and also breathing. There's some minor differences compared to IOGKF's sanchin, but the principle concepts is very much the same. He also gave us an unexpected bonus near the end. I was raising a question about Naihanchi kata role in his organization. He told us that it is also the core kata in Kofukan as Sanchin is. His Naihanchi doesn't have emphasis on the koshi movement, but swift, explosive and rooting. When I asked for him to elaborate more, he actually gave us a bonus by demonstrating the kata. I can only say that it was a great demonstration. Anyone seeing the kata will shiver and think twice to challenge him to fight. It was a practical kata that can be used for fighting, not a posing kata that looks beautiful but can't be used to fight. In the end, it was a thirst quencher that makes me even more thirsty of karate training.

There are many stories relating to how Miyagi Chojun sensei would assess the character of potential students by having them perform menial tasks such as weeding the training area, removing small stones, even moving larger stones to sweep underneath them before placing them back in exactly the same spot!  All the while Miyagi Sensei would be watching the student closely, assessing their patience and temper.

In China they say that it takes three years for a teacher to truly see whether a student can be trusted.  I wonder how this relates to the stories of learning nothing but sanchin for three years?  Anyway, I'm drifting off subject again so we'll return to that thought later....

About 6 years ago I went to stay with my sensei for a while, training in the morning and evening, and helping with the building work during the afternoons.  One day sensei had me help build a staircase leading onto the roof of his garage, which would later become his practice area for kata.  The staircase, he told me, had to be larger at the bottom, and gradually taper to become smaller at the top.  This caused a number of problems for me as building is not exactly my forte, and he was very strict in that the angle of each individual step had to be exact.  Nearly right wasn't enough, it had to be spot on!  In fact there was no difference in his approach to building or karatedo, if you were going to do either, you had to do it correctly or you had may as well not bother.  Just when I thought I'd got it about right, sensei would appear with a tape measure and tell me to change it slightly as the angle was a little off.  Although the difference couldn't even be seen with the naked eye, and the staircase was hidden around the side of the house where nobody would ever notice them, they had to be perfect!

I was about halfway through when sensei came wondering out from the house to check on my progress, again with his critical eye and a tape measure.  After checking my current step and telling me to change it slightly he asked me if I knew what the steps were for.  I replied knowlingly that they were to lead up to the top of the garage.  Sensei then said, but why big to small?

I began muttering some nonsense about how you begin your training by learning lots and as time goes on, you learn less and work on improving what you've got........to which sensei responded, as he often does, by slowly shaking his head and looking at me as though I'd just turned up at a funeral dressed as a clown!

Sensei then told me about how Miyazato Eiichi sensei would say when you are teaching a beginner you must have them make every movement big, exaggerating the full range of movement for each technique.  As the beginner progreses, you then start to make the movements smaller, bringing them back closer to their correct proportions.  This continues throughout your whole lifetime of training as you further refine and chip away at your karatedo.  It's much easier to make a big movement smaller, but if a student gets into the habit of making all of their movements small, it can be very difficult to break this habit.

It's human nature to try to shortcut, so if you teach the beginner a small refined movement, they will shortcut this and the true nature of the technique will be lost over time as the student becomes teacher and passes on their corrupted version of the technique to their own students who further corrupt it.

The staircase at my sensei's dojo serves as a tangible reminder that the treasure of karatedo needs to be preserved and passed on with great care.  If we do not correct out own individual faults, these same faults will be passed on and in time will come to be seen by later generations as the correct way, damaging the integrity of the art forever.

Whenever I look at that staircase now I am reminded of the path of budo.  Although that particular staircase finishes at the roof of sensei's garage, the staircase I picture in my mind continues to stretch on into the distance, further than the eye can see. 

The path is endless...

The first session of the weekend consisted of going over the finer points of the strikes, blocks and stances of Goju Ryu.  The circular nature of the blocks was discussed in detail, which was then followed by stationary sandan gi renshu.  The intensity was gradually increased and the drill then flowed into how the use of kamae can limit the target areas available to the opponent.  With the uke then assuming chudan no kamae, the tori's attacks were forced into being either jodan or gedan.  Time was spent around reacting to the opponents random attacks at multiple levels, and it became apparent that the circular nature of the blocks allowed for a variety of defensive blocks and parries to blend with the opponents attacks.  This led nicely into kakie practice where practitioners were then encouraged to lead their partners balance through the use of timing and subtle changes of pressure.  The whole time we were encouraged to look for the relationship between sandan gi, kakie, sanchin and bunkai.  It is through the correct blending of the various principles that each exercise employs that we are able to better understand the system of Goju Ryu.

