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PRACTICAL KARATE, AGAIN
By Josep Claramonte
Yuzenkai China Branch Chief5

IndexPreface
Intro
Chapter 1: Just some exploration

page 14

Chapter 2: Do it with style

page 28

Chapter 3: The paradigm

page 34

Chapter 4: Close contacts

page 43

Chapter 5: Getting physicalpage 50

Chapter 6: The weapons you carry

page 99

Chapter 7: Of vital importancepage 153

Chapter 8: May the Force be with you

page 177

Chapter 9: On the dance floor

page 186

Chapter 10: Throw one to me

page 219

Chapter 11: Riding the iron horse

page 226

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Preface

This text is not meant as a ground breaking Karate discovery. It is not meant
as a showing off of my Karate skills and knowledge. It is not even a training
manual, as I do not know if it would be too advanced for beginners or too basic
for experts.
I was asked to write a little article for my next promotion so I started thislittle project, where I wanted to explain one side of my Karate experience.
This soon came out of control and expanded and grew in some different
directions, so I had to rethink the project as a whole and give it a purpose. All
the information in this book has now one and only one purpose: self-defense.
If it helps even just one person when he or she is attacked then my job has
been useful.
The result is a snapshot of my Karate journey. A collection of information andpractices that I find valuable at this moment, at this time. I tried (maybe I
have not succeeded) to create a coherent body of knowledge that has ameaning by itself, each part supporting the others and giving a complete
message that is more meaningful than its parts alone.
I did not create any martial knowledge by myself. I just stored what I could
from the countless training sessions that I endured along the 30 years that I

8have been in this martial journey. This knowledge came from some great
instructors and greater training partners.
Just to name a few, Tomás Pastor Sensei (Yosheikan Judo and Aikido),
Celedonio García Sensei (Celvic Dojo, Shotokan), Kazunori Omoto Shihan(Kancho of Yuzenkai, Goju Ryu), Kanazawa Nobuaki, Murakami, Tanaka, Suzuki
and Ichihara Senseis (SKIF Hombu), Hokama Sensei (Okinawa Goju Ryu),
Huang Wei Dong Sensei (Kyokushinkai), Huanghai Shihan (Master of all theArts), Kirita and Karasira Senseis (Shenyang JKA) and countless others thathave shared their time and effort with me.
There are many faces of Martial Arts practice, many theories, many concepts
and many techniques. I will not explore the whole, but some parts that (to me)make sense together. We could also talk about energy redirection, breathing,concentration and awareness but I chose a selection of what I am working onright now. If I had written this paper in a different time the point of view
could have been different, or maybe an extension volume will come in the
future where I will address some different ideas.
Thank you to Maciej Karasiñski for posing for the photos in Chapter 6.
Thank you to Chen Sheng Sensei, for the dojo and for posing for the photos
in Chapters 9, 10 and 11. Find him in Shanghai Karate Box 110-B, Gate 2, Nº
989 Tianshan Road, Changning District.
Please, feel free to drop me an email after reading. Your opinion is muchappreciated: josep_cla@hotmail.com

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IntroKarate is the (un?)armed method of self-defense that bloomed in the Ryukyu
Kingdom a few centuries ago. As it seems, the Okinawan islands served asmeeting point for different cultures, each of them having their own martialways.
It was the work of pioneers like Funakoshi, Miyagi, Mabuni, Motobu and others
what started the popularization of Karate worldwide, something unthinkablefor them at that time.
Some say that the rawness and effectivity of Karate was lost in translation.
I say lack of understanding (coupled with WWII) undermined the way Karate
was taught, practiced and applied outside of Okinawa.
Knowledge is still available to be taken, learnt and used as means of selfpreservation.
Some say that the pursue of “Do” instead of “Jutsu” made Karate impractical.
I say the “Do” aspects are truly beneficial to any karateka, but to be true tothe ancient Karate pioneers we must pursue the “Jutsu” (physical methods ofsurviving a fight) side of Karate with all our means.
And, like it or not, that means adapting Karate to our times. The Karate wewill leave to the next generation must be one that preserves all the knowledge,
all the kata, all the training methods, all its history. But we must make sure11

that we contribute to the evolution, development and growth of Karate bymaking sure that we understand how to use Karate principles in our modern
times.

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Chapter 1: Just some exploration

Last year I travelled again to Japan. I met great people, I trained hard andlearnt some awesome Karate. The most awesome of it was the use of vital
points as part of kata bunkai.

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Yes, we all know some spots of the human body that can produce a great dealof pain when struck/touched. But that was different: I could see a new wayof using those weak spots of the human body in a way that fits the kata
movements and applications. Under Omoto Kancho’s guidance I could learn a
new way of applying Karate to self-defense. I had learnt some of these with
my Sensei (Celedonio García) in Spain some years ago but I was not ready yet
to understand.

In the same trip I was lucky enough to visit Okinawa for the first time. There,
all this knowledge was ratified and further trained.
It was December. Nice autumn weather in Japan, 25º tropical weather in
Okinawa, -30º in the cold Northern China.

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So I came back to China, where I live, teach and train. I came back excitedabout what I had learnt, excited about the endless possibilities open in frontof me, excited to show everyone the wonders of my new abilities.
To my dismay, nobody cared…
Well, just a few. The rest discarded it as being “awesome, but not Karate”.
Funny how people with short experience know more than Japanese andOkinawan masters about Karate.
For the few that cared, we had to do our training out in the park, as manyother times. So, there we went, with our winter coats, long scarfs, skiing
gloves, snow boots, thick trousers and big enthusiasms.

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-Let me find this place in your arm… no I can’t find it with gloves… but without
gloves I can’t feel my fingers… but even if I could, I can’t feel your arm under
6 layers of clothing… and if I try to use the vital points in your feet, well, if
we both use boots then it’s not possible… and if I try to attack your neck, mygloves don’t allow for enough precision… Ok, let me twist your arm… but you
can scape easily using your coat… then your neck, but it’s not easy to secure agrip if you use a scarf… what if I punch you?... you are wearing too much
clothing to feel my knuckles in your vital point…
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How could all that amazing Karate that I learnt and combined with my previous
knowledge be so useless? How came that the more I know Karate the more
worthless to defend myself is? Why can’t I use all this new skill to protectme? Are those who say that Karate is only kicking and punching correct?
Or is it that maybe the highest Karate levels are only meant to be used in thesafety of a well-polished wooden floored dojo against your well-mannered andbetter dressed fellow karateka? If so, what good Karate is for?
Some historical perspective first:
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Karate was developed (invented, evolved, combined, used) in the tropical islandof Okinawa. Tropical means that the weather is warm and wet the whole year.
This means that the clothing can not be too thick. This means that anatomical
structures are readily available for manipulation.

As you can see in the picture above, the temperature is so warm that outdoors
training in underwear was the norm.
Is the conclusion that we must refrain from learning advanced Karate because
we can not use it other than in the beach, the sauna, the baths or even Okinawa
itself?
No.

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My conclusion is that, in order to be able to use Karate as a plausible mean ofself-defense, we must learn how to use it in our current circumstances.
Adapting the art will make it meaningful for us, and at the same time we will
help it evolve, so we can pass it to the future generations.
So, how to do it?
Using the vital points example, I can assure the reader that a well-placed
elbow to the side of the head is still a formidable weapon, regardless ofclothes. The tip of the elbow is a pointy weapon that can produce great damage
to other people. The head is a vulnerable target so any powerful hit will leadto pain and shock. The point under the nose can also be struck with the elbow,
the knee and the forehead. The groin is still ready for taking a knee. The
knees can be damaged with kicks. The (inner and outer) thighs will also take aknee nicely. The eyes can be attacked using the fingers, gloved or not. A scarf
can not protect the nose and mouth well enough…

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As you can see, all the previous paragraph is full of ideas with a common
principle: using gross motor skills to already weak and vulnerable areas. This
is not only convenient when fighting wearing winter clothes, but also in summer,
as fine motor skills can get very difficult to perform under stressful
circumstances.
Another idea is hitting hard, so even if you miss the point the attack still havechances of bringing a successful result to you.

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Karate should be studied as a whole: puchs, kicks, joint locks, throws, vital
points, weapons, chokes, ground work... From all the available techniques it isimportant to know which ones can work under what conditions. Not alltechniques are good all the time, not all techniques are useless all the time.
Good timing, brought by continous training, and good decissions are what will
help you defend yourself in the chaotic events of a fight.

Another amazing Karate particularity that I learnt was that Okinawan Karate(in all its versions) uses kicking and punching in a very different way Japanese
Karate do.
I mean no disrespect for any Karate style, as I have been a long time studentof Japanese styles of Karate myself, that I still keep in high regard. But it istrue that Japanese Karate (in general) has specialized in the delivery of
impact techniques. Punches and kicks can be really useful as self-defense
techniques, and the specialization on those means that Japanese Karate cankick and punch with great power, speed and precision.
On the other hand, in my Goju Ryu experience, kicks and punches are just one
component of the technical vocabulary, important, but not the most important,and are used generally as finishing techniques.
Yes, a Goju Ryu karateka can punch his (or her) way out of a fight, as well as
any Shotokan karateka can choke an attacker, and a Kyokushin karateka could
apply an elbow lock to subdue an attacker. But I have observed that thedifferent styles have different tendencies towards how to address a fight.

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Probably all work just fine, under the perfect conditions. Perfect conditionsin an assault at night?
We all (from any branch of Karate) can evaluate the techniques at our hand(and feet) and see the way other styles use them. Learning strategies andusages from other people will help us to build a wider array of scenarios where
our Karate is probable to work. This will mean incorporating new points of viewand discarding those that don’t work. What can work in the dojo might notwork in the snow, with plenty of thick and restrictive clothes.
How many techniques do you know?
Which ones can you use in a snowy forest? Which ones while at the beach?
Which ones in an elevator? What about a supermarket? What if you have yourfamily with you? What would you need to do against two attackers? Whatabout three?

23How good are your techniques while on your knees?

After a strong foundation on the basics, a beginner karateka must try to learn
as much as he/she can from his Sensei. But the Sensei can only point the way.
It IS the student responsibility to think by him/herself about all the learnt
in the dojo. The same as a University Professor can only provide you with alecture, you must do your homework and study, think and research yourself
about the contents of the lesson if you want to be a good student.

Talking about dojos… how many karateka train on perfectly flat wooden floors?
How many on foam mats?
I would say that most do.
What are the odds of being on a not even floor if attacked? It may rain, bewindy, dusty, dirty, be on a slope, on the stairs, the countryside, the forest,
the desert, a warehouse, a workshop, a parking lot, a crowded place…
Yes, I said I train in the park quite often. Not by choice but because my dojo
space availability is reduced, but I train in the park and I find that my stances
can not be perfect, that it is full of rocks, full of people, full of dogs, full oftrees, full of bugs that disturb my training. As much as I do not like it is awonderful training environment to get used to kick with shoes on a slipperyground. When we do kumite we use very few rules, allowing throws and ground24

work. That is painful and unpleasant, so we use our skills the best we can to
avoid being thrown.

It provides a real life environment for fighting training. This is invaluable.
On top of that, training using shoes and everyday clothing makes the training
closer to what is a normal life situation, when it is more probable to beassaulted.
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Jeans will not allow high kicks, shoes will not allow the foot to bend in yourtrained position, jackets will make you slow and stiff, a tie will be a rope aroundyour neck. Clothes can be grabbed and pulled, making scape more difficult.
Stances will not be possible in uneven ground.
If we find ourselves in the middle of an unprovoked fight then we need to use
our Karate at its best. Consider the surrounds, the ground, the clothes you
wear, the clothes the others wear. Consider where to strike and where toprotect yourself. Consider how many foes there are. Consider if you need toprotect someone.
No, you can not make such considerations while in the middle of a battle foryour life. You must do them before. You must do them while on training, while
walking, while shopping, while travelling… Mind training is as much importantas physical trainings. To be ready, your mind must be ready. Imagine how itwill be, imagine your mistakes, imagine your success.

