Sanchin and Balance

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emattson
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Sanchin and Balance

Post by emattson »

Wish to hear your thoughts. I feel that a Sanchin stance which feels just right gives the most stable balance to make it hardest for the bad guy to push you over. After getting into the Sanchin position, the instructor will walk around the student, hitting and pushing to verify he’s in correct form. I’m curious to see if that can also apply to times when standing on moving platforms.

Riding on Boston’s subway cars may be perfect in trying out Sanchin stances without needing a partner. I can’t ask busy people to spend too much of their time helping me practice. The train starts, stops, shakes, make turns. The unbalancing forces are relentless, can happen from any direction, and may last as long as I stay inside the car. While the train moves, I try out various stances to see which ones are best. I also rotate my body to see if Sanchin protects me from getting knocked over from any direction. It appears that the more stable my position is, the less muscle strain needed to continue standing. If my feet are too close together, it gets harder to stay balanced. Obviously, I always position my hand near a pole to grab just in case. Occasionally, the train may stop suddenly. Also it won’t work in crowded cars.
Erik

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gmattson
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Re: Sanchin and Balance

Post by gmattson »

Right on Erik. . .

That is how I practiced my stances, balance and stability. . . 1956-58 Okinawa! Riding from Tomoyose's home back to the barracks on primitive roads.
GEM
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JannetOkazaki
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Re: Sanchin and Balance

Post by JannetOkazaki »

I like to challenge stepping in sanchin using an uneven environment. I created small rock garden in the back yard. Within the are I created that is filled with small rocks, I have some larger stones set about one step apart. They are slightly bigger than your foot width and length. These stones are varied in height and texture (I try to pick mostly level). I step in sanchin from stone to stone and it challenges me to work on moving with stability. It is fun to be outside once in a while, although I wonder what my neighbors think when they see me working on this sanchin stepping.
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