All about martial arts training and how it affects the way I lead my life: martial arts as personal development. You'll find tips on all aspects of martial arts training such as techniques, fitness, philosophy and history.
Shorinji Kempo | Tang Soo Do | Iaido
Well they said it was withdrawn because it was deemed racist, but I say it just looks plain freaky!
Check out the banned video here:
Interestingly it features a Bruce Lee yellow leotard clad lady passively resisting a practitioner of a Chinese chuan fa, a Brazilian capoerist and a kalaripayattu master. (ref. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17276838)
Don't know what kalaripayattu is?
Check out….
And if you're not at all au fait with Indian martial arts you should also check out the following BBC article about 'Shastar Vidya' (thanks LQ) or the Indian Sikh 'dying martial art'.
Whilst watching a video recently I was prompted to revisit a theme I've pondered on in the past: the relationship between dance and martial arts.
Funakoshi said about karate, "No matter how much time you devote to practice, no matter how many months and years pass, if your practice consists of no more than moving your arms and legs, you might as well be studying a dance. You will never come to know the true meaning karate". He was effectively saying that karate had an additional motive to simple body movement and that is application within conflict.
I'm not trying to equate dance with martial arts performance but I am intrigued by its sometimes balletic movements. Do we use dance or rhythmic movement within martial application? Particularly, of course, in randori.
Rhythm can be seen often in martial applications but mostly we aim to break the rhythm of opponents and many karateka would blanch at the idea that I'm proposing that these two disciplines could be related, or perhaps intertwined.
My interest was raised when I first heard of fencing being the direct ancestor of ballet. Fencing moves were practised in single form (like kata) when fighting was not convenient and they were ultimately set to music and performed in court for purely artistic reasons. Fencing is now divorced from ballet just as karate is from modern dance but the expression of one's body movements within a framework is, of course, a common theme.
Dance does not have any attacking or fighting principles: it's an artistic expression. Can it be fair to say that martial arts training leads to an expression of intent through the body? Or even that we simply use rhythmic movement in order to achieve martial principles.
Check out the following video. Although this seems like randori, I admit it may be a drill sequence and the dance-like quality could be deliberately manufactured.
Taekkyun (or Important Intangible Cultural Asset No.76) is a Korean martial art with distinct dance-like qualities. Not the smashing of feet into partners' heads but the initial preamble of a bout which seems similar to the Capoeria 'Jinga'. In the following video this is clearly demonstrated. Not sure that the cheesey pop music is obligatory though).
Furthermore, Dr Dae Yung speaking in the BBC 3 series, Mind, Body and Kickass moves clearly states that Taekkyun's movements are based on traditional dance. He says, "Also, Korean dancing move like this. Move like dancing" (showing the Taekkyun formal footwork). He goes on to explain that this happy type of movement also helps his mental state rendering him happy when he fights!
The following is, however, purely dance (amazing gymnastic dance albeit) and as far as I can see not related to martial arts but for the fact that it mimics certain martial formulas (blocks, kicks and punches). Even though these techniques are performed with speed and flexibility, I doubt the accuracy and power. Certainly the intention is not to show fighting skill but dancing (body movement, no martial intent) and choreography.
Maybe one last thing to mention when thinking about the relationship of dance with karate is randori. Randori can of course be chaotic, but at its simplest isn't it locking onto another beings rhythm in an attempt to disrupt it? The best randori I ever have is with an opponent who can feel my rhythm of movement and whose rhythm I 'get' immediately. Although this makes for tough randori (in order to point score) it means there is a connection of the two fighters. The most unconvincing of randori consists of when I feel the other person is jittery, or ungrounded and certainly not flowing (or when I get knocked on my *rse). This doesn't mean it is wrong, just not as 'easy' for me to tap into.
The closest I could possibly put forward as an example of connection of adversaries through conflict is pushing hands in Tai Chi. This is essentially a flowing action to feel the opponent's energy/physical state and to take opportunities in weaknesses therein to imbalance it. It's not dance at all but there is a connection of rhythm in the practitioners and a sense of feeling the sensitivities of the opponent in order to effect a change.
Dance is defined by wikipedia as: "An art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.
Dance may also be regarded as a form of nonverbal communication between humans, and is also performed by other animals (bee dance, patterns of behaviour such as a mating dance)."
