One of the most important elements of any martial art is being able to use it effectively at a moment’s notice. The techniques and methods of the art must be simple enough to ingrain in muscle memory for use when adrenaline pumps and mental decision making could be costly and difficult.

With that being the case it might seem like a mistake to dig deeply into an art or to allow for creative exploration. After all, you’re probably just obfuscating a technique that did what it needed to do in the first place. However, I have found that there is an important difference between simple techniques and techniques with deep simplicity.

Starting with Simplicity

Properly programming the body to maximum efficiency is a process that takes a lifetime. However, when a student first joins a school they really need to focus on the basics of how to move. It’s almost like learning how to walk again. The hands move in such a way, the legs in another way, the body weight shifts here and there…half the time the end goal for each class is to not trip over yourself.

Launching into the full complexity of an art right away is neither effective nor productive.

Drills like yakusoku kumite are often valuable to teach a person what it’s like to get “attacked” (even if it’s under strict controls) and how to program the body to respond.

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Kata, sparring, and base level bunkai all help introduce the student to the ways in which they might defend themselves should trouble arrive.

The Fog of Complexity

As the years go by and students get exposed to the arts, they realize there might be more going on than previously suspected. Real altercations are rarely so organized as dojo drills, nor do they end as neatly as we might hope. Grappling, joint locking, pressure points, internal blending, dynamic striking, etc etc start to blip onto the radar as ways to improve overall skillset.

With so much out there it’s easy to get lost completely in the fog of technique collection and creative brainstorming.

Moving from simplicity to complexity is something that often inspires trepidation and hesitation (with very legitimate cause). Nobody wants to become the armchair Sensei who can spout off 20 different vital point techniques but couldn’t actually defend him/herself against Glass Joe from Punchout.

Furthermore, simple techniques with no particularly enhanced explanations still work. A kick to the groin and jab to the eyes requires very little tweaking. Why muck things up?

For me personally, deciding to jump into complexity came when I saw the depth of knowledge possessed by my instructors and how they translated it into their art. Instead of blocking an arm just to keep it from hitting me, I realized I could be activating a vital point for a devastating follow-up technique. Or I could be applying kuzushi at the same moment to off balance my attacker. Or perhaps I could be moving his centerline to make his next attack more predictable and therefore manageable, reducing (albeit never eliminating) the chaos of real combat.

Complexity invites you to explore the possibilities of human interaction.

The Depth of Simplicity

I wish I could tell you I’ve got everything figured out and the fog is gone, but that is woefully untrue. I keep my many limitations close in mind to make sure I don’t get lazy.

However, there are certain things I have been able to bring back to simplicity through depth of study. The amazing thing is that my muscle memory has not gone away, nor has my ability utilize mushin (no mind) in unpredictable situations. Instead I have been able to better understand how to improve the simplicity of my techniques and utilize complex ideas like pressure points, tuite, etc within the same movement that would have been a simple block or punch previously.

The point of breaking down bunkai (kata applications) into minute pieces is not to impress others with your 10,000 ideas, but to get a little taste of why all those possibilities work or don’t work. I have found many situations where I’ve said to myself “I better not do that again”, which is extremely valuable to discover in the safety of a dojo environment.

With deep simplicity the body learns how to improve height, distance, angle, stance, and timing in conjunction with a continuum of strikes, grabs, and manipulations. All of that sounds complex unless you’ve thoroughly explored it and reapplied it to habitual acts of physical violence, such as common pushes, punches, and grabs.

All of this amounts to not needing the construction of yakusoku kumite or kata or even padded sparring when you arrive in a moment of conflict, but being able to effectively handle live situations at any range and with little warning.
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The following is a short clip taken from our IKKF Annual Training (2000) featuring Bill Hayes Sensei discussing a technique that starts out simple, but can be enhanced with depth of study and training. The technique is simple throughout but hardly the same from the beginning of the clip to the end.

(available here – http://fileserver.uechi-ryu.com/videos/hayes.wmv)

Bunkai is the key to developing useful and effective techniques preserved for us by those individuals who developed and tested them in fierce, life protection situations. Over the course of time much of the true meaning of these movements has either been lost or purposefully disguised. If your desire is to unlock some of the skills of our predecessors, you’ll need to know the right questions in order to find the best answers.

