Contents:

 

---

 

1 - This Weekend: Special 20% OFF Offer Exclusive to Newsletter Subscribers

 

For the next week (ends 25^th of June) all newsletter subscribers can get 20% off all DVDs and Downloads by entering the code “newsletter0615” into the “Coupons” box during checkout (on the same page you enter your address). When you click “next” the cart will update and the discounts will be applied. Act quick!

 

---

2 - New Podcast: The Case for Kihon

 

In this podcast we discuss basic kihon training. For practitioners of arts other than karate, “kihon” generally refers to the practice of techniques without a partner or equipment. Typically it’s done in lines where the karateka goes up and down the room.

While kihon practise forms a significant part of modern karate training, it would be fair to say that many now question its value and, on my travels, I even see some abandoning the practise all together. It is my view that kihon is a vital part of the mix, but it needs to be the right kind of kihon and be part of a holistic training matrix.

In this podcast I’d therefore like to explain the role I think kihon training should have, and then elaborate to explain how it can be most efficiently and effectively practised.

The podcast also covers my “3Ts” and “3Ws” models of what the effective application of a technique requires.

There are lots of aspects to this topic and, agree or disagree with my personal take on things, I hope you feel the podcast does a good job of articulating the relevant issues around kihon training.

 

Listen to the podcast on this webpage: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/content/case-kihon-podcast

 

Listen to Iain Abernethy's Podcasts on Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/iain-abernethy-practical-application/id393104872#

 

---

3 - Iain interviewed on the Martial Thoughts Podcast

 

A few weeks ago I was interviewed on the Martial Thoughts Podcast. I was a fun and wide ranging conversation, and if you’ve not heard it yet you can do so via this link:

 

http://thinkingmartial.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/episode-xxx-podcasts-trains-and.html

 

---

4 - Six New Online Bunkai Videos

 

1 - Start of Bassai-Sho Bunkai

This video looks at the bunkai for the beginning of Bassai-Sho (Shotokan version). It was filmed during a two day seminar in Dresden, Germany in April 2015. The seminar covered bunkai for the whole of Bassai-Dai and Bassai-Sho; as well as comparing the differences and commonalities between the two forms. I am of the view that the two forms complement each other very well.

One thing to note is that Bassai-Dai tends to work on straight lines; whereas Bassai-Sho expresses similar concepts, but in a more circular manner. In this short clip you can see the circles in the way the arm is trapped, the initial throw, the follow on should the throw fail, the second takedown and the following strike
.
This is a very short clip taken from a full weekend of training; it therefore should be obvious that this clip is no substitute for having been there. Nevertheless, I hope what is shown is of interest and of some value to all viewers.

http://youtu.be/E3oClOWFby0

2 - Reconstructing Gichin Funakoshi’s Nodo-Osae Throw

In this video we are going to look at the “lost” karate throw of Nodo-Osae (“throat press” or “pressing the throat”). While a growing number of karateka are familiar with the nine karate throws Gichin Funkaoshi shows in his 1935 book Karate-Do: Kyohan, fewer are aware that they are not the only throws Funakoshi recorded in his written works. In his earlier 1925 book, Rentan Goshin Karate Jutsu, Gichin Funakoshi showed six throws. One of those throws – which is not included in the nine of Karate-Do: Kyohan – is Nodo-Osae.

The photograph associated with the throw has Funakoshi gripping the throat and ankle of this uke (this photo is included in the video), but unfortunately the text describing the throw makes absolutely no mention of how the ankle ended up being lifted into Funakoshi’s hand!

In this video, I have combined the information in the text and the photograph to provide instruction and a demonstration of how I believe Funakoshi intended the throw to be performed. As you’ll see, it is as effective and efficient throw that I believe should be given its rightful place alongside the nine throws of Karate-Do Kyohan. Once again, we see that the karate of the past (the karate of the kata) was a much more holistic system that its modern day offspring.

http://youtu.be/wHuJ_2ixkAs

3 - Basic Arm-Roll Drill

This very short video shows a basic arm-roll drill. The footage comes from a seminar I taught in the Netherlands in February of 2015. This drill comes from my training in Judo, but it is now a part of my karate too.

It should always be kept in mind that, despite common misconceptions, karate is not an unchanging art with a direct line back to a single source. “Karate” is in fact a cover-all term for a wide range of systems that came to be practised in the geographical location of Okinawa.

The kata – which are the very backbone of karate – come from a variety of differing systems, individuals and geographic locations which eventually converged to be given the label of “karate kata”. Karate has therefore always been ever-changing and evolving. The karate of the past was also quick to pick up and adopt anything deemed useful.

