Link: Frank Gotch’s 1908 “Wrestling and How to Train”

Follow the link for a transcript of Gotch’s classic wrestling manual, Wrestling and How to Train.

Evidence Based Practice in the Fighting Arts: Appraisal and Suggestions

The practice of martial arts has come to be diverse in terms of the wide range of  arts and schools available and in terms of the population that is involved. Physical fitness and talent may only be required to a small degree, or they may be paramount to success. Students may be dedicated about conditioning, or they may be “weekend-warriors” whose primary physical activity is a class.  An instructor may be qualified in a technical realm but not be a good source of information in others, such as the nature of violence. The need for Evidence Based Practice (EBP) is just as high as in any other vigorous physical activity, yet appeals to tradition, history and authority and “experts” often lead students and practitioners to accept dubious information or ignore new information, which can have consequences on a number of levels. For this discussion, the practice of the various martial arts can be divided into two realms: non-competitive recreational (i.e., oriented at self defense, fitness, cultural pursuit, etc.) and competitive (amateur or professional competition). Most of this discussion will focus on the recreational realm.

What is EBP?

Briefly, evidence-based practice can be seen as a tool for:

• finding evidence to support decision making and for analyzing the quality of the available evidence
• distinguishing low quality sources of qualitative and quantitative information from high quality sources
• promoting critical thinking and synthesis of the literature
• recognizing that best evidence may change over time

Evidence-based practice is a key feature in modern medical education. In the above diagram of EBP components, it doesn’t take much effort to exchange “patient” for student and “clinical expertise” for instructional expertise

It’s also important to recognize what EBP is not:

• A cookbook approach to training and decision making
• Not based solely on hard evidence- empirical experience, intuition and active experimentation have a role. EBP considers personal experience, judgment, values, etc. alongside information from objective, quality sources.
• Not restricted to RCT’s and meta-analyses

Failures of EBP in the Fighting Arts

An extreme example of a lack of critical thinking and evidence-based practice can be found in  the cult of personality that has developed around Ueshiba Morihei, founder of the Japanese art of Aikido.

Who's This Stuff For?

It is always a good exercise to take account of our motivations as karate teachers and practitioners. Why do we continue on, year after year, teaching and practicing karate? Yes there are a lot of easy, canned answers: cultivation of character, preserving the traditions of the past, to learn to be able to defend oneself, to confront our responses to violence, force of habit. I am sure I am leaving many out.

I don’t think most people scrutinize this carefully. For a variety of reasons, answering this requires us to consider who makes up the community of people to whom we are responsible towards. When the answer is ambiguous it becomes nearly impossible to understand the extent of our responsibilities, and thus what it is we should be doing. The ‘why’ question becomes easier to address when we are clear about what we are doing, and equally important, about what we are not/ should not be doing.

There are those who regard themselves as hard-core ‘traditionalists’ for whom preserving tradition seems to be the ultimate objective. To these people the most important obligation is to ones predecessors in these arts. Of course it is useful and proper to give credit where it is due. We have an obligation to make sure our historical claims are accurate, but that seems like the extent of our obligation to the dead.

Many times in the thirty-plus years I have been involved with martial arts, I have seen abusive and insensitive behavior justified by appeals to tradition.

As a younger black-belt level instructor, I remember struggling with ethical dilemmas that should not have been complicated, however, my judgment was clouded by the imagined relevance of some mumbo jumbo associated with tradition.

Linked Article: The significance of the Matsuyama study group

Garry Lever has posted an excellent discussion on the roots of Goju Ryu over at the Goju Kenkyukai blog. This is one of the more sober looks at the history of any karate group out there. Karate in general suffers from the effects of unnecessary myth-making and mysticism; as a result the histories of different practices and individuals are badly garbled and left open to some pretty silly stuff.  I think Garry hits this one head on- forget trying to pin down direct sources and secret transmissions; it’s more likely that Goju Ryu has it’s roots with a bunch of guys who knew a few things about fighting skills, getting together in the park to train. Hmmm…now why does that seem so familiar?

Check it out there

More for the Anatomy freaks: Historical Anatomies on the Web

Follow the link for a veritable treasure trove of historical anatomy texts from around the globe. Some of them are amazingly detailed and accurate while others give some insight into how different people in different times and cultures perceived the human body.