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Chapter 2: Do it with style

What is my Karate style? I guess one needs to know if he/she can feel
identified the contents of this work. If my methods and theories are alignedwith those of his/her Dojo. Fair enough.
What is my Karate style? That is a fair question with a complicated answer.

My first Art was Judo, which I started to learn when I was six years old. Even
though I never stopped training I did it in a discontinuous manner, never caring
too much about it. I never thought it could be used in a fight, until recently.
After that I joined a Shotokan Karate class, not by choice (I wanted to learn
Kick boxing) but because it was the only kicking-and-punching option available
at that time, until I broadened my martial circle of friends and became
involved in full contact styles.
Many years and a few dans later I was forced to move my residence to China,
having Kyokushin as my only choice for the first years after I landed. Afterthat I met many people involved in a variety of arts who were gracious enoughas to invite me to train with them. I could do Boxing, Sanda, Muay Thai, Kendo,
Kalaripayatu, Kobudo, Shotokan, Judo, Brazilian Jujitsu (gi and no gi), MMA,
Taekwondo (WTF and ITF), Aikido, Shorin Ryu and Wing Chun.
In the meantime I joined Goju Ryu International Karate Kobudo Yuzenkai too,
where I got introduced to its practices.
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So, what is my style? All. And none.
Let me explain: after all of my training sessions with so many different martial
artists and fighters of different schools and traditions I see no styles. I do
not see rigid divisions between what a group does and another groups does not
do. I now can not force myself to accept that there are techniques that are
not allowed to me just because they are not part of the curriculum of aparticular school. I do not even see divisions between different Martial Arts!
If you read the works of the Karate pioneers they all share a common interest
to improve by sharing what they know with others. There were no styles in
Okinawa a century ago. Why should we have them now? Most of the revered
Masters of old had instructors from the Naha and the Shuri lines. Funakoshi,
Mabuni and Oyama Senseis, just to name the ones with the most following
these days.
Of course, we should keep the traditions alive and pay homage to the Masters
who handed down Martial Arts to us. But following a tradition does not meanthat you must abandon critical thinking and that you can not learn a techniquethat is not in the syllabus. MMA fighters got it right very quickly. One must
be able to use a variety of techniques in any range and situation, standing orlaying.

I am not the first one and will not be the last to feel a natural continuationfrom kicking to punching to elbow to grappling to take down and to groundfighting. I can not say where Shotokan ends and Kyokushin starts, where Judotakes over or what Art my punch came from.
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If I punch before performing an elbow lock, I am doing Karate or Aikido?
Of course the answer is both, and none.
I do not want to upset anyone saying that styles are unimportant or that I am
above all the styles I have mentioned (or above any). Beginners must strictly
adhere to the syllabus and teachings of the instructor, but cross-training and“seeing what others are doing” are highly recommended by the autor.

I am lucky to have learnt a great variety of kata from different styles and,even if I can not remember all the kata I have practiced in my life, I canchoose the kata that feel better for my practice. I am lucky that I canpractice standing and ground fighting with my friends. I am busy because I
have many techniques to work on, striking and grappling, empty handed andwith weapons. It makes me feel good that I can practice with anyone in theplanet at any time in whatever style that person can do, but at the same time
if makes me feel sad that there are so many aspects of the Martial Arts that
I will never be able to practice with enough depth.

The whole book must be read with a no-style-mind, an open mind who can see
the goal (self-defense) and who does not care about labels and limits.

Let me quote some Martial Arts experts:“If we examine, analyze and breakdown the essence of Shorin-ryu and Shoreiryu we can see that the strikes, kicks, techniques, the application of strength30and pliability, etc., are the same. Even if some differences can be seen, suchas differences in speed in advanced forms, this is simply a natural extensionof karate training. It is normal in karate to have different notions of the useof speed, strength and pliability when training. Therefore the idea ofdifferent styles is fundamentally wrong. We can only conclude then, that
Shorin-ryu and Shorei-ryu are both one and the same.
Regardless of the method, almost all empty hand techniques fall within therange of goho (剛法 – hard method) and juho (柔法 – pliable method). Boxing is
the hard method of karate, while Judo is the pliable method of karate. People
think that karate is simply a hard method but people simply do not know what
karate is. Karate as a martial art includes both methods of go and ju. Pliability(ju) can be found in the hard method (go) and hardness (go) can be found in
the pliable method (ju).” Toyama Kanken Sensei.

“Atemi accounts for 99% of Aikido” and “In a real battle, atemi is seventy
percent, technique is thirty percent”, as by Morihiro Saito and Gōzō Shioda
Senseis.

“In karate, hitting, thrusting, and kicking are not the only methods, throwing
techniques and pressure against joints are included … all these techniquesshould be studied referring to basic kata”, as said by Funakoshi Sensei.

“Atemi-waza (striking techniques) are the most serious attack techniques andessential for victory in combat. They consist of strikes, kicks, hits and attacks
31using the fist, foot, elbow, kneecap, side of the palm, shoulder, or head, toattack the opponent's vital points until he is beaten.” Kyuzo Mifune Sensei.

So, if Karate is a grappling method of throws and locks, Judo uses the head,knees and elbows and Aikido is mainly a striking Art, I can not see the reason
why the top dogs in modern Martial Arts are insisting in keeping the Arts selflimited.
The huge success of MMA tournaments has shown that for a Martial Art tobe effective it mas cover all the fighting possibilities: all possible attacks andbeing attacked by all possible means. More and more artists are starting torealize the uselessness of limiting themselves to a unique method (striking or
grappling).
After WWII the dojos in Japan (most of them, at least) became specialized
in just one kind of technique, while before that all the Arts gathered all theknowledge that they could. Specialization means you will become really good ina very narrow field, and that made the Arts grow, but in isolation.

I believe it is time to go back to the roots.
Let us train in a constructive and useful way.

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Chapter 3: The paradigm

I will start to explain the paradigm. A paradigm is all the assumptions that act
as the foundations of the theory. That means that you need a frame in whereto put your ideas to work. As my interest in Martial Arts is to defend myself
and others from harm I will need to address what are the dangers of aconfrontation and how to avoid them.
I will run away from complicated techniques of dubious usefulness, I will not
go into deep explanations, I will not embellish the techniques and I will notassume the reader is a martial artist of incredible prowess. I will keep it
simple because simplicity can save your life.
My paradigm has three central points:
1) If attacked, the most probable attack will be an attempt to hit yourface. The face is a vulnerable place with plenty of weak spots to harm.
If surprised, you will be lucky to avoid the first attack. That firstattack, if lands, will determine the outcome of the fight, live or death,
therefore it is of vital importance to avoid being hit. Other body parts
are also vulnerable and care should also be taken to not allow your enemy
to hit you at all.
2) If hit, you can not give up, turn around and pretend that that was it.
After being hit once, more will probably come, so you must try your best
to keep up and defend yourself. Getting used to be hit hard is one thingthat you must accomplish in the Dojo. Pain must be your well known
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companion, not something to fear during training. Of course, the bodyand limbs are better suited for conditioning but we see boxers and
MMA fighters being hit repeatedly on their faces and show no sign ofdisappointment. If hit on the body, other than getting used to be hit,
you must have cultivated a strong body through vigorous exercising thatcan cope with some punishment.
3) If you are attacked, hurt or not, your survival depends on your ability
to stop the attacker of attacking you again. If words do not work, you
may be forced to use violence to stop violence.

Disclaimer: I am not advocating violence. Violence is a serious thing: it can cost
lives. Please, follow the laws of your country regarding the use of “appropriate
force”. Above all, use common sense and mercy, and do not hurt anyone morethan needed to stop him/her from hurting you. Some of the techniques shownin this book are potentially fatal and I hope no one will have the need to put
them into practice. Self-defense is not winning a fight: it is to do not have afight in the first place. Awareness of your surroundings is key to stay safe.

After saying this, if you find yourself in a fight, you must stop the fight. And
I mean that if violence is required to make sure you are safe then you must
attack in a vicious and overwhelming fashion. If you react to a slap with a slap,that will do nothing to stop the fight. Your response must be one that leaves
no other option to your enemy than to stop fighting. You must give no chance
to the attacker of attacking you again. And you must not stop fighting until35the fight has ended. When your enemy is no longer a threat then you can (andmust) stop hitting, twisting or choking, but not before.
You can and must use any technique or object at your disposal to save yourlife. It must not be fair: you have been attacked. It must not be knightly: you
have been attacked. It must not be manly: you have been attacked. You canpunch, kick, bite, gouge, rip, pinch, pull, twist and use whatever action toincrease the odds of surviving. That also means using weapons.

I will not talk about Kobudo in this book, but the training with weapons will
give you an edge that could be decisive. If you are used to train with weapons(sai, tonfa, bo, sansetsu kon, sword, naginata, nunchaku, bow, knife, shortstick…) then you can transfer those same skills to any other object that you
may encounter (broomstick, bottle, umbrella, backpack, belt, shoe, fork, spoon,rock, scissors, cue…).
And also important: if you are used to be attacked in the Dojo by armed
partners then your chances of reacting correctly against an attacker waving
an object will be increased.
Of course, if faced with a knife or a gun one must try to remove him/herself
from the situation as quickly as possible, even complying with hateful demands,
as trying to disarm an experienced knife fighter or a thug with a gun may costyou your life.
And you need to learn to hit REAL hard.

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I want to introduce some Japanese Budo concepts that will give us more
options and more considerations:-Go no sen: block and counter-Sen no sen: simultaneous block and counter-Sen sen no sen: preemptive striking
Please, understand that I am not Japanese so my understanding of these may
be too simplistic or completely wrong, but nevertheless I will treat them as
theoretical background for my explanations.

In Go no sen we can say that the situation has escalated to physical violence.
You have been physically attacked. You may have been hit or you may haveeluded the hit, but because you have been already attacked (and still alive)
you must take considerations about how to end the fight to preserve yoursafety.
In the most basic example, you have blocked a punch to your face and thenyou decide to punch back. Sounds like the perfect application of Funakoshi
Sensei’s 空手に先手無し (Karate ni sente nashi), there is no first attack in
Karate: the enemy attacks you and you react to it.

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Sen no sen in the other hand implies a higher Martial Arts level, meaning thatyou can avoid and attack and at the same time hit your attacker. This
simultaneity will be safer for you because after one punch your foe will beable to throw another punch, so if you can hurt him during his attack then hewill not attack you again.
As an example, your enemy tries to hit your face, you duck the punch while
punching him in the gut. It still respects Funakoshi Sensei’s maxim in the sensethat you react to an attack, instead of initiating it.

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In the highest level of Budo we find Sen sen no sen, called (maybe wrongly)
preemptive striking. Here, you hit your enemy before he even tries to hit you
and thus you became the attacker.
Why should you do this?
Well, things are never black or white, but you can sense that danger is coming.
Shouting, waving of hands, threatening (to yourself or to family members),
invasion of personal space, holding of improvised weapons, aggressive behavior
and such will give you clues of an incoming attack.
In this case the situation is that you feel threatened, you fear for yourpersonal safety and for your live so you decide that the best course of action
is to end the fight before it starts.
Actually the fight started when you were threatened, when you were pushed,when someone got hold of you. It may be reasonable, in some instances, to be
the first one to use violence as to increase the odds of surviving. If you do
this, your action must be full of commitment and void of regrets and second
thoughts because if you half-heartedly hit someone who is already angry andshowing violent behavior you will only make things worse, increasing his anger
and making sure he will go to finish you with no regrets.
Not only you were the one to start the fight but you will be the one hurt.
So, what would Funakoshi Sensei say about hitting first? He actually said thatyou must do it if necessary.