I would therefore suggest that it is both impractical and untraditional to reject any methodology simply because it is “not karate”. The inescapable fact is that absolutely EVERYTHING we do in karate was at one point “not karate”!

While some would see the adoption of “new methods” to be akin to martial blasphemy, I see it as pragmatic, traditional and vitally important. I think this way of thinking is very succinctly and poetically summed up by Choshin Chibana when he said, “A pond which is not fed by a fresh stream becomes stagnant and dies ... in much the same way does the enthusiastic karateka continually modify their art".

While we never want to be on the floor in a real situation, the fact is that “even monkeys can fall out of trees.” If we do end up on the floor, the self-protection focused karateka should have some skills to help them to return to their feet.

In his book ‘Karate-Do: My Way of Life’, Gichin Funakoshi discussed practising regaining the feet (against both single and multiple opponents). Funakoshi writes, “It was after I had taken up karate seriously that I came to realise that tegumi [Okinawan wrestling] offers a unique opportunity for training, in that it need not be limited to two participants … such bouts begin with the lone wrestler lying on his back as his opponents pin his arms and legs …”. Funakoshi would practise fighting back to his feet and he said such training did much to strengthen his body and will. Getting back to the feet has obvious self-defence uses too of course.

So here we have Funakoshi, “the father of modern karate”, adopting and adapting the ground fighting methods of another art based sole on their utility. I see no reason why we should not continue to follow his example. The roll shown in this video can be a useful way to help you regain the feet when the enemy is leaning over you from a kneeling position. It is well worth adding to your repertoire on that basis.

All of this said, we need to remain ever mindful that karate is first and foremost a striking system focused on the needs of civilian self-protection. If we are seeking significant levels of skill on the ground we must engage in the in-depth study a system that specialises in that area such as wrestling, judo, BJJ, etc. That is the only way to acquire the skills one would need to compete with practitioners of those arts on the floor. However, if we want a core skill set to be used as a last resort in self-protection should all other methods fail, then we can follow in the tradition of karate through building on what we have and acquainting related skills while remaining true to our core ethos.

http://youtu.be/Fg4vasLkwvo

4- Bunkai for end of Bassai-Sho


In this video we look at bunkai for the closing motions of Bassai-Sho (Shotokan version). Just as Bassai-Dai finishes with throws, so does Bassai-Sho. A forty-five degree angle is taken in relationship to the enemy (which is why the move is at that angle in the kata) as the forearm hits the neck. The foot goes behind the enemy’s leg before it is pulled backwards as the cat stance is assumed. This will lengthen the enemy’s stance such that a push on the chin at ninety-degrees to the line of the stance will take them off balance and to the floor.

This video was filmed at a seminar in Dresden, Germany in April 2015. The seminar covered bunkai for the whole of Bassai-Dai and Bassai-Sho; as well as comparing the differences and commonalities between the two forms. This is a very short clip taken from a full weekend of training. This clip is no substitute for having been there. Nevertheless, I hope what is shown is of interest and of some value to all viewers.

http://youtu.be/_-v9tE6Mi-g

 

 

5 - End of Seishan / Hangetsu Bunkai

This video looks at bunkai for the end sequence of Seishan / Hangetsu. It was filmed at a session in Chicago in May 2015. The specific sequence looked at is the crescent kick followed by the “pressing kick block”. As is so often the case, when you look at the entirety of the move the application becomes clear. The hand that is kicked and the hikite (hand on the hip) all have a role to play such that an ineffective kick is revealed to be an effective takedown. From that position, it again becomes clear that the “pressing block” is better viewed as a counter to an attempted tackle.

This application leaves no part of the kata unexplained and, more importantly, it works and reflects the realities of civilian self-protection i.e. it is not a choreographed karateka vs. karateka “battle” but instead is close-range and realistic in application and expectations. I therefore think this is likely to be the original intent of the kata sequence.

http://youtu.be/mUEu3nrnywU

 

 

6 - Wanshu / Enpi Throw & Jump

In this video we look at the throw and the jump from Wanshu / Enpi kata. The throw in question is the kata-guruma (“shoulder wheel” or “fireman’s carry”). The kata is sometime given the nickname “dumping kata” because of this throw (and a possible reading of the name).

In the video we look at a possible entry into the throw using the rising and dropping palm heels followed by the “lower block” that precede the throw in the kata. We then look at how the jump could be used to follow up the throw.

