Caveat: This article is mine and mine alone. I the author of this article assure you, the reader, that any of the opinions expressed here are my own and are a result of the way in which my meandering mind interprets a particular situation and/or concept. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of other martial arts and/or conflict/violence professionals or authors of source materials. It should be quite obvious that the sources I used herein have not approved, endorsed, embraced, friended, liked, tweeted or authorized this article. (Everything I think and write is true, within the limits of my knowledge and understanding. Oh, and just because I wrote it and just because it sounds reasonable and just because it makes sense, does not mean it is true.)
Please make note that this article/post is my personal analysis of the subject and the information used was chosen or picked by me. It is not an analysis piece because it lacks complete and comprehensive research, it was not adequately and completely investigated and it is not balanced, i.e., it is my personal view without the views of others including subject experts, etc. Look at this as “Infotainment rather then expert research.” This is an opinion/editorial article/post meant to persuade the reader to think, decide and accept or reject my premise. It is an attempt to cause change or reinforce attitudes, beliefs and values as they apply to martial arts and/or self-defense. It is merely a commentary on the subject in the particular article presented.
Today, Sensei Victor Smith posted an old article on kote-kitae, an arm conditioning exercise. It was a nice article, I liked it and yet I wondered what was missing because as I read it I felt something was missing.
Karada-kitae is the term used to denote karate “Body” conditioning. It is a group of exercises meant to condition the body and, of course, include the kote-kitae exercises as demonstrated in the article Smith Sensei so kindly presented. Like many of the things taught in martial arts, specifically Okinawan karate, we practitioners seem to miss some things.
Before I continue here are some articles on the subject I wrote a while back. When reading remember the caveat I presented at the start of today’s article.
What I want to present is what I have discovered as an underlying, critically important, trait of karada-kitae (in other words, kote-kitae) is that the exercise teaches us about certain fundamental principles with emphasis on the physiokinetic ( such as structure, posture, alignment, etc.). This same applies to the practice of sanchin and the testing of sanchin with sanchin-shime.
First, it is not about strength or conditioning as those are excellent byproducts useful for martial arts training and practice. It is about that physiokinetic as the exercise is practiced success is more about proper applications with correct physiokinetics such as skeletal alignment, centeredness, body and spinal alignment, balance, grounding, etc. etc.. This is the true nature and necessity of such practices.
How did we lose site of this? Easy, the model of martial teaching as influenced by Japanese assimilation comes from a tern used in Japan that helps explain a lot about the culture that drives such disciplines, Shi-kata. The perfection of “Everything.” It is what makes products such as karate or aikido so exceptional because of the exactness, perfection and obsessive compulsive effort to make it Zen perfect.
As the culture driven by shi-kata teaches such kata like processes it is assumed in that culture that one shall not ask questions and one is assumed to perceive both visually and tactilely what is being taught. The Okinawan karate didn’t start out this way but soon assumed it because it was about being accepted by Japan.
Add in that karate was also dampened down and assimilated into the Educational system then passed in that form to the occupiers of the early 1900’s, the American Military, the depth and breadth was glossed or passed over for the more direct and obvious practices, i.e., karada-kitae (kote-kitae) became a strengthening and conditioning exercise and practice. The great thing here is that to practice it correctly and benefit from it the body had to adjust naturally and some what subliminally but the practitioner simply “Assumed” because of their success in training that the more obvious reasoning was the only reasoning.
That is why I propose this additional and underlying reasoning applies because it references those fundamental principles of martial systems that make it all work. It is about bringing an assumption to the forefront of the mind for practice and training and a fuller understanding with special emphasis on those who are teaching it. Better understanding comes from a fully explanation and a greater knowledge, isn’t that what it is all about?
Karada-kitae [体鍛]
The characters/ideograms when combined in martial arts means "body forging; body discipline; body train." The first character means, "body; substance; object; reality," and the second character means, "forge; discipline; train."
Kotekitae [小手鍛え]
The characters/ideograms mean "forearm conditioning." The first character means, "little; small," the second character means, "hand," the third character means, "forge; discipline; train."
Karada no yakusoku [体の約束]
The characters/ideograms mean "body commitment." The first character means, 'body; substance; object; reality," the third character means, "promise; approximately; shrink," the fourth character means, "bundle; sheaf; ream; tie in bundles; govern; manage; control."
Karada de Oboeru [体で覚える]
The characters/ideograms mean "to master something (through personal experience)." The first character means, "body; substance; object' reality; counter for images," and the second character means, "memorize; learn; remember; awake; sober up."
Karada ishiki [身体意識]
The characters/ideograms mean "body awareness." The first character means, "somebody; person; one's station in life," the second character means, "body; substance; object; reality," the third character means, "idea; mind; heart; taste; thought; desire; care; liking," and the fourth character means, "discriminating; know; write."
Karada de wakaru [体で分かる]
The characters/ideograms/katagana mean "seen in the body; understand by (your) body." The first character means, "body;' substance; object; reality," the third character means, "part; minute of time; segment; share; degree; one's lot; duty; understand; know;; chances."
Karada no Ugoki [体の動き]
The characters/ideograms mean "body movement." The first character means, "body; substance; object; reality," the third character means, "move; motion; change; confusion; shift; shake."
Karada Seishin [体精神]
The characters/ideograms mean "body-psyche." The first character means, "body; substance; object; reality," the second character means, "refined; ghost; fairy; energy; vitality; skill; purity; excellence," and the third character means, "gods; mind; soul."
Karada-teki sesshoku [身体的接触]
The characters/ideograms mean "bodily contact." The first character means, "person; somebody," the second character means, "body; object; reality; substance," the third character means, "bull's eye; mark; target; object," the fourth character means, "touch; contact; adjoin; piece together," the fifth character means, "contact; touch; feel; hit; conflict."
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