Historical Anatomies on the Web

More on Bettelheim: Gospel Translations, Rubbings of Original Monument

Last year I posted a link to a research piece on Dr. Bernard J. Bettelheim, the crazed European missionary and troublemaker extraordinaire who spent several years living in Naha, Okinawa. In that piece, I mentioned that Bettelheim spent considerable time translating the canonical Gospels into katakana and phonetic script of the local Hogen dialect.

Although Bettelheim records his success in translating the Gospels into katakana and the native Hogen, we can only speculate upon what he was actually able to get across in these attempts.

While looking online for more of Bettelheim’s diary, I came across copies of his translation of the Gospels of Luke and St. John, digitally archived at the University of Hawaii’s Japan Collection:

Treasures of Okinawa, Frank Hawley Collection

Some time after the Doctor’s departure from Okinawa (something that the Ryukyuan government tried to arrange from the moment he set foot on the island), a monument was erected in his memory by a group of foreign and Japanese Protestants. Like many, many other historically significant artifacts, this monument was destroyed in the bombardment of Okinawa during World War II. While looking at the link above I came across a digitally archived rubbing of the original monument, hosted by the university of Hawaii’s Okinawa Collection:

Sakamaki Hawley collection, Hakutokurei Kinento Takuhon (Rubbing of Monument to Bettelheim). It’s the 4th item down.

Linked Article: Nahate Heresy

Mario McKenna has posted some very salient observations on the growing trend of slapping dubious historical connections and illustrious names together in order to sell a place/school as “the” origin of this type of karate or that. Give it a look for a very clear-headed perspective on the recent effort to increase tourism in Fuzhou by hyping it up as the birthplace of Goju Ryu.

Nahate Heresy

Individualism and Cruelty

You know, people say Americans don’t care to learn about the world outside their borders, but some bright spark at the Tuscaloosa News in 1981 thought that the people of Alabama needed to know what was going on with karate in Soviet Russia.

Mario McKenna's translation of "Karate-do Taikan" Complete

Mario McKenna has announced the completion of one of his long-time projects, a translation of Nakasone Genwa’s 1938 “Karate-do Taikan” (An Overview of Karate-do). This is an encyclopedic book featuring kata and commentary by a who’s who of early 20th century karate adepts:  Shinpan Shiroma, Chomo Hanashiro, Mabuni Kenwa, Ohtsuka Hironori and Taira Shinken. Getting to actually read the book and see the content in context is very exciting news; if you’ve read some of Patrick McCarthy or Nagamine Shoshin’s books, diagrams and pictures from “Taikan” are sprinkled liberally throughout. Most non-Japanese speakers have never seen a large amount of the diverse and fascinating material that Nakasone and his contemporaries published. The gap that this has left in the informational record is truly saddening, since myth, hearsay and plain omission have filled the large holes. The literary realm of karate extends far beyond Funakoshi’s books, or the wave of propaganda and marketing that engulfed Japanese karate.

My hat is off to Mr. McKenna for investing the time and effort to translate these books and place them within the reach of the modern student. And to clairify, access to such works is important in that it allows us to look into the past and see what karate was not, as opposed to providing more fuel for the frivolent claims about the “traditionality” of a group or practice that seem to be preoccupying much of the karate world right now.

I recently purchased Mr. McKenna’s translation of Mabuni Kenwa’s “Kobo Jizai Goshin Jutsu Karate Kenpo” as an e-book (a review will be posted here soon)  and I am very impressed with his work. The translation of one of Mabuni’s books is in itself a valuable service, and the cost is extremely reasonable- a combination that is, unfortunately, often hard to find.

Ordering Information

Mario McKenna’s blog

DIY SMR Tool

If you have followed my posts over the last year you will have seen lots of links to videos of people using foam rollers to help relax overly tight soft tissue. Here is another video demonstrating self myofascial release techniques with the foam roller:

Cheap foam rollers break down pretty quickly so I have created an inexpensive, durable DIY alternative. It requires a two foot section of two inch diameter pvc pipe, some weather stripping foam, and (drum roll) duct tape.

