GALLERY — LATVIA GASSHUKU, JULY 2011
Twelve months after Onaga Kaichō's visit to Latvia, the 2011 Shinjinbukan Summer Gasshuku in Latvia took place from July 28 to July 31. It was taught by Jimmy Mora Sensei and hosted by Dr. Artis Pabriks.
The training took place at the Shinjinbukan Latvia Dōjō location in Riga, as well as at Dr. Pabriks' "Green Dōjō" (outdoor Dōjō) located at Lapmežciems, near Jūrmala. This was a great experience, because outdoor training on a grassy uneven ground provides a unique experience, and perhaps a more realistic feeling in contrast to a perfectly even floor or soft mat.
July 30 — The training day was focused on Machiwara, Kakie & Iri Kumi.
Ti Machiwara — Handheld Machiwara
Entering the Nā at the beginning of Kakie
Kakie Preparatory Drills — Circular Hand Motion
Kakie Preparatory Drills — Circular Hand Motion with deflection Uchi Ni
Interview with Dr. Artis Pabriks
Ti Machiwara — Handheld Machiwara
One of the trademarks of the Shinjinbukan School is the use of Ti Machiwara, which requires the correct use of wrist control and Shiboru (making a fist). Many Karateka assume that Machiwara training is about developing hard knuckles. In the pictures below, Jimmy Mora and Artis Pabriks demonstrate a few of the basic Ti Machiwara drills.
Entering the Nā at the beginning of Kakie
In order to practice Kakie it is very important to understand the concept of entering & exiting the Nā. In the pictures below, Dr. Artis Pabriks demonstrates the Tichikaya no Rei (Ti practitioner's bow) and enters the Nā.
Training partners use cicular motion around each other to begin training Kakie, and they must also be aware of the concepts of In and Yō. Below, Dr. Artis Pabriks & Melanie Petrak demonstrate how to enter the Nā and begin circling around each other. At the same time, during motion they only show the outer part of the body to the opponent, while covering the inner part of the body.
Below, the training partners begin Kakie by entering the Nā using circular motion around each other.
It is important to switch partners during Kakie training. In the pictures below, Jānis Derkusovs and Gary Peach practiced circular motion as they entered the Nā.
Kakie Preparatory Drills — Circular Hand Motion
The circular Hand Motion of Kakie needs to be practiced as a preparatory exercise. It is very common to practice a few preparatory drills with the two opponents' arms connected at their inner wrist. The contact point is maintained with the palms facing in during the entire circular motion. This hand motion is practiced clockwise & counter clockwise.
In the pictures below, Jimmy Mora Sensei explains the Circular Hand Motion used during the Kakie Preparatory Drills.
After developing a better Muchimi with the Circular Hand Motion, the next level is to add circular tenshin while maintaining the flow of the circular Hand motion.
Kakie Preparatory Drills — Circular Hand Motion with deflection Uchi Ni
Another Preparatory Drill used prior to learning Kakie is to add a deflection to the circular hand motion. In the pictures below, the hand making the deflection moves towards the inside of the body. This inward direction is called Uchi Ni. Another characteristic of this technique is that the shape of the arm doing the deflection is similar to Uchi Uke. During these drills it is very important not to anticipate the attacker and to use Muchimi at all times.
The next level is to add tenshin away from the opponent at the same time as the hand deflects the tsuki.
Finally, a more difficult task is to add tenshin into the opponent at the same time as the hand deflects the tsuki. At this point, the drill becomes Iri Kumi.
Kakie — Ushi Gaki
Kakie is one of the trademarks of Ryūkyū no Ti, and it is an essential component of the Shinjinbukan training curriculum. After practicing several Preparatory Drills, the training continued with Ushi Gaki, which is one of the three types of Kakie.
In the Shinjinbukan School, it is essential to understand and apply the concepts of In and Yō not only during Kakie, but at all times!! In the pictures below, the opponents only show the Yō towards each other. Therefore, the combined positon of the two opponents is called Yō / Yō.
From Kakie to Iri Kumi
The training continued with practical applications of changing from Kakie into Iri Kumi (Inside Fighting).
Tachi Machiwara
Afterwards, we worked on Tachi Machiwara, which requires speed and accuracy. These qualities, and not brute force, produce powerful strikes. The quality of the sound generated by each hand strike against the Tachi Machiwara reveals the level of the practitioner. The strike of an advanced practitioner penetrates the opponent and will have a different quality of sound to that of a less skilled practitioner who strikes the Machiwara using brute force, which only impacts the surface.
Below, see Dr. Artis Pabriks performing some basic drills. Notice that both hands are working together, even though only one hits the machiwara at any given time.
Below, see Melanie Petrak striking the Tachi Machiwara at fast speed.
Below, see Jimmy Mora Sensei striking the Tachi Machiwara from the side, using Tenshin with Neko Ashi Dachi and Naifuanchi Dachi. Normally, this type of tenshin is not possible with an indoor Tachi Machiwara, because they tend to be mounted too close to the wall.
In the example below, lateral tenshin is possible behind the striking area, which is in the front of the Tachi Machiwara. This is only possible because there is no wall behind the Tachi Machiwara. Hence, in an outdoor Tachi Machiwara one can move 360 degrees around it.
Interview with Dr. Artis Pabriks
During our training session, Dr. Artis Pabriks was interviewed regarding his interest in Okinawan Karate and Martial Arts in general. Currently Dr. Pabriks serves as Minister of Defense of the Republic of Latvia and Deputy Prime Minister for the European Union Presidency.
Afterwards, the journalist conducting the interview was very eager to test Dr. Pabriks' Karate skills.
