Author Archives: Des Paroz

Iain Abernethy Discusses the Meaning of Pinan

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Iain Abernethy (author of various books on Kata Applications, martial techniques and mental strength and guest on Episode 009 of The Applied Karate Show podcast) has released the latest episode in his series of podcasts.

This epsiode discusses The Meaning of “Pinan”.  The name of a very popular series of beginner to intermediate kata, created by Anko Itosu, Pinan (pronounced Heian in Japanese) is generally literally translated as “Peaceful Mind”.

Clearly Iain is not a believer in this translation, and for good reason.  Firstly, its quite clear that the word “Mind” is not represented by either of the kanji in Pinan.  The first kanji – Pin or Hei (å¹³) – means peace, while the second – An (安) – can mean easy, cheap or tranquil.  So a more correct translation might be “Peace and Tranquility”.  This would be a very good explanation in finding a Japanese translation of the word Pinan.

Cleverly, Iain has realised the obvious that most of us haven’t necessarily considered – that Okinawans at the time of Itosu’s creation of the Pinan kata (late 19th or early 20th century) didn’t necessarily look to Japanese literature in naming things.  Instead, they looked west to China, an empire who had a massive influence on the tiny kingdom of Okinawa for centuries.  So Iain has looked for a more Chinese translation.

I won’t spoil the ending here, so please listen to Iain’s podcast on The Meaning of Pinan.  Its somewhat controversial, but a very thought provoking discussion.

I don’t think it really matters if Iain is right or wrong on this one.  What matters most is that he has taken the time to build a hypothesis, and has found logic to support it.  This type of thinking is important in the martial arts, as it gives us a chance to try to “get inside the minds” of the originators of our discipline, and thus gain a greater understanding of our art.

The Kettlebell Swing for Martial Artists

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Over on the Karate Conditioning blog, Joe Berne has posted about his early kettlebell experiences as a martial artist, in the aptly named An Ode to the Swing.

So doing the swings and concentrating on that hip snap has really improved my hip drive when throwing punches.  I suspect that that same movement – full extension of the hip – is going to transfer over into greater closing speed the next time I fight, too.

I challenge anyone to find a better exercise that the kettlebell swing for developing explosive hip power.  I will readily believe that there are exercises that may be as good, but I don’t know of any.  The fact that the swing generates power from the hips to the extremities using focus (kime) in a unique way is the main reason it is often proclaimed a strength exercises for budoka. 

But there is an additional factor that (IMHO) is less considered.  This is that in the split second, following the technique, the swing forces the kettlebell user to recover and work hard to regain balance on the rebound.  Not necessarily an easy task.

Together the explosive hip power, focus and recovery inherent in the swing make it an amazing exercise for the budoka.

I am also a big fan of the Turkish getup when it comes to develop rock solid strength and stability in the shoulders and upper body.  This is something also vital for strikers.

An Ode to the Swing – Karate Conditioning.

Book Review: Hidden Karate by Gonnosuku Hidaki

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Like many, I am somewhat sceptical when I see a book advertised as having the “previously untold” secrets of karate that were handed down to an author, but no-one else. The fact that Hidden Karate by Gennosuke Higaki also claims to tell the story of a pact by Okinawan karateka, including Gichin Funakoshi, to hide the true bunkai of kata when introducing karate to Japan also made me somewhat dubious. However, I also admit to being a little intrigued, so went ahead and ordered it anyway.

First impressions always count, and I must say that this book is beautifully presented. Clearly a great amount of effort was put into the exterior look and feel of the book, and it immediately made it to the top of my reading pile. Second impressions also count, and reading the author’s bio was interesing as it was clearly written in a poor version of Janglish – that hybrid of Japanese and English. I must admit to worrying about the overall quality, but my concerns were reduced when I set out on reading the intro – clearly the translator did an excellent job on the actual content of the book. Hidden Karate makes an attempt to provide a set of rules for interpreting the bunkai (analysis) of the application of karate’s kata in a meaningful way. In so doing, the author attempts to provide a cultural context about how and why the real meanings of the movements were hidden, and then lays day 20 or so “rules” by which each movement of a kata can be analysed. He then applies this approach to the 5 Heian (Pinan) kata, and also to the first Naihanchi (Naihanchin Shodan) kata.

To be honest, I quite like the approach taken by the author. With rules along the lines of a primary attack is a punch, kick or strike, and that the effectiveness of a strike is greater if an opponent is immobilised, a good game plan for interpreting kata is provided, whilst continuing to rest on karate’s primary weapons augmented by the locks, holds, strangles, etc.

This is kind of refreshing in an age where many have interpreted karate kata as being primarily responses to very close range, grappling encounters. Although those aspects are clearly catered for, I am a believer that our primary weapons tend to the longer range punch, kick and strike scenarios.

In all, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to see an approach to kata application that sits somewhere in between the primitive punch and kick only scenarios, and the grappling only scenarios that seem to have some favour today. You may not agree with everything (I don’t), but there is some good food for thought.

Buy Hidden Karate at Amazon.com (aff.)

