Deconstructing Seisan

 

Here's a fine demonstration of Seisan, the first kata taught in Isshinryu karate. Seisan is not unique to Isshinryu, but is an ancient form found in many systems of karate. Kata is typically practiced as a solo form, but eventually the student is taught how to deconstruct the kata itself (bunkai) and how to apply the self-defense moves within (oyo). Later upon testing, students are asked to show (with a partner) sections of various kata and their proper application. Here we see this particular kata in its entirety in a theoretical matchup versus multiple assailants. The guttural breathing you hear adds power to the technique.

The master featured in the video (the defender at the center) is Arcenio Advincula. He trained directly under the founder of Isshinryu karate, Tatsuo Shimabuku, during his US military hitch on Okinawa starting in 1958. Years ago I took a workshop given by Advincula-sensei that was attended by at least two dozen Isshinryu karate teachers and students on Long Island. One of my instructors got into a rather heated exchange with the master over a stupid technical issue that did not end well for the former. Pro tip: never argue with a Marine giving a karate demonstration.

The Fast Track to High Rank

Someone I know just received their black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It took him ten years, and I'm told this is the typical amount of time it takes in this style. Most martial arts as practiced in the US take about half that time to achieve the coveted black belt. Perhaps BJJ has higher standards or their people want to disassociate with those of the McDojo variety that award black belts at breakneck speed.

There seems to be some controversy over the length of time it should take to get to black belt. (A word to the wise: it's not a good idea to ask "how long will it take to get a black belt" at a traditional school.) Isshinryu karate's Angi Uezu says it takes, on average, about two-and-a-half years on Okinawa. In the All-Japan Karate Federation (formerly, the Zen Nippon Karatedo Renmei), three years is recommended to achieve shodan (1st degree black belt).* It took Chuck Norris fifteen months, kickboxing great Joe Lewis seven months and Isshinryu legend Don Nagle six months to get their black belts while training in Korea or Okinawa during a US military hitch.


Isshinryu's founder, Tatsuo Shimabuku, would grant dan level ranks to certain US servicemen who trained under him rather quickly, knowing it would be years before he would see them again. The Karate Questions and Answers blog has more to say about this. Elsewhere, a Marine who trained under the master in the late fifties recounts that

It took six or seven months to make green belt, and a couple more to make black. He [Shimabuku] didn't give a certificate to Americans until they left Okinawa. At first he gave low grades, but the students persisted until he began to give high grades for a minimum time. One American was given an eighth dan (black belt rank) after only two and a half years in isshin-ryu, while another made seventh dan after one and a half years. To justify such ranks, Shimabuku would say "You'll rate it in 15 or 20 years." He gave higher grades because he thought most Americans would not be returning to Okinawa...

Nevertheless, when the Americans returned to the United States from Okinawa, most did not wait 15 or 20 years, but proclaimed their high grades immediately.

When speaking of the duration of white belt to black belt the only relevance is actual training time in the dojo. One source cites that at least 1000 hours of instruction is required for promotion to 1st dan black belt.^† If you train 1 - 1.5 hours per class three times a week, that works out to about five years. Norris, who first took up judo in the Air Force and then switched to tang soo do (a cognate of tae kwon do) while stationed in Korea, would train up to thirty hours per week, about double of what most Americans train in a month. Initially, he didn't even think about getting a black belt. Apparently, he figured out something very important: It's the journey, not the destination, that counts.


* Richard Kim 1974. The Weaponless Warriors. Ohara Publications, Incorporated.
^† Jennifer Lawler 1996. The Martial Arts Encyclopedia. Masters Press.

Black Belts and Red Flags

Today I was invited to observe a black "sash" test given at a local kung fu school. It was the fighting part of the test; I missed the forms and self defense portions, though if they were anything like what I witnessed this afternoon I didn't miss much. This event was, quite frankly, painful to watch. The testee was a young man in his twenties who tells me he has about five years of training in this style. He was in shape and had a decent arsenal of techniques, but after his tenth match or so he started running out of gas and subsequently took some pretty bad hits. I have mixed feelings about these rank "tests", usually for first dan or its equivalent, that amount to little more than glorified hazing. This place also had an aura of posturing and bad intentions that was palpable. I suppose the people that promote this sort of thing feels it gives their club credibility or a tough rep.

Martial arts training should push one outside their comfort zone in order to improve realistic skills and mature as a practitioner. C.G. Jung said that any kind of real development obeys only "brute necessity." In other words if you're cruising through your training or not playing realistically enough you're probably not making any great strides. Then there's the fanatical approach. In Kyokushin karate, the "100 Man Kumite" is considered the ultimate test of endurance in sparring. The concept of squaring off against a hundred consecutive opponents was devised by the style's founder, Mas Oyama. Oyama's training regimen also included punching trees to a pulp, using shuto to chop the tops off beer bottles and meditating in the wilderness for months on end.

Some instructors get hung up on fostering "indomitable spirit" and I think this is what leads to these marathon sparring sessions and other bizarre methods of training, like standing in shiko dachi (horse stance) while throwing air punches for half an hour. Shugyo (intense training) was originally devised to be undertaken as a solo practice for introspection and transcendence, not group agony. Preventive measures, awareness of your surroundings, and the ability to respond rather than react (mu-shin or no-mind) have far more utility than being able to complete a martial arts version of an Ironman competition.