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I like to interpret his precept as “you must not start fights and look fortrouble”. This makes more sense and is understandable in a more general sense.
I think everybody in the world will agree that going out to pick up fights is nota reasonable way of conducting oneself. We all karateka hope to be ready if
trouble finds us but we also hope that we never need to check the extent of
our abilities.

Please, refer to the laws in your country regarding when preemptive striking
is legal or not. Do not do it lightly. Most confrontations do not get violent,even if people are shouting. Do not punch everyone who shouts at you because
maybe you made a mistake and made someone angry (driving anyone?). In thiscase, apologize and try to deescalate. Most of the time fights will not happen,
even between angry individuals. People need to exteriorize their feelings,
some people more than others. Please differentiate between people
complaining at your actions and people threatening your life.

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Chapter 4: Close contacts

I am convinced that one of the ways of making our training useful is byincluding full contact fighting in the training, and including all ranges andtechniques: standing, long range, close quarters, ground work…

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What are the benefits of training kumite with full contact? What is thedifference between full contact and no contact?
When training kumite in WKF version the rules forbid the contenders withhitting each other with full power. It is not allowed to use the full force ofyour karate techniques into the other person.
One may think that in order to keep karateka healthy and free of injuries thismethod is the best one. Well, these rules do not avoid injuries, however they
avoid several benefits of the karate practice:-Experimenting the full power of your techniques-Knowing if your techniques are really good and powerful enough-Confronting yourself against someone who can hurt you-Making your body able to resist hard hits
-Get you used to a stress situation

Let's revise one by one:

If your tsuki and geri are always used trying to not touch your opponent, they
will likely not touch your enemy if a fight starts in the street. This will be agreat danger for you.
And if you manage to land the tsuki your hand is not used to such impact. The
anatomy of the human body in movement is extremely different to that of asand bag, the pads and the makiwara. These tools are useful and have their44

benefits when used correctly but their uses and intentions are different. Only
hitting a human body you will get used to it without danger for yourself.

Yes, everybody can hit the sand bag really hard. Everybody can make themakiwara shake. Everyone can hurt a friend with a full power punch. But... willthat be enough to end a fight? Will you be able to hit a vulnerable spot? Will
you land your technique where you want to? Will you hit with the part of yourhand you expect to? Will you knock out someone bigger than you with a chudan
tsuki?
Knowing what works is extremely important because will allow you to focus on
the techniques that are more effective and to not waste your energy andprecious time in useless movements.

If your opponent can not hurt you because the rules do not allow him to do so,
why should you defend yourself?
One can argue that WKF fighters defend from each other with foot work,
blocks and anticipation. That is true, but usually your opponent is focused inscoring points without being touched. In a real fight your enemy might bedrunk or on drugs or angry and not fully aware of his acts, so he may act
unreasonably, attacking without control.
Experience under this circumstance is extremely useful.
And, by the way, one can train foot work, distance, aiming, stamina and manyother things while combating with contact.
45

If you get hit repeatedly on the Dojo by your mates your body will growaccustomed to the blows. After some time you will be strong enough to do notreally care about one hit more or less. On top of that you can add exercises
where you and your partner hit each other in turns to the chest, abs, legs,shoulders and face with increasingly amounts of power realizing with time thatbeing hit is not so terrible.
In doing this one must be careful to do not use excessive force to the mostvulnerable parts of the partner’s anatomy. Common sense must be observedand communication between partners must be fluid.
46

This last one is my favorite:
The previous ones are obviously benefits, but can be argued by budoka ofdifferent traditions. You may not be fully convinced, and it is legit to havedoubts. But having a kumite with real fire against someone stronger than you
puts you in a really uncomfortable situation.
Being hit from all angles, feeling unable to defend, having to fight with pain,
exhausted, scared... This is a gift for our training. If full contact kumite isconducted regularly one can get used to the stress situation of being in a(almost) real battle. This will allow oneself to get ready to think, to decide
what the best thing to do (punch, kick, move, push...) is and, definitively, will
help you to REACT when attacked.
If you are unable to react under stress all your training will be useless. You
will be defenseless. You will be dead.
Full contact kumite is not easy or pleasant, not even when you “win” the fight.
But it is the closest thing to a fight so getting used to it can help you saveyour live.

Talking about kumite, one can find many uses for it. One of those is training
for fighting more than one attacker at the same time. Let us say that you areattacked by two thugs on your way home. The way of coping two people at thesame time is to not face them at the same time: you need to use the space47

available so as to keep one of them between the other and you, making a lineof three instead of a triangle. This way, you will only face one at a time.
You can also practice the skill of protecting a weaker person, like a child. In
this case you should do the opposite thing, that is keeping the child away fromthe attacker, positioning yourself between attacker and victim.
These two skills can be trained in the Dojo while multiple variations of thesewill enhance your real world self-defense capabilities.

48

49

Chapter 5: Getting physicalAs important as technical training is physical training. And by physical I mean
body (muscles, tendons, bones) training (as my Kyokushin friends happily madevery obvious to me the day I joined the Dojo).

50

Any training, even of the lowest intensity, would be better than no training at
all. At the same time, optimal training is not so difficult to obtain. It is
important that we evaluate out Karate training and asses our body weakness
and strengths to configure the most adequate training program to suit ourneeds, goals and special circumstances.
One thing that needs to be addressed is the use of weights. Weights havebeen used through the ages in order to develop bigger and stronger muscles.
The use of stones, logs and other home-made implements has been the normin the past, until the modern day gyms appeared. I also use some devices tohelp with my training at home, but are far from optimal.
We karateka must consider ourselves lucky as a complete system of body
conditioning was developed by the Okinawan pioneers, and passed down to us
virtually unadulterated.

51

Yes, these are the traditional Okinawan Karate body training tools. And as I
see the benefit of using all of them I also see the benefit of substituting52

(improving) the training by using modern training science and knowledge to get
the most of our training efforts.

Please, refer to a professional about the correct and safe way of doing theexercises and lifting weights.

Please, forgive the use of sports clothes instead of wearing a gi in thefollowing pictures. These are the clothes I wear when I am at the MMA gym
that I visit regularly to test my Karate and my Judo against professional MMA
fighters to ensure they are up ready to face modern dangers and situations
and to make sure they stay relevant in this modern-day fighting systems
evolution.

53

Ishi sashi:

Traditionally a carved stone with a handle, it is used to develop arm, shoulder
and leg strength. It can be used in a variety of ways to train the muscles andjoints from different angles.
54

The modern evolution is the kettle bell. Born in the Russian army out of
outdated cannon balls, when the need for standard projectiles arose. The oldballs were added a handle and used for weight training.
The benefit of using kettle bells in the gym is that there are probably a large
selection of them with the weight impressed on the side, allowing you to know
exactly how much work are you doing, how much are improving and helping you
to set milestones.

55

The Swing:

Swinging the kettlebell will work on shoulders, abs and core muscles. With theadded squat you will also work on the legs.
Strict form is a must to avoid injuries. Also, consider your physical strength
before choosing the weight: too heavy and the exercise can be dangerous.

56

Press:57

One handed or two hands presses will develop shoulder power, and balance andcore muscles at the same time.
Doing this in an explosive way will make your punches faster and stronger too.

The two handed version develops muscles on the shoulders and back of thearm, used while punching.
Sitting version will focus more on the deltoids muscles and can help you lift
more weight, but the standing version will recruit more muscular groups andgive a more whole body training.

58

Deadlift:

The Deadlift will work on lower back and core muscles, also increasing yourgrip power.

59

Russian twist:

60

The weighted twist is a terrific exercise for the whole body but specificallyfor the abdominals and core. Highly recommended to make the abs thicker andburning some fat.

Lunge press:

Compound free weight exercises work better than isolation exercises for our
purposes (increasing our physical strength to improve our Karate and avoid
injuries). The Lunge Press works legs and shoulders as main targets but it is awhole body exercise using many muscular groups.
61

Kettlebell row:

The Row is a great exercise to develop the upper back muscles, important for
pulling actions in Karate.
Biceps and lower back also get exercised.

62Curls:Curling is the best method for making your biceps and forearms stronger.

63

Shoulder lifts:
Front and side lifts will improve the power of your shoulders and some of theother small muscles that act as stabilizers.

64(Please, forgive this poor tentative of being funny)65

Makiwara:

The makiwara has helped countless karateka worldwide to develop massive
punching power, and as such we must be grateful to the man who invented itin the first time. As an added benefit, punching a wooden post will make yourhands and wrists stronger and better suited to heavy impacts.
The drawback is that the human body is not like a piece of wood. It has soft
spots with bones inside, making the point of impact less that homogeneous.
As good as the makiwara is, it has added benefits if you can combine thepractice between makiwara and sand bag.
66

67

The surface of the bag is not as hard as a makiwara. Instead, the punches will
penetrate the surface. This means your fingers will twist in unexpected ways,
making the punches painful in different places of your hand. The makiwara canbe hit with the knuckles of the first two fingers with perfect consistency,
but a swinging heavy sand bag reacts more like a human body (except the bones)
making the training a bit more lively and real.
As an addition to these, foam pads can be used too. They will allow the workof combinations of punches and kicks in rapid succession while forcing you to
use the correct punching technique.
Of course, gloves can be used. But we karateka train to be ready to defend
our lives in a confrontation so it is better to train our hands without gloves,
as we will not have gloves if attacked outside the Dojo.

68

Let us see some techniques performed on the bag:

69

70

71

72

73

74

A Thai wall makiwara also offers a nice variation:

75

76

77

78

And for those feeling adventurous:

79Tetsu geta:

The iron shoes, as my Sensei called them, are used to help develop the musclesin the legs, making stances and kicks stronger. However, the lifting of weights
strapped to the feet can develop lower back pain conditions, and aggravate
existing ones. Also, caution must be used for speed kicking will damage theknee joint quite fast.

Weight machines are a great way of working on those leg muscles. Presses,
curls and extensions are among the preferred exercises for the lower body.
They allow practitioners to choose the weight and keep them aware of the
improvements too.
80

As a gym favorite to train the legs we find the squat:

81

Squatting (without weights) is a good way of training the leg muscles, butadding weights will make the legs get stronger. Caution must be had andperfect technique to protect the knees and the lower back.

Isometric exercises (using our own body as a weight) are an easy and fun way
to train our bodies. The amount of exercises and variations that one can do isreally vast, and no equipment is needed, meaning that you can exercise
anywhere anytime.

Push-ups are the most extended method of working your chest in an isometricway. They can be done in different ways changing the distance between thehands, the angle of the body, the speed, the repetitions, the height…
They also work the triceps and the deltoids muscles. They are a great exercise
for the core too, as you need to keep the body straight.

82

Using some implements to change the angle or the difficulty of the push up
will provide a more varied workout to your chest muscles and improve theexercise efficiency.

83

84

In the other hand, the best exercise to develop a strong chest is the benchpress.

With or without the help of a partner pushing a free weight up requires
tremendous strength. The continued training can work wonders on the
pectoral flesh. It also works on the stabilizer muscles on the shoulders, abs
and core. Good workout for the triceps as another benefit.
Flat bench press as your main chest exercise is what all fitness trainers
recommend, regardless of your training goals. It can be combined with angledpress, downward press and with crosses. As a side note, I always warm up withpush-ups and try to do a final push-ups series after the bench training foradded punishment.
85

The core muscles are the most important for a karateka, as they support yourwhole body and connect the lower with the upper body. Special attention mustbe paid to them.
One of the most popular exercises for the abdominal muscles are the crunches.

86Bending your body forward can work the abdominal wall in its whole, giving also
some training to the intercostals, to the thighs and to the diaphragm. This isa good exercise (despite some saying it is bad for your neck) but ca be
improved by the use of weights and variations.
A medicinal ball, a weight disc, a bottle of water can add resistance leading togreater improvements. Doing it at an angle will also make it more difficult, andtwisting the body right and left alternatively will work more muscles.