The following are seven things to ask yourself that might illuminate your kata in a different (and hopefully productive) way. These are in no particular order and are not prescriptive. Use some when you can and invent others.

1. Can I change the angle in which I address my opponent?

Many times during bunkai we assume that an opponent is coming straight from the front or from the sides, and that we must stay directly in front of them and try to defend. What happens if you cut a 45 degree angle during your technique? What if turning from left to right allowed you to arc around the same opponent instead of addressing a new one?

2. What came just before and what is coming right after?

When we learn kata, it generally occurs in a set cadence. Step1 – block up. Step2 – block down. Step3 – punch kiai! That being the case, our mind generally sections itself off in those little boxes. It is our job to look at what is occurring right before our current technique and right after and how the body moves from one to the next. Stringing techniques together makes for a more devastating outcome to your opponent.

3. Am I utilizing all of the technique or just the end piece?

Techniques are often more dynamic than we give them credit for. Take for example the knife hand block. When we perform a knife hand block we generally step somewhere, prep the block, and then shoot the block out. The block itself is what we use to defend against an attack, but what about all the stuff that came before it? Can’t we use that too? Can’t the body shift be used to off-balance or attack our opponent, and can’t the prep be used to either defend or attack?

4. Can I condense the number of opponents I have to face to get through my applications?

If you find yourself going through a dozen bad guys for your bunkai you may be too segmented. In order to mentally escape from a tricky technique we often dismiss the current bad guy and invite a new one in from a different direction. Worse yet, if we are using two hands at once and don’t really know what’s going on we might invite two bad guys to attack us at once from different directions. Multiple opponent training is valuable, but kata is not suggesting that GuyA is likely to kick low while GuyB punches from behind. Those scenarios are too unlikely and miss the real intent of what’s happening. Condense the number of opponents as much as possible.

5. Are my opponents behaving naturally and with likely techniques, or am I forcing them into increasingly unlikely scenarios?

Patrick McCarthy Sensei developed the acronym HAPV, or habitual acts of physical violence. The point of HAPV is to keep focused on the techniques you are most likely to encounter. Furthermore, the longer you make the string of actions done by your uke the more unlikely an actual attacker will follow that pattern. Therefore, when performing bunkai, we want our opponents acting as naturally as possible. If the opponent has to punch, step back punch, step back punch, step back block up and receive your strike, you’ve asked your uke to behave in a way they never would in real life.

6. Have I affected my opponent in a way that makes more technique work?

Let’s say you manage to block your opponent (so far so good). You then put them in a wrist lock or arm bar in order to control them. That progression seems very effective, especially after years of training, and generally works in the dojo. However, if you’ve ever come across a live opponent who is experiencing adrenaline dump you’ll know that manipulating that arm is extremely difficult. Your attempts to bar or lock it will be met with iron resistance and counter punches to your face. Always be sure to negatively affect your opponent as soon as possible, then go into more technique.

7. What is the emotional content of my encounter?

What kind of scenario is your kata taking place in? Is it a school yard pushing match? Is it a life or death home invasion? The emotional environment you place yourself in is going to alter your bunkai dramatically. Your technique may need to restrain or it may need to kill.

Mental Gymnastics

With all of these questions/problems/complications we have to address the concept of simplicity. In a real life altercation, your simplest and most effective techniques will be the ones that help you. Thinking about responses in the heat of the moment will keep you one step behind your opponent.

Why then bother with all of this business about bunkai? Shouldn’t we simply practice a series of basic, effective techniques and avoid the mental gymnastics?

The short term answer is yes. For the first 5-6 years of your training you need to become “brilliant at the basics”, as Bill Hayes Sensei would say. Without a rock solid foundation and instinctual integration of your style’s stances, punches, and basic techniques nothing else can be built firmly. However, once you do achieve that level of proficiency, you acquire the privilege of exploring your art even deeper and improving the way you go about your business.

Simple techniques practiced a certain way seem like the best option until you learn how to improve them. That doesn’t necessarily mean complicate them. Instead the goal is to find ways to improve your angle, distance, timing, striking locations, and technique progression in order to enhance what’s already been built. This style of study leads to an understanding of tichiki, or “what the hand is doing”, which can be used extemporaneously with great percentage of success.

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One time Hayes Sensei was training with his instructor Eizo Shimabukuro on the kata Passai. This kata is known for its power generation and its sweeping motions that feel for the opponent and almost reach out to him/her.