I've heard of strange requirements expected of students for rank advancement. One school I know will take you down to the beach for a three-mile run as a preliminary to first degree black belt. Another will assign a book to read, typically a classic treatise like The Art of War, and expect a written report on it. In the Togakure-ryu, the test for fifth dan - and this is the whole test - involves the aspirant to kneel in seiza with eyes closed, and, using only intuitive resources (kan ken futatsu no koto*) avoid a strike to the head from a bamboo shinai delivered by the master standing directly behind.^†

I'm all in favor of trainees developing a high level of fitness, reading skills, and even intuition, but these concepts should fall outside the purview of a martial arts club. Best to tackle these things on your own watch.


* From Japanese bujutsu, lit. "mind and eyes both see."
^† Glenn J. Morris, Ph.D. 1993. Path Notes of an American Ninja Master. North Atlantic Books.

Kata: Doing It Right

For anyone who has been a regular reader of this site, you may know that my views on kata (forms) training are somewhat divided. Kata has some uses which I'll state, but from much of what I've seen they've survived largely due to their convenience for belt promotions, tournaments and a way to use up class time.

On a more positive note, kata training brings to light something that is referred to in Zen as "monkey mind". This is actually the normal state of consciousness exhibited by most people. Let's say you're doing your strongest kata, one you've performed countless times. At some point you'll start running through this form on auto-pilot. Now this is potentially both good and bad. Ultimately, you want techniques to unfold naturally and without hesitation. On the other hand, if you're performing your kata strictly by rote the mind will tend to wander. You're just going through the motions and the mind becomes restless. Losing one's kime (focus) is a common problem for students at any level, so the trick is to become mindful of it and get back on course. This is the task of meditation, and the kata should be regarded as a moving meditation of sorts. If you're really concentrating on your form, bare-minded awareness (mushin) follows suit.

Real kata training should be done rigorously and with sincere effort, i.e. sweating bullets and heavy breathing by the time you're finished. No lollygagging. Any half-assed attempt at running through your forms is not only a waste of time but counterproductive. I once witnessed two candidates for nidan (2nd degree black belt) fail their tests because it was felt they didn't put enough gusto into their rendition of kata. Every strike within the form should be regarded as the finisher, or as Mike Tyson used to say, "thrown with bad intentions." Is your training good enough that it will allow you to perform every kata you know back-to-back with full power and speed without losing your lunch? We all appreciate the precision, grace and aesthetics of a master kata practitioner, but realize these artistic movements were built on a solid foundation of hard work over a long period of time.

As you practice your kata, envision your imaginary opponents as real and approximately your size. Look before you change direction within the form. Some beginners have a tendency to look down while in the midst of their kata which conveys an absence of confidence. Before you begin your kata take a single deep breath. This will clear out the mind and calm the nerves, especially when you're testing or competing.

Aside from gleaning its technical aspects and applications (bunkai), kata training should be approached with a strong will and proper spirit. The way is in the training, said Musashi.

Making The Grade

Only One In 10,000 Make It To Black Belt - Be That One! This is what I read in a flyer that I saw at a local karate school recently. One in ten-thousand - does that sound right? That's what I'd call lying with statistics! If we're talking about the total number of martial-art students who enroll in a school, I'd say one in about two-hundred eventually succeed in achieving shodan (1st degree black belt). Even so, one-half of 1% is still a pretty small slice of the pie, which puts the Black Belt Club in an elite group. An instructor of mine once commented that becoming a black belt is an honor that exceeds that of becoming an attorney or a physician. I don't have any figures available, but I'm guessing that far more than 1% of prospective lawyers and doctors pass the bar and graduate from medical school respectively.

The martial path is real tough in the right school, and the black belt test is far from a shoo-in, even for the qualified candidate. Chuck Norris failed his first attempt at black belt. One young man I knew who was testing for shodan quit midway through the sparring portion of his exam. He was fighting well through several matches when he inexplicably threw in the towel. In the weeks leading up to his test he had gotten so worked up that when the big day finally arrived, his fear of failure became a self fulfilling prophecy. Fortunately, one of the senior instructors had a talk with him and was able to bring him back out onto the mat to finish and pass his test. It ain't over till it's over.

If you've managed to stay with the martial arts for just a few years you're probably in awe of the fact that so many people come and go. The martial arts are not for everyone, and as a result there's a revolving door at most schools regarding students. But you never know who has what it takes, and sometimes the most unlikely trainee will fool you and go the distance. The martial arts are about transformation. As somebody once told me, you don't get a black belt, you become one.

This Is Only A Test

Goal settings, and actualizing them are one of the main attractions of the martial arts. The satisfaction and elation of receiving a new belt is something that must be experienced first hand. Belts can be acquired at intervals through formal testing, but as an instructor of mine once noted, students should be "tested" (i.e. inconspicuously observed) everytime they attend class.

It behooves the student to devote time in preparation for the test. Unfortunately, you're not only being tested on what you know, you're being tested on how well you test. Although this may seem unfair, it prepares the student to deal with stress in a positive manner. The ability to relax under any circumstances is a natural by-product of the experience, confidence, and well being that results from dedicated training. While some may regard acquiring rank as a source of ego-inflation, the student would do well to realize that true nobility is derived from forgoing any type of self-aggrandizement or narcissism.