Enshin

[walshy]

Well done mate, sounds like quite a tough grading. You had better start preparing for the next one!!!

[tmd]

Great news MilkManX - looking at all the training you do, and the quality of your postes I never doubted that you are dedicated but som times on the day this is not enough, very glad to hear you came through.

[tmd]

Now can we get back on subject

This Sabaki stuff is it any good

[MilkManX]

Originally Posted by tmd

Now can we get back on subject

This Sabaki stuff is it any good

Its a different mindset but to me it makes alot of practical sense. Read Gary's first few posts here and if you get the chance check out the Sabaki Method book.

I love it now. Its a bit confusing at first but when you finally use it against someone you feel awesome!

[tmd]

As you're now officially Sabaki trained should it not be:

'It's not about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard a hit you can evade and keep moving forward at about 45 degrees'

[MilkManX]

The sig quote is more about life in general but yes Sabaki is to evade and counter at the same time.

[tmd]

You sig quote is the BEST Rocky line ever! just thought you might want to personalize it.

[GJEChamberlain]

Osu! Tmd,

Sabaki is like any other aspect of training - it works in direct relation to the amount of sweat, dedication and focused practise done. It's not something like a new technique that can be added in after a few sessions rehersal, but an over-riding strategy that dictates the positions and weapons used.

The concept itself is common sense. Instead of trading blow for blow (whether outside a kebab shop in a testosterone fuelled dominance display, or on the mat in hard but fair sporting contest) always seek to find a position of advantage. This can be done by moving in or out at angles, or by setting up a counterattack after changing the direction of the attackers momentum by pulling them through or around and putting them off balance.

An easy way to visualise the principle is to imagine two men o' war locked in combat. The worst place to be was facing the broadside - Alongside the enemy as he fired his three rows of cannon directly at you from close range. A far better place to be was at an angle where the enemies guns were firing over open water, but your guns fired directly at him. The best position of all was to rake the enemy from back to front (the least defended part) with your most powerful guns. (Hope that little trip into history made sense!)

This strategy has been used successfully in all forms of combat. I love the quote from Napoleon, "It is by turning the enemy, by attacking his flank, that battles are won"

In summary then; effective sabaki fighters take less damage as they out-manouver their opponents while scoring with their own attacks. This takes dedicated practise to groove in smooth movement, impact, and perhaps most important - thinking correctly under pressure.

The book, 'Sabaki Method' Amazon explains this in detail, and will add to anyone's arsenal. I wish I'd understood this when I was competing. As a heavyweight I usually managed about 84 kilo - so fighting much larger men toe to toe always started to sting a bit ....

Gary

[James]

We have been doing a little abit of that in kyokushin latley....it works very well in principle/partner training. I do however believe you, when you say its not a skill you can develop over night!
I will be practicing it alot in my sparring from now on, hopefully one day it will become an instinctive skill.

OSU!

[GJEChamberlain]

Osu! James,

Sabaki has always been part of Kyokushin (and indeed most martial arts) Tai-sabaki (body evasion) being common in styles and arts as diverse as Wado Ryu and Aikido, while sabaki (useful re-direction of force) can be found in most systems that allow grabbing (although not always by the same name)

Mas Oyama talked of the chances being 50:50 when directly facing the opponent, but increasing greatly as you move further toward the side or back position. Over time, in Kyokushin the Knockdown Tournament system became most popular, outlawed grabbing and focused instead on other strategies. Sabaki was then practised less and less, until sadly today many modern instructors hardly understand the concept, let alone it's application.

Kancho Ninomiya has not re-invented the wheel, but chosen to re-emphasise this strategy both in training and in the 'Sabaki Challenge' Tournament rules.

Gary

[WILK]

Osu!
well done and enjoy!
wilk

[jcc]

Osu! Gary,

Besides anything else, sabaki is just good common sense! My first shihan just called it 'body movement' and I´ve been fighting like that for as long as I can remember. I also started fighting as a 'light' heavyweight and toe-to toe against people 20\30kg heavier than you is not a good idea.

It is a great pity that kyokushin seems to have lost this basic fighting concept.

Osu!

[tmd]

Originally Posted by GJEChamberlain

I wish I'd understood this when I was competing. As a heavyweight I usually managed about 84 kilo - so fighting much larger men toe to toe always started to sting a bit ....

Gary

Osu! Gary - I noticed the year you won the BKK Open was the only year they had a light heavyweight category! This was a fantastic achievement and puts you in a very elite group . Why did they only do this this 1 year? and what were the weight categories?

I recently trained under some other past winners of the Open and although they are all IFK Kyokushin only fighters they all had an element of Sabaki movements to their personal style of fighting knockdown which was the main thing there were trying to get across to us - all kept enforcing the necessity for good foot work and evasiveness and BLOCKING rather than just trading.

[GJEChamberlain]

Osu! tmd,

I don't know, but I wasn't upset about it ....

There were some very good LHW's (Jeff Whybrow, Vince Halliday, Roy Banton, Michael Soderquist et al) so the LHW category (78 - 86kgs) wasn't a walk in the park, but in the big boys class (86+) were people like Hans Lundgren (now known as Dolph) so that was always going to hurt. In previous years everyone rushed over to the draw sheet to see if they had to fight any monsters on the way through, but that year I never bothered looking. We all weighed about the same so what the hell ...

In other groups I think many instructors now realise that some very good fighters lose out by taking too much in the early rounds. In many events the winner is not the most talented or even the best prepared, but the one who avoids injury and keeps a bit in the tank for the final.

Heroic struggles are real crowd pleasers! Who hasn't stood and felt thrilled watching two warriors slugging it out? Great for a rousing finale, but bad news in early rounds. One loses and one limps away to rousing applause, but to do that several times on the route to the final is not smart. I refereed a lot of finals in the 80's and 90's where two tired fighters steeled themselves and slugged it out, as all the spring in their legs had been kicked out of them hours before.

Sabaki, in the sense of good footwork and avoiding this unneccessary damage is a must, IMO.

Gary

[bcmikes20]

Allow me to say thank you to everyone on this thread for the great reading.
I'm a shodan in Enshin and am seaking out anyone in the Kansas City Metro that might be looking for a training partner, or have a little room for me.

I will add that I agree COMPLETELY with the ENSHIN FAMILY concept. I have never seen a Dojo that was not only open to everyone, but eagerly welcomed ever person entering through the dojo door.

Osu & thanks again for this awesome thread!

[Mike95765]

I'm intrigued by Enshin Karate and have studied Kancho Ninomiya's book, Sabaki Method (which I recognize is a poor substitute for actual instruction) but just the same revolutionary insight. If only, I could move to Denver! People there have a tremendous opportunity training at the Honbu. Are the Kancho Ninomiya's seminars ever open to other styles?

[medguy]

Kancho's seminars are open to any and all practitioners of every martial art.

[GJEChamberlain]

Osu! Mike95765

Quote from a previous attendee at our UK seminar (Shotokan 5th Dan)

"What I loved about Kancho was he didn't try to change my techniques; he just showed me how to apply them better"

Sums Kancho up. If you're keen enough to try he gives you great advice.

Gary

[Angelslayer]

woohoo after 2 months I finally start classes again I cant wait, the only bad thing is I lost my vocabulary words and I dont really know the names of the moves