Wrap the middle section of the pvc pipe with the foam weather stripping and then cover it with duct tape. The foam may break down, but it can easily be replaced, the pvc should last pretty much forever. I spent about four dollars for ten feet of pipe (cut into two foot sections), and about three dollars and fifty cents on the foam. I already had the duct tape so I spent less than eight dollars total. The entire project took about ten minutes.

Here are some pics:

The Ude Makiwara, pt. 4

Part 4 of 6. Footnotes, references, and demonstration video clips will be posted in the last entry.

Now Dig It

Securing this makiwara in the ground is a similar process to installing a regular one, but there are a few additional considerations. It will be hit from all sides, meaning that bracing has to be attached to accommodate force coming from all directions as opposed to just one. This can be achieved using 4” screws to attach lengths of treated 2×4 lumber to the post. Four of these braces should be at least a foot and a half long, and two of them a foot long. Attach two of the long boards horizontally at the bottom of the post, directly opposite from each other. A foot and a half above these, attach two more long pieces opposite each other. On the two “sides” remaining, attach the foot long boards about halfway in between the longer pairs, opposite from each other. This should provide enough bracing all around to prevent the post from eventually being uprooted under repeated omnidirectional onslaught.

Dig a rectangular hole two and a half feet deep and wide enough to allow the bracing to fit securely against the soil walls on all sides. If the hole is not deep enough, the makiwara will list to one side like the Tower of Pisa after you hit it a few times. If you are working in sandy or very loose soil, you may need to go a bit deeper. Once you have reached sufficient depth, us a tamping bar or the post itself to flatten out the bottom of the hole.  A shovel full of gravel will provide drainage as water seeps into the ground around the makiwara’s bottom end.

Place the post into the hole, making sure that the bracing is somewhat close to the walls. If it does not sit level, add some more gravel until it stays upright on it’s own. Once the post is in place, packing several fist-sized rocks tightly around the bottom will help to keep it securely anchored.  To pack the soil tightly around the post and bracing,  add a few scoops of dirt and then use a tamping bar (a 2X4 end will also work) to compress the soil all around the post. Splash some water into the hole to moisten this layer, then add more soil and back it down. Repeat until the hole is filled.  This will result in a much tighter fit than simply shoveling it all back in at once.

Concrete may seem like the more logical (and quicker) choice, but the 60-80 lbs required for such a job would add a considerable counterweight to the overall resistance of the makiwara. The resistance of a post set in unyielding concrete would most likely negate the recoil of the slats and cause excessive  strain in the joints of the user.

Initially, I tied the top ten inches of the post with cord per the various diagrams’ instructions. Tying it tightly only forced the slats together, eliminating resistance. After a few experimental whacks, I removed the cord entirely and found flexibility to be more satisfactory. It seems that the rope straw used in the example versions is there to provide an impact surface, which is not necessary if using modern materials  for padding. I initially used several yards of ¼” closed cell foam sheeting, wrapped in alternating layers down the length of the slats and bound with heavy duty duct tape. However, after two weeks of consistent use, I found that uppercuts and hook punches thrown with full body rotation (more on this later) tend to tear the tape and foam underneath. Hitting bare wood full on is not a pleasant surprise.  In light of this, I recommend using heavier foam rubber as padding.  I’ve found  a ½” thick foam camping ground mat to be satisfactory (Fig. D). Wrapping it around the makiwara and binding it with duct tape provides an excellent, forgiving surface. Be careful not to bind it too tightly, as this will compress the slats inward and lessen the amount of recoil. I recommend that beginners wrap the mat around the post at least three layers thick. After you’ve gained experience and confidence with the ude makiwara, the layers can be reduced to one or two.

Fig. D

Duct tape wrapped around the entire striking area will hold up quite well and cover any seams. 10 Be sure to use a good sturdy brand, like 3M.  For the more enterprising, a covering of leather, canvas or some other durable cloth can be made. If the makiwara is installed outside, it will be exposed to the elements. A heavy rain or a few days of foggy conditions will cause the wood in the slats to swell, decreasing resistance in the makiwara. It’s best to let it dry out for a day or two before attempting to strike it. Freezing temperatures in the winter and hot dry conditions in the summer will eventually “check” or crack the exposed top of the post. Placing a coffee can or bucket over the top in between uses helps keep the weather from deteriorating the post.