Following this we moved onto the practice of Sanchin kata with Barrett Sensei discussing some of the advanced ideas behind the kata.

After a break for lunch we resumed with the classical kata of Goju Ryu, with each person demonstrating a kata of their choice which was then discussed in detail.  Bunkai practice followed with each person demonstrating various bunkai from their earlier chosen kata.  The bunkai was then discussed with much attention being paid to the principles and tactics employed in the Goju Ryu system, and how the bunkai should not deviate from these basic truths.

Day 2 began resumed with kata practice and the 2-person Gekisai kumite.  Topics such as maai, hyoshi, kazushi, mushin, zanshin, yoi and rei and their relationship to kata were discussed.  The remaining classical kata of the Goju Ryu were practiced and refined, and the day was brought to a close with hojo undo training and Sanchin kata.

I'm sure that all those who attended were able to come away with a lot to think about, and a better understanding of their art.  Our sincere thanks go to Richard Barrett Sensei.

The Shinsokai Gasshuku occur twice a year in April and October to coincide with the birth and death dates of Miyagi Chojun Sensei.  As a small group of practitioners we are committed to preserving and researching the teachings of Miyagi Chojun Sensei as passed on by Miyazato Eiichi Sensei.

Para empezar, vídeos de katas de Shotokan Karate para los principiantes.

It is largely due to McCarthy Sensei's influence that I chose the path which I am travelling, having first read his translation of the Bubishi as a 15 year old boy.  It was reading the bubishi that strengthened my resolve to move away from the norm of militaristic group based training sessions revolving around repetitions of kihon waza, and begin looking towards the more authentic Okinawan schools.  Still being very young and unable to yet drive, I began reading more and more about the older methods of karatedo which were popular before the spread of a more Japanese influenced sport.  The system which interested me most was the Goju Ryu, and as soon as I was able to drive, I sought out Richard Barrett Sensei who has tried his best to guide me along the right path ever since. 

To supplementmy training and interest in the history and development of the art, I became a member of the International Ryukyu Research Society, headed by McCarthy Sensei.  This has always been an excellent source of knowledge for me, and has greatly assisted me with my studies of Goju Ryu.

Anyway, enough going on about it.  Suffice to say that McCarthy Sensei has been a big help to me over the years and I was eagerly awaiting meeting him in person again after so long.

After bowing in, McCarthy Sensei began the session by delivering a lecture on how the inflexible ideology of Japanese culture around the time of karate's introduction to the mainland affected its subsequent practice and evolution from a jutsu into a do discipline.  In order to be accepted on the mainland,karate was required to adopt a standard training uniform, the kyu / dan ranking system, the changing of the kanji from to to kara, and to develop a means where practitioners could test their spirit by means of competition.  This would ultimately bring karate n line with arts such as judo and kendo where young men would develop their bodies and spirit with the aim of creating assets for the Japanese military.  This whole series of events would ultimately dictate the path which karatedo would travel over the coming years, moving away from its roots as a form of civilian self defence, to become more a form of physical fitness practiced in a militaristic manner with a do not ask questions attitude.

For karatedo to further develop as an art, and to understand the past from which it came from, it is important that practitioners continue to research throughout the entirety of their training.  It is only through the practice of bun bu ryo do (the combined study of the physical and the scholarly) that we can begin to understand the purpose of training in karatedo.

Following this lecture, McCarthy Sensei began to teach some of his two-person uke waza routine.  This was very similar in practice to the static sandan giexersise of the Goju Ryu, with the addition of arm bar techniques, counters, and responses to grabs and hook punches. 

