The Karate Specific Physique

Often people ask me “André, what do you do to keep in shape besides shotokan?” It is a nice compliment, but in actuality, I just do karate. From my perspective, getting in shape is merely a byproduct of karate practice. And the reality is I hit hard, very hard, because that is what I train for, and naturally my physique is a reflection of this.

My aim has never been to get bigger muscles, nor to lose weight, but rather, to simply optimize my karate technique (please refer to my 2007 article ‘The Optimum Karate Physique’: http://andrebertel.blogspot.com/2007/06/optimal-karate-physique.html). Always training myself for ichigeki-hissho makes it impossible not to be serious, and serious training changes your body.

Karate itself is therefore my key to motivation, not the byproducts of keiko. My secret is to never to be satisfied with my technique & impact power. I'm always seeking better form and more devastation with my blows. A karate specific physique from traditional karate training. It's as simple as that!

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© André Bertel, Japan (2009).

Trainee from Kitakyushu

Mr. Lyn Jehu came from Kokura City for private training yesterday and also on the 16th of May. Lyn and I have corresponded several times, so it was great to finally do karate with him. I found him to be very modest and passionate about his karate, and budo in general.

Prior to arriving, Lyn emphasized that he wanted to work on kihon, and also that he was interested in my later teacher, Tetsuhiko Asai Sensei’s use of power (as he has a sports science background). So I decided to use kihon including choku-zuki, gyaku zuki, shuto-uchi, haito-uchi, mae geri, yoko geri, and mawashi geri to achieve this. We focused on using joint snap and transfer of body weight for power, as opposed to forcing techniques with conscious muscle effort.

I also stressed the fundamental and harmonious Shotokan coordination of koshi no kaiten (hip rotation), and tai no shinshuku (contraction and expansion of the body). We did a lot of work on the drive of the supporting leg towards the target (please refer to the yoko kekomi photo). However, Lyn seemed most impressed by the combinations of muchiken-waza (whip fist techniques) which Asai Sensei taught me, and the enormous power/impact they have.

All in all, I found Lyn to be a gentleman and seriously focused on improving his karate technique. So all the best Lyn! I sincerely hope these two lessons were beneficial.

© André Bertel, Japan (2009).

Lifetime Budo

I am a very confident person in my life, but when it comes to my karate technique, I’m never happy with myself – never satisfied. That is the reason I’m so confident in my life outside of the dojo, and this is how karate-do builds its followers into stronger human beings. Karate training knocks us down, as it forces us to mercilessly face our weaknesses, and no matter how much we technically improve, we find more flaws… Unlike our lives, karate is never ending, therefore it serves as a vehicle to improve ourselves throughout our lifetime, hence it is ‘lifetime budo’.

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Shuseki Shihan Tetsuhiko Asai once stated “A karateka who thinks he is ‘good’ is finished, if they are trying to follow Karate-Do.” In my opinion, this statement says so much about authentic confidence/humility, self-motivation and the foresight to seriously seek improvement both physically and mentally (through the art).

How can a karateka, who is always seeking to improve, be or become arrogant? Well quite obviously, they can never be arrogant, and if they are and wish to keep progressing technically, they need to foster humility. That is, they must be, or become, legitimately confident in themselves.

I’d like to conclude by saying “If one is satisfied with their technique, or arrogant about their ability, their karate is stagnant, not only technically, but also in their personal growth.

My goal of one day having good karate, may never be achieved, but I will use the 'karate training process' to better myself as a man, throughout my life. To me, this is Karate-Do and what defines it as 'Lifetime Budo'.

OSU, André Bertel

© André Bertel, Japan (2009).

Me no kubarikata

Introduction: Me no kubarikata means ‘placing the eyes’. In karate we typically utilize 'me no kubarikata' in four circumstances. The first and most obvious is in kumite against a single opponent. The second is when practicing solo kata or doing solo kihon. The third is when doing impact training against a static or moving target (makiwara, heavy bag, impact shield, focus mitts etcetera). And the forth is to deal with multiple opponents. In this article I’d like to primarily dedicate my time explaining me no kubarikata in solo kihon and kata (as this is the foundational training to perfect this skill for kumite).