Next: Stick and Move- using the ude makiwara

The Ude Makiwara, Pt. 3

Part 3 of 6. Footnotes, references, and demonstration video clips will be posted in the last entry.

Exploratory Project
To make one of these makiwara for some hands-on investigation I used the diagram provided in Higaonna’s book as a model, and that is the design that I will describe here, installed outdoors. I have taken a few liberties as far as materials and measurements go, and have attempted to err on the side of caution when deciding upon the post’s diameter and the length of the cuts needed. The post should be of the following dimensions:  8’ long and between 4” and 5” in diameter.

Depending on your location, a suitably sized round post of treated lumber might be easy or difficult to come by (I was amazed to find that no suppliers in my area, a rural part of Virginia, carried these with regularity). You may be able to find one at your local lumberyard, especially in the gardening section during the Spring and Summer months. If that provides no results, call around: rural farm communities and farm supply co-ops may carry them.

If this search is fruitless, there are naturally available alternatives that have the added bonus of involving you in the process of making your training equipment.

Black locust is a quick growing hardwood that has strong natural rot resistant properties. In fact, locust posts are known to remain solid up to 70 years in direct contact with the ground (our landscape is dotted with grayed locust posts standing beside their decaying treated lumber counterparts). Red and Western Cedar are also naturally resistant to rot and bugs and will hold up for quite a while as well, but cedar is much softer than locust wood. Locust will resist impact and splitting as well as decay. The bottom line is that you should be able to hurl all types of abuse at it with no problems, and it will last in the elements for a very long time. Extra steps, such as cutting, hauling and debarking, make this option a bit more labor intensive than simply buying a post at the store, but the payoff is worth the trouble. Since I could not readily find a treated post, I decided to use a locust cut from my property. (Fig. A)

Fig. A

The log should be as uniform in diameter as possible; irregularities in the circumference will be magnified once padding is applied. If there are little knobs or angular protrusions where branches were cut, smooth them out with a drawshave or jack planer. Secondly, make sure that the log is sound and doesn’t have fractures in it from past damage, which could weaken the potential striking areas. A seasoned (well cured/dry) piece is preferable to a green one. Carrying the 8’ log through the woods makes for nice Sanchin training. You will also need to remove the bark from the log. A drawshave (pictured in Fig. B) will take care of this in short order. If you don’t have one of those lying around, a horizontally held machete or hatchet can be pulled  down the log to achieve the same result. Fig. B shows the debarked and smoothed log.

Fig. B

The next part is slightly more involved, regardless of materials used. In order for the post to be able to give equally from all sides, two cuts must be made into the log lengthwise, making an X shape when viewed from above (Fig. C). These cuts result in four flexible slats that each offer a resistance similar to a typical flat makiwara. For the 5″ diameter log pictured above,  I measured my cuts to be about 30 inches from the top end, or roughly halfway down the above-ground portion. Once the post was firmly in the ground I used a chainsaw to make the cuts, but found in later experimentation that securing the log horizontally at waist height makes for more accurate cutting– it’s also safer. I do not recommend this method for those unfamiliar with chainsaws and the requisite safety precautions. A sure hand is required, particularly since locust can give even a sharpened steel cutting chain trouble.  I recommend that a table saw with a guide be used for accuracy and safety’s sake.  If you are blessed with a willing building supply store, using the cutting services of the lumber department might also be a possibility worth looking into- it usually only costs a few dollars to have them cut something custom for you. Whichever route you take, keep in mind that there needs to be enough space between the slats to allow for them to travel and recoil when struck, so at least ¼ inch of wood needs to be removed from the cut (a chainsaw will do this in one pass). The slats will begin to splay outward slightly as the cuts lengthen (Fig. C).