Fun in the sun with the capoeira team. They always seem smiley and enjoying themselves as they sing, play music, dance and spar. Led by Pedro Albuquerque:
as I pulled up at the Parklands leisure centre, Leicester, I realised the MAF-UK was going to be quite a big festival! There was a shuttle bus laid from the car park (which I had to pay another fiver for!) but it was well organised and ran smoothly so we were at the door soon after. Not sure what to expect I scanned the programme which seemed crammed! Two outdoor demo areas and one inside as well as two indoor seminar rooms meant there was plenty to see (although the indoor demo area was extremely impractical and you didn't get to see much!).
It seemed a fairly nice atmosphere but there were plenty of guys strutting around looking like they'd had a ramrod inserted up their backs and that they were incapable of walking without swinging their shoulders forward outrageously. Strut, strut, strut. But this was, I'm glad to say, in the minority.
I made my way straight to the main hall and had only had made 5 steps in when I got chatting to a guy who was promoting his sensei and club: Wayne Swietoslawski of Waskido Ryu Ju Jitsu who was eager to tell me about his art. I took to Wayne and we got chatting about canes so he led me off to a seminar by canemasters: a self-defence programme based on walking canes.
Following this I went straight to a Krav Maga seminar which focused on effective self-defence tools. this system struck me (unsurprisingly) similar to Systema but I guess experienced practitioners of either may disagree. Fundamentally it's quite a flexible and 'free' system with key principles underpinning different scenarios. We worked on stopping the attack early and ground work. As well as scanning for other opponents-very useful I thought.
Back in the main hall I bought my pair of Feivue's which I've been after for some time and saw Iain Abernethy on a stand! After I heard from his accent that he was a Northerner I had to stop and chat. What a friendly guy and although I didn't buy anything from him he still had time to chat with me about what he's up to, his dojo, Harry Cooke and the meaning of life. Great interlude to the day's seminars...
I strolled out into the sun to the outdoor arenas and watched capoeira, iai demo with some tameshigiri and finished the day by watching the krav maga demo.
A full day but I managed to have a cuppa in the sun and take lots of cool photos and meet some good folk. I'll document some of these things in more detail soon once I've downloaded photos and sorted them:
Last night I was struck how little of interest is on telly these days. Granted I don't watch a lot of tv (I have two young kids!) but a couple of times a week I want to sit down for an hour after all the chores are done and absorb something. As I said-nothing doing on tv so I rooted around and found a DVD about martial arts I'd forgotten I had! Smashing-beer and martial arts documentary...
The blurb on Deadly Arts (it was first shown on National Geographic) says:
"A martial artist with over 25 years of experience, black belt Josette D. Normandeau sets out to uncover the history and culture of six martial arts. At the same time she will train under each art’s top masters… to the very limits of her endurance and ability. Her goal: to win what the masters possess: a touch of invincibility"
Hmmm. I won't be too disparaging. If you can't say something nice...!
So what did I see in capoeira? an immense amount of focus and control. What seems to me as a dance interspersed with kicks is much more aimed at a flow back and forth of energy between the players. There is definitely an aim to trick the opponent and 'win' but there also seems an implicit rule of respect and 'conversation' within the fight. Each player gives and takes taking care not to crush the other's techniques but allowing free movement and expression. It doesn't seem to me that the players want to oppose their will or their crushing force onto each other but there is a level of playful deceit too: all done with a smile.
Following is a clip of the show with some controlled 'sparring':
This brings me to my frustration with my recent randori session: there are many (unofficial) levels of randori ranging from non-contact learning skills, to competitive point scoring or even full contact. At the more sedate end of skill learning in free sparring there needs to be this sort of precision and mutual respect. At that level it certainly is more of a conversation! Give and take is essential. Unfortunately it doesn't gel sometimes. Your opponent and you end up striking mid technique, neither gets into the swing of the conversation and you tend to stifle each others techniques. It becomes difficult and staid. When this happens I try and slow it all the way down and highlight each technique or string of techniques that I'm making-this way there's more a chance of a flow to develop. Sometimes junior grades go at it full pelt, thrashing away at you. Everyone wants a piece of the black belts. But I just don't think this is so constructive at an early stage of randori development. Slow and steady then building up the speed makes for solidand more accurate fighting. When this is achieved you can then vary the pace according to the situation.
Much like the player in the clip above sparring can be intensely accurate and controlled in slow motion, stretching and reaching for the opponent in an unrushed and mutual way.
