HIS Karate-Do

First of all, Momilani Rec Center has a party scheduled for this Saturday, 29 April. However, we’re so blessed that instead of having to cancel training, Pastor Nando has graciously offered us the use of the decent sized space at the NHPC Office. The office is located a scant 5 minutes away from Momilani Rec Center. Know where Buzz’s Steakhouse is?…there’s a street that’s parallel to Moanalua Road and just behind Buzz’s. Follow this street down the block (in the Pearl City direction) to its dead end. As you face the dead end (cul-de-sac), take the driveway that runs 45 degrees to the left and you’ll be in the NHPC parking area. The room is lined with mirrors to enhance your training experience, haha. And I will be sure to take advantage of the visual feedback so you can get the most from your training.

The last aspect I’d like to talk about in kata is… expression. This is kind of a hard one for me to describe; after all, knowing the kata sequence without having to think…possessing excellent form, movement, speed, and power… knowing and being able to execute the underlying bunkai… and performing the kata with a mature timing and rhythm derived from countless repetition… what more is there? To me, it’s the more important part… showing the heart of the kata. Not merely replicating what you’ve seen your sempais and various senseis do, that would merely be imitation. What is the difference between a perfect photograph, taken of a sunny day by the river, versus a painting by Monet? We know that the paintings of the masters are treasured… not for their ability to replicate what they’ve seen, but their ability to place their own perspective onto the canvas. Even the sidewalk artist at Disneyland doesn’t merely do a quick sketch of you and your family… he will, more often than not, do a quick caricature of you, complete with Mickey Mouse cap. When I was a kid, I enjoyed watching comedians imitating James Cagney, Jimmy Stewart, Ed Sullivan, President Kennedy, etc. [...]

Ok, now to talk about kata and aspect number four (actually I’m home working on Turbo Tax today and sneaking a break away from the numbers and paperwork)….timing/rhythm. You know the sequence, have pretty good form, and have at least a rudimentary vision of what the moves and key combinations within a particular kata mean to you. Now we can do a brief examination of timing and rhythm (at least from my viewpoint), as these apply to kata. Like the other aspects, T/R exists on several different levels and, unless you’re part of some competition three-person kata team, is a little different for each person. Of course, there is the basic timing we’re taught when we learn the kata. No kata, not even Heian Shodan, consists of exactly the same cadence from move to move….the most obvious segment being the three stepping age-ukes, and later in the kata, the three stepping oi-zukes. So, in our first Shotokan kata, we’re introduced to a timing change, a speed-up between the second and third techniques in both the stepping blocks and the stepping punches. As we learn other katas, there are many other speed-ups, slow-downs, and outright pauses throughout each one. Without an [...]