87

88

As for isometric exercises, there is one that is Karate specific. This is
Sanchin kata, where total muscle tension must be made during the whole
performance of the kata.

Even if some people say that Sanchin contributes to hypertension and other
health problems, this has not been proved and thousands of karateka
worldwide benefit from its continual practice.
An exercise that has the same benefits and structure than Sanchin is theplank.

89

90

The plank is a whole body training tool. Working on the core muscles, thebalance and the shoulders the benefits for any person doing physical exercise
are quickly patent. A good thing of the plank is that it can be a challenging
game, timing how long can you hold it. A body, mind and spirit training that canbe done before or after any other workout.

Pull ups:
Placing special attention on your lats and your biceps, pulling oneself up is a
hard and wonderful exercise:91And if you are not already using a battle rope, I can speak firsthand about its
benefits:

How to use it?
Experiment and you will discover.

92

As an extra, another exercise that will work your whole body, specially theabs and the core, the headstand:

93

94

Some say the use of weights and physical training will make you slower.
Nothing further from the truth. The sports science has demonstrated thebenefits of weights training at many levels: fat burn, strength, speed,
recovery, injury prevention…
Yes, the hugest of the bodybuilders may not be fast, but being fast is not aconsideration for them. They just need to be big; there is no time for speed
or flexibility training. We, karateka, also need to adapt our training to ourgoals, and our goals should be to be better at Karate as a whole.

95

As another benefit, being stronger will help you make your Karate techniques
stronger. Even Itosu Sensei himself said that a strong body is fundamental
for a good karateka.

96

97

Chapter 6: The weapons you carry

So now you have being training for some few years and have learnt different
ways of hitting people. You have your punches, your kicks and some other weird
hand

positionsthatappearon

kata.

Let’s examine some of the possibilities your body has to offer when talking
about hitting people and where is a good (safe?) place to use every weapon.
I will show and explain ways of hitting people effectively while at the sametime you keep your hands and feet unbroken. I had to learn this the hard way,
so please refer to the explanations, use common sense and ask your instructor.
The rule of thumb when using body parts to hit someone else’s body parts is
this: use a hard weapon against a soft target, and use a soft weapon against a
hard target.

Please, excuse the quality of the pictures. Also, some of the hand formations
are not right. I will try to address the details under each picture.

98

Sokutei, sole of the foot, is a weapons I find most useful when you need tohave a big contact with the enemy’s body, like attacking the knee (from thefront, side or behind). Also, it is a safe way to kick someone, as the sole is not
likely to be damaged from an impact.
It can be used to attach the face and the body too.

99

We can use this technique in Bassai Dai kata, in the first kiai.
The sole of the foot is a good weapon that does not require great aiming or
precision but because of that can not provide a concentrated striking area,
reducing its effectiveness.
In the other hand (or in the other foot) if used against the face can result ina crushed nose, that is a remarkable outcome.

100

Haisoku, instep, is mostly used in mawashi geri. After having been kicked on
the head many times with this technique I must conclude that is not very
effective, but for people of limited flexibility (as myself) haisoku is the only
way to roundhouse someone in the head.
The feeling is more like a slap than a real hit. It can be used as a distraction
to set up a more decisive technique.

101

It can, obviously, be used as kin(teki) geri, making it really useful.
During kumite is very easy to damage your own foot kicking this way: elbows,
knees and other bones use to get in the way of your kick causing damage tothe fragile bones that support the toes. A good mawashi geri to the ribcage
is going to really hurt your opponent but if he/she is a trained fighter he/shewill keep his/her elbows tucked in protecting the ribs, causing pain and maybe
injury to your foot.

102

A safer and more destructing way to hit with a mawashi geri is to use the shinbone as the contact point. It is harder that the top of your foot, is a thicker
bone and is sharper, meaning that any hit will feel like hit with an iron bar.
The small bones of the feet (and the hands) are easy to break. In the other
hand, the shin is more resistant. It can break, but it is more unlikely.

103

Kakato, heel, is an effective way of kicking someone, high or low. When contact
is made with the vital point at the top of the skull a knock out is produced,
even with small power.

104

For people of lower flexibility I must recommend using it to attack the face,causing great damage to eyes, nose and mouth. It can be used from top tobottom, in a spinning kick such as ushiro mawashi geri or also with the nonsport version of the ura mawashi geri.
I have used kakato to kick the outer part of the thigh during kumite. It is aneffective technique sure to surprise many opponents.
Kakato is also my chosen way of impacting my yoko geri kekomi, as the heel isharder and safer than the side of the foot. I use kakato in mae geri too, as I
tend to damage my toes quite frequently.
Now I must say that the correct way of delivering a technique must be learnt.
Kakato is not the standard way of using mae geri. In my case, it is a matter ofadaptation of the technique to my own personal circumstances. This is not to
be made lightly, or used as an excuse for poor technique, but as you grow older
the injuries take longer to heal and a choice must be made: I adapt my Karate
to my limitations or I keep injuring myself.
Please, learn the correct technique from your instructor and in case of doubt,
ask him/her.

105

Koshi, ball of the foot, is the preferred way of doing mae geri. It is assured
to cause a great amount of pain and injury. As Shirai Sensei once told me “maegeri: with this weapon, it is finished”.
Koshi can be used to kick on the tummy, the chest, the throat, the face, theknee… It can withstand full power contact to hard surfaces, but as the humanbody is not homogeneous the foot can be “sucked in” the body, making the toes
bend backwards too much, causing an injury. To prevent this it is important to106

use correct technique that straightens the foot and bends the toes backwards
as much as possible before the impact.

Yes, it can also be used in mawashi geri, making the kick very difficult but also
highly effective if it impacts at the intended location.

107

I find this way of kicking more dangerous for your own foot too. If one wants
to use it a lot of practice must be done before it can be used safely in kumite.
Hitting pads and sand bags will help to develop correct koshi mawashi geri.

Sokuto, side of the foot, is the sportified way of doing yoko geri.
It will not end a fight if you hit your enemy in the chest or the tummy. You
will hurt your foot if it impact in the chin. It is not strong enough to break aknee (or even the ribs).
But it will work great on the throat. The space between collar bones and chinis too narrow for a foot, but a bent foot can fit in. This is how I use this way
108

of kicking (although not much, as requires tremendous amounts of precisionand timing).
It can be used from behind, making your foe bend the knee forward.
If you happen to grab an enemy’s hand you can use it to attack the vital pointin the armpit (although I would recommend use kakato instead, because if you
miss the point, you can still break some ribs in the process, as I sadly did once
to my training mate…).
My photo looks more as a sole than as an edge, meaning that there is no muchdifference on execution of the techniques, but of focus and aiming.

109

Tsumasaki, tip of the toes, is the supposedly way of kicking in Okinawa.
My photo shows an attack to the groin, which is a suitable target (specially if
wearing shoes, as we normally do). There is also an attack to the hip socket
in Saifa.

110

I have seen old Okinawans break heavy boards with their toes and I must say
that, impressive as it is, it takes a long time to condition them to that degree,
so this is not to be done carelessly.
If done with shoes, then most of the body parts are valid targets: neck, groin,ribs, tummy…

111

Hiza geri, knee kick.
112

Illustrated as a nasty attack to the groin (where it is really effective, causing
paralyzing pain, nausea and medical complications, it takes some time for thefull effect to be felt).
Good for attacking the face (as in Pinan/Heian Yondan), the ribs, the side of
the thigh or the gut (may need a jump if your attacker is taller than you).
I just found in the news this morning that a MMA fighter got his forehead
fractured as a result of a flying knee kick during a bout, so be careful with it.
The knee can also be used to support a fallen enemy while you perform a choke,
as a point of impact if you throw your enemy over it and also as a pivotal point
for an elbow lock.

113

Atama, head.
114

Dangerous weapons if used wrong.
The rule of thumb is (for your own safety) hit with a part of your head higher
than your eyebrows to a part of your enemy’s head that is lower than his
eyebrows.
Example: use your forehead to smash his nose.
The effect can be augmented with a grab (as in the picture) also known as “theGlasgow kiss”.
A hit with the head can be defended by lowering your chin (so keeping youreyebrows lower than your attacker’s), by placing your elbow in front of yourface and (as you probably have seen in boxing or MMA fights) keeping yourhead in contact with the other person’s head so there is no room for movement.

115

Haito, ridge hand, must hide the thumb behind the other fingers to protect
it.

116

Suitable as an attack to the temple (it can cause unconsciousness, or evendeath) it also must be hardened before it can be used safely, meaning thathitting the makiwara with haito is not out of the question.
I have seen it used (successfully) in old JKA kumite tournaments as a way ofgetting a quick knock out.
I use it extensively during kumite, attacking the shoulders (there are some
soft spots there, and most people will not condition their shoulders) andcausing pain, confusion and paralysis to my training partners.

117

Shuto, knive hand, is one of Karate favorites, but nobody seems to use it as afighting technique.
Used extensively in kata from most of the styles and surprisingly absent in
Goju Ryu. I believe that you can hit with shuto to most body parts but to use
it defensively you must get rid of the “correct” technique itself. I will explain:when using shuto uke bunkai the other hand is the one actually blocking,118

meaning that the shuto hand will be controlling the enemy’s arm after theblock. I firmly believe that shuto uke of Shuri-te is mawashi uke of Naha-te.
When using shuto uchi to hit of course the neck (from all sides), the ribs (fromthe side), the face (from the side), the back and the spine (from behind), thetemple (from the side) and the arms (from the side).
I need to include the position where you are when hitting because if you square
off with your opponent it will be difficult to use a shuto uchi that works andthat is fast enough to be faster than the other guy’s punch to your face. It isa slow technique because you need a big arm movement to produce enoughpower to defeat a threat, but it can be used if you slide past his/her defenses
and position yourself in his/her blind spot. From there, you can hit at will (andthen you must consider that shuto may not be the best option), specially tothe neck. Example of this in Heian Shodan-Nidan, Kanku Dai and many other
kata.

119

Seiken, fist.
Not much to say about it. The most used attack in mankind history.
Anyway, make sure you use the two first knuckles to deliver the power, as I
broke my hand once by using the last knuckle and hitting a Russian hip.

120

Great agains faces, chests, tummies, shoulders, backs, groins and most bodyparts. Make sure you condition it enough on makiwara or sand bag, as it canalso break if you hit a hard body part (hips, skull…).
It can be used as a straight punch, a walking punch, a lunge punch, a roundpunch, an uppercut… Best used in rapid succession to overwhelm your enemy.

121

Nukite, spear hand.
It first appears in Heian kata, making beginners and inexperienced instructor
believe that it is an attack to the chest. Well, try it.

122Probably useful if used by the same Okinawan who can break thick boards withhis toes and fingers, but not by most of us mortals. So, why did they include
this useless technique in so many kata?
I personally use it as an attack to the neck, specifically to the vital points inthe side to the neck. Sometimes to the hole behind the collar bones. The
amount of pain is simply too huge to hit back. My Sensei liked to use it to thethroat.
It probably works at its best when attacking the eyes, but we must be careful
during training not to hurt our partners and friends.

123

Ippon nukite, one finger strike.
Make sure to keep the index finger close to the rest of the fingers, not likein this picture.
This is specifically designed to attack the eyes, so not much to say.

