In these days of bash ’em and trash ’em MMA fighting, many people lose out on the secrets of Classical Karate Forms. And, not to be discriminatory, on the secrets of Kung Fu forms, and taekwondo and Kenpo and…so on. Mind you, I find nothing wrong with good self defense, 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.
Rudimentary Pegging of the Stance occurs in Pinan Three, also called Heian Three in the Japanese. This is nothing more than the first move, where one places his feet together, leans forward, and blocks. There is a balance here, and an introduction to running energy down the legs and into the ground.
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 occurs again, but with a quick forward step into a cross legged stance, in Bot sai (Passai). This simple step is forward motion brought to a sudden halt by sending energy through the stance and into the ground. The forward motion, when stopped in this manner, actually sends a wave of energy (chi or ki) up the body and into the blocking arms.
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.
If you want to learn the Real Secrets of Classical Karate Kata, head to Monster Martial Arts. Pick up a free ebook while you are there.
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