Valuable Reading

Here you will find information relating to SKK practice and philosophy. Feel free to research further yourself, and remember to share your findings.

The "Principles" documents are mostly in the public domain — I have published SKK-specific versions. They are worth studying, as they are often referred to in training, especially in Yudansha classes. I hope you find them useful.

松濤館空手道研究所
10 Principles of Technique

1. Every technique must have the capacity to end the fight.
2. There is more than one serviceable interpretation for the application of kata technique.
3. In kata every move means something — there are no "filler" moves.
4. There are no defensive movements, only counter-offensive ones — no first attack principle.
5. Balance — take away the opponent's, retain your own.
6. Jumping techniques in kata generally mean that you have thrown your opponent.
7. There is only one attacker in kata (forget this nonsense about 8 attackers — it's not the movies!).
8. The returning hand "Hikite" usually has something in it.
9. Stances are vital to your success — do not ignore them (not the long Shotokan Zenkutsu Dachi).
10. Nothing is new — you're not a superstar yet!

The 4 Principles of Quan-Fa

Float, Sink, Swallow, Spit

• Fou — Float: Means uprooting an opponent via a sudden release of force, directed upwards. Float is the expansion of energy.
• Chen — Sink: This is used to control an opponent's movement in the opposite direction of Float — dropping the opponent down.
• T'un — Swallow: To absorb and deflect the incoming force or attack. Inviting your opponent in, then destroy him/her.
• T'u — Spit: This is the easiest to understand, and probably the most common of these concepts that relate to modern karate. To eject, releasing energy and transferring the power from the technique to your opponent in punching, striking and kicking.

As with the Principles of Technique above, this is a personal interpretation of the 4 Principles of Quan-Fa, based on research of material in the public domain. You will find many more if you study.

Rokkishu — Six Wind Hands of the Shaolin

• Iron spear hand — the cutting or chopping hand, using little finger edge of hand.
• Iron claw drilling hand — seizing technique, with individual fingers squeezing into target.
• Iron sand hand — palm / palm heel strike, includes the open back hand and wrist.
• Iron wing hand — ridge hand strike around base of index finger.
• Iron spear fingers hand — hand strike using the fingertips pressed together.
• Iron dagger hand — extended index finger.

Translation — Technique Terms

• Kansetsu waza — joint locks and manipulation techniques
• Shime waza — choking techniques
• Nage waza — throwing or tripping techniques
• Atemi waza — striking techniques
• Kyusho waza — striking vital points or pressure points
• Ne waza — ground fighting

The Shotokan Karate do Kenkyujo Mon

Shotokan Karate do Kenkyujo is not a "badge" organisation; however, there is a need to promote an identity. To meet this need, the Shotokan Karate do Kenkyujo has agreed to adopt the crossed Hawk Feather Mon (Japanese crest).

This is a significant crest, not exclusive to any one Japanese family but most famous for being the official Mon of the Asano clan, and is our homage to the spirit-based Shotokan training delivered by the great Shotokan master Shiro Asano Hanshi, Chief Instructor of Shotokan Karate International European Federation.

Explanation: In ancient Japan, hawk feathers represented courage, and warrior families were fond of using them in their crests. Following the Meiji Restoration in the 19th century, every Japanese was granted the right to have a family name, and the other privileges of the samurai class were abolished. Consequently, there arose a large-scale market for family crests (Kamon or Mon), which became available to all Japanese families. In the late 20th century some martial arts organisations began to adopt these Mon as their crests.

Description: The Shotokan Karate do Kenkyujo Mon is made up of two red crossing hawk feathers, with the left feather superimposed upon the right feather, both feathers pointing up at 45-degree angles on a white background. All enclosed in a red circle.

Meaning: Japanese Proverb — "The Hawk with Talent Hides its Talons", in Japanese: 能ある鷹は爪を隠す, translated as "nou aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu."

A wise man keeps some of his talents in reserve.Japanese proverb

The hawk attacks only from necessity and is renowned for its amazing fleetness of attack and pin-point accuracy of its strike. In British heraldry the colour red signifies a warrior or martyr, military strength and magnanimity, whilst silver/white (argent) denotes peace and sincerity. The red circle signifies unity of purpose. These meanings reflect very accurately the practice philosophy of the Shotokan Karate do Kenkyujo.

Gojushiho Dai or Sho.pdf

This PDF is currently hosted on Wix's file storage — download it from your Wix Media Manager and place it at files/Gojushiho-Dai-or-Sho.pdf in this project (see NOTES.md).