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Black Belt - three important points |
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Black Belt - an end in itself or the beginning of everything?
The Black Belt, the object of all envy and the mystical symbol of beginners, is in fact only the very beginning, along with the "Shodan" (1st Dan) of the apprenticeship itself. This may seem paradoxical, but once you've reached this stage, and even beyond (2nd or even 3rd Dan), you're more aware of the truth of the matter. And, just as the "basics" are tirelessly instilled in beginners, once you've reached Shodan, it's a matter of being able to embark on a new era of practice on equally good foundations. Remembering the essentials The Black Belt syllabus, whatever the style, clearly lists the Kihon techniques, Kata and Kumite forms required. There's certainly a lot to know, which is only to be expected. But some of these things are particularly important, because they condition the majority of the others, and in turn form the real basis for further progress. Those who practise Kata assiduously are better able to grasp the meaning of these principles. And in this case, the "traditional" Shotokan form expresses them most clearly. The gaze is the expression of the mind Any technical expression or gesture, if it is to remain in the spirit of the Martial Art that is Karate, must be accompanied, or more precisely, preceded by two things. One is the breath, the other the gaze. The latter must not only express determination, concentration and the mind, but must also be able to "project" forward towards the target, which it must in a way "cross", before the technique in turn crosses this objective. As if it had the role of first clearing the way, the gesture now having only a passive role, literally sucked towards the designated goal. Apart from this, it's obvious that visualizing potential opponents means never taking one's eyes off them, and that it's aberrant to perform Kihon or Kata sequences, or even educational Kumite, with eyes downcast, in a vacuum or arriving after the technique has been executed. All about the back leg The notion of "weight", as explained to beginners, is mainly "static". For example, we'll say that in "Zen Kutsu" the weight is on the front leg (at least 70-80%), on the back leg in "Ko Kutsu", 50-50 in "Kiba Dachi", etc. This is true if the posture is established and maintained, without any consideration of impact. This view of things means that, when moving, for example, the heel lifts, and on arrival, the sensation remains on tiptoe, the chest moves forward, connections are lost - in short, efficiency is close to zero at the moment of "Kime"! The important point is to maintain sensation on the sole, or even the heel of the rear foot, to reinforce the chain of ground - rear leg (hara) - point of impact. This is why we say that, even in Zen Kutsu (!), the weight is entirely on the back leg. Even if this is only the very brief moment of the Kime, it's essential for everything to work. What's more, this search for sensation prevents the front foot from moving too far forward, making it impossible to link up other movements quickly, remaining "leaden" on the front leg, at the mercy of any opposing counter. And the proposition is still (and particularly) true in Kiba Dachi, where one of the two legs is usually "back", which can be usefully worked on in the "Tekki" Kata or in the Gyaku Tsuki Sokumen of the "Gankaku" Kata. Last but not least - Hikité There are many misconceptions about pulling one arm back, as they say - in "Hikité". Let's not talk about those who just think of "putting away" their useless arm rather than letting it hang down. There are those - the majority, in fact - who think they are accentuating the effectiveness of an arm technique by increasing hip rotation. This is not completely without meaning, but even so, pulling something backwards runs counter to the idea of going forwards, even if the hip rotates, etc. The reality is quite different, but actually very simple. The Hikité connects the side of the body which is not the one where the impact occurs, while reinforcing the action through symmetrical work, which is directed forward. The secret lies in the sensation developed by the wrist resting on the hip bone, the shoulder low, rounded and thus pushed forward. Simple at first glance, and yet ... These three points may seem trivial, but they are difficult to master. Firstly, because we don't think about them, concentrating instead on what we think is essential. What's more, it's even more difficult to make them coexist at the same time all the time. And yet, this is one of the fundamental secrets of technical mastery. That's why, in traditional Shotokan, the first Black Belt exam is designed to validate these particular foundations, considering that they alone will enable a useful progression in practice thereafter. Of course, the technical content must be presented correctly, but these particular points are those to which the jury pays the most attention. |
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