A state of depletion

benzocaine · Post by **benzocaine** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 12:39 pm

Not to sidetrack your last question to Ian Van, but I have a question for you.

In your origional post you stated that you did power kata.

What is power kata?

Van Canna · Post by **Van Canna** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 1:32 pm

Every move done at ‘maximum’ using torque and compression in strikes and blocks, involving the whole body mass in the move as opposed to just the limb. Not to say that other ways of performing kata is not powerful just the same. The idea being to take more body mass to the opponent, whether needed or not, with every move. Overkill, if you will.

Someday I’ll get Vinny Christiano, my top student, to post a video clip. Better yet come to summer camp and see it in person when he will test for 7 Dan _

Shinjio sensei loves his kata.

Tony’s kata is also a very excellent example of it. I worked with Tony on the concept, which he absorbed very quickly.

Watch his seisan clip again. Then Tony may wish to comment.

benzocaine · Post by **benzocaine** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 1:45 pm

I noticed Tony does his kata alot like I originally learned them in Plymouth... with a little hip wiggle/torque... but not too much wiggle. Or maybee it's just me creating memories

I caught hell from some folks I won't mention for doing sanchin like that.. F em . It's way more powerful than not using the hips.

Thanks.

Van Canna · Post by **Van Canna** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:00 pm

I caught hell from some folks I won't mention for doing sanchin like that.. F em . It's way more powerful than not using the hips

Understand that lots of Uechi students are 'brainwashed' by their sensei. At times uechi can be a terminal disease.

Nakamatsu sensei has a wonderful way to generate power_ look at Dana's kata sometimes_ yet I hear rumors that He was ostracized by other seniors for it.

I worked with Walter Mattson, who showed me another version of this as taught by Takara sensei.

Maloney has yet another way to move with maximum mass, which draws lots of criticism.

Learn to shrug and walk away to a Starbuck, after the nay sayers hit the floor unconscious, and they will, yet they don't know it yet.

Van Canna · Post by **Van Canna** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:10 pm

It's way more powerful than not using the hips

It's not even the hips. It is more akin to a 'spinal whip' along the center line. Hip motion is minimal, but people who don't understand the concept only see an almost impercetible hip wiggle.

look at a Shorin Kata and you will see some incredible body generated impact _ through the target.

I know_ 'it's not Uechi'_

benzocaine · Post by **benzocaine** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:24 pm

I worked with Walter Mattson, who showed me another version of this as taught by Takara sensei.

That makes sense then as my teacher was/is Walter's student

Another thing I was scolded for was where my hands were put on the draw back in sanchin. They wanted you hands way the hell up in the armpit practically.. I felt it to be a huge hinderance compared to what I was used to. It seemed to slow me down even more, and hurt my shoulders... add a hips width stance(instead of shoulders width) and you've just handicapped the F out of me

Hey guys

Van Canna · Post by **Van Canna** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:31 pm

They wanted you hands way the hell up in the armpit practically..

What explanation, if any, were you given for this?

Walter Mattson was one of the top ten fighters in the country, at the time of Joe Lewis and Chuck Norris.

No easy feat at the time of the 'Wars'

Van Canna · Post by **Van Canna** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:35 pm

add a hips width stance(instead of shoulders width) and you've just handicapped the F out of me

Again what was the explanation for it and did you see any of them in that stance when doing kumite or free fighting or bunkai?

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:44 pm

Ben

Everyone has an opinion about how things are done, and some of these opinions can be diametrically opposed to each other. Before you are shodan, you pretty much should stick with your instuctor(s) and what they want from you. You need to start from somewhere. Just go with it and be a good chameleon. It is a trait that will serve you well later on when you approach something that you might not "get" right away, but will sink in when you give it a chance.

I've heard it all... A great example that won't offend anyone here is my Goju experience. I can remember being at a week-long camp on Thompson Island where a few choice and famous Uechi masters would get up on stage and mockingly say "Goju people do this. Ha ha! But we do it this way." Well... I happened to be studying Goju at the time from a former special forces instructor. I knew that the master was wrong in what he said (it wasn't MY Goju) and I knew that what I did was effective and he had no earthly idea what he was talking about. Furthermore, I knew that my Goju instructor had taught me a lot of things about my Uechi that this Uechi master did not understand about his own style. (FWIW, my Goju instructor had Uechi Kanei's Big Blue Book, and actually sought ME out for a bit of martial exchange.)

People say different things. People do different things. There are many good and unique paths to take. And there are plenty of rotten manifestations of a perfectly good method.

