Following on from my last post, I wanted to talk a little more about moving from the hips (koshi) or perhaps more appropriately, moving from ones tanden. The importance of the tanden seems a favorite subject of Yamashiro-Sensei’s, and while the 7th dan instructor claims not to speak much English, he certainly has a way with the words he knows…A few nights ago Brent and I stayed late to practice sanchin kata after training and we were lucky enough to have Yamashiro-Sensei pop into the dojo. He sat and watched us for a while before coming over and correcting our posture and body alignment. One thing he said really stayed with me:
“Tanden wa (king), ashi (legs/feet) wa soldiers. King tells soldiers – Go!"What I like most about this analogy is that it captures the subtle difference between initiating movement from the tanden and over exaggerated ‘leading with the hips’ – maybe a bit like a King charging out ahead of his army. In this sense, the tanden shouldn’t so much move before the body, as with it, while giving the orders.
By pulling slightly on my belt, Yamashiro Sensei showed me how to initiate movements without the obvious weight shift involved in stepping. This enabled me to slide forward more easily without telegraphing my movements by keeping my head and upper body aligned and still.
Replicating the movement without Sensei’s help is another matter – it’s much harder pulling yourself around by your own belt! But, so far the imagery has proved useful in training and hopefully with enough practice King Koshi will get better at commanding the troops.
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Hi Krista, this is my first time on your blog and I have to admit I'm extremely jealous (while at the same time have difficulty convincing myself to close the page before my boss notices!)!
I've never trained with Higaonna-sensei personally but I have an immense amount of respect for him (matched only by my fear of him) as he's been used as an example/reference by so many of my instructors in the past.
I love how you intersperse your posts with more than just a recollection of techniques practiced. It's both interesting and helpful! I hope to visit more often!
Nice points.
I have yet to master that. As for now, I'm struggling with the linear movement. Hip will come in later.
:D
Wonderful points. "Replicating the movement without Sensei’s help is another matter – it’s much harder pulling yourself around by your own belt!". . .indeed. . .I am a student of Uechi-Ryu, another Sanchin specific form of karate, same principle/feel is sought after in our Sanchin. . .thank you for posting. . .
@Riz: Thanks. I know what you mean about Sensei. He does have an uncanny ability to simultaneously make you feel both safe and terrified. It's weird.
@Mathiew: It's always easier talking about things than actually doing them and my 'linear movements' are also far from perfect ;)
@Adrian: I'm only just beginning to understand how truly challenging Sanchin kata is. Even using the belt cue, stepping smoothly while keeping the tanden 'shut' is hard work!