I was reading this http://www.shenmartialarts.com/blogger.html and they mention the use of shokens in SPM and tell you not to hit with the tip of the knuckle. I believe I heard something similar at summerfest about 3 years ago but I cannot remember who said it. What are people's thoughts on this?
Also and as a side note, the pictures especially got me thinking: what about the 'shoken block/grab' in kanshiwa bunkai? I've never really liked that movement and was wondering if there are other applications for it? I've come up with a few of my own (striking with the thumb knuckle or something) but none of them have worked to my satisfaction.
shokens
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Rick Wilson
If you're referring to the stacked shokens from the end of the kata, there are a variety of uses. I'd see beginners try to grab a punch with the two shokens and that was never useful or very sensible. But:
1) I would have the beginners drop their elbow catching a final right straight punch from the badguy to the outside of their arm. They'd bring the left arm under it to hold it--and then:
A: they'd just politely let go and end the drill
B: they could (if I trusted this student) drop the left shoken and pivot strongly to the right, bringing their left shoulder into the outside of the extended elbow of the BG.
This application isn't blindingly easy but has its place--the trick is to do it all with the body/rotation and not with the arms/pulling. This is afterall the way its done in sanseiryu not the abbreviated form in kanshiwa.
2) grabbing underneath both collars, crossed, and yanking down effects a judo style choke, or you could imagine yanking them into a head butt. And you can jerk back up and get the shokens in the neck. In this case they're sufficiently stunned maybe for your turn to become a throw that pulls them down onto the ground on their back. Unlike in the kata, you'd be following them down for a mount.
I'm sure there are others out there who can provide some other ideas but these are my main ones.
1) I would have the beginners drop their elbow catching a final right straight punch from the badguy to the outside of their arm. They'd bring the left arm under it to hold it--and then:
A: they'd just politely let go and end the drill
B: they could (if I trusted this student) drop the left shoken and pivot strongly to the right, bringing their left shoulder into the outside of the extended elbow of the BG.
This application isn't blindingly easy but has its place--the trick is to do it all with the body/rotation and not with the arms/pulling. This is afterall the way its done in sanseiryu not the abbreviated form in kanshiwa.
2) grabbing underneath both collars, crossed, and yanking down effects a judo style choke, or you could imagine yanking them into a head butt. And you can jerk back up and get the shokens in the neck. In this case they're sufficiently stunned maybe for your turn to become a throw that pulls them down onto the ground on their back. Unlike in the kata, you'd be following them down for a mount.
I'm sure there are others out there who can provide some other ideas but these are my main ones.
--Ian