Finally, the video quickly shows the kneeling version of the throw; which is generally more suited for fighting (as opposed to self-protection) and provides an entry to ground work through positioning the thrower in side-control (yoko shiho gatame or mune gatame).

There is a photograph of Gichin Funakoshi overseeing the practise of this throw during a session in Waseda University in 1935. This photo is also included in the video.

http://youtu.be/Tqiofk8-YNo

 

---

5 - Upcoming Iain Abernethy Seminars

 

Below you can find details of the open seminars that are taking place in the next few months. I look forward to seeing you at an event near you and if you have any questions about them, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
 
Peter Consterdine and Iain Abernethy in Germany
Date: The 20th and 21st of June 2015
For more details please follow this link: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/events/peter-consterdine-and-iain-abernethy-germany

Seminar in Chesterfield
Date: 28th of June 2015
For more details please follow this link: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/events/seminar-chesterfield 

Seminar in Watertown, Connecticut, USA
Date: 17th, 18th and 19th of July 2015
For more details please follow this link: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/events/seminar-watertown-connecticut-usa

Seminar in Thornton, Lancashire
Date: 26th of July 2015
For more details please follow this link: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/events/seminar-thornton-lancashire 

Seminar in Lohja, Finland
Date: 29th to 30th of August 2015
For more details please follow this link: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/events/seminar-lohja-finland

Seminar in Inverurie, Scotland
Date: 5th of September 2015
For more details please follow this link: http://iainabernethy.co.uk/events/seminar-inverurie-scotland

 

Seminar in Swansea, Wales
Date: 6th of September 2015
For more details please follow this link: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/events/seminar-swansea-wales

Seminar in Franklin, North Carolina, USA
Date: September 11th to 13th 2015
For more details please follow this link: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/events/seminar-franklin-north-carolina-usa

Seminar in the Netherlands
Date: 18th to the 20th of September 2015
For more details please follow this link: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/events/seminar-netherlands-1
 

Seminar in Wigan
Date: 27th of September 2015
For more details please follow this link: http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/events/seminar-wigan-1

Please visit this webpage for details of seminars later on in the year: http://iainabernethy.co.uk/seminar-dates 

To organise a seminar for your club, write to seminars@iainabernethy.com

For details of all seminars (including maps): http://iainabernethy.co.uk/seminar-dates 

 

---

6 - African Training Camp 2016

 

In August 2016 we will be running an exclusive 7 day practical karate training camp in Uganda, Africa! Along with the training and comradery, we will also be taking a trip to the top of the breath-taking Murchison Falls, a boat trip on the Nile, and game drives in order to see hippos, crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, antelopes and possibly even lions and leopards in their natural environment!

Just 14 places are available so you need to act quickly if you wish to be part of this amazing opportunity!

The itinerary is as follows:

Day 1 (Aug. 5) - Arrive and stay in Entebbe.

Day 2 (Aug. 6) - Travel to Masindi. The morning and evening will give the group the opportunity to relax, and there will be plenty of time for van-mates to converse on the drive up to Masindi (roughly 5 hours from Entebbe).

Day 3 (Aug. 7) - Full day of practical karate training

Day 4 (Aug. 8) - Full day of practical karate training

Day 5 (Aug. 9) - One-half day of training (morning), Travel to Murchison Falls (roughly 2 hours from Masindi), Visit the top of the falls.

Day 6 (Aug. 10) - Morning game drive, Afternoon Nile boat trip, Evening game drive

Day 7 (Aug. 11) - Morning game drive, Travel to Entebbe to depart. Plane departure times need to be late in the day (post 8pm). It should take around 7-8 hours from Murchison to Entebbe, but travel can sometimes be an adventure in a developing country, so you want to budget in plenty of extra time.

While we are in Masindi (Days 2-4), we will be staying at either the Hotel Victory (http://www.hotelvictorybijja.com/) or the Kabalega Resort (http://www.kabalegaresort.com/)

Our main base in Murchison (Days 5 and 6) will be the Red Chilli Hideaway You can find out more via this link: http://redchillihideaway.com/hideaways/red-chilli-rest-camp-murchison/

This will be an amazing experience with the lucky 14 receiving an exclusive “Ugandan Tour T-shirt” and certification.

Eric Parsons and I are the organisers. Eric Parsons will be the main point of contact for those in the USA & Canada. I will be the main point of contact for others.