After training, Shimabukuro mentioned that this kata was like fighting at night.

The statement caught Hayes Sensei’s attention who thought he had gained some valuable insight into the original impetus for the form. Brave Okinawans, he  decided, must have crept along during the night and dispatched their opponents using the passai kata! Certainly that explains the ‘feeling’  and ‘scanning’ hand and foot work.

Some time later the topic of Passai came up again, and Hayes Sensei engaged in discussion about how the kata came from night time fighting.

At that point Shimabukuro peered into Hayes Sensei’s eyes as if to see if there were any lights on.

“No, no”, he said. “Not at night. Like at night.”

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Many times things can be lost in translation, especially when it comes to the mysteries of kata. In this case Shimabukuro Sensei was never suggesting that Passai kata was specifically for night time fighting, or that it was born from it. Instead he was trying to express that the same sensations and abilities you would rely upon at night are summoned and utilized via training in the Passai system.

Consider this: at night, you would not be able to see well. Therefore, when you make contact with an opponent, you must maintain Muchimi, or stickiness. Once that contact is made you can instinctively know where each part of your opponent’s body is. Essentially, should it be necessary, you could fight blindly.

This is an important concept to remember when considering the adrenaline dump that occurs during combat. Humans acquire tunnel vision when under extreme stress, which means you will have much less visibility (even during broad daylight) than you are used to. Therefore you have to rely on proprioception and touch response to first acquire your target and then properly eliminate him/her.

It’s important to remember that kata were not created for one specific environment or circumstance. That would be far too limiting a form of practice. Instead the concepts that are contained within each kata are omni-useful and work in harmony with the concepts of other kata.

The translation for the term Passai, which is frequently stated to be “penetrating the fortress” or “extracting from the fortress”, is not to be taken literally. The name may have a poetic connection to breaking down the barriers of an opponent, but it was never necessary to have an actual castle involved.

I provided HKS with a response that I thought covered the core ideas as to how and why kata is still a vibrant and viable practice. I personally consider kata to be a vital part of learning the Life Protection Arts as originally passed down by the Okinawans, and that kata are a highly valuable piece of a bigger puzzle. Kata provide insights unique to other training methods, but shouldn’t exist in a vacuum. To read my full respond, click here and scroll down to the comments section.

After that convo I got to thinking – I’ve certainly talked a lot, but in any good show&tell there has to be some show. Therefore, this post serves as a follow up for how kata can lead to free expression of technique, combining all of the best qualities of karate in a way unmatched throughout training history. I will do so in the context of one of karate’s oldest and most widespread kata: Naihanchi.

The Story of Naihanchi Kata

To simply jump into the physical form of Naihanchi is not good enough. We need to understand its roots and the context upon which it was built.

Naihanchi is the name of a kata that appears in many karate systems, and goes by multiple names. The most widely accepted is Naihanchi or Nai Hanchi, which is the Japanese pronunciation. It can also be called Naifanchi, Naifanchin, or Naifanchen (the Okinawan pronunciation). It has also become known as Tekki, a change produced by Funakoshi Gichin when bringing the kata from Okinawa to Japan.

The form traces its roots back to Bushi Sokon Matsumura. Matsumura was a renowned martial artist and served as bodyguard/retainer for three Okinawan Kings. In his younger days he learned from Okinawan masters such as Tode Sakugawa, but was also exposed to many Chinese envoys and warriors throughout his travels for the king. It is believed that he learned Naihanchi from a Chinese influence, either on Okinawa or while abroad, and then infused it with his own Te.

Matsumura had multiple famous students, but the two most prominent were Yasatsune “Anko” Itosu and Yasatsune “Anko” Azato. Azato and Itosu were among the greatest karateka of their time and are heavily responsible for the transmission of Shuri-te, later known as Shorin Ryu. Azato and Itosu produced many famous students of their own, including Funakoshi Gichin (Shotokan), Chomo Hanashiro (Shorin Ryu), Kentsu Yabu (Shorin Ryu), Chotoku Kyan (Shobayashi), Choki Motobu (Motobu Ryu), among others. The kata Naihanchi was passed through many of these capable hands to modern day students.

If you’d like to see the kata in action, check out Naihanchi Shodan, Nidan, and Sandan.

