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Wastelander
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Naihanchi Shodan Opening Sequence Padwork Drill

Hello everyone,

This is our last Waza Wednesday for 2015! In it, we take a look at the opening sequence of Naihanchi Shodan, and how to apply it as a padwork drill. We are looking at the movements from the kata from a ballistic perspective for this drill, but of course there are many other ways to apply them. This is simply one drill you can use to work with some of the strikes that can be found in Naihanchi.

Mark B
Mark B's picture

That's quite a nice exercise, very similar to many I teach myself. My only question would be - if you're demonstrating an impact drill where is the impact? Every strike should have the potential to end the situation right there. The first strike to what would be the carotid sinus should be with maximum intention and venom. On the clip it looks like a quick stroke on the pad. Yes, really burying the strike slows the combo down, but if you're looking to teach a drill for "street worthy" scenario then the Haito Uchi should be significant, the Empi should rip through the pad, as should the final Kagi Tsuki. Just a few observations Regards Mark

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

Mark B wrote:
That's quite a nice exercise, very similar to many I teach myself. My only question would be - if you're demonstrating an impact drill where is the impact? Every strike should have the potential to end the situation right there. The first strike to what would be the carotid sinus should be with maximum intention and venom. On the clip it looks like a quick stroke on the pad. Yes, really burying the strike slows the combo down, but if you're looking to teach a drill for "street worthy" scenario then the Haito Uchi should be significant, the Empi should rip through the pad, as should the final Kagi Tsuki. Just a few observations Regards Mark

For demonstration purposes, I wasn't worried about the power, so much as showing the transitions between the movements--in practice, I do hit harder. That said, I don't know that I could have hit all that much harder when we recorded this, as I was just getting over the stomach flu and had just finished training for the first time since getting sick :P

Mark B
Mark B's picture

Ah, the dodgy stomach. That will spoil most things, for sure. Might I suggest that if you're doing a pad drill you demo slowly and without impact, as you demonstrate here, to allow people to see what you're doing, and then demo with full intent (when fit) I think that amongst other things karateka need to get away from the "neat & tidy". When I practice a pad drill at full impact it becomes less aesthetically pleasing (to the untrained eye) , the obstacle clearance might slip, I may not quite nail my target, but it gives a better example of the energy that might be experienced "on the street" Regards Mark

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

I like it! A never ending problem with YouTube clips is the fact they are clips. Almost everyone I put up as someone misunderstand what is being shown – based on faulty assumptions – and there is no way to cover an entire training methodology in a few mins. I know all three of us have had that.

You can see a “warning” about that inevitability on this clip ... which also shows a similar method to the above clip.

All the best,

Iain

Mark B
Mark B's picture

Hi Iain, Yes, I'm well aware of how easy it is to fail to "get" the big picture from one short clip. My point was that if you are going to demonstrate what is basically a pad drill, whether drawn from kata, or any other influence then once it has been demonstrated slowly, without impact it should then be shown as it "should" be done. Regards Mark

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

Mark B wrote:
My point was that if you are going to demonstrate what is basically a pad drill, whether drawn from kata, or any other influence then once it has been demonstrated slowly, without impact it should then be shown as it "should" be done. Regards Mark

I get that. But even then, people could say “what if X happens?” of “why don’t you drill this with a partner?” or “why not include X too?” and so on. We can never show the entirety of how a method fits within the wider training matrix in one video. Whatever we show is therefore always going to be incomplete.

If I see a pad drill done slowly and lightly, my automatic assumption is that it’s an instructional clip; I don’t assume the person is recommending I do the drill slowly and lightly. Although I can see how others may think that. I’m not saying you did think that, but I personally don’t feel the need to see it done as it should be done in order to understand it. There are instructional clips and demonstration clips. We all view incomplete videos (because all videos are incomplete) from our own perspectives and don’t always “fill the gaps” in the way the person filming intended.

If we show a technique, someone may remark they want to see it at speed, broken down more, done live, in a drill, in a different kind of drill, on the pads, not on the pads but on a person, etc. Any clip, no matter what is shown, it going to be seen as incomplete in some way by someone. This was the wider points I was making for those who maybe don't make videos from the persective of someone who does.

All the best,

Iain

Mark B
Mark B's picture

Hi Iain You're right, I didn't think the clip was recommending doing the drill slowly and softly :-) My main gripe with this particular type of example is that if someone is showing a drill like this I want to see that person applying the exercise as hard as possible (where safety allows), to show that the individual can effectively do the exercise themselves which they are sharing with others. With a pad exercise such as this example safety isn't much of an issue. I'm not saying Noah can't do the drill as I've stated, I'm sure he can, but I would have just liked to have seen it. It's a nice pad exercise which would have benefitted further for the viewer with that extra element. I'm also a great advocate of getting away from the "neat and tidy", which whether we like it or not is a serious problem with karateka, and other arts, and I think a pad exercise like this is a good way to further this cause, if we give the "neat" version, and then the "more realistic" version

All the best

Mark