The cost will be $950 (US) for those in the USA / Canada (payable via Eric Parsons) and £700 for those elsewhere (payable via Iain Abernethy). The cost covers all room expenses (plus breakfasts), in-country travel expenses, park entrance fees, in-country activity costs (Nile boat ride, etc.), and training costs but does not include air travel to Uganda, visa and vaccination costs, and non-breakfast meals (and drinks). It is also based on double occupancy rooms. Single rooms and full board can be had for additional fees.

Interested parties should contact either Eric or Iain ASAP.

Eric Parsons: askmeaboutmybruises@gmail.com

Iain Abernethy: iain@iainabernethy.com

IMPORTANT : Paying the fee secures your place and is not refundable under any circumstances.

ALSO IMPORTANT : Do not book flights until your place has been confirmed by Eric or Iain and full payment has been made.

 

 

---

7 - Pinan Flow System 3 by John Titchen

 

PRESS RELEASE:

 

Hot on the tails of the second volume in the series comes the third!

 

This book, the third in a four volume series, examines the fourth Pinan / Heian kata. Along with practical application drills based on both the study of the reactions of students to common forms of aggression and violence in high pressure scenario simulations, and years of research into violent crime, it also contains a discussion of the role of physical contact and impact training in the martial arts and self defence, illustrated examples of core conditioning drills, and a look at some of the myths surrounding the purpose and application of kata.

 

Volume Three approaches the fourth kata (Heian / Pinan Yondan / Yodan) by looking at the common factors that unite effective combative approaches rather than focusing on minor stylistic differences, and as a result provides applications and training drills suitable for everyone, regardless of style or grade. The clearly illustrated application drills teach karateka how to close and create distance while moving freely between the kata's ballistic and grappling techniques.

 

The Pinan Flow System refers to the ability to train karateka to flow seamlessly between ballistic and grappling responses using techniques and tactics embedded in the kata, and illustrates why the Pinan / Heian set, practiced by so many karateka, are an important and misunderstood part of the legacy of Okinawan karate to modern martial artists. Far from being simply kata for beginners, they reflect the distillation of the knowledge and tactics of the father of modern karate, and are an essential training tool and technical manual for beginner and black belt alike.

 

"This series of books is becoming something of a bunkai encyclopaedia! Each volume further shows how the Pinan / Heian series can be viewed as a complete and holistic system. The whole is becoming more than the sum of its parts! ... John is a true thinking karateka who is making a great contribution modern karate.” - Iain Abernethy

 

The book is available in paperback on amazon and in ebook format on kindle.

 

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Pinan-Flow-System-application-beginner/dp/1512260401/

 

Amazon.co.uk http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pinan-Flow-System-application-beginner/dp/1512260401/

 

John is available to teach seminars and can be reached via his website: www.practicalkarate.co.uk

 

---

8 - Andi Kidd's New Book!

 

Announcement of Andi Kidd’s new book ‘From Shotokan to the Street’:

I started in karate training to learn self-protection. For many years I struggled to make sense of how what I was being taught fitted the bill. Many years later after much study and training with many world renown experts, I found the path I wanted. Let me shares my discoveries with you ….. In ‘From Shotokan to the Street’ I discuss how you can take what you are learning in karate training, what you may not be learning and how to make this work for you in the real world.

This book will be launched soon and already has endorsements from self-protection experts

Rory Miller says

“You have to understand that three important things come together in this book. The first is karate. I’m not qualified to talk about karate. My depth of true karate understanding is spit in the ocean. I’ve got nothing to write about that. The second is self-defense, or self-protection, and I’ve already written a lot about that. The third is some guy named Andi Kidd. Andi’s cool. What you have in your hands is an introductory textbook on self-protection from a karate perspective, written by a thoroughly good man who knows his stuff.”

Iain Abernethy says

“Most people who study karate do so, at least in part, for self-protection purposes. The problem is that neither instructors nor students are generally aware of what self-protection actually requires. Because of this we frequently see art, sport and duelling skills mistakenly being taught as self-protection. All these things have their own inherent value, but the problem of self-protection needs its own specific solutions. In this book Andi makes clear what this solution is and how traditional karate can provide that solution.”

This book should be available by the end of June. For further details or to pre-order a copy, please contact me at andi@genjitsu.co.uk

 

---

9- Bunkai Bash 3!

 

Follow this link for details of Bunkai Bash 3 (26th to 28th of June 2016): http://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/content/bunkai-bash-26-28-june-2015

 

 

---

10 - Help Wanted: 50 State Challenge by Gretchen Carlson

 

50 State Challenge

Message from Gretchen Carlson

 

Greetings fellow martial artists,

The 50 State Challenge is a project about uniting martial artists across the various styles and across the United States. The goal is to find a host school in each of the fifty states where I will take a class and teach a class. This is not a project about making money, and in fact I won’t accept payment for the classes I teach. Instead I donate my time as part of a fundraiser for a charity chosen by the host school. Along the way, I record the experience online at http://martialjourneys.blogspot.com  Here’s how it works.