The Action of Naihanchi

As I mentioned in my response to HKS, karate (at its best) is an effective blend of strikes, tuite, kyusho, and throws utilizing kuzushi (off-balancing). But how can we take something as seemingly stale as the Naihanchi kata and make it dynamically effective in all those ways?

I’d like to hand things over to my video self at this time and let him explore this question. You’ll notice early on in the video that I use an opponent directly in front of me. I do that to bust some of the myths that are tightly ingrained with the proliferation of this kata. As opposed to some of the romantic stories that seem to float around, Naihanchi was never intended for use when a practitioner’s back was up against a castle wall. Nor was it intended for self defense on a boat or between rice patty fields. As you’ll see, the simple embusen of Naihanchi that goes side-to-side can be used effectively in three dimensions against an opponent who in all statistical probability will be approaching you head-on.

Remember – this kata is not considered a cornerstone of karate because its only for people attacking you from the side or on a boat; it can be a complete means of life protection. Watch as I explore the kata and then demonstrate how Naihanchi techniques might look when used in an unstructured environment.

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After viewing that you may be thinking ‘Matt you cheated, there was barely anything resembling naihanchi in there’. Not so – the naihanchi elements existed as moments in time expressed extemporaneously. Some were strung together in recognizable ways, others not. The ideas of the kata mingled freely with other concepts and techniques that proved valuable at the time.

Here are just a few tactile examples of Naihanchi making an appearance:

On the attack thrown at 2:32, I show how a Naihanchi style punch can be used for percussive striking (to the ribs), or for choking as it hooks up around Ericsan’s neck.

At 4:59 I show how you can strike low and high in quick succession, just like in Naihanchi Sandan.

Throughout the combative exercise I demonstrate how the deep kiba-dachi or naihanchi-dachi can be used when needed for moments of enhanced stability or strength. I also use it from a sidelong perspective when trying to defend some of Ericsan’s attacks in order to minimize the targets available to him. In that sense some of Naihanchi’s bunkai from the sides becomes applicable, but only if you understand that the intent is to move through and passed that.

At 5:05 I show how the blocking methods of Naihanchi can roll directly into joint locks and then can be followed up by a finishing percussive strike.

At 5:10 I utilize some of the deflection+elbow techniques that make appearances in both Naihanchi Shodan and Nidan.

At 5:16 you can see how techniques, even when well practiced, can devolve into grappling and in-close jockeying for position. Luckily I managed to get behind Ericsan in that instance and could have utilized some of Naihanchi’s leg checking to take him down (but that’s the catch with live drills, they don’t allow for everything to be just right).

At 5:23 I utilize cycling as demonstrated earlier in the video to avoid getting struck and keep Ericsan’s momentum reeling. I also use the kosa-dachi type of stance in order to create smaller circles of rotation, which ultimately allows me to off-balance and throw him.

If we were to slow our bunkai training down and really analyze the kata, we could develop much more sophisticated series of attacks and defenses. That mental exploration is valuable, but we also need to understand how Naihanchi approaches HDAST (height, distance, angle, stance, timing) in a live environment, which speaks to the heart of how the kata operates.

Of course it is important to remember that what I did in the video is just a brief attempt by a rather raw karateka to show Naihanchi technique. I made no particular conscious decisions during that exercise (as that negates the positive gains of mushin), and trusted my body’s responses. Some of it was ok, some of it could stand to be improved. But that just means I need a bunch more training (hooray!)

The Need For Sparring and Other Drills

The kata and drills shown in the video have many benefits. They allow you to hone techniques that have been proven effective over many generations. They also give you the freedom to cycle through some of the most effective aspects of not just karate, but combat in general (small joint locks, momentum flowing, vital target striking, etc). Unfortunately, no matter how much kata or controlled freestyle drills you do, you’ll never really learn how to transmit power.

Power transfer can only be developed through years of striking practice. The Okinawans would use Makiwara training and eventually padded sparring to help students learn how to make their blows punishing.

You may have noticed that sparring rarely looks like kata. In sparring there is a lot of distance and timing play, and people generally rely on a certain barrage of classic strategies like jab-cross combos, feinting, and high-low kick series while following a bunch of strict rules (like no techniques toward the eyes). Sparring is quite limiting in that way, but also allows you to hit for real without permanently damaging your opponent. As such it is a highly necessary and valuable companion to kata training.

