THE BREAKING TECHNIQUES

 by Phillip Starr

     I think it was in 1962 that I witnessed my first board-breaking demonstration.  I watched in awe as the black belt instructor cut through three one-inch boards with his knife-hand.  That was really incredible!  In a single blow he split those boards as easily as if they were papier-mache.  Such demonstrations were typical of most karate exhibitions at that time and they remained so until fairly recently.  It would seem that many contemporary martial arts practitioners feel that such displays of strength are beneath them.

     The Japanese word for this art is tameshiwari, which refers to testing one’s strength and technique by attempting to break various things like boards, bricks, and even stones.  Masutatsu Oyama, founder of the legendary Kyokushin style of Japanese karate, once remarked that karate without the breaking techniques is like a nut with no meat…and to some degree, I’m inclined to agree with him.  There’s more to tameshiwari than meets the eye - more than most people suspect.

     Many karate, taekwondo, and kung-fu novices begin practicing tameshiwari by testing their techniques against wooden boards.  I still remember breaking my first inch-thick board.  I thought I was Superman!  I quickly fell in love with the breaking techniques and I’ve practiced them regularly throughout my martial arts career. At first it was all just a huge adrenaline rush…but as I got older and more experienced – and being the philosophical sort that I am – I started to really think about tameshiwari and what it meant. 

     The mechanical aspects can be daunting.  For instance, wood doesn’t really “break.”  It tears.  Bricks, concrete slabs, and stones break.  This can be an important piece of information for those who are seriously interested in mastering the breaking techniques.  The intended target must be struck in the center and the distancing must be exactly right.  Otherwise, you’ll just end up “pushing” against your target instead of delivering a sharp blow.

The standard board should be about an inch thick and measure 12”x12”.  This used to be the standard size for board breaking.  The idea was that if you could cut an inch-thick board, you could just as easily break a human clavicle (which requires about 16 lbs. of pressure to fracture).  If you could split two inch-thick boards, you could shatter a human arm or rib.  And if you could break three inch-thick boards, you could kill a man in a single blow.  At least that’s what the Kyokushin school taught back in the day.  Mind you, these boards were placed flat atop each other – spacers were never used and if anyone had attempted to use them I’m sure he would have been laughed out of the building.  Spacers allows you to break a single board several times…you see, if one board has the resistance of 1x, then two boards (placed flatly together) are 2x, three boards are 3x and so on.  However, if the boards are separated, they all retain their single 1x resistance…so you are breaking a 1x, then another 1x, and another 1x…which is not nearly as difficult as breaking them if they're placed flatly on top of each other. The same is true for any other material (brick or concrete).

     Additionally, some people have been known to bake their boards, bricks, or concrete, making them extremely brittle and easy to break.  I once saw a so-called “master” inadvertently drop a couple of boards prior to a demonstration and they broke cleanly!!!

     In time, I moved to breaking inch-thick bricks and then to full-sized red bricks.  I would split them with my knife-hand or with a punch.  This is no mean feat and requires a great deal of practice.  Eventually, I was able to cut a paver brick (about 1 ½” thick, these are used to pave patios and the like) with my spear-hand.  Moving through these stages of breaking boosted my confidence considerably and I began to realize that there was more to me than I had ever considered.

     And let me tell you, if you really want to feel like a superhero – take up breaking stones!  There’s nothing like it!  It’s a super confidence-booster but you absolutely must learn how to do from a qualified instructor.  My best break was a large stone that weighed nearly 25 lbs.  My right hand shook uncontrollably for three days afterwards…and that worried me (I never tried such a stunt again) but it did wonders for my confidence and spirit.

     I reasoned that if martial arts masters of old could do it, I could also do it – which is a pretty dangerous assumption, but God was with me – and I’d try almost anything.  I think my favorite was the arrow-catch, which involves having an (highly skilled) archer fire an arrow from a recurved bow at your chest from a distance of about 60 paces... and as you turn out of the line of fire, you catch the arrow in mid-flight.  This isn’t something that I recommend you try and it’s a technique for which you must train regularly for a considerable time…but I was finally able to do it and used to demonstrate it at special exhibitions.  I mention it only because it is actually considered a form of tameshiwari (even though it doesn’t involve breaking anything).

