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The following are not in any particular order since all of them must function in a unified way. Some terms are removed because they really don’t apply to kamae of karate for self-protection in self-defense, i.e., like appearance in that this term is ascetic in nature found in kata competitive sports.
- stance:
- Any variation of how one assumes an attack position such that they are able to apply any number of methodologies according to the moment of any given situation, etc.
- structure:
- Refers actually to the principle of physiokinetic’s where structure, alignment, balance, breathing, alignment of spine, body-mind, centripetal/centrifugal forces, etc.
- readiness:
- Specifically to a mind-set in conflict and violence of awareness, readiness, and principled based understanding that creates a mind-state that is often referred to as combat readiness. I use the term NAD from Marc MacYoung as to an awareness of mind to what is normal, abnormal or dangerous while training and practice builds up the skill sets necessary to achieve self-protection for self-defense should the need ever arise for one’s skills and efforts to legally and morally defend and protect.
- determination:
- Accumulated experiences that foster positivity, attitude and a mind-state of determination should one find themselves in a situation facing conflict and violence.
- preparedness:
- The accumulated knowledge, understanding and experiences that provide us the tools and skills necessary to take on all kinds of stresses, obstacles and dangers for our very survival. I am talking about a full and complete and comprehensive model of training, practice and experiences that will reduce the fear, anxieties and unknowns so one can act accordingly to this concepts.
- Construction:
- This refers to how the kamae is formed often described in the naming convention of what most refer to as stances, i.e., deep leg stances vs. natural higher level leg stance construction where one is for stability and the other for movement or fluid movements.
These are like the concept of kamae wherein they open the lock to the door through which one must go to achieve true skill, expertise and mind-heart state of being to deal with the ebb and flow of life’s pitfalls opening us to the benefits life intends.
The following is a collective of me and others explaining other thoughts on the concept of “kamae.” Enjoy…
Kamae [構え]
The character(s)/ideograms translate to English as, "structure; construction; appearance; posture (e.g. in martial arts); pose; stance; readiness; determination; preparedness." In karate, as well as other martial arts or disciplines, the most relevant terms are pose, readiness, determination and preparedness.
"The kamae of ninjutsu can be best described as the physical embodiment of the mental outlook." - Hatsumi Masaaki Sensei
"The kamae of karate can best be described as the physiokinetic embodiment of one's mental state, i.e., mind-state and mind-set." In the language of the human there are two forces to perceive, interpret and understand being the words spoken and the micro-language projected from the mind through the body, i.e., facial expressions, shoulder girdle and arm gesticulations, etc. - cejames
"The kamae themselves are mere guides or suggestions for the most effective use of the body weapon (It is critical to understand that the principle of physiokinetic’s are to be taught here so as to embed or encode them instinctively so when applying skills in the heat of stress/adrenaline chaos they will work…). As such, they are physical attitudes, and are by no means to be adhered to in precise imitation (Precision of principles like physiokinetic’s are absolute and the precision of actual methods will adjust and change according to the practitioner, etc.). Each individual body, with its unique configuration of muscle and bone alignments will naturally determine it’s own pragmatic and comfortable variations of the basic fighting postures. As the student progresses, the kamae become less and less significant as specific poses, as they are gradually assimilated into the character of the individual." - Hatsumi Masaaki Sensei
"The last paragraph is one of the best explanations of the how and why one starts with a rigid teaching of kamae then progresses beyond that rigidity to a creative principled based manifestation of one's skills in physiokinetic applications of methods and methodologies of karate." - cejames
“There is no fixed kamae in Karate” – Shigeru Egami
“Kamae is in the heart, not a physical manifestation” – Choki Motobu
"Taking the term stance out of the definition and explanation of "kamae" lends more to its purpose than simply assuming a stance. It should and does take in the whole of the body as to a transitory positioning, kamae, that is particular to the present moment application." - cejames
"Today, kamae is often expressed as kokorogamae (koe-koe-roe-gah-may: 心の態度) which means something like, "mental attitude" or more accurately "heart attitude. (心の態度)" This is considered a key element in all training." - cejames
Further reading on kamae:
For reference and sources and professionals go here: Bibliography (Click the link)
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