124

It can be modified as nippon nukite (two fingers) for added support (andsafety) to your index, or to attack both eyes at the same time. This requires
really good timing and aiming and the probability of missing the eyes is big, so
you better condition your fingers to withstand a hard hit. Finger pushups work
wonders, as a bucket full of sand (or gravel, or beans). Using the gripping jars
will also help.
125

126

Ippon ken, one point punch.
Showed here in two versions, Shotokan and Goju Ryu.
The thumb supports the bent index finger to deliver the strike. Used mainly
to attack vital points in chest, ribs, arms or head it has the advantage ofconcentrating all the power on a small surface, making the punch feel like aneedle penetrating your body (a thick needle).
I would recommend using it as a finishing blow, but not in a dojo kumite, for
the index finger can break (and so does the thumb).

127

Nakadaka ippon ken, middle finger one point punch.
Just another variation, favored by my Sensei.
Please, note the knuckle of the index finger not bent enough, causing the
middle finger to be in an akward position. This is due to an injury I sustained
during training in my index finger first joint. Try to keep your fingers astucked away as possible.

128Empi, elbow.
A very good weapon for close quarters combat. It can strike from the side,from up, from down and also to the front. Surely to cause a big deal of pain
and some injuries.
The face must be the primary target in self-defense, or the temple if possible.
Body, shoulders, arms and many other places can be distressed by the use of
the elbow.

129

As I show in the picture, the tip of the elbow is the point of impact,
concentrating the power in a single spot. Do not make the mistake of usingpart of the forearm to deliver the strike, as the effectiveness will be reduced.
Used in conjunction with the knees Muai Thai style will make your close combat
striking a thing to be feared. Of course, striking can be used as a set up fora lock or a throw (or after a lock or a throw, depending on your preference).

130

Kumade, bear’s paw.
Consider it a soft weapon that can cause a bloody mess in any face. Not really
good for attacking the body.
Remember to bend the fingers enough, to protect them.
131

Hiraken, fore knuckle fist.
No, not for the body. Good for the eyes but better as a substitute for nukite
if fighting a bigger person or someone with heavy clothes. The fingers can getbent and break but with hiraken they are somewhat better protected.

132

Boshi ken, thumb fist.

133

Ideal for attacking the side of the neck (better if both sides at a time) it
requires really low skills to make it work. Make sure to find the vital points to
get the desired results. Not a finishing technique but a painful one. You willneed to keep fighting, so maybe good as a way of releasing yourself from abear hug or a lock, or if the fight has come to the ground it can be used as adisengaging trick to regain your feet quickly.
It can be also used in other vital points (like the ribs or armpits) for the same
results.

134

Teisho, palm heel.
The difference with kumade is that in teisho you strike with the heel, not withthe whole palm. It help to concentrate the damage in one point.
Used in Jion kata, I find it useful as a body attack when you are sideways toyour opponent, but my favorite application is as a substitute of seiken to the135face. To use seiken to the face your hand must have the right orientation andshape to hurt without being hurt. Using teisho you can be less careful about
hand shape and just hit with full power. Teisho is not likely to be damaged
when hitting hard (maybe just some pain, but no real injury).

136

Uraken, back of the fist.
Showed in the picture as a body attack, it may work better when attacking
the temple (if used sideways) or the face (if used from top to bottom).

137

You should hit with the two first knuckles, as in seiken, to hurt and not get
hurt. If you hit with the back of your hand to a hard surface (as the chin) the
small bones that hold your hand together will break.
There are two ways (that I know) of using it: one is keeping the wrist straightand the other is keeping the wrist relaxed and mobile.
If you keep it straight the energy transfer should be higher and your wrist
should be safer. Also, this adds some tension to your arm giving some
protection to your elbow and shoulder too.
If you leave it relaxed then the fist will have a whip-like effect, making it
faster at the end. More speed equals more power, and also bigger chance ofgetting injured.
I practice both ways and I am sure of paying attention to which one I use. You
can also try both and decide which one works better for you, but follow yourSensei instructions.
I use it during kumite, specially sideways, to attack the head or, mainly, theshoulders.

138Tetsui, hammer fist.
A very safe technique, as it is unlike to break any bone doing it.
Tetsui can be an attack to the body or the face, mainly. Not likely to damage
shoulders or legs.

139

Haishu, back of the hand.
Featured as the first technique in Tekki kata, I believe it is meant as a slap in
the face used as a distraction to buy some time to use another technique.
In Shorin Ryu versions on Naihanchi the technique is substituted for a haito
to the neck, making it a finisher from the spot.
Pictured in a really useless way, hitting the chest, it will work as a deterrent
against weaker people (children and small adults) where the use of full force
will not be adequate to the situation.
140

Seiryuto, ox jaw hand.
I just discovered it while surfing the net, so I do not have much experience
with it, but I will comment on the anatomy of it.
It looks like the impact is made with the pyramidal bone, a small bone in theedge of the palm opposite to the thumb with the shape (roughly) of a pyramid.
This bone is an evolutionary remora and it is disappearing from humans,
141although still a big percentage of us have it. If you have it you can feel it move,as it is not acting as part of any joint.
It is so small that is almost impossible to break it. Probably a good attack to
the temple, or a good substitution for shuto uchi if you need some more
hardness.

142

Kakuto, bent wrist.
Please note that my finger tips are all together in the picture: this is wrong.
They must be tense and separated a little bit. This will make the striking
surface stronger.

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Great weapon to attack the temple, the face (Chinese style) and the chin
(specially if you are being hold and can not make sure where your techniquewill land).
It can be dangerous for yourself if you do not bend the wrist enough, because
you will impact with the thin bones in your hand, hurting them.
We have this technique at the end of Suparinpei kata.

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Washide, eagle hand.
Keep your fingertips together to attack the eyes or under the chin. Probably
not many other uses, but it appears twice in Gojushiho Dai kata, so I will keep
researching washide.

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Haiwan, top of the arm.

146

Shuwan, bottom of the arm.

147

Gaiwan, outter arm.

148

Naiwan, inner arm.
These four pictures show the four surfaces of the forearm that can be used
to block, deflect and attack.

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I would recommend that you harden them to increase the functionality of yourarm.
Used in soto uke, uchi uke, age uke, gedan barai and many other defensive
techniques, I would only use the forearm as an offensive technique if I am too
close to use my hands and too far to use my elbows, making the window ofusage very narrow.
Also, as the ulna and radius are long bones and not too thick they can breakon impact if the power is hard enough and they hit a heavy surface, as a head.

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Chapter 7: Of vital importanceLet us have a closer look to vital points.
As stated before, attacking vital points will cause pain and compliance, but are
not easy to use. If trained properly their manipulation can make your strikes
more powerful, release you from a grab or hug and increase the likeliness of
success in a join lock.
They can be protected by something as simple as normal clothing, they are
difficult to spot on a moving person and the adrenaline rush that you will feel
during a fight will make your fine motor skills disappear making the task at
hand even more complicated. These reasons also support my idea that thetraining sessions must be full contact in order to get used to use yourtechniques under unfavorable conditions.
But, what are vital points? Under this esoteric name are what also can becalled pressure points. They are not magical places where you can kill yourenemies with your fingertips but anatomical structures that can be rubbed,
touched, hit or manipulated to cause pain. As karateka we can use them toincrease the effects of our blows, to enhance techniques or to subdue without
hurting.
The vital points are points of the body where nerves cross, where they arecloser to the skin, points where blood vessel surface, weak parts of tendons…
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They are not insubstantial points but real parts of the body that hurt morewhen attacked. We all know some of those weak spots but we are going now tocheck them on a Chinese acupuncture map. Acupuncture points are not thesame as the vital points that we are studying. Acupuncture theory is based on
meridians (qi vessels that run through the body), theory that I am not familiar
with, but most vital points are located in acupuncture points. We will use thefollowing charts as starting points. The reader can use them to check his/herown body and see the effects: self-discovery will lead to better remembering.
According to acupuncture theory, any manipulation of the points in the charts
will produce positive benefits, so do not fear a potential health problem byjust checking if it hurts or not.
If it hurts, it can be used in actual combat.

You will find a little information in the subsequent pages about how to induce
pain and the body weapon that I find more suitable to do the job. But if you
happen to have an object in your hand it can also be used to attack the points:
a key, a ball pen, a spoon, a stick… or even a pressure-point-fighting designed
weapon, like the kubotan.

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154

In this whole body map you can see the center line that runs from the headto the groin. Attacking the center line will always produce a good effect. The
points in the sternum can be attached by seiken, the points in the face by any
body weapon.
The ones in the chest (not the center line ones) are located in the pectoral
muscle, one of the biggest and strongest, so a punch there may cause pain but
not enough to end a fight. Better attacked by knuckles during close fighting,as on the ground.
The point in the center of the arm, over the elbow, will be really painful wheninserting the thumb there.
The points of the leg can be attached using the heel. Even if your kick misses
the point it will be a useful technique.
The one at the top of the head will cause a knock out if kakato geri is used.
The points of the foot can the attacked with a stomp if you are grabbed frombehind, and also using your toe to step on them.

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In this side view we can see a small detail of the armpit. The tumb can be used
there, for it is difficult to access with a punch. A yoko geri kekomi using
kakato can be used too.

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The shoulder can be punched with mawashi tsuki causing the arm to stop
responding.
The points in the ribs under the armpit can be punched for a knock out orpressed with the thumbs for a shocking reaction.
You can notice that there is no mention of the weak spot in the middle of thethigh. But we can use it still. A good mawashi geri with the shin bone will work
wonders. The knee is also a good option.
I don not recommend to attack the point at the hip insertion from the side,
as it is a really hard place and it will be more painful for yourself, and also a
waste of time.
All the points of the head can be used with a punch or other hand techniques,
such as shuto or haito.

Regarding the back chart, the center line of the back runs over the spine, so
any hard blow there will cause regretable effects, so the highest care mustbe had.
The point in the middle of the calf is a ground fighting favorite.

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Let’s have a closer look at the face chart.
The nose can be attached with seiken, or simply by using pressure with teisho.
You can use the other hand in the back of the head to have augmented
pressure, and this will give you the choice of where you want your foe’s head
to be.
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The points along the jaw will produce unconsciousness if hit hard. It is what
we see in boxing or MMA when a seemingly soft punch ends with one of thecombatanst on the floor.
Using the points of the neck and collarbones with nukite (all fingers or onlyone) to produce excruciating pain.

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The points of the neck can be manipulated with the knuckle of the thumb, thefingertips or any point object, such as a call pen or a key.
The temple can be punched with devastating effects.

160

These back of the head points are not really suitable for manipulation.

161

A closer look at the arm and hands reveals some places where grabbing canhelp to set up a joint lock. It also shows where to attack if you are being
grabbed.
I want to pay special consideration to the wrist points (both sides). If you use
soto uke or uchi uke to block a punch you will find that sometimes the block162

causes a big pain in your arm. If you are the one who punches you can also feelit. They can be hardened to reduce these effects, but you can use them when
you block to cause some pain to your adversary.

163

This close up of the leg shows a very interesting point, about five centimetres
over the ankle, in the inside of the shin bone. If pressed with the knucle 45º
downwards it can take down a man as big as a bull. Easy as that. It can be also
stepped on, Naihanchi style.

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The point over the elbow (not the tip of the elbow, but the one just over it) is
where you must apply pressure if you want your elbow lock to succeed. Miss it
and it will not work. It can be pressed with any part of the hand, or any otherbody part: knee, armpit, shin, elbow…
The point just between the pinky and the ring finger can be attacked withyour finger nails, as I painfully learnt in Okinawa.
The back of the forearm kind of mirrors the front side, and can the fingers
can be used to cause pain, but a big force must be applied to make it useful.
A good technique if you are being hugged is to rake your knuckles along theback of the grabbers hand. There are plenty of places to cause pain, speciallyalong the line between ring and pinky fingers.
Not marked on these chart but the the anus is a place that can cause a great
deal of pain and disconfort. Not exactly elegant, but useful.
You can see the coxis end that can be broken with a kick with really serious
results.

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A closer look to the back of the leg and edge of the foot. The edge of thefoot may be easier to reach than the back of the leg, so you can experimentwith it.