Learning Something
The goal is to make each stop on the Challenge as unique as possible, so I hope to find a variety of kinds of schools to host, representing a range of styles of martial arts. In addition to taking a class, I will interview the school’s head instructor for the blog. The idea is to tell each school’s story and show what makes it unique. At the end of the project the blog should portray an intimate picture of martial arts across America.

Teaching Something
At each school participating in the challenge, I will share something I know with the students. This will include a “takeaway technique” that the previous school taught to me. This allows every school in the Challenge to learn from and share their knowledge with the others.

Supporting a Cause
The fundraiser attached to the event can be as simple as putting out a donation jar, or as involved as an elaborate break-a-thon. The particular cause championed by the host school speaks to that school’s personality, and I hope to shine a spotlight on fifty different worthy causes that could benefit from some extra support and attention.

Joining the Challenge
As martial artists, there is a great deal we can learn from each other, and we have endless stories to share. If you are interested in being part of this project as a host school, please contact me at gcmaybeme@gmail.com  If you prefer to enjoy the stories and studies without being involved directly, you can follow the project at http://martialjourneys.blogspot.com or join the community on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/martialjourneys or Twitter with @MartialJourneys.

Respectfully,

Gretchen Carlson

 

---

11 - Spartan Martial Arts and Sports Suppliers

 

Spartan Martial Arts and Sports Suppliers Ltd is the only martial arts supply firm in Wales. A company based in South Wales in the UK, Spartan Martial Arts and Sports Suppliers Ltd can offer you the best equipment on the market. Extensive research has been conducted to guarantee you the best products for your money and training needs. We supply to a wide range of Martial Arts and boxing clubs already, including personal trainers and MMA fighters.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spartan-Martial-Arts-Sports-Suppliers-Ltd/1510922625810578

 

---

12 - The Martial Arts Delusion and Knightly Martial Arts

I’ve recently read both, “Knightly Martial Arts” and “The Martial Arts Delusion” by James Wallhausen. Both are very in-depth and good reads that I know subscribers to this newsletter will enjoy.

 

The Martial Arts Delusion

 

There are millions of practicing martial artists around the world in our globalised age, yet each is a member of schools separated by concepts such as 'style'. The Martial Arts Delusion presents a modern paradigm of combat and the martial arts based upon a Risk Model, to penetrate through traditional divides. It was once cited that true martial art was about discovering the causes of ignorance. Using scientific principles from such fields as Philosophy, Cybernetics, Psychology and Sociology, The Martial Arts Delusion outlines the factors which obscure truth, and how one may reach the truth of not only the martial arts, but any subject. The path to overcoming the causes of ignorance is essential to become a perfected martial artist, where one must overcome the product of inherited information from small local groups; The Martial Arts Delusion.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Martial-Arts-Delusion-James-Wallhausen/dp/1470920336

 

Knightly Martial Arts

 

The noble knight in shining armour, emblazoned in brightly coloured surcoat, encased in polished metal and wielding deadly weapons is an evocative image. For the first time, the modern science of Combative Systemics has been combined with period resources to bring a comprehensive treatment of a Knightly Combat System, in an attempt to prove the eternal omnipotence of the knight's martial arts. With this in mind, the author treats the medieval combat system within the context of reality-based fighting, including references from Wing Chun, Karate and Modern self-defence systems. Also included is a translation of the Long Sword and other parts of the HS.3227a manuscript - perhaps one of the most important documents of the German School.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Knightly-Martial-Arts-James-Wallhausen/dp/1445737361

 

 

---

13 - The World Combat Association

---

 

Do you want to Join Iain's international group? Find more information here: http://iainabernethy.co.uk/news/world-combat-assocation-live-video / http://worldcombatassociation.com

 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/iainabernethy

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iainabernethy (@iainabernethy)

 

---

 

That’s all folks! If you’ve any comments or suggestions relating to the website or these newsletters, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line: iain@iainabernethy.com

 

All the best,

 

Iain Abernethy

 

 

E-Mail: info@iainabernethy.com
Website: www.iainabernethy.com

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/iainabernethy

Twitter: www.twitter.com/iainabernethy (@iainabernethy)

 

24 Hour Order Hotline (UK): 01900829406
24 Hour Order Hotline (Overseas): +441900829406