Mixed in with sparring and kata are the other kinds of training that traditional stylists tend to do, like Yakusoku kumite, basics, movement drills, etc etc. When understood properly and used for their intended purpose in conjunction with the other pieces, they are all valuable assets to a martial artist’s training regiment as he/she tries to prepare for the realities of combat.

Why Not Just Do Full Contact?

Traditional training can seem a bit overwhelming, and even muddled. As Bruce Lee said, a “classical mess”. Why not just bag all the nonsense and fight full contact with as few rules as possible, much like the very early UFC? Certainly that would supply all the realism and dynamics traditional drills supply.

It’s true – full contact fighting would be a more direct path. Despite what Hocus Pocus Chi Masters and “deadly vital point, no touch knockout experts” try to sell, simply knowing how to hurt someone is not the same as being able to do it against live, aggressive opponents.

The problem with full contact, real fighting is longevity and practicality.

Karate and other traditional arts can be practiced well into a person’s twilight years. It’s not uncommon to see 80-90 year old exponents getting up and doing kata. In fact, when done right, traditional training can improve and elongate the quality of a person’s life. The same simply cannot be said for full contact fighting. A remarkably high percentage of full contact fighters suffer from serious health problems in their late middle ages and on. Some even suffer brain damage (especially in the realm of boxing).

Furthermore, full contact fighting is not possible for many children, women, and men who have imperfect physiques. Just as an example, my previous post was about grandmothers in Kenya who have started self defense programs. Technically speaking they would become better fighters if they subjected themselves to full contact fighting…but that’s hardly a good idea. Instead they can rely on bag work and traditional methods to improve.

Final Thought

When exploring your training, it is important to recognize and accept the weaknesses and strengths of each training method.

• Sparring provides contact, but lacks the deeper aspects of karate.

• Kata teaches strength of body, mind, and spirit in addition to a full system of advanced techniques…but also involves hitting a lot of air. Simply understanding the details of kata is not enough to make a complete martial artist. Freestyle kumite drills can bridge that gap if both students have enough control.

• Prearranged Yakusoku drills can provide conditioning and repetition, but run the risk of teaching students the bad habits of waiting for attacks and relying on knowing what will happen next.

Assess, explore, and continue to train as best you can. Each piece hints at a bigger picture.

When thinking about bunkai, there are many different ways you can dig deeper into the heart of your kata. As a beginner, it is enough to show that you can move your body with proper technique. If you can then use the movements of the kata to avoid getting hit and perhaps even hit the opponent back, then that’s great.

However, as you increase your experience and comfort level, you must begin to ask yourself if you are utilizing technique to its fullest extent. Does the motion you’re doing make sense, and is it an optimal response when put in a common sense context?

The following video explores layers of bunkai by utilizing a piece of the Pinan Shodan kata (note: used in the video are the terms Go No Sen and Sen No Sen).

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In today’s video I provide a tactic for using the kama properly. Historically speaking the kama were used in pairs, and as such benefited from the ability to cross and uncross in order to cover zones and close distance.

Check it out as I explore a little bit of the weapon’s history, a breakdown of how crossing/uncrossing works, and finish with a little bit a good natured randori to put the weapons into action.

It’s important never to underestimate the role of distance and timing in a combative engagement. When using weapons, even the slightest slip up can result in serious injury. When using a short range weapon, you have to place mobility at the top of your priorities, and utilize techniques that have built in fail-safes. Crossing and uncrossing is very valuable in that regard.

This video looks at that series and explains how you can take the performance of the technique and drill down to the core concepts that make it work in a combat-viable fashion.

The bunkai demonstrated is far from the only application possible. The real goal here is to show how practitioners can explore their kata in ways they might not have considered before.

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As you dive into the bunkai and oyo bunkai of your kata, never be afraid to ask yourself “could I really use this?”. A good application keeps reality in mind while staying true to the essence of the form itself.

Finally, remember that some kata (including Gojushiho) were subject to alteration and hiding of technique throughout the history of Okinawa. Finding what the technique is trying to whisper is sometimes more important than what the technique literally shouts.

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What’s Inside?

I have always tried to create article-style blog posts that have a lot of meat to them. That approach has lent itself to the creation of this book where I was able to collect the articles that I thought were the most significant or had the most positive impact on readers.