     My point is this- training in tameshiwari will build spirit and an inner strength that simply cannot be developed through any other means.

• All martial arts practitioners want to test their techniques and themselves.  They want to know if their techniques will really work but they also know that it is unethical and immoral to go out looking for a fight.  Tameshiwari gives us the opportunity to test ourselves without having to resort to physical violence; they act as a sort of barometer by which the power of our blows may be measured. Having said that, I must say that some of the most effective self-defense techniques are not suited for tameshiwari. 

From the outset, the student learns that in order for the break to be successful, he or she must aim at a point past the surface of the target.  This is often a student’s first exposure to the principle we call “extend”; where the yi (intention) goes, the qi/jin (power) follows. 

Unfortunately, most of them never realize the implications of this seemingly basic principle.  WHERE YOUR MIND/INTENTION GOES, SO ALSO GOES YOUR STRENGTH!  Or…”As a man thinketh, so he is.”  Think about it.

     If you want to succeed at anything, you must first have the intention and commitment to do it.  Your mind must DO IT first.  Your body will follow along naturally.  Thus, the mind “does the thing” in the unseen world…and that brings it into the physical world.  From unreality to reality (as we perceive it)…

Here is an addendum to the aforementioned principle…if you really want to be sure of your success in a given break, you must first actually see yourself doing it successfully!  Then strike without delay.  You’ll succeed.  If you want to fail, see yourself failing or just worry that you won’t succeed.  Your failure will be pretty much guaranteed.  This applies not only to breaking bricks and boards, but to life as well…and that’s the lesson that must be learned!  You’ll see (and acquire firsthand experience) of how this principle works for tameshiwari – and it’s easy to take it to the next level and apply it to life.  What you see, what you visualize, is exactly what will happen! 

     Why? 

     Because it’s already taken place! At least your mind thinks it has.

    The old adage, “You can do anything if you just set your mind to it…” is very true but lacks instruction.  Just how do you set your mind to do whatever it is that you want to do?  Tameshiwari teaches you the “how.”

*When you determine that the time is right, you must strike without the slightest hesitation.  If your spirit is in disorder, your strength will be scattered.  Focus your mind and fully gather your spirit, then COMMIT yourself 100% to the task at hand, giving no thought to anything else.  There is no possibility of failure!!!

*Then realize that in many cases, the break you performed is not physically possible.  A brick is much harder than a human hand, which is made mostly of water.  How could you possibly shatter this object with your bare hand?  You could not do it - not just with your hand alone.  There is more to you than you can see.  What does this mean?  Consider it.

*Through continued practice you develop a strong spirit, an indomitable will, and a courageous heart.  The weak-willed, those whose resolve is flagging, and those who are timid or withdrawn, are doomed to failure.  They can become stronger but only if they determine that they will put forth the required effort.

* Through extended practice you will overcome a fundamental human fear; that of getting hit or of hitting something forcefully (they’re basically the same thing).  Whereas breakfalls help you overcome a different basic fear (the fear of falling down and hurting yourself), tameshiwari helps you overcome the fear of striking something with your full strength.  Many modern martial arts practitioners disdain the breaking techniques, saying that they’re not really martial arts or that they have little to do with real technique but I think you can see how very wrong they are! 

     They’re fine, so long as they punch and kick the air or maybe a cushy heavy bag…but place a couple of boards or a brick in front of them and they freeze up.  They experience FEAR and they hate to admit that they fear anything.  Sometimes the truth hurts.  Literally.

     Martial arts should help us SEE our fears (and other weaknesses), ADMIT them to ourselves (and sometimes, others), and then OVERCOME them.  If we fail to do this – and many martial arts practitioners fail because they’re afraid to face or admit their own fears - we’re just “playing” at martial arts like young children “play” at being soldiers.  It isn’t real.

     So next time you set up a single board and chamber your fist, remember that this is where it starts. You’re not training your fist. You’re training your mind and spirit.

TEACH OR TRAIN?

 By Phillip Starr

Over the years, I've heard several martial arts instructors remark that they like to “work out” in the classes that they teach and/or that they use the classes as their own workouts. I think this is a very bad idea for two reasons...