After a short break for lunch, training resumed with a series of techniques taken from the Pinan kata developed by Itosu Ankoh Sensei.  This appeared to be warmly received by the predominantly Shotokan based attendees, and it was interesting to see McCarthy Sensei's interpretation of moves from these kata.  An application which amused me greatly was for the posture in pinan sandan where you stand with the feet held together, and your fists resting on your hips.  I remember as a kid when I learnt this kata, this posture was explained to me as 'you've just beaten a gang of attackers, now you stand with your hands on your hips in a position of arrogence'!  Seriously!  McCarthy Sensei's arm bar application for this posture made more sense for me....

Once the seminar had finished I had a chance to speak with McCarthy Sensei and was lucky enough to be shown some of his ideas around the applications for the Tensho / Rokkishu movements.  Very interesting stuff, and I hope that I'll have the chance to spend more time in the future picking his brains on that topic. 

With just enough time left to get my treasured copy of the bubishi signed by McCarthy Sensei, I said my goodbyes and returned home to reflect on a very productive and inspirational day of training.

Training in karatedo has always had a calming effect on my somewhat naturally aggressive nature, helping me to realise this flaw in myself and giving me a tool that I can use to try to fix this problem.

A few years ago I spent some time practising MMA, as well as having a number of boxing bouts.  Whilst this did a lot for my development regarding the practicality of my training, I found that my character changed significantly due to my focus on defeating my opponent.  Becoming soley concerned with this goal, my aggression began to affect other areas of my life in a negative manner.

All of this was happening of course without me even realising, and it wasn't until I came away from that particular arena and spent some time thinking that I realised how far from the correct path I had drifted.

When I was in my early teens I was inspired greatly by an interview with Toguchi Sensei who mentioned about how the people of Naha would refer to Miyagi Chojun Sensei as a bushi.  The term bushi in Okinawa differs in meaning from that on the Japanese mainland in that in Okinawa, a bushi is expected to be more than a mere warrior.

A bushi is expected to display courtesy and humility at all times, remaining true to his principles and having the courage to stand alone and do what's right.  A bushi in Okinawa was respected for his qualities as a person, more so then his physical abilities.

For karatedo to have value it is these very attributes that we should be seeking to develop and popularise so that karatedo can be of benefit to a modern society.  An empty art of punching and kicking, geared for sport, lacking in practicality and deficient in personal challenge has no use. 

The original style was Goju-Ryu, and the first instructor was none other than Chojun Miyagi Sensei himself!! As I also practicing Goju-Ryu, of course I felt very excited. But I got even more excited to read that after that Kenwa Mabuni Sensei was instructing at the club after Miyagi Sensei returned to Okinawa, and furthermore, he was teaching Goju-Ryu, not Shito-Ryu!! That means Goju-Ryu influence should be strong in Tani-ha Shito-Ryu, and once more, it proves to me that the Chojun Miyagi Sensei and Kenwa Mabuni Sensei was a very close friend. The two founders of the styles that I’m currently practicing were on a very good term.

But sadly, nowadays, people doesn’t really share their knowledge as extensive as before. Nowadays a lot of people only care about power and playing politics. It’s very sad actually. People should strive to gain knowledge and improve their karate through training, either by him/herself, by the guidance of his/her senseis or senpais, by sharing of knowledge with other practicioners, and by learning from others also. Anyway, I’m happy that my current dojo is actually open to learn from other people/styles. I can’t wait to attend the seminar in May and learn from Tomiyama Sensei.

Enjoy this articles about Tomiyama Sensei and Kofukan:

Kazokukai website - Interview

Shuriway  website - Hara to Koshi

OSI Karate website - Kofukan History

Sanchin achieves this by;

Developing good posture

Promoting deep breathing using the diaphragm

Generating good blood circulation and increases oxygen levels to the blood and brain

Exercising and invigorating the nerves, muscles, tendons and respiratory system

Lifting and massaging the internal organs and digestive system

Working to promote a clam state of mind

In order to do this, one must not use too much tension, force the breathing, or perform the movements too fast. 

I'm not sure why it never occured to me before that Higaonna Sensei's tomb existed?  I've never heard it mentioned anywhere else before this, so I guess I assumed that it had been destroyed during the war and lost.

Now that I know it exists I hope that one day I might be able to visit Kanryo Sensei's tomb to pay my respects and thank him for his hard work in promoting the art of Nahate.