Some topics include:

• Expanding your ability to decipher bunkai in kata
• Real world tips for increasing your self defense abilities
• Philosophical considerations regarding the purpose and direction of traditional martial arts
• Tales of old martial arts masters and their contributions
• Discovering ways to improve your body, mind, and spirit through training

Also included are 4 new articles that I created specifically for this ebook. They range from tactical advice on creating a self defense “touch reflex”, to commentary on how we can return to the old methods of Okinawa using the tools right in front of us.

Why Charge For This One?

You may have noticed that I decided to charge for this ebook while I offered my previous one for free. This was a pure time-commitment decision. If I wish to continue dedicating significant effort to this website and to the creation of unique ebooks (which I definitely want to), I have to make sure that I do not neglect my financial obligations in “the real world”. Although I’d like to do everything for free, I’m going to need to charge small amounts from time to time out of necessity.

On the plus side, charging has inspired me to include all of the bonus material here that you won’t be able to get anywhere else. My plan is to always make these products worth your while!

A Prize-Inducing Thanks For Your Support

There are about 80 trillion websites on the internet, and I feel fortunate to have you visit my little corner. If you choose to support the site and purchase this ebook, it is my plan to create some fun ‘thank you’ rewards. In the near future I intend to conduct two giveaways – one for anyone who buys the book (I’ll have a complete list of receipts), and one for anyone who reviews or links to the book from their own website.

In the meantime, if you’d like to help get the word out, here are some options:

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Questions or Concerns

Should you have any questions with the buying process, or simply with the ebook in general, contact me at ikigai108@gmail.com. Thanks again!

One great benefit of Okinawa Kenpo as a style is the diversity of kata that we have available. It allows me to see core karate concepts expressed in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, there simply is not enough time in the day to explore them all adequately. I’ve been thinking lately that it would be nice if I selected one to focus on, and really put my full self into it.

And thus, the pattern recognition gears began to turn…

Event #1 – Explanations

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of leading a few black belt students through the kata Gojushiho during a class. As we practiced the physical form of the kata, I also did my best to field questions regarding the specifics of technique and the causes behind them. I realized that although my answers were adequate, they were hardly exceptional. This concerned me.

Event #2 – Destinations

About 2-3 weeks ago I attended a training seminar by Kyoshi Bill Hayes. Amongst the myriad of things to learn there, I saw on one of his charts that he simply had written:

“Gojushiho – Chinesized”

I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant. Unfortunately the matter left my mind shortly as I tried to stay in the moment and retain what Hayes Sensei was presently talking about. I also forgot to ask him about it before the end of the day. I didn’t kick myself for my negligence until later.

Event #3 – Questionations

On my facebook group for ikigaiway, I have a few videos posted of myself doing material. They are basically there just to reassure members that I’m not completely full of it (although I mostly am). One of the videos posted is Gojushiho kata (here):

A kind member commented on the video and asked me about the form’s history. I relayed to him this:

“I’d like to give you a short answer now, and then a longer answer in an article format. So, as of right now: This kata was given to me by Bruce Heilman of Okinawa Kenpo (9th dan). He was taught it by Seikichi Odo, the top student of Shigeru Nakamura and non-familial successor to Okinawa Kenpo. Our style has two different Gojushiho kata, ichi and ni. Ni (the one shown here), was given to Odo by Seike Toma, who in turn was given it by Chotoku Kyan (some say indirectly). If you trace both Gojushiho kata’s back far enough, you arrive at Bushi Matsumura of the Shuri-te.”

* * *

This series of events was enough to spur me into a complete commitment to the kata. Prior to this Gojushiho was already one of my ‘favorites’ and I had given it adequate attention. But I decided adequate was no longer adequate.

The Goal

My goal now is to pursue the kata as deeply as possible. I intend to explore history, movements, bunkai, tichiki, and overall significance. One way I’m going to do that is by performing the kata at least once a day. This constant repetition will keep it both in my conscious and subconscious mind, and help lead me to more significant discoveries. You probably won’t hear about this topic again for awhile, but don’t worry – I intend to bring it back in a much fuller format once I think it’s appropriate.

Do you have a Gojushiho kata in your system? If so feel free to include your personal thoughts on it here in the comments section.

Imagine for a second a culture that, for as long as anyone can remember, has placed an emphasis on combat training. A culture that has acted as a sea-hub for various other countries that had their own ideas and concepts about fighting. A culture that was banned of its militaristic weaponry.

Now imagine that same culture saying…we will ignore your close fighting range. You go away now.

