by Van Canna » Wed Dec 30, 1998 3:05 am
Looks like > despite the sorry start , this discussion is developing with a commonality of interest ; so far so good!
I will try to speak simply and present some of the vexing questions posed to me by other Uechi seniors with a shining track record of full contact championships and successful real life encounters , some of which I have witnessed first hand with devastating results :
The concept of strength , as developed through tai-chi or taiji practice , is a valid one , and I have seen karatekas from many different disciplines greatly improve their power base by complementing their training with tai-chi ! Personally , I have always espoused the concept of blending extreme/explosive power in all athletic endeavors I competed in , from soccer , track and field {shot put} , international rowing back in Europe , judo > and karate free style fighting !!
Yet , as important as great strength is to the fighting equation, the consensus is > it will always remain only one of the many component factors that make up a complete fighter !
Quite aside from the mental/emotional facets , the physical components/ attributes of a formidable fighter should encompass at least the following:
1] Strength >> 2] delivery/reaction speed >> 3] coordination >> 4] explosive /shocking delivery >> 5] power generation skills{ neck snapping power} >> 6] timing and rhythm >> 7] muscular endurance and aerobic capacity >> 8] ability to take damaging hits and keep going >>9] an effective /aggressive blocking system >> 10] a conditioned efficient delivery system >> 11] An automatic targeting system >> 12 ] sound , simple basic techniques heavily dependent on gross motor skills that will not let you down under the grip of the chemical cocktail that " carry enough power on the correct targets to incapacitate the opponent "
Over the long years and under exposure to many different systems , tough tournament play , real life encounters and ongoing specialty investigations of violent one on one street fights , some of which resulting in death of over confident martial artists , My choice remains Uechi-Ryu simply because we believe that , overall, it naturally promotes the development of all the above essential components , if practiced properly and assiduously , taking into consideration ,of course, the individual variables along with the underling physical and emotional make up of the man behind the system ! { Not all practitioners are created equal}
In Uechi-Ryu we see extreme body /legs /shins/ arms conditioning ; we develop an ability to take lots of punishment ; we have the good natural shield of some of the most effective blocking system I have seen , and we have devastating natural offensive weapons i.e., " tiger's teeth " >> sokusen > shoken etc. that other systems do not have and do not promote!
Having said that , and having listened to Evan Pantazi sensei [ our formidable , well mannered and respectful Kyusho associate ] politely explaining that gross strength is not really desirable or necessary in a real fight ; I attended one of Mr. Dillman's seminar where my skepticism was instantly cured upon seeing two spectacular light force knockouts by Pantazi -san >>using blinding speed and simple stress proof Uechi moves , one of them one handed , as simple as touching the collar bone and rolling his fist into the neck area [ think about the movement and where it is found in Uechi-Ryu ] ! The man who went down was a big strong guy who was knocked instantly senseless[ like he had been shot ] !!
Yet the discussion of Mike Sigman on taiji power is intriguing and my question is how is the system practiced and does it reconcile at all with the paradigms outlined above ! Would Taiji practice make sense as a complement to Uechi training or would it totally clash with our concepts ?
Van Canna