First, it cheapens the instruction received by the students. If the teacher is focused on himself and his own workout, he is not able to closely observe what his students are doing. If he had to stop periodically to make corrections here and give encouragement there, or explain a particular principle or concept, his workout would be constantly interrupted. If he really intends to work out, he must be wholly attending to what HE is doing rather than on what the students are doing.

Secondly, if the instructor allows his personal workout to be constantly interrupted, he isn't able to focus completely on what he's doing. It's really not much of a personal workout at all.

Using class as his own training time takes away from the quality of instruction received by the students and also ruins the teacher's workout as well.

I have told teachers (who informed me proudly that they simultaneously utilize class time as their own workout time) that they really must stop doing so. I told them that in class, they should devote themselves to TEACHING and pay attention to the students. Their own workouts must be conducted separately, on their own time. Class time is intended for the students. Period.

THE SECRET

 by Phillip Starr

Tadashi Yamashita (10^th dan, Okinawan Shorin-ryu karate) once said, “The real secret to karate (and hence, all martial arts) is the stance and footwork. But no one wants to practice them anymore.” I agree whole-heartedly. If one's stance is wrong, one cannot generate real power and if one's footwork is flawed, one cannot effectively apply his/her techniques or defend him/her self. Even so, many martial arts practitioners pay little attention to these subjects and fail to train them properly.

The first consideration is stance. What is the primary function of a stance? Simply put, it provides a solid platform for the issuance of power....a “power base”, if you will. If the stance is incorrect in one way or another (too long, too short, too high or low, too wide or too narrow...) the platform is weakened and the power that is issued from it is minimized. This is why the teachers of past generations emphasized the development of a strong, stable stance. One must be able to “root” oneself to the ground. If this isn't done, the returning force of one's own blow can easily result in loss of balance and consequently, loss of striking power.

Newton's third law of thermodynamics tells us that for every force, there's an equal and opposite reaction (force), right? Those of you who managed to remain awake during your high school science class should remember this. So when you strike something (like a bad guy), the INITIAL IMPACT travels from you into your foe and down through his bracing leg and foot (that's usually his rear foot). That is, if I push you, you'll feel the force going into your rearmost foot...

But it doesn't end there. Remember Newton's law? YOUR force will “bounce” back up through your opponent's rear foot/leg and be RETURNED TO YOU, where it will travel down through your driving leg/foot (usually your rear foot). Those of you who've bothered to pick up a copy of my book, MARTIAL MECHANICS, should already know this.

At this point, if you're off-balance or in a weak stance your own blow's returning force can easily cause you to lose your balance (so if you're already off-balance when you deliver the blow, you're in deep poo-poo) and the effect of your technique on your opponent is minimized. A flawed stance will also prevent you from generating maximum power when you execute your technique.

Footwork usually involves moving from one stance (including a fighting stance) to another. I'm not talking about the bouncy-bounce type of thing that is often seen in competition; in my opinion, that sort of thing is near suicidal if you're pitted against a real fighter who has a well-developed sense of timing. Footwork should be light and agile but also balanced and firm. If you can't stop on a dime or change direction almost instantaneously, you need more work. Routines for this are shown in my book, MARTIAL MANEUVERS.

If your footwork and stances are properly refined, then you can become a highly mobile weapons platform. Without these things you're simply easy prey. It's well to remember that gong-fu, karate, and taekwondo were originally created as highly sophisticated forms of hand-to-hand combat rather than sports. Boxing is a sport (although it can be effective in self-defense) and yet, great emphasis is placed on footwork so that the opponent cannot easily strike you and win the match. How much more important is footwork and stance when your life hangs in the balance!

REAL TECHNIQUE

 By Phillip Starr

Many years ago, I was most fortunate in being able to spend some time training under the legendary karate master, Hidetaka Nishiyama. During that time, I was witness to his high skill and I realized the meaning of "real technique."

Master Nishiyama (then about 65 years old) demonstrated a very basic timing exercise. As my friend, Mr. Chris Smaby (who was then a 5th dan and is now an 8th dan), attacked with a punch, Nishiyama sensei would easily slap it away with the palm-heel of one hand a deliver a sharp reverse punch with the other.