Fig. C

Once your cuts are made, the slats must be tested for resistance. Too little is dangerous, too much is useless.  As with a tachi makiwara the wood should give under moderate static pressure. To test this, stand in a frontward stance and extend a reverse punch, placing the knuckles firmly against an individual slat. Pick up the front leg and lean into the post: the slat should flex inward under this pressure, but not collapse completely. You should be able to bounce lightly against it by lowering your back leg and pushing  forward (while still pressing the knuckles firmly against it).  Repeat all around the makiwara. If there is too little flexibility, i.e., the slat does not move at all, increase the depth of the cuts. Or, following a variant makiwara shown in Higaonna’s book, a piece of durable rubber placed in between the slats near the bottom of the cuts may resolve the problem by splaying them outward a little bit more and providing some shock resistance. An industrial rubber bushing or piece of an old bumper is a good candidate for this.

The more things change…

For a comparison between modern US Army and Marine Corps hand to hand techniques with those from the Renaissance and BCE periods, check out this highly interesting video

Algunos enlaces en español

I’ve been brushing up on my Spanish lately, which has led me to a couple of interesting karate sites in that language.

Mundo Karate Blog– Este pagina contiene una abundancia de buen informaccion en espanol: un descripción de Motobu ryu (de Choyu, no Choki) con videos acompañamientos; un video excellente que presenta los hermanos Shinjos, una biografía de Yamaguchi Gogen, acompañar de dos videos interesantes; una traducción de las actas de el 1936 reunión de los maestros; una traducción de los “Diez Preceptos del Maestro Itosu”; una biografía de Yuchoku Higa; y por último, una entrevista con Morio Higaonna.

This site has a wealth of good information en español: a description of  Motobu Ryu (of Choyu, not Choki) with accompanying video clips, an excellent Uechi clip featuring the Shinjo brothers, a biography of Yamaguchi Gogen accompanied by two interesting video clips,  a Spanish translation of the  minutes from the 1936 Meeting of the Masters, a Spanish translation of “Itosu’s Ten Precepts”, a biography of Yuchoku Higa, and finally, an interview with Morio Higaonna.

The Ryubukan Dojo Blog– Esta entrada presenta la busca del su autor para mas informaccion sobre Go Kenki y suyo influencia dentro de Shito Ryu, seguido de una resumen de la historia de suyo actividades en los circulos de karate Okinawa. Una biografia corta de Kanryo Higaonna lo sigue. Sin embargo, el elemente mas interesante es una foto de los estudiantes de Go Kenki en varios kamae, cuale son mismos de las posturas en el Bubishi, y son analogos a las secuencias en los versiones de Sanchin/Sam Chien de China sureño.

This entry features the author’s search for more information regarding Go Kenki and his influence on Shito Ryu, followed by a review of the available history of Go Kenki’s activities in the Okinawan karate scene. A short biography of Kanryo Higaonna follows. However, the most interesting find on this page is a photograph of three of (purportedly) Go Kenki’s students in various kamae that are straight out of the illustrations found in the Bubishi, and are analogous to sequences of Southern Chinese versions of sanchin/Sam Chien.

¡Ojala que disfrutes estos enlaces!

The Ude Makiwara: pt. 2

Part 2 of 6. Footnotes, references, and demonstration video clips will be posted in the last entry.

A Tale of Two Miyagis
Despite the general scarcity of information in historical writings, there are at least two modern sources (available in English) that reference the ude makiwara and provide diagrams. The first, Traditional Karatedo Okinawa Goju Ryu Vol. 1 by Morio Higaonna, contains illustrations of several different types of makiwara, all of which are less common variations on the theme.

The round design pictured is comprised of a post of unspecified dimensions, with two intersecting cuts made into it lengthwise from the top. These cuts create four sections that serve as striking surfaces in lieu of a single tapered board. Rope is shown wrapped around the upper portion as a striking surface. The result is a makiwara that can be hit from all sides with presumably equal amounts of give.

No instructions for construction or usage accompany the diagram. Nor can any specific conclusions about its history be assumed. However, Higaonna trained under Miyagi An’ichi, a top student of Goju-Ryu founder  Miyagi Chojun. According to a recent interview, An’ichi was Morio Higaonna’s sole teacher, and An’ichi himself had been Miyagi Chojun’s only student at times.7

Miyagi’s teacher, Higaonna Kanyro, studied various boxing systems  in China as a young man, which  presents the possibility that the ude makiwara was brought back to Okinawa by him.  He may also have encountered the basic round striking post in China and later created the version pictured in Traditional Karatedo. If either is the case, then the  ude makiwara design shown is an artifact of Naha karate training as taught and propagated by Higaonna, and later Miyagi et al,  although the possibility that the design came from another source certainly does exist.