8 So-Called Health Foods that Contain HFCS

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Fresh from Mark’s Daily Apple comes this post highlughting 8 “health” foods that contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

High fructose corn syrup is also terrible for you, and not even the most conservative of nutrition experts disagrees with that. While there are a few slightly more terrible liquids out there – liter fluid, for example – it’s really a shame that the “foods” available to us are so commonly laced with HFCS. And it’s even worse that they’re often promoted as being suitable for a healthy lifestyle or weight loss! They may look very cute, but beneath the fiber sprinkles and happy labeling lurks the heart of darkness. Really.

HFCS is a really bad additive to foods, and along with trans-fats is one of the two ingredients we should look for and absolutely avoid on food labels.  The stuff has a major correlation to obesity rates and those of metabolic syndrome.

The fact that HFCS is present in junk food is pretty much a given.  But its presence in so called healthier foods is a major cause for concern.

Read the article on Mark’s Daily Apple to find out 8 foods that should know better….

No calories, same taste (and heart risks)

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Shihan Dan Hayes of the Island Budokan brought the following article to my attention.  Apparently diet soft-drinks are not the healthier alternative that they are made out to be.

They found adults who drink one or more sodas a day — diet or regular — had about a 50 percent higher risk of metabolic syndrome — a cluster of risk factors such as excessive fat around the waist, low levels of “good” cholesterol, high blood pressure and other symptoms.

Reading into the article, it may be that diet soft drinks in themselves are not the problem.  Instead it may be that those who drink them are likelier than the average person to have a diet high in saturated fats, trans fats and a lifestyle lower in exercise. 

Another theory is that the colouring used to give softdrinks the caramel look may promote insulin resistance, thereby leading to metabolic syndrome.

So its not certain that soft drinks are a direct contributor, but there is certainly a statistical correlation.  Its important to note that the American Beverage Association, the lobby group for the soft drink industry, refutes the idea.

I am a big believer that we need to be drinking a lot of water, and that hydration is an important aspect of our health.  Green tea is the only real drink that is a good substitute for water, and with its antioxidants is something that should be factored into every diet.  For me, I have all but weaned myself off softdrinks over the past year, and allow myself a single diet soft drink per week, and make an exception if I need a caffeine hit.  But for each can of soft drink I consume, I add an additional 500ml of water or green tea.

No calories, same taste (and heart risks) – Health – TODAYshow.com.

The Applied Karate Show Episode 012 – Mario McKenna Sensei

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Applied Karate #011 (mp3 – 19MB – 55 mins)

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/appliedkarate/AK012-MarioMcKenna.mp3]

DOWNLOAD EPISODE 011 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW

In this episode of The Applied Karate Show we start the show with a bit of a round up some news in the world of karate, including

  • The deafening silences of The Applied Karate Show (I promise to be more regular)
  • Shorinjiryu Karate Australia becoming a part of the Shorinjiryu Kenyukai Watanabe Ha World Federation
  • The new series on the History Channel – The Human Weapon

I also discuss the introduction of my new regular karate and related arts newsletter and blog, The Essential Karate News. Sign up now for regular information on karate, kobudo, kettlebells and related aspects. Its free, and I will do my best to make it informative.

In the main feature of Episode 12 our guest is Mario McKenna Sensei.

A karate and kobudo instructor now resident in Vancouver, Canada, Mario is the only western exponent of the little known branch of Naha-te known as Tou’on-ryu Karate, founded by Juhatsu Kyoda, the senior most student of Naha-te under Kanryo Higashionna, and a fellow student of the famous Chojun Miyagi of Goju-ryu. Having lived in Japan for many years, Mario sensei is a well versed practitioner of Gojuryu and Tou’on-ryu karate and Ryukyu Kobudo. A psychologist by training (with a Masters degree in Sports Psychology), Mario clearly works to balance both the academic and physical aspects of our art, in the tradition of Bun Bu Ryo Do. Please join in as we discuss

  • Starting out in Gohakukai Karate in Canada
  • Moving to Amami Ohshima in Japan’s south, and taking up Ryukyu Kobudo under a direct student of Shinken Taira
  • Moving to Kyushu, where he continued his studies of Ryukyu Kobudo (under Katsumi Murakami sensei, a direct student of Motokatsu Inoue), and taking up Tou’on Ryu Karate
  • The differences between Tou’on-ryu and Goju-ryu
  • The value of weapons practice for karateka (something that Mario sensei says shouldn’t be considered in the first 2 years of training – listen why to find out)
  • The concept of Bun Bu Ryo Do

Be sure to visit Mario’s website, and also subscribe to his informative blog.

Audio Message

We love feedback. You can leave an audio message by clicking on the icon above. If you’re in Australia, you could also leave a message on our feedback line at (02) 90189302 (+61-2-90189302 for international callers). I would love to include appropriate audio messages in future shows! Email can be sent to podcast@appliedkarate.com. Of course, you can leave a comment below, or alternatively, post over on The Applied Karate Forum.

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Applied Karate #011 (mp3 – 19MB – 55 mins)

LISTEN HERE TO EPISODE 011 OF THE APPLIED KARATE SHOW