It simply wouldn’t have happened, and it didn’t happen. In fact, wrestling has been a part of Okinawan culture for much longer than what we now know as karate.

What Was Tegumi Originally?

Tegumi has often been described as a form of Okinawan Sumo. When people hear the term Sumo they naturally envision the Japanese variety, wherein two giant, rotund men push and slap each other out of a ring (which is an awesome event, don’t get me wrong).

Unfortunately, Okinawans have never been built the same way. They simply don’t grow that large. Okinawan Sumo instead resembled more of a wrestling match. There were no established rings or ‘dojo’ for tegumi matches; they happened more frequently wherever flat, safe ground could be found. In order to win, one participant had to trip/throw, control, and ultimately pin his opponent’s back to the ground.

As there were no Nintendo’s at the time, this activity was quite popular, especially among the younger men and boys.

How it Became More Than a Sport

As it was, tegumi was mildly useful from a combative perspective. However, the Okinawans were also in the process of developing a more serious combative method derived from Chinese influence mixed with indigenous ideas. They called it Ti (or te), and the wrestling every Okinawan boy grew up with was subsequently integrated into the larger whole.

Where the sporting aspect of tegumi was mostly about leverage and off-balancing (aspects the Okinawans would not discard), the combative tegumi began to integrate poking, pulling, proding, pinching, small joint locks, gauging, and all variety of other nasty things. Tegumi was dirty in-fighting because the Okinawans realized that only a portion of life protection combat involved punching and kicking.

To spice things up even more, they began to integrate their tegumi with tuite and kyusho (vital point striking). They realized that as distances closed from punching/kicking range to grappling range, there was a variety of unpleasant technique-series they could utilize to setup, off-balance, and incapacitate their opponents.

Why it Went Away

A few generations ago (around 1905) karate was beginning to make its way into the Okinawan school system. The Okinawan masters charged with teaching children realized that all the devastating and permanently damaging techniques true karate entailed would not be safe in the hands of adolescents. After all, it would be very tempting for children to use their techniques in times of anger, or pride, or curiousity.

Azato, Itosu, and the other caretakers of karate thus decided to de-emphasis the tegumi and kyusho aspects and focus more on the physical fitness elements of stancing, punching, kicking, blocking, etc. Funakoshi Gichin (of Shotokan) found himself in a similar boat when first introducing karate to mainland Japan (remember, Funakoshi Sensei was invited to Japan as part of a physical education program and began his teaching at universities).

The activity of tegumi as a sport still lingered amongst the Okinawan populace, but as a method of combat it began to fade away. Many of the students both in Okinawa and Japan grew up not knowing about tegumi, or that a wrestling/grappling component even existed in their karate art. That lack of training was passed on to their students all the way down to us.

Why It’s Coming Back

Not every karateka on Okinawa was involved in teaching the public school system. Furthermore, teachers like Azato and Itosu didn’t just teach school children. Multiple instructors on the island were able to maintain a few private students on their own and pass on the ways of kyusho, tuite, and tegumi. That generation was able to keep the traditions alive.

One man in our current generation has done significant work to bring about public awareness of tegumi, and his name is Patrick McCarthy. Anyone who talks about tegumi, including myself, is likely influenced by McCarthy Sensei’s deep research and investigation. McCarthy Sensei has even developed complex training routines based off of the trapping, locking, and off-balancing aspects he has discovered over the years.

Tegumi is receiving even more attention recently with the increased popularity in jujutsu, brazilian jujutsu, and mixed martial arts. Martial artists are realizing the power and importance of clinching and ground fighting and are taking more active steps in at least becoming competent in those arenas.

Where is Tegumi?

Hidden in your kata of course. That is, the core principles and applications are buried in your kata from times well before application was watered down for the school system. In order to start accessing tegumi applications, you first must take off your niceness-gloves. Instead of punching and kicking, you have to develop the mindset of gauging eyes, grasping the throat, twisting skin, fish hooking, etc. From their you’ll notice your techniques become more open handed and more flowing one into the next.

Examine the core principles of movement and how your body changes in relationship to your opponents. Don’t turn away from an opponent during bunkai, take them with you on a throw or takedown. Find out what happens if you go to the ground with them. Most of all, have fun exploring and keep an open eye for ideas from other people, whether they are from karate, jujutsu, or anything else.

My best on your continued journey!