166

Some knee points where you can kick to produce a break or a throw.

167

After knowing several of these points one must try to use them while training
to achieve results related to self protection. As an example:-have a partner hug you and try to scape pressing on the ribs, nose or neckpoints-experiment with an elbow lock using and missing the vital point to see if
results change-lay down under a partner pinning you and get rid off him attacking the nipples,
the ribs or the back of the hand-get mentally used (also mentally used) to kicking the groin of your partner(with protection or without much power)-grab and twist the ears to achieve a head twist-the anus is a painful place that can be attacked with the thumb in closequarters situations and will cause a shock-not a vital point per se but twisting (or breaking) a finger will render a handuseless for fighting-placing the thumbs over the eyes, using the palm to secure the grip on theface, is a favourite Okinawan kumite technique

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These special places of the human body can also be used to achieve healthbenefits. I am no expert on these matters so I will just make a shallow
introduction.

This picture shows how different points of the face are (suposedly) connectedto the organs and other body parts. This is based in ancient Chinese medicine
169theories, with which I am not familiar, but I included it because the readers
may be interested in this extra information. Sadly, I can not translate thewriting, but there are ilustrations to help you understand.

The hands also reflect body parts. Massaging the points in them can lead to
improved health in your organs. All points should produce a little bit of pain
when manipulated.

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The feet seem to have those organ connections too, so the sole can bemassaged to access to health benefits.

171

So, what can you do if your enemy has knowledge of these vital points? Should
you lose all hope?
Actually, you can resist a vital point manipulation. There are several
components to it, but the fundamental one is that you can train yourself toendure the pain. Easy as that. You can locate a point in your arm and rub itwith your knuckles and cause pain to yourself. You will get used to it. I
remember in my old Dojo we had competitions to find out who could endure it
for longer time.
One of the effects of training this is that you will learn to recognize thefeeling of it, so you will not be caught by surprise. You will know the reason of
the pain so you can just discard the discomfort and focus on the task:
defending your physical integrity.
A thing I do when I get a massage is asking the masseur to do it strong. Thatway I get used to hard manipulation of pressure points and also helps me tolocate new painful spots.

Before you try it, your eyes will not get used to it, so do NOT try.

As a side note, you can notice that most of the martial arts books assume thatthe attacker will be a male because, as a matter of fact, males are more prone
to fighting. One must assume that when attacked one will face a bigger andstronger enemy so determination and technique must go together in order tosave yourself.

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But the thing is that you can also be attacked by a woman that is bigger andstronger than you. In this case, all the information in this book still applies
but we can add another painful part of the feminine anatomy that can also be
used to protect ourselves. The breasts are a very sensitive part of the female
bodies and any punch, push, pinch or twist will most surely help you break ahold and buy you some time to escape.
I have never read this advice in a book, and I know it can be controversial, but
I feel it can be useful to someone in a moment of danger so I decided toinclude it.

As a conclusion, I will add the vital points used in Judo atemi waza (yes, Judo
has atemi waza):

1. TENTO (heavenly knock out). Position: The middle of the crown of thehead. Blow: Downward with the fist.
2. UTO (the sun and the moon). Position: The roots of the eyebrows. Blow:
With the fist or knee.
3. JINCHU (center of man). Position: The base of the nose. Blow: With thefist, side of hand or knee.
4. GWANTO (the head of rock). Position: The point of the chin. Blow:
Upward or downward with the fist, knee or foot.
5. KASUMI (mist). Position: Temple of the head. Blow: With the fist or sideof the hand.

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6. SUIGETSU (watery moon). Position: Solar plexus. Blow: With the fist,
elbow, knee or foot.
7. DENKO (lightning). Position: Right floating ribs. Blow: With the fist, kneeor foot.
8. TSUKIKAGE (shadow of moon). Position: Left floating ribs. Blow: With thefist, knee or foot.
9. MYOJO (bright star). Position: About 1-1/2 inches below the navel. Blow:
With the fist, elbow, knee or foot.
10. TSURIGANE. Position: Between the legs. Blow: With the knee, foot or
fist.

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Chapter 8: May the Force be with you

Let me talk now about power. About raw power. About how to produce enoughpower in your techniques to really overcome a much bigger or stronger
opponent.

To simplify, I will focus only on front hand punches, oi tsuki (jabs), but the
principles behind this chapter can be adapted to blocks, kicks and other kindof techniques as well. I will also forget to mention about the relationshipbetween mass, weight, acceleration and speed, as I feel it would complicate
the writing (and the reading, specially) too much.

There are always two components in a powerful punch: power generation andpower transmission.
Ever thought of the two as different entities?
I have met countless martial artists in my life who were good at only one ofthem, producing substandard results in their techniques, even if they werestrong people.

Please, excuse my (lack of) artistic skills that I will use to illustrate my ideas.
I hope they, at least, serve the illustration purpose I intended.
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First, power generation.
The important idea about generating power for your punches is that they musttravel as fast as possible from their current location (hopefully near your chin)to their intended destination (your enemy’s face).

Here we see a fellow karateka form above, facing North. For simplification
purposes we will assume his shoulders and hips are on the same line.
His center line is pictured in red.

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As we know, just moving your hand forward will not be strong enough, so weneed to add our hips (whole body, actually) movement behind it.

178

Twisting of the hips and moving the shoulder forward is one movement thatus karateka are familiar with.
The problem with this is that many people twist their hips around their center
lines. This causes the force to be produced forward, yes, but we are also losing
some body weight that we could be adding behind the fist. Here, pictured inyellow are the body weight movements that go forward and backward.

So, what can we do?
The ideal movement is to twist your body using the opposite hip as the centerof rotation:
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The right axis of rotation is pictured as a blue line.

Here we see how all the forces travel in the same direction, making thepunch stronger.
180

In the same fashion, for a reverse punch (gyaku tsuki, cross) we need to use
the opposite hip as the center of our circle.

See how all the body moves behind the fist?

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This is the way to make more weight travel behind your fist without the needto make the arm bigger (which you can also do).

I do not want to confuse the reader into thinking that this is the only way:
moving towards the enemy, raising and lowering your body, pushing the groundforward with your feet and some others are all valid ways of increasing yourpunching (or kicking, or blocking) power, but I wanted to focus on thehorizontal level because it is there where I use to see more mistakes being
made.

So, how can we transmit all this newfound power into the enemy’s body?
First, we need to aim into a point that is behind the surface of his skin. We
need to aim for somewhere inside his body (some suggest his spine) so ourpower can travel inside him and produce the effect we want.
Second, our full body must be hard enough to not leave any energy scape. In
the same manner that all striking weapons are made of stiff materials (wood,
metal, PVC…) our body needs to be hard a rock when we hit. Loose muscles are
great for the most part of our lives, except when we make contact with a foe.
Kime, we call it in Karate: a split second contraction of all our muscles, tendonsand joints in order to deliver our power without letting it be lost.
This is the reason we kiai! Shouting and yelling when we practice techniques isno (only) to scare the enemys: the abdominal contraction that you achieve
182while yelling will make your core muscles, your abs, your legs and your arms all
contract at the same time, producing this amazing hard-as-a-rock body that
can hit really hard.
Practicing Sanchin will help with this matter too.
Also, contracting the whole body while striking will have a protective effectif you are countered at the same time.

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Chapter 9: On the dance floor

To be a master of ground work one must study an Art focused on making you
superior to the other guy, focused on achieving a better position where you
can pin or subdue him/her, focused on victory by way of attacking theblood/air flow to the brain and by way of join dislocation.
Judo is a more complete Art, but shares its time between throwing and groundwork. Brazilian Jujitsu is a more specific Art focused almost exclusively on
ground fighting, so the reader (if interested) must try and decide what works
best for his/her purposes.
Having the skills to dominate another human being if you find yourself in theunlucky position of fighting on the ground will prove worth the effort toacquire them.
But spending time on the floor may be fatal when you are attacked by morethan one person (you will never know before it is too late) so your goal must
be to regain your feet as soon as possible. If it is not possible then you must
finish the fight before being free to stand up again.
Of course, some of the techniques on the ground are useful while standing as
well.
And, please, do not forget that you can also strike your enemy while one orboth or you are on the ground.
185

Being under an enemy does not mean you can not strike him.

186

Using the elbow in close quarters can be easier than using the fists.

187

If you can bring your knee to his head you may gain an advantage.

188

Try to strike in vulnerable points, such as the nose, the temple, the groin…

189Try to practice all the kicks you know, but while you are under another person.

190

When someone is on top of you is a perfect moment to use the vital points tocause pain and disruption. This can break a grip and buy you some time.

191

This point is vulnerable to manipulate. When hit hard can shut down a person.

192

Use any technique that feels natural and has big chances of working.

193

Grab the ear to gain head control. Doing this you can easily reverse theposition and end up on top.

194

Hair pulling is also possible.

195

It is always a good idea to practice some arm bars and submissions because,even if they are not the most practical solution to being attacked, sometimes
the fight can put you in the position of pulling one.

196

The triangle, as shown in Gankaku kata, is an easy and powerful technique.

197

The top position has always the advantage, so you must try to get it. If you
can sit on top of his torso then you can have punching advantage.

198

Gravity is your friend and can help you to add power to your elbows.

199

You can use the knee to hit, but also to control the head and keep the enemy
on the darkness.

200

Knees can also be used to attack the ribs, causing fractures, or to help control
the body of the foe under you.

201

Not very elegant, but very effective.

202

Even better!

203

Head-butts are a tokui waza of many Valetudo fighters.

204

A good choke. Sometimes striking may not be the best option, so if you are ina position to apply it, it works well if hands placement and pressure are right.
Use your arm to block the blood or the air and use the other arm to add
pressure.
Of course, you need to be behind your enemy to make it happen.
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Hooking your knees and raising your hips will take it to another level.

206

Alternative hand positioning.

207

Using your body weight to block the movements of your attacker can help you
gain control and avoid danger temporarily. Try to control arms and legs to
avoid being hit. At the same time, keep your heads together so to not besusceptible to a head-butt.

208

Double lapel choke. Only works if the other guy has suitable clothes.
Remember to put your hands as deep as possible into the collar.

209

Single lapel choke. Put your body weight behind your hand.

210

Use nukite to blind your attacker.

211

Using this way you can place your palm on his face before finding the eyes.
Works without the need of seeing his eyes.

212

Another variation.

213

Vital point attack intended to cause pain and discourage more attacks.

214

Punch to the temple when on top. Very dangerous, should be used only inextreme danger situations.

215

Fish hooks straight from Hangetsu kata.

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217

Chapter 10: Throw one to me

I am going now to introduce some basic throwing theory. One may argue thatthrows are Judo’s technique. It is true that Judo has a focus on tossing people
around but as I said before some basic knowledge about how to throw someone
may be good to have.
I will not introduce all of Kodokan syllabus but just a couple ideas that can beeasily learnt and applied. For most of the throws a previous imbalance on theattacker must have been achieved but for most of what I will proceed to showthat it can be done without being a Judo expert. Of course, the more youpractice the better you will become.
Other reason to include throws in this book is because the kata are full ofthrows. If throws were so important to the creators of kata then we need toconsider that they play a capital role in protecting our body integrity. Look
for them in spins, turns, changes of direction and when you have a kosa dachi.
Another practical reason to learn throws is that if you practice them in freekumite or randori then you will get used to being attacked by throws and,eventually, you will discover ways to defend from them.

218

Using pulling and pulling your enemy will react with (most surely) an opposite
direction resistance force.
It is at the moment when he swifts weight from one foot to the other thatyou sweep that foot.

219

Please, note that in this picture my foot is way over the ankle. This is to show
a variation. If you sweep the ankle/foot you have a de ashi barai, but if you
place your foot on the knee then you achieve hiza guruma.
Please experiment with pushing and pulling and different foot placements tosee what combination works better for you.
This throw has the benefit that you are holding your enemy in front of you,securing his arms and having him in your line of sight.

