Monday, May 11, 2015

Non-Linear Striking

I've already posted at length on Taika's view of the Makiwara as a training tool, or rather an attitude tool. And I've already talked about people not listening to Taika's wisdom at length. So those posts are in previous blogs but I wanted to add a little more information, but not totally give away all of Taika's pearls. 

Since those previous posts, I've heard a lot of counter arguments about how the makiwara helps to build power, and yes, indeed it can. One of the problems Taika had with it, and why he preferred newer technologies was the linearly restricted motion it teaches. As Taika became more aware of what worked, and he became an uncertified Dr. of Kinesiology, (the scientific study of human movement addressing physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms) he learned how the body resisted attacks. Simply striking hard and fast in a linear direction, did not achieve the results he was looking for. 

Many of the Six Basic Principles of Tuite have a symbiotic or similar relationship to the Basic Principles of Kyusho and the Basic Principles of Atemi. 


Basic Principle Five: Three Dimensions


If you think about how an opponent reacts to force, a direct linear strike can be resisted…..to a point. Obviously you are not going to hold up well to a .40 round coming out of my Glock. (But think about what a bullet proof vest does to displace that energy and reverse that principle.) We all probably did it as kids; trading blows to the belly, chest or torso. If you tighten your abs, and a punch comes in straight and hard, the force knocks you straight back. To a point, this can be resisted. And keep in mind, yes I am absolutely aware that this isn’t realistic training. So many other things are going on during an attack; body position, Atemi, body reaction, et cetera. But if you play the trading punches game, you can see that you can get pretty good at absorbing a straight attack, depending on your threshold of pain. There are quite a few styles out there that practice this art of absorbing until their bellies (or other items I wouldn’t would want to train with) are black and blue. Did you ever see Taika make a tight fist and punch someone straight in the belly unless he was deliberately showing what ‘not to do’? I didn’t. Such topics were usually followed with the comment, “Dis stupid.” Even watching old seminar videos from my naïve pre-Oyata style days, I have picked up on his different approach. He stressed a lot about being relaxed. But there was some very deliberate attack misdirection along with mental misdirection (he didn’t want to give away everything). 

With Taika, you really had to work at looking at all the little details. If he demonstrated a strike 4 times in a seminar or class, I would pay attention to 4 different things while watching him. Usually, I’d first pay close attention to his footwork. Then maybe hands, then torso, then an overall view. If he continued on and demonstrated the same thing a few more times I’d look at overall head position and all the other little nuances. The great thing about reviewing thousands upon thousands of old seminar videos is the ability to track all these little nuances. Tracking the path of the hands, the feet, and the torso. We have this modern gift of technology. When Taika learned from Uhugushiku Tan Mei and then Wakinaguri Tan Mei, he didn’t have that benefit. I also have thousands of pages of notes I took during training sessions over the course of a quarter century, where I took detailed notes on positions of his body (to the best of my artistic abilities). 

So now back to all the extreme analyzation. Look back at how makiwara are made. They don’t adequately allow for non-linear motion, unless someone has invented a new one I have not seen. The board allows for a forward back motion, and because it is essentially like a lever in the ground, a slight arc as it goes forward and back. Perhaps if the post was on a ball bearing type assembly that could also move up and down, it would allow for more training of non-linear motion. Patent Pending :) I could spend months trying to develop this idea, along with a lot of money, when a Body Opponent Bag will pretty much get me there. I got my first one (slightly used) on Craig’s list many years ago for $70 after conversations with Taika. When Taika would strike me, not mutually exclusive to the torso, it was never in a linear fashion. The strikes would have amazing power, but completely different from a brute force tight fist. 

Power is Not Brute Force

Taika would put fist on my belly, relaxed. He would say ‘Ready’, then go. His fist wouldn’t close. He wouldn’t even really move his body during this demonstration. I would most definitely ‘go’. I would most definitely feel the effects as I went to the ground. I would most definitely feel the power and respect it. I have demonstrated this to student’s over the years and it doesn't ‘make any sense’ in our strength based American culture. We think of Arnold Schwarzenegger when we think of power. We think muscle.  I teach my students from day one, not to think the American way. 

To wrap up another one of my ramblings, be open to new ideas. Analyze, research and try new ways of doing things. We learn in many ways as human beings. Trial and error is one of the main ways. We cannot always be spoon fed, at least not any more. Taika gave up training with the makiwara decades ago and got continually better at striking as he aged. Does that make you wonder? It did me.

Oyata Family Tomb


 


It was mother’s day still in the United States when Lisa Ohmes and I met up with Taika’s Great Nephew Satoshi and Great Great Niece Yuika.  Satoshi is a wonderful person who graciously invited us out for some history and a tour of several important places in the Ryukyu Kingdom.  First stop, we were taken to the Oyata family shinju (haka) tomb. 

The original tomb had been located near Taika’s birth island of Henza, but his sister Tomi had wanted to move it closer to where she was living in her later life.   The old tomb was in need of some repairs and the drive was a bit long for the current family.  Satoshi found a new location early in this century and Taika began bringing money back to Okinawa between 2000 and 2007.  He special ordered marble from China and the new family tomb was finished in July of 2007.  Taika’s parents, and a lock of hair from Taika’s eldest brother Akio, were then placed at this new site.  (Akio was killed during the battle of Pearl Harbor but his mother had a lock of his hair.) Tomi was then laid to rest when she passed away last year.

Satoshi bestowed on us a great honor by not only taking us to the family tomb, but allowing us to take part in the Okinawan custom of paying our respects to Taika’s family.  The rest of the Okinawan family, and Okinawa in general, do this once a year in April.  This is called the Seimei or shimi in the Okinawan language.  It was quite an emotional moment for us all as we gave our offerings of awamori, burned incense, burned our ‘paper money’, and Satoshi said a prayer. 



Afterwards, Satoshi took us a few steps southwest to show us what was so wonderful about this new location.  This location had quite a beautiful view of the ocean and a public park/beach which Taika and Tomi loved.


 Our next stop was to Taika’s birth island, Henza.  As discussed on the history page of ryute.com, Taika was actually born on Henza, which at the time was not connected at all to Okinawa.  Before the island was connected by a bridge, they had to take small boats when visiting the mainland.  Satoshi said that Tomi would talk about how she would be so scared when they would take the trip in a small six person boat.  On this island we drove through the small village where Taika was born, though sadly the original home is no longer there.  Satoshi also took us to the original family tomb.  This was followed by a tour of Henza, Miyagi and Ikei islands.  Shortly after Taika’s birth, the family moved to Kita Daito island.



Satoshi then took us to a wonderful Japanese restaurant where we ate until we couldn’t eat any more.  We then discussed a little about Satoshi’s life and how he works at Kadena air base.  He is essentially a base Police Officer or Base Security.  He has been doing it for 17 years.  Satoshi then took us on a tour of the base and we exchanged police stories. 


He drove us all around the island that day, sharing stories of the family and ending the trip at Okinawa’s new Aeon Shopping mall, a brand new, huge indoor mall in Chatan.  In all, it was a wonderful time, cut short by the impending Typhoon.  We all had to scurry our separate ways to brace for the storm and gather resources.  It is a wonderful thing knowing that Taika’s family carries on in the Isle of Smiles, Okinawa.

Lee E. Richards & Lisa A. Ohmes
May 2015