Relax. Settle with one or a few good instructors, and have some faith. Put your trust in these people up through and maybe slightly beyond shodan. Then if you have a good instructor, that person will let you come to camps and seminars, and start to pick up your own unique way of doing things. George and I disagree now and then about how to do things (kicking is an example), but respect each other enough to allow the separate paths to coexist and cross-pollenate amongst the good instructors and students. Variety can be good if it finds a comfortable set of homes amongst unique personalities and body types.

All that matters at the end of the day is that you can make it work in yourself and your students.

- Bill

benzocaine · Post by **benzocaine** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 2:50 pm

Since I took this thread way off course

Van Canna-Ian,

Thanks for the reply.

What are you thinking in terms of 'balancing'?

Bill Glasheen · Post by **Bill Glasheen** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 3:12 pm

Van wrote: When lifting_ what are the best exercises to load power along the lines of direction and force of Uechi?

I've been working that one for a while, Van. It's a great question with no pefect answer, but certainly some good ones.

I think folks need a strength foundation before going to power, and so I still do the classic strength exercises like the bench, seated rows (or dumbbell pulls while holding on to a bench), squats, the clean-up work for the legs like leg extensions and curls, etc., etc. I always start every workout with the freeweights that use the most muscles together. This is what any athletic endeavor is about, and it also happens to pack the biggest effect into what you are doing. Machines should only be used as clean-up after doing the basics.

But when you are talking power, then I go with all the classic Olympic lifts. These you do after building the strength foundation. They aren't directly Uechi, but they do what you want them to do. They teach you how to explode using every available muscle. And they require some coordination to boot. These would include variations of the power cleans, clean-and-jerks, and power snatches. You can do them first with barbells, and then later on with dumbbells. The variety keeps life interesting. You probably will be tempted to round it out with some medicine ball plyometric stuff to work on trunk rotation, horizontal thrusting/pulling, etc. But that's clean-up work, and frankly it can be a fun thing to do in the dojo with partners.

And you should NEVER use wrist wraps in the weight room. I've even thrown my weight belt away for the same reason. Uechi needs strong hands and fingers. Uechi needs a strong trunk. If you can't do the weight without wrist wraps, you won't be able to use the strength of your primary muscle groups through your Uechi hands. If your midsection can't carry the weight your legs can push, then you won't be able to use the Uechi total body power. Balance and synergy is key.

Van wrote: If I go from 30 minutes [now] to 5/10 minutes interval_ will it burn as many calories as the previous 30?

It depends on how hard you push yourself. Ultimately yes, you can make interval training burn the same calories as endurance training. The advantage though is that the interval training will make you do it at a rate (speed/power while tapping into anaerobic energy systems) that is more consistent with what you do when you fight.

But there's something else going on here that Ian and I want to make clear. Getting that svelt look isn't just about burning calories today. It can also be about building more muscle mass. The real super goal to achieve is to increase your basal metabolic rate so you can get your teenage metabolism back (or as close as possible). So much of what people do is self-defeating in terms of yoyo dieting, aerobic training, etc. People just get into a downward spiral of being more and more dependent on the dieting and the aerobics because they keep slowing their metabolism down. It's better to do things that will increase muscle mass so you don't have to burn so many calories in the gym and deny yourself some of the pleasures of dining. (Yes, you still need to eat well, but at least you can eat!)

The nice thing is that we can focus on what makes our karate better, and not have to spend time doing things ad nauseum to that mind-numbing disco music.

- Bill

Van Canna · Post by **Van Canna** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 3:31 pm

Most excellent Bill, thanks.

Van Canna · Post by **Van Canna** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 5:02 pm

Here is something women look for in a man_ in addition to other things_

> lithe and powerful animal <

· Broad chest
· broad shoulders
· broad, muscled chest
· bunching muscles of his shoulders
· completely male
· corrugated leanness of his flat abdomen
· feel of his shoulders beneath her hands
·
· firm, sleek, slender body with its fine musculature
· hair-encircled male nipples, already hard buds
· hair-roughened skin,
· handsome face and virile chest
· hard contours of bone and sinew
· hard muscles of his arms
·
· hard ripple of muscles
· hard slab of his belly
· hard smoothness and the strength of the muscled thighs
· hardness of his chest
·
· hard, muscular length
· hard, warm muscles of his chest
· hips narrow, buttocks tight
· large manly form
· lean muscular legs
·
·
· overwhelmingly sexy in silhouette. More dominating. Incredibly male.
·
· skin, hot and dry
·

chef · Post by **chef** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 5:15 pm

Amen......a lot!

Vicki

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 5:15 pm

benzocaine wrote: I caught hell from some folks I won't mention for doing sanchin like that.. F em . It's way more powerful than not using the hips.
Thanks.

uh.. yeah, it is. In the end, you're karate will be great, and theirs will ******.