220

Another thing that you can do is to work on your body movement and try toplace yourself behind the enemy line of balance. If you can do this and you
have your enemy unbalanced then you can sweep the leg from behind and do osoto gari.

221

The third category of throws I want to introduce involves turning around andshowing your back to the enemy, so utmost caution must be used if you are to
try it in a real fight. Practice uchikomi and your form will get better with time.
Many variations exist, such as uchi mata, harai goshi, ippon seoi nage, morotenage… But all use the same principles: unbalance the enemy, place your hip
lower that his and lift him over/around your shoulder/hips.

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And do not forget the wonderful suki nage of Funakoshi Sensei himself. Oneof his infamous “Nine throws of Shotokan”, even if forgotten by most of his
followers.

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Chapter 11: Riding the iron horse

I am going to try to put some of the information together in this chapter thatis comprised mainly by a Tekki/Naihanchi Shodan performance and bunkai.
I will show different ways of performing the kata as different instructors
have shown me different ways of doing it, and how those reflect different
possible applications to the movements.
This may make sense by itself but I want to link it to the previous chaptersof vital points and the different body parts that can be used as weapons. Thisis how all the book will come together to an end.
My paradigm of kata is that, for the most part, it helps you to cope with thethird point of the fight: stopping the fight. For that, multiple kata havemultitude of answers about how to make someone unable to hit you again. I willinterpret kata under this light while trying to introduce some fighting
concepts that I find useful and that can be found hidden in kata too.
Of course, some sections of kata also deal with blocks and ways of avoiding
being hit, and sometimes in a sen no sen fashion, but we are going to explore
kata not exclusively but mainly under the former perpective.
One thing I would like you to consider is the opening of the kata (not only thisone). Some kata have a particular hand formation to start it with. Some say it
is a salutation or that even some religious meaning is implied. I say that you
must consider that the fight has been started before you do the first225

technique of the kata, meaning that the “salutation” is indeed a technique in
itself.

But, why did I chose this kata? Not the most beautiful or showy, that is forsure (I have never seen it in a tournament) but it was a favorite in old Okinawa.
Motobu and Funakoshi were some of the Masters that wrote about its
importance. Even if they were not in the best terms they agreed on this.
Ohtsuka and Oyama Senseis were also adepts to its practice. Even Miyagi
Sensei said it is one of the three most important kata in Karate (along with
Sanchin and Tensho).
In my case, it was the kata I performed for my Shodan grading. It felt greatthat day! It gives me great pleasure to perform it and most of its techniques
have easy translation as live-protection maneuvers.
And I also feel that it is an under-understood kata, even if it has much tooffer in the ways of self-defense.

Will I show the true bunkai of this kata?
Most probably not.
Let me explain. No one of us where there when the kata was created, no one
than the creator (and perhaps his direct students) know the original way of
performing a kata and the original intended applications.
This can be a controversial idea and I am ready to recognize that I can be
wrong and that some lineages can have preserved the original ideas of some226

kata. But for the most part I see kata that just look similar between styles,
with many interesting points being different and open to different
interpretations. Change and evolution are human phenomenon and I will notbelieve that I am the inheritor of an unbroken line of transmission ofknowledge from the creator of the kata to me. Since I have seen my
instructors to perform kata different than their instructors and I have seen
the pictures and footage of the modern styles founders performing kata way
different to them I must conclude that the kata change over time, sometimes
by choice and sometimes by mistake.
If kata change, then we can not know how the original one looked like and most
likely we can not know what the original applications were.
But actually, I do not think it is important to freak out about who is doing theoriginal unchanged kata. Call me pragmatist if you like, but I feel that, since I
practice Karate as self-defense, having useful ways of protecting yourself ismore important (for me) than finding out what the original ones are. For thisreason, I research my kata hoping to find physical movements that I can (could)
use if find myself in the middle of a fight. And, (un)fortunately, I have foundout that my training has been useful up to this moment.

Do not get me wrong, please.
I do not mean that everyone else is wrong on their kata practice. On thecontrary, I can not be sure that my practice is true to the original, so I rather
make sure that I am true to the creator’s goal: self-defense.

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Having access to old style kata that have been handed down through venerable
Masters who have worked hard to preserve what their Masters taught themis an invaluable treasure. One must cherish such an opportunity to learn andalso try to preserve and transmit what one has learnt.
Even if you have a relatively young instructor you must adhere to his way ofpracticing for that will make you progress in your chosen art. I am not
advocating changing the kata or making out new ideas just because one is toolazy to learn from his instructor.

What I will show here is my personal interpretation of the kata. Techniquesthat worked for me.
What is the meaning of “work”?
I mean that I can use the technique to prevent a person from trying to hit me
again.
A good punch in the face will make most of people losing the will to fight. A
broken elbow joint will render that arm unable to pose a threat. A choke thatcauses unconsciousness will end the fight for sure.
When one is attacked facing a potential fatal situation will probably feel anadrenaline rush, making fine motor skills disappear, causing tunnel vision,anxiety and other disturbing effects. At the same time, your threshold of
pain will raise, helping you to fight and scape.
For this reason I will show techniques that, when learnt and practiced, can be(have been) used even beginners and weak people alike. No complications, just228

well proven simple techniques. When I show these to people with no Martial
Arts experience they always get hooked and enroll in my class.
I did not invent any of the techniques. I just put my knowledge and experienceto the service of the kata. It could be interpreted in a variety of other ways,
but I choose to “read” it under my personal pragmatic interpretation, as I
fear will never will have access to an uncontended original explanation.
The way I “read” kata can be exported to any kata. I do not claim to know
bunkai of any movement in any kata in any style, but for the most of it, I can
see the stance (weight distribution, direction of the attack/defense), theembusen (where are you going/coming from), the angles (respect to theattacker), turns (can be used as throws, or can be hidden in kosa dachis), the“groups” of techniques (that can be used in sequence), if a lock or a hit is
implied (punches/kicks vs slow flowing motions) and so on.
I also assume that there are “hidden” techniques in kata. By hidden I mean
implied. We are people trained to react and dominate in a fight, aren’t we? Weshould know that even if the kata says “throw” we should know that we canpunch the face before and after the throw to increase the likeliness of
success. Before to disrupt the balance and after to finish him/her. Strike todisrupt, disrupt to strike.
One must be fast to apply a fight stopping technique with full commitment as
your attacker may have friends nearby, so engaging in a “duel” will not help youa bit. One can be attacked from behind, surrounded, ambushed and so on(criminals have no honor) so one must be aware of the danger at all times and229

finish the fight in a split second in order to be able to respond to a second or
third threat.

Performance:

I am not World Champion and my technique is not flawless, but the intentionof this book is not to teach how to perform the kata. I am aware that the
pictures are less than perfect and contain some mistakes and weird poses.
Please, excuse this imperfections and refer to any video or book of this kataperformed by a experienced karateka what an aim to show the perfect form.

I want to show an integration of Tekki Shodan of Shotokan and Naihanchi of
Shorin Ryu. I do not intend to create something new but I feel like thevariations between these two styles open up the kata for more varied
applications.

Please, excuse the weird location of the belt and the gi sometimes. The
pictures are not professional and were taken in a hurry and could not botherthe dojo owner again.

230

Yoi.

231

Rei.

232

233

Bring the hands in front of you making a big circle from in/down to out/up andin/down again.

234

Make sure your left hand is on top of your right hand when they come together.

235

Initial position of the kata.

236

Drop your weight and walk to the right, sideways, crossing the feet, not moving
the hands.

237

Shotokan: bring up your knee to the front while keeping the hips at the samelevel.
Shorin Ryu: just finish the step. No knee lift.
238

Right hand under left hand. Both hands open, ready to strike (or to grab).

239

Haito uchi to the right side. Left hand in hikite.
I have seen this variation in some Shorin Ryu styles. Kyokushin substitutes
this technique with a mawashi shuto uchi.

240

Using the back of the hand seems more common among Shotokan practitioners.

241

Even if it is not in the kata, a tetsui seems like a plausible alternative (mainly
if we interpret this motion as a strike).

242

Left elbow hitting the right palm. Twist the hips but do not lean forward.

243

Shotokan: bring your two fists to the chamber position by the hips with aviolent motion.
Shorin Ryu: do it slowly.

244

Gedan barai to the left, hikite to the right.

245

Hook “punch” to the left with the right hand. Keep the kiba dachi.
246Step to the left keeping the hands in the same position.

247

Bring the knee up if you do Shotokan while you keep your hook in place.

248

Shorin Ryu: finish the step.

249

Shotokan: move the hand into a uchi uke with a strong arm motion at the timeof the landing.

250

Simultaneous high block to the left and punch to the front with the right hand.

251

Shotokan: right hand comes into the hook again while the left goes forward
as an ura tsuki. Elbow resting on the back of the hand.
Shorin Ryu: first put the hands in position, then throw them forward andstrike like this.

252

Nami gaeshi. Lift the left knee storing power for the next motion.

253

Block to the outside without changing the hand formation.
254

Lift the other knee.

255

Twist your hips for an inside block. Hands do not move yet.

256

Bring the hands to the hips again.

257

Get ready for the kiai.

258

Throw both fists and kiai.

259

Repeat to the other side in a symmetric manner.

260

261

262

263

264

265

266

267

268

269

270

271

272

273

274

275

276

277

Bring your hands together again.

278

Raise.

279

Ready to bow.

280

Rei.

281

282

Bunkai:

I hope all the readers are aware of the Kaisai no genri rules for studying kata.
I will not presume to use (or even understand the true meaning) them in aproper way, but I think it is interesting to write them here, just as a reference:

The rule set is broken down in to three basic rules and nine advanced rules(copy and paste from Wikipedia, as written down by Toguchi Seikichi:
Shuyo san gensoko - Three basic rules
1. Don't be deceived by the shape (embusen) of the kata.
The kata embusen is designed to allow the kata to be
performed within a small space. The shape of the embusen has
no bearing on the meaning of the techniques in the kata.
2. Techniques executed while advancing are offensive. Those executed
while retreating are defensive.
3. There is only one opponent and he is in front of you.
Turning to face a new direction while performing the kata does
not mean you are turning to face a new opponent.

Hosoku joko - Advanced rules

1. Every movement in kata is significant and is to be used in application.
283

There are no "salutation", religious or empty movements inkata. All movements in the kata have meaning.
2. A closed pulling hand returning to chamber usually has some part ofthe opponent in it.
When pulling a hand to the chamber position, particularly if it isclosed, it should be considered to have some part of the
opponent in its grip. e.g. an arm, wrist or even head.
3. Utilize the shortest distance to your opponent.
The kata will typically attack the opponent with the closest partof your body.
4. If you control an opponent’s head you control the opponent.
Kata techniques often target Kyusho (vital or weak points ofthe body), many of the most important of these are in the head.
e.g. eyes or throat.
5. There are no blocks.
Uke are not blocks, they are "defenses", however in kata they
may not even represent defenses, but simply be the movementsof the limbs required to execute a more complex technique likea throw.
6. Angles in kata are very important.
The angle to which you turn represents the angle which you
must take relative to the opponent for the technique to work.
It does not represent turning to face a new opponent.
7. Touching your own body in kata indicates that you are touching part ofyour opponent.

284

In the absence of a partner to practice with, where the kata
touches your own body, you would be touching or holding part ofthe opponent's body.
8. Don't attack hard parts of your opponent with hard parts of yourbody.
The kata typically strikes hard parts of the opponent with soft
parts of your body and soft parts with hard parts of your body.
9. There are no pauses in the application.
The rhythm of the performance of kata has no bearing on theperformance of the techniques extracted from it.

