In a Difficult Terrain Find Balance

           The name “Gankaku” translates to “Crane on a rock” due to the one legged stance called tsuru dachi (Crane stance) evident in the Kata. The Kata develops proprioception which involves good balance, proper joint alignments and awareness of body position in space. This is because it is believed to be used for fighting on treacherous grounds which maybe rocky, slippery or sandy, it is also believed to be used on uneven terrains like ramps, slopes or stairs. Those sequences moving away from the start line are believed to mean that you are above the stairs or on higher ground and your opponents are below. Those movements going towards the start line means that you are below or on lower ground.

Fighting on uneven terrain

        Though it is strategically advantageous to be on higher ground but that will not always be the case so it is prudent to learn how to fight on lower grounds. A strong core and balance is immensely important for a technique to be effective. In a Karate tournament a kick or a punch will not be considered a point if the player falls or gets off balanced. More so when it comes to fighting in difficult terrains, an off-balanced strike will not be as effective.                                                                                  

  Its original name is Chinto, believed to be the name of a Chinese martial artist shipwrecked in Okinawa. Because he was stranded he stole food from the locals. Sokon Matsumura was sent to deal with the thief and they fought. Legend says that they were evenly matched and so Matsumura made a deal with Chinto to teach him and in return he will provide for him and help him return home. Matsumura then formulated a Kata to serve as a record of Chinto’s techniques that he learned. 

During combat, it is very important for the mind and the spirit to be centered or balanced. Never be over confident nor too afraid, too tensed; too relaxed; too aggressive or too passive. In a very stressful and intense situation being centered means being calm and composed to be able to think and act accordingly. Achieving good balance is also a principle that we should apply in our daily lives. Most of the time, too much or too little of anything is not healthy for us. “Chudan”or  the middle is our target. Too much materialism would lead to greed and selfishness but at the same time understand that we need material wealth in order to live a descent life and be able to bless others as well. There are lots of different modern diet plans to choose from to achieve your health and fitness goals but the most basic principle of a healthy diet is a well-balanced meal. Over training leads to injuries and hinders your progress even more but very little training will not help you progress at all.

 People and corporations nowadays have become too competitive and because of technology everyone now demands speed and increase in capacity not just on machines but on people as well. A few companies nowadays have adapted the work to life balance principle. But work is part of your life as well and it should not be separate from what makes your daily life happy. Jim Bird publisher of WorkLife balance.com says that a good balance in life is that you are able to accomplish and at the same time enjoy something at work, enjoy something for yourself, with family and for the community.

"Gankaku Kata"

Too much or too little focus on one pillar of your life negatively affects the quality of your life. Too much work might lead to neglect of family, too much for yourself and relationships might suffer, too much for your community or friends then your work might suffer and so on. I am aware that in order to have achievement and enjoyment in each of the pillars one must have the most valuable resource of all which is Time. Just like money, time also runs out and just as you have to make money one also has to make time. Karate-do practice aims to develop self-discipline. To achieve balance we must have the ability to be flexible. Adapt to your circumstances and be able to make the time for each aspects of your life. Apply First thing first or prioritize. There are only two reasons you will make time for Karate training and anything else in your life, one is you need or have to do it, two is you want to do it.

 What is too much or too little will vary for every person. How much time to spend in an activity, how much effort to put in a project, how much alcohol is moderate. How much wealth is enough? Self-awareness and practical knowledge of things is important to determine if your daily life is balanced.

Mind, Body and Spirit as one

 

The Iron Horse riding Warrior

       

            Nai Hanchin is the original name of the Tekki Kata series. Nai Hanchin is popularly translated as “in the middle of the battle field”. Hirokazu Kanazawa Sensei, a known Karate master writes the name in two ways. One way, the character for Nai means “inside” or “inner” while Hanchi can mean “walk or progress”. The other way has the same meaning for Nai but the middle character means land between rice paddies and the last character means battle or war. “Inner Progress” is a translation that makes sense. Using this name is consistent to the principles of Karate-do of perfecting one’s character. Internal progress is the result of constant endeavor to gain wisdom, virtues and inner strength through the practice of Karate-Do.