Notes From Matsumura Shorin Ryu
Another variation on the ude design appears in Bishop’s Okinawan Karate.8 This information comes from an interview with Seiki Arakaki, a late student of the late Hohan Soken, who trained in the Matsumura Orthodox lineage. When discussing makiwara training, Arakaki states:

“There were, and still are, basically two types of makiwara, the flat board and the round post. The flat one is used for practicing the straight corkscrew punch and the round one, which has one or two splits to halfway down the middle, is used for training the fist, elbow and the side of the hand.”

As for the makiwara itself, a clear drawing with measurements for the height of the post is included but no information for the diameter. The diagram indicates a 200cm long post that has been cut lengthwise four times as opposed to twice, resulting in eight flexible sections instead of four. The top of the post is also shown wrapped with rice straw rope.

As a royal bodyguard and officer at the end of the second Sho dynasty, Matsumura Sokon himself would have been privy to knowledge gained from exchange trips to China and resident Chinese envoys. According to Kerr’s work Okinawa: The History of an Island People, in the days of the second Sho dynasty “residence at Tomari suggested scholarship and association with the Chinese living there.” Given his access to these resources, it  would not be difficult to imagine that Matsumura introduced the ude makiwara from a Chinese source into the larger community.

But cultural diffusion seldom takes one path- Kerr continues,  “The Naha man was presumed to be less conservative, to be more knowledgeable in the latest songs and dances, the newest patterns and styles of dress, the latest slang.” And the Naha community was likely exposed to a wide spectrum of fighting- the ports there were backdrop to a shifting mixture of sailors from China, Japan, Korea, Siam, Java, the Pacific islands and continental Southeast Asia. The ude makiwara may have been an intentional import form China, or an incidental one from  exchanges at the ports.

Back to Goju?

Its tempting to attempt to trace this makiwara back to Matsumura’s days (via Hohan Soken), but Arakaki had more than one teacher. As well as training with Hohan Soken in Matsumura Orthodox Shorin Ryu from the 1950’s on, Arakaki had also trained in Goju-Ryu under Seiko Higa, who in turn was a student of Kanryo Higaonna (and later, Miyagi Chojun). Arakaki’s Goju background brings into play the possibility that the ude makiwara shown is a product of his Goju Ryu exposure, along the same lines discussed earlier.

Arakaki might well have come by this makiwara via his training under either teacher and lineage- but it may be that he knew it from an unrelated source, or that it was simply common knowledge via one or both routes of cultural exchange with China. If that is the case, the ude makiwara shown should have equivalent cousins in Chinese boxing systems that may well still be in use, or referenced in older reference publications and manuals. While it does not provide us with a definitive history, this information does suggest that either or both the Matsumura Shorin Ryu and Naha (Goju/To’on) traditions practiced (and practice still) with this design, and that it may have come to Okinawa as a result of inentional or informal exchange with Chinese martial artists.9

Without notes on the specific origins of any of the three versions (a tapered pole, a post with two splits, a post with four splits), its difficult to place these designs in context with karate’s historical timeline, or to compare the different methods of using them. However, given the reference in Motobu’s book, inclusion in Morio Higaonna’s work and the dual possible origins presented in Bishop’s (via Arakaki), it is safe to assume that the ude makiwara was at one point a relatively common piece of equipment in the generalized Shuri, Naha and Tomari karate circles that has been overshadowed in propagation and modern use by its flatter relative.

Bystander Effect

Today marks the 45 year anniversary of the murder of Kitty Genovese, the event which prompted Darley and Latane’s ground-breaking work into what is now widely referred to as Bystander Effect.

One of the more disturbing things about the Genovese murder was that it did not take place in an isolated area. The police investigation revealed that more than 38 people had heard the attack – including Genovese’s repeated screams for help – but still no-one had helped her. No-one even called the police.

