In these days of punch a bunch MMA fighting, many people lose out on the secret of Classical Karate Forms. And, not to be discriminatory, on the secrets of Gung Fu patterns, and taekwondo and...so on. Mind you, I find nothing wrong with effective self defense, as offered by a regimen in MMA training, but I think Martial knowledge is of more value in the long run.
Let's consider the concept of pegging the stance. You won't find much talk concerning this practice, but it leads to a coordinated body, harder hitting, and a rather interesting and useful waveform of energy in the body. There are several places in the classical forms which show this technique.
Basic Pegging of the Stance is one of the hallmarks in Pinan Three, which is also called Heian Three. This is found in the first move, where one places his feet together, leans forward at the waist, and executes simultaneous low and middle blocks. There is a balance to be found in this movement, and an introduction to running chi energy down the legs and into the earth.
The discipline of this concept evolves slowly through the kata of classical Karate, and in other arts. In the form called Pinan Five (Heian Five), one jumps and lands in a cross legged stance (Kosa Dachi). In this move one is deliberately dropping weight deep into the ground, and getting a sizable return of energy from the earth.
This movement happens again, but with a step instead of a leap, in Bot sai (Passai). This simple step is forward motion cut off by sending roots down the leg and into the ground. The forward motion, when stopped so suddenly, actually creates a wave of energy (chi or ki) up the body and into the braced arms of the block.
The last example of this concept of pegging is found in the form Um Be (Empi...the flying swallow). This time the concept consists of stepping forward and sinking the weight through the cross legged stance into the ground. In this Kata the movement is designed very specifically for fighting.
There are other examples of this sinking of the weight through pegging, but the ones I have given here provide a sequence throughout the forms of the Martial Disciplines. And, the fact is that one should learn to sink the weight in all stances. This is quite crucial to learning the True Martial Art.
To conclude, let me again say that I have no bone to pick with the MMA fighting methods. However, most people are into the art for more than just being able to beat somebody to a pulp. Indeed, discovering and manipulating the intrinsic energies of the body, and learning other such secrets through classical Karate Kata, gives a peace of mind that is experienced through no other martial way in the world.
Let's consider the concept of pegging the stance. You won't find much talk concerning this practice, but it leads to a coordinated body, harder hitting, and a rather interesting and useful waveform of energy in the body. There are several places in the classical forms which show this technique.
Basic Pegging of the Stance is one of the hallmarks in Pinan Three, which is also called Heian Three. This is found in the first move, where one places his feet together, leans forward at the waist, and executes simultaneous low and middle blocks. There is a balance to be found in this movement, and an introduction to running chi energy down the legs and into the earth.
The discipline of this concept evolves slowly through the kata of classical Karate, and in other arts. In the form called Pinan Five (Heian Five), one jumps and lands in a cross legged stance (Kosa Dachi). In this move one is deliberately dropping weight deep into the ground, and getting a sizable return of energy from the earth.
This movement happens again, but with a step instead of a leap, in Bot sai (Passai). This simple step is forward motion cut off by sending roots down the leg and into the ground. The forward motion, when stopped so suddenly, actually creates a wave of energy (chi or ki) up the body and into the braced arms of the block.
The last example of this concept of pegging is found in the form Um Be (Empi...the flying swallow). This time the concept consists of stepping forward and sinking the weight through the cross legged stance into the ground. In this Kata the movement is designed very specifically for fighting.
There are other examples of this sinking of the weight through pegging, but the ones I have given here provide a sequence throughout the forms of the Martial Disciplines. And, the fact is that one should learn to sink the weight in all stances. This is quite crucial to learning the True Martial Art.
To conclude, let me again say that I have no bone to pick with the MMA fighting methods. However, most people are into the art for more than just being able to beat somebody to a pulp. Indeed, discovering and manipulating the intrinsic energies of the body, and learning other such secrets through classical Karate Kata, gives a peace of mind that is experienced through no other martial way in the world.
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