The master's punches barely slapped Chris's chest, never even jolting him. They were quick and crisp, perfectly controlled. After perhaps a dozens such exchanges, Nishiyama sensei enjoined us to practice the exercise with a partner.

Later, we headed to the locker room to get dressed and head out to lunch. I noticed Chris's forearms. Every place where the master had slapped his arm (to deflect his thrust), the blood vessels just under the skin had exploded! The skin was not reddened or bruised... but the marks were very clear. Chris quickly removed his jacket and looked at his chest, where Nishiyama sensei had lightly slapped him with his punches. “Oh, my God!”, he said as he examined the spots where the blood vessels had burst just underneath the skin. “Another inch of penetration and my lungs would have exploded!”

This was real karate technique. There was no visible show of brute force; no shouting or grunting or “umph”... just a quick, sharp punch. But each punch had been perfect. His body structure, alignment, everything had been perfect. He exerted no great amount of force. He'd simply executed a quick, crisp movement, But it was a perfect movement. It was then that I truly grasped the essence of a saying in the (internal) martial arts of China:

“Correct boxing is like taking a walk.
Striking an enemy is like snapping your fingers.”

THE REAL KIAI

 by Phillip Starr

Ask almost anyone involved in the Japanese or Okinawan martial arts about the kiai and what it is, and you'll likely get several answers:

1. It's a loud shout.

That's very good, but is that it? I mean, WHY do you shout? Are you scared or what?

2. It's a shout that helps you tighten up your abdominal muscles, thereby making your technique more powerful....

Well, that's a better answer than #1 but it's still incomplete. Simply tightening the abdominals won't necessarily make your technique any stronger but it'll make you look more attractive if you're wearing Spandex.

Actually - and you all should already know this - tightening the abdominal muscles inwards, which is what most people do when they contract these muscles, actually separates upper and lower body strength. This makes your technique weaker.

There are muscle connections that run between the upper and lower body and when you exhale and contract the abdominals inwards, those connections go slack. This means that if you're striking with an upper body technique, your power is restricted to the upper body; you cannot utilize the power of the your lower body.

If you're using a kicking technique, you cannot utilize the power of your upper body. You can only employ the power of your leg and, to some degree, your hips.

Ideally, the abdominals are not powerfully contracted when you execute your technique. By using reverse breathing (which I've written about in earlier articles) the abdominals are tightened somewhat , but without contracting them inwards. This unites the strength of the upper and lower body, allowing you to unify and strike with your whole body.

But you don't have to shout to do it.

3. It's a shout that scares the bejeezus out've your opponent.

That's a good answer, too. A sudden, unexpected, powerful noise shocks the nervous system. This can temporarily "stun" your opponent, leaving him momentarily helpless and unable to defend himself. Simple as this sounds, it actually requires considerable practice.

Most martial arts practitioners tend to kind of "squeak" when they kiai. Some even say an actual word. I've actually been in schools where students were taught to say the word "ki-ai!" when they kiai...!! Pretty weird.

Not only that, but many martial arts enthusiasts shout with their throats. After two or three shouts, they can hardly speak. This is an indication that their technique is wrong. The true shout comes from the lower belly and is a guttural sound. If it's done properly you should be able to deliver an explosive shout and then continue talking without any problems or discomfort.

But that's not the right answer, either.

You may have noticed that I've not been using the Chinese term for shouting, qi-he (pronounced "chee-huh"). There's a reason for that. Calm your toot.

The correct answer is that the true kiai doesn't necessarily have anything to do with making a noise. The word kiai means roughly, "spirit meeting." This doesn't mean that you're about to begin a seance or play with a ouija board...it infers that the kiai is a moment when the body, mind, and spirit are brought together, fused together for a single instant. This fusion allows you to fully focus your entire being on the task at hand.

The Chinese phrase, qi-he, means roughly "energy/spirit shout" and this seems (to me) to be more concerned with the exterior function of the kiai...the shout itself. Those of you who have gone to the trouble of purchasing my book, “MARTIAL MANEUVERS”, will recall a chapter which is devoted to the technique of shouting.

But enough of that.

