Second Kyū – Brown Belt
What’s New for 2nd Kyū?
Henri Poincare is a French philosopher and mathematician who wrote in 1905 “Science is built upon facts, much in the same way that a house is constructed of brick, but the mere collection of facts is no more a science than a pile of bricks is a house.” He could have been writing about karatedō. If there is no understanding of the principles upon which karate rests then the years of practice, the number of kata learned, the degree one obtains, the physical toughness, the trophies won — all are like the pile of bricks that will not ever become a house.[1]
You have reached brown belt. You have collected a pile of bricks. Now you can begin to build the house.
of Kata
Chūdan
Ha
Ri
Funakoshi Gichin’s Twenty Precepts of Karate
Funakoshi Gichin was a scholar as well as a skilled karate master. His teachings are important to all karate styles. Through his efforts, Funakoshi Gichin brought dō to the practice of karate. Without dō, karate would be just another fighting system like mixed martial arts or jūjutsu.
- Karatedō begins and ends with courtesy.
- There is no first attack in karate.
- Karate is a great assistance to [auxilliary of] justice.
- Know yourself first and then others.
- Spirit first; techniques second.
- Always be ready to release your mind.
- Misfortune [accidents] always come out of negligence.
- Do not think that karate training is only in the dōjō.
- It will take your entire life to learn karate. There is no limit.
- Put your everyday living into karate and you will find the ideal state of existence.
- Karate is like hot water. If you do not give it heat constantly it will again become cold water.
- Do not think that you have to win. Rather, think that you do not have to lose.
- Victory depends on your ability to distinguish vulnerable points from invulnerable ones.
- The battle is according to how you maneuver guarded and unguarded. Move according to your opponent.
- Think of the hands and feet as swords.
- When you leave home think that you have numerous opponents waiting for you. It is your behavior that invites trouble from them.
- Beginners must master low stance and posture. Natural body position for advanced.
- Practicing a kata is one thing and engaging in a real fight is another.
- Do not forget :
1) strength and weakness of power
2) stretching and contraction of the body
3) slowness and speed of techniques.
Apply these correctly. - Always think and devise ways to live the precepts every day.
| geidō | 芸道 | performing arts |
| keiko | 稽古 | practice; training; study |
In Japan the martial arts fall within the category of geidō, or “artistic ways.” The Japanese believe the arts can only be learned by doing rather than book learning. Discovering the meaning of a technique comes from the total mind and body understanding obtained through much practice.
| Do not forget : 1) strength and weakness of power 2) stretching and contraction of the body 3) slowness and speed of techniques. Apply these correctly. |
| kyūsho | 急所 | vital points of the human body |
| Jōdan | Head and Neck | |
| Chūdan | Torso | |
| Gedan | Arms and Legs |
Chūdan (中段) – Torso
| Front | ||||
| 10 | Hichū | 秘中 | suprasternal fossa | the large, visible concavity at the base of the neck between the collar bones also called the jugular notch |
| 11 | Wakikage | 脇陰 | armpit | the underarm |
| 12 | Inazuma | 稲妻 | the space between the 11th and 12th ribs | on the sides at the level of the navel |
| 13 | Murasame | 村雨 | supraclavicular fossa | the concavity found just over the collar bones |
| 14 | Danchū | 儃中 | sternum | breastbone |
| 15 | Kyōsen | 胸尖 | xiphoid process | cartilage at the base of the sternum which ossifies later in life can become detached and damage the diaphragm |
| 16 | Ganka | 雁下 | between the 5th and 6th ribs on either side | at level just below the nipples |
| 17 | Suigetsu | 水月 | solar plexus | concavity at the base of the sternum |
| Back | ||||
| 29 | Hayauchi | 早打 | 7th cervical vertebra | upper back |
| 30 | Kassatsu | 活殺 | thoracic region | middle of back |
| 33 | Ushirotenkō | 後電光 | lumbar region | lower back |
| 34 | Bidei Bide | 尾底 | caudal region | lower tip of the spine |
Right Practice
What do we mean by spirit or heart?
| shoshin | 初心 | beginner’s mind |
| kokoro | 心 | heart, mind and spirit |
Shin (also pronounced kokoro) means spirit, heart and mind. In both Chinese and Japanese thought, the seat of the spirit is the heart rather than the head, which houses only the intellect.
As Westerners, we tend to associate spirit with its religious usage. We may speak of a spirited horse, but we seldom apply the term to people. However, like the Japanese concept of shin, spirit can also mean the vitality or animating force of any living being. A racehorse has a great heart, meaning that he will strive heroically to win. We may say that a family dog has shown great heart when he has displayed the loyalty and dedication necessary to …. overcome great odds to …
| Spirit first; techniques second. |
Why is heart important to a martial artist?
Musashi tells us to see through the enemy’s spirit. Westerners would be more likely to use state of mind or physical bearing or body language.
A person will succeed if that person is filled with kokoro, with the passion to succeed. An equivalent Western saying would be to have a fire in one’s belly. While the Western mind will put technique first and try to explain a technique in scientific terms, ..
Shuhari
Shuhari is the three-stage process of acquiring mastery. It is the principle through which karate has continued to evolve, allowing for growth and innovation. [1]
守 Shu means to protect.
The student emulates his master unquestioningly. His goal is to correctly copy all of the techniques of his instructor. He learns from tradition. His goal is to protect the old tradition.
破 Ha means to break down or destroy.
The student begins to develop his own style, based on the physical demands of his own body structure and his understanding of karate. He begins to break the chains of tradition. This does not mean to throw away the old ways, but to break the limitations of tradition.
離 Ri means to separate, diverge or transcend.
The student has mastered the techniques and can perform them automatically. He understands the core principles of the tradition. He has developed a personalized interpretation. The individual no longer requires instruction, but is a teacher himself through example. He has transcended tradition and found new ways of doing traditional techniques.
Shuhari can be compared to the growing up process. As a youngster, a child learns by imitating his parents. As the child moves into his teenage years he begins to question his parents and test his boundaries. As a young adult he must make his own way, drawing consciously or unconsciously on what he learned as he was growing up. The tie of the child to the parent is never broken.
[1] McCarthy, Pat: Karate – Classical Kata of Okinawa, Ohara Publications, Inc., 1987, p. 58-59.
Tsuru dachi
Tsuru means crane. Tsuru dachi comes from the crane aspect of our Chinese roots as tiger, crane and dragon chuan’fa.
Tsuru dachi is the one-legged stance found in Seisan. In seisan, you jump back into tsuru dachi and briefly remain poised, showing off your stability before leaping toward the opponent. The support leg is flexed for springiness, much like neko ashi dachi. The knee of the other leg is raised high so the shin can protect the groin.
Why do I lose my balance?
If you find that you lose your balance when you jump back into tsuru dachi in seisan no kata there could be at least two reasons.
- You are trying to land with your leg straight. Instead, land with your knee flexed to act as a shock absorber. This also lowers your center of gravity for more stability.
- You are trying to land with your hips square to shōmen. Instead, land with your hips, torso and shoulders at an angle.
発勁 【はっけい】 (n);<martial-arts> fa jin; releasing internal power explosively.