Advice from the late Masatoshi Nakayama Sensei: Masatoshi Nakayama Sensei stated in his ‘Best Karate’ publications “If you fasten your eyes on your opponents face, you will lose sight of other things. When you are watching for his kick, you will not see his upper body. You must see all, from the top of his head to his toes. Take the measure of the opponent in front of you clearly, let your eyes feel as though they are looking at a distant object.” His advice was to comprehensively “see everything” when doing kumite (therefore this applies to every aspect of karate training; keeping in mind that “Kihon and kata are kumite, so we must practice this method at all times”).
Quote from Gorin No Sho: Nakayama Sensei also quoted Miyamoto Musashi in ‘Best Karate’, on the subject of heiho no metsuki (The eyes in combat). “It is important to keep the eyes on all things, seeing both widely and deeply. In seeing things, there are kan and ken. Penetrating the true nature of things is kan, seeing surface phenomena is ken. Accurately judging far away conditions and rightly grasping the nature of nearby phenomena is a secret principle of the art of war. The secret of success is to know the enemies sword without looking at it, to concretely assess his nature, and not to be seduced by his movements. It is vitally essential to take in both sides (left and right) without moving the eyeballs. Mastery of this is not easy.” In this case we are given a broader ‘martial view’ of me no kubarikata, however I’d like to comment on the last point of "seeing everything without moving the eyeballs”, which I believe ‘completes the equation’ (on a practical/training level for the karate practitioner). Quite simply, “Try to see everything, and try not to let your real, or imaginary opponent, see anything in your eyes...” In Japanese budo, besides not telegraphing techniques, this also means to not show ones emotions such as elation, fear, anger, disappointment etc.

Conclusion: Just like we learn to control the muscles of our limbs and torso, we also need to control the muscles of our face. Why? Because our facial expressions, especially our eyes, often ‘story tell’ our intentions and emotional state. Try to see everything, and 'present a detached or neutral expression' to your opponents. Give them nothing to read… By practicing proper me no kubarikata in solo training (kihon and kata) you will greatly enhance your awareness when fighting, and can also perfect an expression, which gives your adversaries little or no insights.

© André Bertel, Japan (2009).

Shodan Examination Kihon

At present my kihon training is completely dedicated to the Shodan Exam Fundamentals with emphasis on “Waza no naka ni waza ga aru” which roughly translates as “There are techniques within a technique”.

Essentially I am breaking down the shodan-shinsa kihon for some general ‘fine tuning’. Namely, my attention is on: (A) Technique start positions and initiations; (B) Tight chambering/Windups; (C) Trajectory throughout each technique and the corresponding footwork/body shifts; and (D) Smooth recovery. The overall theme is ‘Kihon for Kumite’, especially in regards to effectiveness in the quarter, half, and three quarter stages of techniques. Insofar as kata and kumite practice is concerned, please check my last training regime (http://andrebertel.blogspot.com/2009/04/karate-do-keiko.html) as I’m still following last month’s schedule.

The Shodan Examination Fundamentals I'm practicing are as follows (please note, that all stances are zenkutsu-dachi unless otherwise mentioned in brackets):

(1) Tobi konde sanbon zuki; (2) Jodan age uke kara chudan mae geri soshite chudan gyaku zuki; (3) Chudan soto uke kara yori ashi chudan yoko empi uchi (kiba dachi), uraken yokomawashi uchi soshite chudan gyaku zuki; (4) Chudan shuto uke (kokutsu dachi) kara chudan mae ashi mae geri soshite chudan tateshihon nukite gyaku zuki; (5) Gedan barai kara chudan uchi uke (neko ashi dachi), jodan ura zuki soshite yori ashi chudan gyaku zuki; (6) Chudan mae geri kara jodan tate mawashi geri soshite chudan gyaku zuki; (7) Chudan ushiro geri kara chudan gyaku zuki; (8) Kaiten shinagara jodan uraken yoko uchi kara chudan gyaku zuki; (9) Yoko keage kara yoko kekomi; and (10) Jodan soto uke kara yoko yori ashi gedan barai, chudan mae ashi mae geri soshite chudan gyaku zuki.

Overall, my practice of the shodan-shinsa kihon has been very physically and mentally challenging, especially in regards to the dissection of techniques. It really is a case of eradicating those bad habits, which inevitably creep back in, and to continue seeking a higher level. All the best from Oita-ken, Japan.