The Japanese phrasing is, I think, a better translation of what the true kiai should be. It's much more than just mere physical technique, much more than just shouting.

There is a story about a young American karateka (karate practitioner) and his sensei (teacher) that really drives the point home. The student was practicing a particular kata (form) and when he had completed the set, his teacher informed him that he had forgotten the kiai.

The student was confused; this kata had no kiai in it. He reminded his sensei of this fact but his teacher was having none of it. The true kiai, his teacher explained, doesn't necessarily involve noise. It is a merging of the entire being - body, mind, and spirit - for a split second during the execution of an ending technique (when one theoretically destroys the enemy). It is more of a spiritual/mental thing than a physical thing. It's more than simply shouting and making a loud noise. It is a fusion and focusing of one's being on the task at hand (destroying the opponent).

This fusion is felt more than it is heard and a good teacher can quickly determine if it has been applied to a particular technique. In this student's case, it hadn't.

All forms contain the kiai but only a few forms require you to make a noise when you do it.

PREVENTATIVE SELF-DEFENSE

 by Phillip Starr

Effective self-defense, per se, actually (should) occurs BEFORE there is a need for violent action or reaction. This is the best form of self-defense; violence is avoided and you can save two lives...the (potential) opponent's, and yours.

Quite some time ago, the FBI interviewed a large number of prison inmates who had been involved in mugging and similar crimes. They asked these predators how they selected their victims and almost all of them said they preferred victims who weren't very aware of their surroundings and those who seemed distracted. Situational awareness is the key to preventative self-defense; avoiding an attack before it occurs.

• For instance, when you walk up to your car in the parking lot, do you glance into the back seat BEFORE you get in? It's a good habit to develop.

• When you are walking through the mall, the parking lot, or anywhere else, do you have your iphone plastered to your nose? Many people do; they walk around while looking at their phones and they're totally unaware of what's happening around them.

• When you're walking down the block (especially at night) do you walk right next to the buildings or do you keep some space between you and the various stores and shops? When you come to a corner, do you walk out a little wide so that you can see around it more easily or do you stick close to the building and make yourself an easy target? Master Jigaro Kano (founder of judo) was known to walk out a little wide when approaching corners so that he could see if anyone was waiting for an unsuspecting victim.

  

Here are some other ideas that the inmates provided:

• A thug prefers easy prey. They don't want to deal with someone who'll fight back. If nothing else, it makes a lot of noise and fuss and attracts attention. They don't want a lot of witnesses or anyone calling the police, and they can't afford to get involved in a time-consuming affair. The longer they have to deal with their prey, the higher the odds of being seen or outright caught in the act. They want a mark that can be handled quickly and easily, with a minimum of ruckus. People who seemed distracted or who appeared to have no idea where they were going were to be seen as easy marks.

• Women who were digging through their purses – especially in parking lots – were distracted and regarded as easy prey.

• Women wearing fairly high heels could be overwhelmed easily because their footwear prevented them from running or putting up much of a fight.

  

And as a final note, remember that there's no shame in running away from a violent confrontation unless you are obligated to protect your family or other loved ones. It's the most effective self-defense technique.

PERFORM OR PRACTICE?

 By Phillip Starr

Do you perform or practice your forms? There's a considerable difference. If you PRACTICE your form you will study it, taste it, pay attention to its rhythms, spirit, and the types of power that are issued. And that's not all of it; there's the breakdown, the “bunkai” that teaches you so many things. You strive to polish every aspect of it, including those that aren't readily noticeable to an observer. The object is to learn from it; to perfect it and in doing so, to strive for self-perfection. You endeavor to carry on the tradition and the lineage from which it is derived. This is real martial art.

To PERFORM your form is to do it so that LOOKS outwardly impressive. Your primary interest is in developing aesthetic appeal, especially in the competition arena. The objective is to look good and take home the trophies, championship cash, or whatever. If one or more movements need to be “adjusted” or changed completely to achieve the desired result, so be it. This is a far, far cry from genuine martial arts.

Unfortunately, more and more wannabe martial artists seek only to PERFORM their form(s) well. It's all about cosmetics. Many of them never consider what they're doing – tossing away many generations of knowledge, development, and tradition. Their forms have no roots, no souls.