The Way of Least Resistance

[Continued from Part 1 . ] The double block and uraken sequence Personally, I think the naihanchi shodan of Zenpo Shimabukuro is at its most interesting when it gets to the "double chudan/gedan block" (as per the adjacent image) - just before the uraken (backfist) is usually executed. It is here that Shimabukuro's version is truly unique in that it combines features from very distinct lineages . Of course, that's one way of looking at Shimabukuro's kata. Another is to ponder whether this "combination" actually reflects a more "ancestral" or "fundamental/original" nature of the version, complete with "embryonic" or "stem cell" movements capable of morphing into many of the various lineages we see today! Actually, the "double chudan/gedan block with uraken" sequence in this kata has long been a bug-bear of mine: I have lost count of the number of discussions I've had (in person, by corres...

Introduction Hot on the heels of my articles about "stem cell" movements , I came across this version of naihanchi shodan kata recently, courtesy of a Facebook group to which I belong. Naihanchi (in particular, naihanchi shodan) is one of the most popular and widely known and practised karate kata on the planet, so I think it is one that is truly worth examining more closely. And in my opinion, the version below provides one of the best benchmarks for analysing the various differences and similarities. Naihanchi shodan by Zenpo Shimabukuro This is a performance by Zenpo Shimabukuro, head of the Shorin-ryu Seibukan karate organisation. He is the son of the founder, 10th Dan Zenryo Shimabukuro , the longest-seving student of Chotoku Kyan who, along with people like Choyu and Choki Motobu , Kentsu Yabu , Chomo Hanashiro , Gichin Funakoshi , Shinpan Shiroma , Choshin Chibana and Kenwa Mabuni , studied directly under the legendary grandmaster Anko Itosu , who was ...