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Wastelander
Wastelander's picture
The Taiji Take on Naihanchi

So, every now and then, I like to search YouTube using kanji/kana instead of English, just to see what I might otherwise be missing out on. Since I don't speak/read Japanese, except for a few words/phrases, I'm pretty limited when it comes to making use of Japanese material, but Google Translate does help. Over the weekend, I searched for ナイハンチ, which is the katakana for Naihanchi, and I came across this hidden gem:

The man demonstrating in this video is Ikeda Hideyuki, and he is primarily a Taiji (Tai Chi Chuan) instructor. Honestly, I could have figured out he was a CMA practitioner just from watching his kata, even without him wearing the Chinese-style shirt. Clearly, he has some training in Okinawan karate, as well--he runs Naihanchi in this video, and Seiunchin in another, and has a black belt rank in Uechi-Ryu, according to his website. Still, it seems that Taiji is the lens through which he views things, and it definitely comes through in this video. Interestingly, the applications he shows are quite similar to ones I've learned in Shorin-Ryu and KishimotoDi.

Drew Loto
Drew Loto's picture

I love this.  It is a totally different approach from how many of us interpret kata in this community, but it seems entirely valid to me.

The video illustrates for me why kata is so valuable.  It allows you to train your body mechanics and to really be mindful of your own body, movement, and structure.  I believe that training the solo form first makes it easier to understand your own structure when training with a partner.

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

A great find! Thanks for sharing it with us.

As always, there’s some things in there I really like, and other bits that aren’t to my personal taste. The short body shots are an interesting idea, but I think that the using of the legs to break structure is a little over done. Unless of course the whole video is showing how the kata can be applied to break structure as a kind of illustration of concept … It’s hard to tell seeing as I only speak English :-)

Wastelander wrote:
So, every now and then, I like to search YouTube using kanji/kana instead of English, just to see what I might otherwise be missing out on. Since I don't speak/read Japanese, except for a few words/phrases, I'm pretty limited when it comes to making use of Japanese material, but Google Translate does help.

Searching via kanji/kana is a very good idea! Totally obvious when you point it out … but not something I’ve thought to do before! Hopefully this will encourage others to do the same and we will find other “hidden” gems.

Drew Loto wrote:
The video illustrates for me why kata is so valuable.  It allows you to train your body mechanics and to really be mindful of your own body, movement, and structure.  I believe that training the solo form first makes it easier to understand your own structure when training with a partner.

A very good point that and I like how you succinctly express it.

All the best,

Iain

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

Iain Abernethy wrote:

A great find! Thanks for sharing it with us.

As always, there’s some things in there I really like, and other bits that aren’t to my personal taste. The short body shots are an interesting idea, but I think that the using of the legs to break structure is a little over done. Unless of course the whole video is showing how the kata can be applied to break structure as a kind of illustration of concept … It’s hard to tell seeing as I only speak English :-)

Wastelander wrote:
So, every now and then, I like to search YouTube using kanji/kana instead of English, just to see what I might otherwise be missing out on. Since I don't speak/read Japanese, except for a few words/phrases, I'm pretty limited when it comes to making use of Japanese material, but Google Translate does help.

Searching via kanji/kana is a very good idea! Totally obvious when you point it out … but not something I’ve thought to do before! Hopefully this will encourage others to do the same and we will find other “hidden” gems.

My pleasure! It's a trick I picked up from a friend who does speak and read Japanese--he always found the neatest stuff! You can also use that trick to search on Asian video sharing sites.

Since I don't speak Japanese, either, I'm sure I'm missing out on what, exactly, he is explaining. I will say that KishimotoDi makes extensive use of the legs to break the opponent's structure, and this approach also shows up in other styles, like Oyata Sensei's Ryukyu Kenpo system and Taira Sensei's Goju-Ryu. You can also see it illustrated in books by the likes of Motobu, Funakoshi, and Itoman. It seems, to me, that it is a cornerstone of old Okinawan martial arts, just as much as it is prevalent in Chinese arts like Taiji and Bagua. I'm sure he has other applications that don't utilize that concept, though--he did show one with the morote-uke (double receiver) example, for instance.

Leigh Simms
Leigh Simms's picture

From my very very limited Bagua training (possibly 45 minutes), I think we drilled almost all of what I saw in that video!

roverill
roverill's picture

I remember a course by Tino Cebrano in which he asked us to perform Naihanchi as if it were Taiji, and it was quite a revelation!  :-)

Gavin J Poffley
Gavin J Poffley's picture

The motions in hte video are pretty self explanatory but I will summarise the commentary here for everyone's reference.

Ikeda first explains that he and his group like to use the comabtive principles found in Tai chi to analyse martial arts in general and that this explanation for the naihanchi form comes from the hypothesis that these principles might also be useable in karate and other arts.

He then notes how the karate form involves protecting the groin with the hands and then moving the neck first before stepping in but tai chi does not have any movements like that and the head is always synchroinised with the body.

The next explanation involves how the eye line looking away from the opponent at the "chambered" right hand and the simultaneous turn back towards them led by the arm involves the concept of deception (e.g. concealing your intent) in the movement and allows you to create the side entry to the opponent's back in order to use what he describes as "surface strikes" (Which I take to mean blows using large striking surfaces such as the whole arm or shoulder rather than pinpoint hand blows). He also touches on the idea of a line of attack, comparing this motion to just facing the opponent's posture straight on.

The second application with the opening of the hips at the same time as extending the arm is described as using the principle of opening the elbow like a gate. Then he lists and shows the possible strikes from this position (the twisting elbow and then the lower arm deflection and short kagi zuki). He emphasizes for both of these strikes that you should use the hips to generate the power.

The stepping leg kick is simply shown and explained as "the opponent strikes and by using this motion you find yourself in this situation" followed by the arm sweep and strike as the option to use if they strike from the other side. Again, the importance of generating power from the hips and of striking immediately in the same motion as the deflection is stressed and shown.

Nami gaeshi is then explained as a move against an enemy's low kick and he describes how the step in takedown uses the full hip movement.

Finally the double arm strike (morote zuki) is explained as using the whole body and not just the arms and as coming from an initial evasion of the enemy's attack.

Ikeda finishes by saying that these are just some possible uses for the movements (and thus implies they are only his take on things and others exist too).

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

Gavin J Poffley wrote:
The motions in hte video are pretty self explanatory but I will summarise the commentary here for everyone's reference.

Awesome! Thank you Gavin! Very useful!

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

Iain Abernethy wrote:

Gavin J Poffley wrote:
The motions in hte video are pretty self explanatory but I will summarise the commentary here for everyone's reference.

Awesome! Thank you Gavin! Very useful!

Yes, it's definitely appreciated! Man, I really need to learn more Japanese!