People you know or may not know can be possible threats to your personal space or bubble. An encounter with an aggressive person, a harasser, a bully or being in a verbal conflict with a difficult person, these will usually happen in a very close distance; within your personal bubble. The meaning  “Inner Walk” or “A Battle inside the land between rice paddies”, these names may suggest a strategic interpretation of the Kata. Based on the compact and side to side movements of the Kata it is believed to be used for defending in tight spaces like hallways, rooms or alleys.

Tekki Shodan Kata

It suggests strategies for close quarter battles where you cannot easily escape or run. Its Bunkai or application is also believed to contain grabs, in order to use the weakened opponents as body cover or shield in order to defend in tight spaces against multiple attackers. Also, according to the book “Secret’s of Shotokan” by Bruce Clayton PhD, the Tekki Kata may have been used by body guards to protect and extract the emperor or a high ranking official from danger in palace grounds and hallways. So in his theory the Tekki Kata could be used as Third party Defense (protecting another person) in close quarters.

When confronted by an aggressor or a harasser; invades your personal space and engages you in a verbal conflict, stand in a confident posture in a relaxed open leg stance; just as in the opening of the Tekki Kata your hands are down, one over the other protecting your groin area. Try to talk and de-escalate the situation with a spirit of confidence and assertiveness. Should the situation escalate and the aggression turns to physical assault then use Tekki’s in-fighting techniques and strategies like elbow strikes, low kicks, hair pulls, grappling, stomp kicks and throws.

            From Naihanchin Master Gichin Funakoshi changed the name to Tekki which translates to Iron Horse riding. The first character is “Tetsu” for Iron and the other is “Ki” for Horse riding. Evident in the Kata is the use of horse riding stance or Kiba Dachi to strengthen the legs and lowering one’s center of gravity. This is also interpreted as Iron Horse riding warrior (Cavalry/Knight). Both names Nai Hanchin and Tekki suggest the same tactical strategy and spirit involved in the Kata. An Iron warrior on a horse is like a Cavalry that charges in the middle of the battle field overwhelming the foot soldiers. The mind of the Iron Knight is to be decisive, courageous and determined; to charge in the middle of the battle field and do what is necessary to overcome the adversary or to turn the outcome of the battle. Just as he thinks he has you cornered or he thinks you are vulnerable you turn the situation around and you escape while he is badly hurting.

Tameshi Gusoku one of the many metal armor worn by the Samurai.
Thus an Iron horse riding warrior 

In order to accomplish one’s tasks or goals one must be determined to do what one has to do. Do not hesitate or let the spirit wane down. The character implied by this Kata is iron will. Do not give up when you find yourself in a tight situation. Let strong will make you a hard target for anyone who wants to violate your personal space and impose aggressive behavior on you, have the strong will and the skill to survive if the threat escalates to physical assault. It is the same thing for our daily activities. We must have the will and the skill to achieve our goals.

A line from the Green Lantern movie said “The enemy of the will is fear”. We fear failure, we fear that we might get hurt, we fear the unknown future and we fear because of trauma of the past. We must overcome fear through education or learning. Learning gives us confidence. We train how to respond to threats. We learn how to defend ourselves, learn different modus of criminals. We learn from our past mistakes and improve ourselves. We learn bits of knowledge and skill sets that can help us achieve our success. Learn from wisdom literature and have faith. Because when there is uncertainty and your mind has reached its limits of understanding, your mind is in total darkness; we fear what may or may not happen, in pitch darkness it is the time to take a leap of faith. Faith and wisdom gives us confidence to face the unknown.

Karate training is hard and to earn a Shodan rank is very hard because we learn to forge our will through hardship. Our will and determination make our big dreams into reality. Life is a battlefield as they say. And we will charge through life as an iron knight on a horse.

Strong Will; Strong Faith