May 25, 2005
In true free association form, I thought I might write here a bit about sanchin-ryu karate and how what I'm learning from it might apply to writing. I was specifically thinking about the seiu form, or flurry, which I'm just in the process of learning, but when I sat down to blog, what came to mind was lost in space...

Meaning what?

Meaning that I don't seem to be getting much done today. It's a beautiful day, clear sky, about 70 degrees, and I guess I'd rather be outside in it. I've got several articles I'm working on, but none I can actually start writing until I get a couple more interviews completed. I had one interview this morning, and another one coming up. I'm waiting, which may be why I'm so spacey today--waiting to be called for this interview, waiting for another guy to call me, waiting for Saturn to call me about my car, waiting for the pool place to call me about the pool skimmer, waiting...

Not very pro-active. Which might actually bring me back to sanchin-ryu. In college I studied the American Karate System (AKS) for about a year. Sanchin-ryu is an Okinowan-based style, where, loosely speaking, AKS resembles Tae Kwon Do or Tang Soo Do. AKS was full punches and kicks, including many seen in other styles, with extended arms and legs, spins and high kicks, as well as blocks. Sanchin-ryu has no blocks, keeps kicks very limited, and is designed for close-in fighting, or SOS (Skin on skin) as they sometimes say. We somewhat laughingly suggest that ideal tactics for sanchin-ryu involve four people having a fight in a telephone booth. If there's one thing I've picked up from sanchin-ryu so far, it's being proactive. Offense, not defense. If someone punches you, don't block or step back; instead, act, take control of the encounter, usually with an attack of some sort. Just so that doesn't seem overly testosterone-ish to non-karateka, much of what I've learned in sanchin-ryu so far has more to do with manipulating and controlling your opponent than destroying them. The techniques are easily adopted for damage, if the situation calls for it.

Take seiu form, for instance. You're surrounded on three sides. You start with a slightly staggered double punch to the guy in front of you to move him to a better place. Then turn to the guy on your left and strike him with a raised, open-handed double ishi, intended to knock them back, not break their collar bone. Follow that with a double reverse ichi to the pelvic bone, then you start the flurry. A shuto (side of fist, loosely speaking) to the person now on your right, followed by a san, which is an uppercut. Then back to the middle guy. A knife thrust to the throat, followed with the same hand, a grab at the groin and immediate backfist to his face, then a shuto to the guy on your right. It goes on a bit from there, dealing with the guy behind you, but what struck me most about this was how a knife thrust to the throat could easily kill somebody, but that's not the intention.

Anyway, this is all attack. All pro-active, forward motion, taking control. And maybe that's what I need to do today, rather than sitting around waiting for things to happen. I need to get my ass in gear and do something.

Best,
Mark Terry