SW WA Shotokan Karate Club News Welcome to the first edition of the SW WA Shotokan Karate Club Newsletter! In this edition: Recent Promotions! Kumoricon 2014 Demo Highlights Mawashi Geri Part I -Technical Paper by Sensei Kraisler Karate History Brief: Matsumura by Ken Tucker Recent Promotions! Spencer Kraisler Shodan Ken Tucker Shodan George Lee Brown Becky Johnson Brown Scott Schnuck Purple Kate Schnuck Purple Sarah Schnuck Green Tracy Yuan Orange Congratulations to Carl Futenma, whose son, Reese, recently celebrated his first birthday! Calendar Sensei Kraisler Sempai Geiser
Demonstration Highlights Kumoricon 2014 Vancouver Hilton August 30, 2014 Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own. - Bruce Lee Southwest Washington Shotokan Karate Club Providing traditional Japanese martial arts instruction since 1996
Ken Kraisler February 1, 2009 ISKF Report for Godan Test. Mawashi Geri Overview Technique Corner 回し蹴り Mawashi geri means "round" kick or "roundhouse" kick. The attacker lifts the knee to the side of the body. The knee travels in a semi-circular direction to the target. The foot snaps out and back. After the foot snaps back, the knee also moves back towards its original knee-up starting point. Finally, the kicking foot returns to the floor. The purpose of mawashi geri is to deliver an attack from the side. An attack coming from the side can be more difficult to see and defend against. Side facing targets which are otherwise safe from straight-on techniques, become vulnerable to this kick. Because the knee lifts to the side, the kick is also useful when the target is otherwise protected by an object such as a chair or table. For example, if an opponent stands behind or to the side of a chair, mae geri would be obstructed, but mawashi geri could clear the chair and strike the target. Mawashi geri may be used for targets as low as the side of the knee. Typically, the instep is the contact surface used here. It may be used against the side of the torso or even come slightly behind the opponent's side and strike the kidney. If the opponent's body is side facing, mawashi geri may be delivered to the groin or solar plexus. It is best to use the ball of foot against these targets. If trained properly, the tips of the toes may also be used. The kick may also be delivered to the opponent's shoulder area. This would require a bit more flexibility. Use the chin as the striking surface. Mawashi geri may be delivered to the neck and face typically with the instep. As the knee comes to the side of the body and then travels in an arc, it is driven by the hips. The kicker must maintain a strong connection between the knee and the seika tanden or body center. Mawashi geri may be delivered from different stances, and is most often executed using zenkutsu dachi or kokutsu dachi. The front or rear leg may be used to deliver mawashi geri. Master Nakayama explains, for mawashi geri "to be effective, the hips must be rotated strongly and swiftly. Against a target in front or slightly to the side, kick with either the front or back leg. Swing the leg in an arc from the outside inwards, using the snap of the foot. The path of the leg should be nearly parallel to the floor. the ball of the foot or instep is used against the face, neck, chest or side of the body."1 Master Nakayma played a central role in introducing mawashi geri to Shotokan Karate. 1 Best Karate #1, page 88 by Master Nakayama.
Target As mentioned in the overview, this kick comes from the side of the body and is useful for attacking any side-facing target. Such targets include the side of thee knee, side of the stomach, solar plexus, shoulder, neck and temple. Mawashi geri may come around the target enough to strike the side of the back such as the kidney or back of the neck. Great care must be taken when practicing this kick during sparring. Always aim for sun dome or about one centimeter from the target during practice time. Distance Traditionally this kick was developed for a relatively close in target. The target may have been just outside of arm's length with chudan exposed. However, this kick may be used in combination with other techniques to strike out at longer distances. For retreating opponents or opponents more than one step away, mawashi geri can cover this distance by sliding in with the front leg then kicking with the rear leg. Similarly, to cover a longer distance, the student can also slide in and kick w/ the front leg. Mawashi Geri and Stances Mawashi geri may may be delivered with the front or rear leg from zenkutsu dachi. Likewise, mae mawashi geri is easily delivered from kokutsu dachi. Mae mawashi geri can be very effective from han-getsu dachi, especially when preceded with an uki. Mae mawashi geri may be delivered quickly from kiba dachi, however, with the hip already side facing, this stance will not emphasize rotation of the hip. Therefore, mawashi geri from kiba dachi tends to have less power and less benefit for hip rotation practice. Examples of Mawashi Geri Applications Sen Sen No Sen The rear foot is sometimes difficult to see. Likewise, mawashi geri can be hard to see as it comes from the side. Use kizami tsuki as a fake, then deliver a rear leg mawashi geri before the opponent moves. Sen No Sen Mae mawashi geri from kokutsu dachi can be fast to deliver and hard to see. As the opponent starts their movement use this variation of mawashi geri to deliver a low chudan attack. Follow up with a gyaku tsuki. Go No Sen As an opponent steps in with an oi tsuki jodan or chudan, use soto uki to block from zenkutsu dachi. Keep the momentum going with a mae mawashi geri chudan level. Follow up with a gyaku tsuki.
A Bit of Karate History Matsumura Bushi Sokon, born 1790 in Shuri the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom(1). The son of a well know Peichin(2) family and instructed in the way of Chinese hand by Todi Sakagawa(3). Matsumura served the royal family of the Ryukyu kingdom faithfully guarding three kings of the Sho line as head body guard and personal martial arts instructor. Matsumura was a very famous fighter and martial arts master, holding a Meikyo Kaiden(4) in the fencing style of Jigan Ryu(5). Matsumura was a fierce man known as the Miyamoto Musashi(6) of Okinawa and was respected for his skill even in China being accepted as a student of Whopping Crane Gungfu, master Iwah of Fuchou (7) We have Matsumura to thank for the bassai kata which he learned in fuchou, as well as Gankaku, learned from a Chinese merchant turned bandit named chinto. Matsumura is said to have learned Kanaku dai from the man himself Kansaku a Chinese emissary among the 36 families (7) But he is best known as the teacher of Anko Itosu. Through Anko Itosu the style that Master Matsumura formed was passed on to Gichen funakoshi who in turned gave us Shotokan. (1) Ryukyu kingdom; the old name of the independent kingom that became Okinawa province Japan (2) Peichin; The Ryukyian Warrior cast, acting as police, ministers, bodyguards and local lords, Okinawan samurai. (3) Todi Sakagawa; The man understood to be the originator of Karate as we know it. (4) Meikyo kaiden; Teaching certificate awarded in traditional Japanese samurai martial ats. (5) Jigan Ryu; The fencing style of the Satsuma han in Kagoshima province, famed for a single powerful vertical strike, said not to need a second strike. (6) Miyamoo Musashi; Famed swordsman of the early Tokugawa period in Japan, undefeated in 60 duels and founder of the Nito ryu, two sword style. (7) Fuchou; Fuzhou, the largest city in Fujin Provence. Sources "Biographies." White Crane Martial Arts. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. http://www.whitecraneeducation.com "Master Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura." Master Sokon "Bushi" Matsumura. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. http://www.shotokai.com/ingles/bios/matsumura.html Clayton, Bruce D., Sarah Dzida, Cassandra Harris, Raymond Horwitz, Wendy Levine, and Edward Pollard. Shotokan's Secret: The Hidden Truth behind Karate's Fighting Origins. United States: Black Belt ; Cruz Bay, 2010. OCTOBER 2014 VOL 1 ISSUE 1
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