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© André Bertel, Japan 2009

JKS Technical Seminars

The Nakatsu JKS (Japan Karate Shotorenmei) Seminars held between May 2nd and May 4th were nothing less than fantastic. I’m very thankful to Tachibana Shihan (8th Dan) and JKS Oita-ken for inviting me to this event held at the Renshinkan, very close to Nakatsu castle. As usual, Tachibana Shihan gave world class karate tuition, making sure that every karateka in attendance further polished their skills. Here is a general summary of the course.
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The schedule: The training sessions were as follows: Saturday and Sunday practice both started at 10am and concluded at 3pm. The Sunday session began at 10am and finished at midday. The first day was focused primarily on kihon and kumite; the second day, mainly kata; and the final day, just two of the sentei kata.
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Kihon:
We did lots of stationary kihon and ido-kihon, however, the majority of ‘basics’ done throughout this course were executed from the freestyle position. Core fundamental techniques were repeated over and over again. Renzokuwaza such as kizami zuki kara gyaku zuki, mae ashi mae geri kara mae geri, and the grading curriculum kihon were typical. The underlying message was “High repetitions of exact techniques are necessary to achieve consistent excellence”. One general theme emphasized by Shihan throughout the course was the maintenance of exact posture at all times, and long extension, especially in punching attacks. In particular, this was related to the ‘kumite focused’ Junro kata. Supplementing (and alongside) the kihon, (and in addition to the 'traditional morning run' and cleaning each day) we did a fair amount of karate-specific endurance/conditioning exercises, such as squat thrusts, pushups, sit ups, all types of jumps, leg raises and so forth.

Kata
The second day of the course featured the most variety of kata. Those covered included Heian-shodan, Heian-nidan and Heian-sandan; Junro-shodan, Junro-nidan and Junro-sandan; Joko-issei, Joko-nisei and Joko-sansei; Tekki-shodan, Kibaken and Jion. And some very interesting and complex variations were taught! The two hour practice on Monday morning (for dan grades only) was totally focused on Bassai-dai and Kanku-dai in isolation. I was honored that Tachibana Shihan had me teach that lesson.

KumiteOne special point about this course was the high focus on kumite, which goes without saying, I really enjoyed. We covered all of the ‘standard forms’ of examination kumite (Sanbon kumite, Gohon kumite, Kihon ippon kumite, Jiyu ippon kumite and Jiyu kumite). We also did many variations of these, for example: (a) Godan kumite: Sanbon jodan zuki on each step (second punch blocked with gyaku jodan age-uke). Final step counter with gyaku zuki followed by mae ashi mawashi geri kara gyaku zuki, then ura mawashi geri kara gyaku zuki; (b) Gohon kumite: Tobi konde oi zuki kara mae geri (defend with age-uke in the usual manner followed by yori-ashi rearward with gedan-barai and hangeiki); (c) Kihon ippon kumite: Attacker advances with tobi konde jodan oi zuki and defender collides with tobi konde jodan age uke followed by an appropriate hangeiki-waza etc... Simple, yes! Easy, no! Well at least not for me… All of this led to some jiyu ippon kumite, and an ample amount of jiyu kumite. One personal highlight was getting to do jiyu-kumite against multiple opponents, something I haven’t done for a few years.

I’ll wrap up by once again offering my sincere thanks to JKS Oita-ken Chief Instructor, Tachibana Shihan, for his brilliant karate training, and also to the other students who I sweated alongside with at the seminar. Arigato gozaimazu. Osu! André

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© André Bertel, Japan 2009

Gomen na sai

I’m sorry for my lack of articles lately. Quite simply I’ve had very limited time to write, as naturally, I prioritize karate training over merely writing about it. However, Japan’s annual ‘Golden Week’ (in my case) begins this Saturday, so finally I’ll have some free time…
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I'm happy to admit that April has been a very hard month of training for me, and has revealed many points I seriously need to work on. This illustrates a special aspect of karate-do... "It's impossible to have an big ego if one trains seriously". The name Meikyo perfectly 'reflects' this in regards to self-honesty.
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I'd like to conclude by saying "The beauty of karate-do is seeking perfection. This humanly unattainable goal means karatedo is a lifelong pursuit. If this pursuit is continued with seriousness, it can only result in the development of positive human attributes." Karate-Do certainly travels upstream, in comparison to the 'instant coffee world' we now live in. Whilst I can never be proud of my karate technique, I can at least be proud of following this 'way'.

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Osu, André

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© André Bertel, Japan 2009

New Asai Sensei Videos on Youtube

There has been some fantastic footage of Asai Sensei uploaded on youtube.... Here are the links:

(1) Asai Sensei (Asai JKA Chief Instructor) and Yahara Sensei (Asai JKA Assistant Chief Instructor) Enbu: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mx_Ylhh0Bw&feature=channel_page

(2) Asai Sensei and Yahara Sensei demonstrating their weapons skills for film makers in Tokyo (around 1980): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM4qt-WvZGQ&feature=channel_page

(3) Asai Sensei teaching at Youji Yamamoto's house: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q702oSxyQ94&feature=channel_page - This exercise certainly brings back painful memories for me!