285

For the opening of the kata we will start with a double lapel grip by our
opponent.
From here we are open to being head-butted, kneed, pushed and pulled.
If it was a single lapel grip then we would be also open to punches (with added
hikite).

286

The enemy pulls us in, so we bring our hands out and up in a big circle around
his arms.

287

Like this.

288

We force his wrists down with power.
If the opponent is strong and resisting then we can attack the vital point in
the forearm, near the wrists, for added pain and compliance.
The kata has us to practice a low kibadachi/shikodachi for the most part, so
a drop in weight would help us to produce more power to break the grip. The
opening of the kata is still in a natural stance, so I chose to show the techniquehere without the body drop.
289

Here the enemy grabs our neck with two hands, pushing us down. If you control
the head you control where the body goes.

290

We do the exact same motion we did before. We need to take into
consideration difference in heights and distances.

291

We can also attack the vital points in the forearm that are close to the elbow,
for better pain delivery.

292

Finish the circular motion pushing your hands (and his) down and out.

293

Now the enemy has some wrestling experience so he gets ready for a double
leg takedown.

294

He shoots in for the takedown.
The picture is in motion, not a static one, so the timing and the body placement
may not be correct. Anyway, we are trying to show the defending technique
now, not the attack.

295

And we do the same circular motion, this time pushing his head down.

296

We sprawl moving our feet back and use the ground to smash his head. Now
we have control over his head, and we can apply a choke, we can strike him or
we can just control him.

297

Keep pushing down with all your body weight. Spread your legs so you are notin danger for ankle picks.

298

Now the attacker has seized both our wrists.

299

The same motion can be used to break the grip. Make the big circle (Aikidolike) and control the movement of his arms.

300

Break the grip by attacking the weak part of the closed hand: the opening of
the thumb.

301

The initial position of the kata has us to place our hands together pointing
down.
This could signify an attack to the vital point in the pubis. A dangerous attack
for your fingers if you do it wrong, but it can be an option to be explored.

302

Now the fight has started and we square out to exchange blows.

303

But before that happens I use the blind spot under his right hand to grab his
wrist.

304

Then I use my right hand to do a finger lock.

305

Applying the pressure forward and down, in a circular manner I can take theenemy to the ground, or break his fingers.
It can only be applied if the enemy has his hand open. If he already closed his
fists then we should look for another technique.

306

Now he grabs our collars again.

307

So I use the hand position of the opening of the kata to propel myself forwardwith my head pointing to his face.

308

Now we have clinched, buy my hands have been placed behind his neck. I
control his head and bring it down to be smashed with mine.
309

We have a clinch where we both have secured grips so we can not punch eachother.

310

Pushing and pulling the enemy I make him loose balance.

311

It is at this point where I use the first step in the kata to sweep the foot.

312

Depending on the opportunities opened during his imbalance I may sweep
differently.

313

Alternatively, I can attack the vital point in the ankle with my heel.

314

Here is that point.
If struck, it hurts.
If pressed, it hurts.
If pressed more, it is what I call “one finger take down”.

315Just apply pressure and your enemy will fall.
Of course, we will not seek to use this technique as shown now in a selfdefense situation because dropping to attack the ankle would be suicidal, but
if we are down, we can use it.

316

The step in the kata resembles kosadachi, so I am going to use it as a spin.
While I place my feet between his I am going to grab my enemy from his
clothes (alternatively, with over or under hooks).

317

I need to drop my center of gravity lower than his and keep our bodies
together.

318

Then extend your legs and pull him up in a twisting motion.

319

Spin him around your hips.

320And drop him with as much force as you can.
Keeping the grips for a follow up on the ground is optional. If the enemy isfinished, then you should leave. If not, you can transition into a choke or hit
him till he is done.
321

If the jaw is open to attack then it can be a good place to land a blown.

322

Haito to the temple, as in the kata.

323

Although the neck is also a valuable place.

324

Back of the hand, or even back of the fist, to the face can disrupt an attack.

325

And here is the full sequence of him trying to punch, you deflecting the punch
and then striking him.

326

Different hand formations can be used for striking.

327

Overextending his attacking arm and then applying pressure on his elbow withour body will get us a nice elbow lock, while at the same time we mess with hisneck.
Just a little push with our knee and we can have “folding screen” take down.

328

The elbow lock can also be achieved with this alternative hand placement. Just
make sure his arm is twisted enough by your hikite.

329

Your extended hand can grab his hair (like in Saifa).

330

And then you move on for a nice empi to the face.

331

Grab his head in two places: up and down, left and right or front and back.

332

Twist his head in a downward spiral. First (according to my grip on the pictures)bring the chin up and the hair down.

333

Keep twisting and bring him down and to the side.
Please, exert extreme caution with your training partners as this technique
can be fatal.

334

Step back to add more twisting and more power to your motion.

335

Drop him and get ready to punch.

336

Try to land your attack in a vital point: temple, jaw…

337

Let me explain how to twist the neck to have complete head control.
Please, excuse the pictures. I am grabbing an imaginary head unimaginablelarge.

338

You need to understand that in order to make this motion impossible to resist
you need to apply forces in some different direction at the same time andchange the directions of these forces while not stopping.
It is difficult to explain with words but easy with a head in my hands.

339

You need to twist, spin and rotate up, down, right, left, forward and backward
in a descending spiral motion all at the same time.

340

Move your body on your vertical axis while manipulating the enemy’s head andadd another layer of twist.

341

Continue applying the rotation and twist while the center of the (imaginary)head describes and arch in the air.

342

And finally bend your knees to complete the neck breaking technique.
It will be impossible for anyone to resist so many different forces in so manydifferent directions in such a short time lapse.
This motion is also present in Gojusiho Sho and Seipai.

343

The gedan barai, as stated by Funakoshi Sensei, can be used as an elbow lock.

344

But I also like the shoulder lock very much, so here it is.
Do not forget to drop your weight for maximum punishment.

345

From there, not so difficult to produce a tetsui to the face.

346

Let’s explore the kage tsuki now.
Yes, we can use it a punch to the face of a downed opponent, and also as a rib
punch while standing. But, can we use it for anything else?

347

I am going to use the shape of the punch to show some useful ways ofdefending yourself.
First, if you can push your enemy to the wall then you can use your forearm topress on his neck and have some control over him.
348

And from here you can punch him.

349

If my back is against the wall then I use it to stop the enemy from coming
closer.

350

If on the ground, I use it to stay on top and, hopefully, choke him.

351

And I can use the hook under his neck, to help me control his movements.

352

Same shape that can be used as a rear choke.

353

If we have the enemy in our guard we can use the hook to bring him closer for
better control.

354

Or place it on his neck to keep him away.

355

Same ideas, but standing.

356

Add the body weight drop and break his posture.

357

The same shape can be used to grab around the waist.

358

And proceed with a throw.

359

In this new situation we have been grabbed by the wrist.

360

We do this twisting motion and we reverse the situation.

361

Or continue moving the arm to break the grip.

362

Let me show a variation.

363

Use your other hand to control his wrist (how many times did I say “control”?
Yes, if you are in control of the fight, then good for you).

364Attack the vital point of the wrist, as also shown in Tekki/Naihanchi Sandan
and Bassai Dai.

365

Once more.

366

Use some tai sabaki to produce more power.

367

Break his posture, lock the elbow, deliver pain.

368

And control him on the floor.

369

The enemy is focused on not letting me go.

370But I move my arms at the same time so I can strike the face to get my otherarm free.

371

If it is a same side wrist grab…

372

Maybe you can not break the grip, but you can bring his arm up behind yourhead as a set up for another follow up.

373

This is not an elbow lock: this is an elbow break.
Pulling the arm overextending it and hitting with your own elbow in the weak
spot behind his elbow can lead to severe injury.

374

Use the motions of the kata to bring the head down and chamber your finishing
blow.

375

Attack the vital point of the top of the head, that can lead to knock out.

376

If you are too close for that, then you can hit the neck, collarbone, spine or
any other surface available.

377

Use the element of surprise to make this variation work. Open him and…

378

Move in with your elbow for a raising hit.

379

I will now show a knife defense, but it is really advisable for the reader to run
away from knives if possible. If not possible, then we better be ready.

380

Attacker comes forward with a thrust to our belly.

381

We (hopefully) intercept it and change its direction (there is a variation ofthis technique in Wankan kata).

382

We move the knife away from our body and strike with all our might to cause
a concussion and end the fight.
Ideally, the block and the strike should be done at the same time.

383

The enemy now knows a little boxing and squares off to surprise us with asucker punch.

384

Even if he jabbed before, his power punch is a haymaker (jodan mawashi tsuki)
aimed at our temple trying to do the most possible damage.

385

We use the same side arm to block.
This is a very interesting technique for Kyokushin karateka, as many training
partners will attack your shoulders during kumite.
It can also be an interpretation of jodan age uke.

386And punch him on the face.
This sequence resembles the opening in Heian/Pinan Nidan (called Pinan
Shodan in Shorin Ryu).
I also believe it is implied in Seipai kata, even if not shown to the fully extend.

387

Some name gaeshi applications now.
The enemy tries a foot sweep on us while we are in a clinch.

388

And we just move our foot out of the way.

389

We can use the same motion to attack vital point in the ankle.

390

If a bit higher then we can strike the groin.

391

There are several targets in this area: the thigh, the knee…

392

Striking the outer thigh, a nice technique for kumite.

393

We can also step on the knee to cause a sprain, or even a break.

394

If we step on the back of the knee then we can take the enemy down quite
easily.

395

If we exaggerate the motion we can place our foot behind enemy’s foot.

396

What opens up possibilities for a throw.

397

Like o soto gari.

398

Nami gaeshi motion can be used to step on the face of a downed attacker(fumikomi).

399

We can also use it another throw, hiza guruma.

400

From another angle.

401

Now I use pressure with my forearm to disrupt his balance and focus.

402

And use the opportunity to deliver close quarters tetsuis to the head.

403

Attacking the temple, in addition to the neck and face.

404

Striking is possible from inside to outside or from outside to inside.
Hammer fist can be used, and the knuckles too.

405

Another use of name gaeshi, striking the legs during the clinch at the sametime that we deliver hits to the head.

406

If we are being hugged and we manage to get our arm between the attacker
and us then we can use it to open a space and separation.

407

Then, hitting becomes easier.

408

If we get a grip on the head (hair, ears, beard…) or clothes then using our legs
to strike is also possible.

409

We can use this pose of two hands together as a way of striking with one hand
while we keep the other one close to our face for protection and ready to
strike again.

410

We repeat the circular motion again, grabbing the head.

411

This time is not a control, but a neck-break. My attacker’s friends are closeand I need to finish him quickly to have a chance to scape.

412

Twist the neck and bring the head down violently.

413

Release and run for cover.

414

We grab the punching hand and pull it in with violent hikite to augment thepower of our own punch.
Also found in Jion kata.

415

If our punch misses, then we can hit with the elbow or forearm on the throat.

416

We can alternatively use folding screen to drop the enemy.

417

Push the neck and the knee to complete the take down.

418

Continue rotating the bodies.

419

And drop him on a hard surface.

420

Bring your arm under his elbow to find another way to his head, as found in
Seienchin kata too.

421

Grab the back of his head.

422

And bring him to your fist.

423

Or bring his eyes to your fingertips.

424

You can also attack the vital points of the neck if you just need complianceand not injury.
425

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This book is copyrighted ©. All rights reserved.
Copying, printing and sharing of this work, as whole or as parts, for any
monetary reason is strictly forbidden.
Sharing for educational and training purposes is encouraged.
Please, do not print it if you do not need to. If you do so, please use recycled
paper.

First part written in Shenyang, China (沈阳， 中国), second part written in
Shanghai, China (上海，中国) during 2016.
Josep Claramonte // カラモンテ 優塞

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