The newspaper editorials at the time dredged up the usual explanations: declining moral standards, the corruption of city life etc., but Darley and Latane had a couple of hypotheses that they thought might go some way to explaining what had happened. They were

• that when there are many bystanders – people also observing the situation who are in a position to act – people use the reactions of these others to interpret the situation, and to decide whether it is really one that requires action.
• that when there are many bystanders, each person feels a diminished responsibility for acting, as if the responsibility could be shared out between them.

They used some ingenious – and now famous – experiments to establish Bystander Effect. For example, they asked subjects to complete a written test under exam conditions with two other people in the room. Unbeknownst to the subject, the other two people are not other volunteers, but actors in the employ of the psychologists. While they are all taking the test, smoke gradually begins to enter and fill the room from a vent. The actors are paid to ignore the smoke and continue to take the test as if nothing is wrong. The experiment found that subjects who shared the room with the actors were significantly more likely to ignore the smoke than the control subjects who took the test alone (and tended to go for help, go out to ask about the smoke etc.)

A different experiment placed a number of subjects in individual booths that were connected by microphones and told them that they wanted to gather information about pressures faced by college students. They were told that the researchers would not be listening to the discussion at the beginning, to allow the students to get more comfortable before they began (actually to remove the obvious authority figure from the situation). One of the “subjects” (an actor) would stage an epileptic fit in the midst of the discussion, at a point where he had the mic, so that all the subjects could hear him (and none of them could hear each other.) The experimenters found that the subjects’ response to the event declined with the number of others they also believed to have heard it. For example, “eighty-five percent of the subjects who thought they alone knew of the victim’s plight reported the seizure … only 31% of those who thought four other by-standers were present did so”. (Bystander Intervention in Emergencies, Darley and Latane.)

The lessons of Bystander Effect for martial artists would seem to include at least these. First, don’t underestimate bystander effect on YOURSELF. Be aware that it is normal to feel more reluctance to intervene in a situation where there are many other bystanders, and that this natural tendency might be something that you consciously need to overcome, so that YOU are the person who speaks up, or who calls the police, or provides first aid, or who (where appropriate) intervenes physically. And second, be aware of the bystander effect on OTHER PEOPLE. Be realistic about the likely effects of things like shouting for help, setting off a car alarm or using a rape attack alarm – just because lots of people can hear you doesn’t mean that lots of people are going to help you. Be aware that if you are providing first aid after a fight or an accident, you may have to actually single someone out in the group of bystanders and say “YOU, call an ambulance and the police”, or “YOU, give me your coat”, since less specific requests for such things may receive less response.

Linked article: "In Defense of Jack Dempsey"

Fans of old-school hard-hitting boxers will appreciate this excellent piece on Jack Dempsey. The author examines  the record of his brutally explosive style and the influence that he had on  future boxers (Mike Tyson being chief among these- right down to the hairstyle and right hook), as well as the factors that have made him grossly under appreciated by current boxing commentators and ring sports trend-followers.

Read it Here

Link: Listing of historical Karate figures

Visit this page for a concise listing of notable Okinawan karate figures. The information is brief but accurate, includes information on some rather lesser known figures, and there are links to a very useful appendix of Ryukyuan feudal social rankings.

The Ude Makiwara: Notes on History, Construction and Usage, Pt. 1

Part 1 of 6. Footnotes, references, and demonstration video clips will be posted in the last entry. Update: See bottom of this post for links to parts 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6.

The makiwara is a familiar sight to most that practice “traditional karate” of some form or another. A simple plank tapered to provide springy feedback for striking techniques is relatively common in the karate world. It is an aspect of Okinawan karate culture that has survived quite well amidst the cultural transitions and subsequent transformations of the art over the last century. In fact, its ubiquity is interesting in an age wherein stylistic boundaries, commercialism and political bickering often redefine what “is” and “isn’t” karate in a seemingly arbitrary fashion. Politics aside, the need to hit things is a happy universal.