(4) Asai Sensei doing a 'typically unrehearsed' enbu with Imaizumi Sensei: http://www.youtube.com/hard%20watch?v=-My3wubFOyQ&feature=channel_page

(5) Asai Sensei's techniques based on the movements of animals including the opening of Kihoken kata: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsH4NyBtzEY&feature=channel_page

OSU, André

© André Bertel, Japan 2009

Karate-Do Keiko

Here is my latest training regime, for those of you, requesting an update.

Kihon: Since the beginning of April my kihon-keiko is very much focused on a natural hanmi as opposed to an extreme one. That is ‘hip snap’ instead of a large scale rotation. This is essential for advanced karateka, for short distance, and spontaneous reaction. In addition to this, I’ve been paying much attention to Asai Sensei’s “First legs, second waist, third striking limb, and last, karada no buki”. To practice these very broad targets I’ve been using the grading syllabus as the basis of my weekly routine. Monday’s, I’m doing the 9th, 8th & 7th kyu kihon; Tuesday’s, the 6th, 5th & 4th kyu kihon; Wednesday’s, the 3rd, 2nd & 1st kyu kihon; Thursday’s, the shodan kihon; and Friday’s, the nidan kihon. On Saturday’s, my kihon training can be anything, but usually high repetitions of jodan kiz

ami-zuki kara chudan gyaku-zuki, and chudan mae ashi mae-geri kara jodan mae-geri (stationary on both

right and left sides). It goes without saying, when I do my Saturday evening training, under Tachibana Shihan (8th Dan), I’m always very tired.

Kata: The following four kata dominate my kata training at present: (1) Jion; (2) Enpi; (3) Unsu; and (4) Kakuyoku {Kakuyoku-nidan}. In addition to these, I’m ‘loosely practicing’ the following kata: the five Heian; the five Junro, Tekki-shodan, Bassai-dai and Kanku-dai. Really speaking, I’m utilizing these ‘additional kata’ to further reinforce my current kihon targets. The main kata, as I’ve mentioned in past posts, are a means to develop my own karate (based on what Asai Sensei told me to do, just before he passed away). Presently I’m doing kata-keiko everyday of the week.

Kumite: My current training schedule, whilst perhaps sounding

robotic, has been very productive: On Monday’s I focus on Sanbon kumite; Tuesday’s, Gohon kumite; Wednesday’s, Kihon ippon kumite; Thursday’s, Jiyu ippon kumite; Friday’s, Kaeshi ippon kumite; and Saturday’s Jiyu kumite. My present targets are twofold [regardless of the 'type of kumite' I'm training]: (1) Optimal maai; and (2) High level technique.

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Osu!

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© André Bertel, Japan 2009

Practice with Hamid Abassalty

Hamid Abassalty hopefully needs no introduction, he is the number one person in Japan to contact if you want to safely purchase a Japanese made traditional karate dogi (karate uniforms) or obi (belts). His business, kuroobiya (click here for the website: www.kuroobiya.com), is synonymous with 'satisfaction'. That is, he makes sure his clients get what they want. He will 'give you the edge', especially in regards to world class karate uniforms and belts.
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Last month I spent three and half days in Nagasaki on holiday with my wife (Here's a link to the post: http://andrebertel.blogspot.com/2009/03/nagasaki-trip.html). And to be honest, until the very last minute we had planned to travel to elsewhere. So on the way I decided to call Hamid (who has lived in Japan/Nagasaki for over a decade) to see if I could train with him (at his dojo, instead of being restricted to self-training in my hotel room, or at a local shrine). He said “sure, so when are you coming?” And I answered “We should be there in a couple of hours and will be staying for just over three days.” Clearly shocked in the positive sense, he replied by telling me, “My dojo is unavailable right now as it is having spring cleaning… But, I’ll do my best to sort out another facility!” Sure enough, within a few hours, I received a call… “I’ve arranged a dojo for the next morning.” This to me is true karate spirit. Need I say more?
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I wish more karateka were like Hamid, that is, they talked with their karate as opposed to playing politics. I thoroughly enjoyed our training together, and look forward to the next one.
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© André Bertel, Japan 2009