Although the makiwara itself has made it to present day practice, the existence and specific histories of several variant designs are not so well known among modern exponents. The language barrier itself is probably one of the most significant causes of this gap in information, as there may well be detailed references that are simply unavailable outside of Japanese, and thus unknown to English readers. From the available writings, we can see that the majority of the karate men writing in the early 20th century mention the makiwara and emphasize it as a necessity for correct development of karate striking techniques.1 Several works, such as Gichin Funakoshi’s Karate-do Kyohan, also include diagrams for reference and suggestions for usage. In at least one of these sources the standard makiwara shares mention with a round variety described variously as a pole or ude makiwara. However, compared to other information published on the makiwara in general, the reference is brief, which leads one to wonder at the reasons for the lack of equal mention. In this article, we will explore the background of this somewhat lesser known variety (based on the available source information), methods of construction for the modern training space, and some observations on its usage. For purposes of clarity, the standard variety will be referred to hereafter as a tachi makiwara, and the round as ude.

Motobu’s Notes
The only available “classical” work that mentions an ude makiwara and includes specifications for construction is Motobu Choki’s 1932 Watashi no Karate Jutsu. In the section “How to Make & Use a Makiwara”, Motobu mentions that there are two varieties, the sage (hanging) and tachi (standing).2 He notes here that the tachi is “usually referred to as ‘The Makiwara’” and was in common use among many people. Following some notes on the construction of the sage variety, he introduces “another kind of tachi makiwara that is not so popular but used for developing both arms.”  It’s referred to simply as a makiwara made from a round pole. He goes on to describe this version in some detail:

“…A round shaped pole 210 cm in length with a 9 cm diameter, with 75 cm buried firmly in the ground, leaving 135 cm above exposed ground …the top should be 3 cm thick with about 30 cm length wrapped with rope. This makiwara can be struck from the front and sides by either hand to develop power.”

Sadly, no diagram of this design or any pictures of one being used are included. By the description given, we can envision the pole as tapering to a smaller diameter at its top to provide a springy target, but with equal give from all sides. Motobu points out that either hand may be used to strike this makiwara, which may at first seem entirely obvious, and something that one can do on the tachi as well. However, if interpreted to mean that it may be struck by either hand from any position, i.e. an elliptical forearm smash followed by a reverse punch, the statement makes more sense and hints at the practice of more dynamic exercises, which we’ll explore later. Given the diameter that is prescribed, it may also be likely that it was intended more for use as a tool for arm conditioning and forearm/hand/elbow strikes.

Seeing as how Motobu trained under an eclectic variety of teachers from the Shuri and Tomari areas (Anko Itosu, Sokon Matsumura, Kosaku Matsumora and Tokumine Shitsunen Pechin), the historical origin of these plans can only be speculated upon.3 He was probably introduced to this makiwara by one or more of the men he trained with, who in themselves constitute an impressive pedigree of teachers. Judging by the fact that he regarded it as important enough to include in a book, it is reasonable to assume that Motobu made use of it in his own training, and it is further possible that he passed knowledge of this makiwara on to his students, who may then have disseminated it to their own; this record seems to be lacking, though. However, based on his learning from several prominent teachers as well as his exposure to the Motobu family ti tradition (via his older brother, Choyu), it is highly probable that this ude makiwara has a significant history in pre-twentieth century training in one or more of the major centers of karate/ti practice and development. Motobu sensei’s enthusiasm for makiwara training can be attested to by contemporary descriptions of his hands.4

There is another 1930’s publication that mentions yet another variation on this variation. In kobudo preservationist Taira Shinken’s Encyclopedia of Okinawan Weapons, a makiwara specifically for training with the bo is shown in the Bojutsu section. The detailed illustration shows a solid round post with a crosspiece set horizontally through it near the top, and a hole bored through the center. Straw padding is wrapped around these “arms” and the top and lower surfaces of the makiwara.5 Taira notes that the makiwara should be of “average human height.” Although this version is for weapons training rather than empty hand, it does demonstrate the adaptability of the basic “striking post” concept. Functionally speaking, it is reminiscent of the pell, a medieval European weapons training post of Roman extraction.6

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Linked Article by Mario McKenna: FightingArts.com – Taira, Shinken 1897-??

Follow this link to a very informative biography of Taira Shinken, the  “founder of modern kobudo”, by Mario McKenna. Click Here.