Ryukenkan Dojo - Tauranga New Zealand
"Karate in Paradise" - It's a rough task, but someone has to do it!
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Ryukenkan Dojo - Tauranga New Zealand "Karate in Paradise" - It's a rough task, but someone has to do it!
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The Study of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pressure Points in Ryukyu Karate Recently, a long lost colleague contacted me to enquire about our Alliance and to catch up on what’s been happening over what has been nearly 10 years since we last saw each other. Through the course of our discussion, he came to ask me about the relevance of pressure-points within the Alliance curriculum. I told him that yes, we do study pressure points, however the emphasis is different from what he and I had studied for many years prior. In previous Ryukyu organizations I have been a part of, there was always a strong emphasis placed on understanding the theories of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine and applying these theories to our applications and Kata. My friend was surprised when I told him that we do not teach pressure points this way. He, like myself when I first met Kaicho Amor, believed that the study of Acupuncture sciences was a central part of the Ryukyu teachings. We reflected upon how much time and effort had been put upon learning hundreds of point locations, memorizing the paths of the energy channels, understanding the theories of energy circulation and disruption and numerous other subjects which we were all lead to believe were all critical to following the paths of the Masters of old. I used to pride myself on my ability to have discussion with an Acupuncturist about the theory of their methods and be able to speak comfortably at their levels. I dedicated many hours of my spare time for the best part of a decade to gain the knowledge I had. On at least one occasion, I had been complimented by and Acupuncturist who attended a seminar where I taught and was impressed at my level of understanding. Yes, as far as that side of the equation went, I had it down pat. What many of us with that knowledge failed to comprehend was that, while we sounded good, we perhaps did not have “the motion to match the music” per se. We used to tell people that pressure points were only the icing on the cake – nothing more. In fact, as time moved on, I used to say that pressure points were not the icing either – they were the cherry placed on top of the icing on the cake. I recall having discussions many years ago when I began searching for more classical Ryukyu Kempo, that I believed we had the best icing (or cherry), but that our cake had no substance. I felt as if we had a cake make from sawdust and cement, but iced to look like a fantastic gourmet gateaux (mmmm….. gateaux!) My colleague and I continued to discuss the differences between the old way we had studied, and the way I was now learning. We reflected on how, in the past students were forced to learn screeds of seemingly meaningless names, locations and energetic cycles, whereas now I was finding that students were developing actual skill faster than previously with better quality to match, and although they have no idea what they are using and why it works – they still make it work just the same. Had we perhaps, finally made a decent cake recipe? In all fairness, it may be too soon to properly decide that, but it would seem that the “taste is improving”
So, the question begs to be asked… Was all the previous study worth while? I think it comes down to what the individual wants from their study. For many people studying Alliance Ryukyu Kempo, they may be getting exactly what they want from their studies, and due to the quality of the recipe, their cake will both look good and taste good. They will still have the same icing and cherry that we used to get using the hard study, but unlike our previous efforts, the cake is also better. Should a student decide that they do want to study Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with a view to better understanding their studies of Ryukyu Kempo, is it correct to call the TCM studies a part of Ryukyu Kempo? The answer probably depends on what your Instructor believes, but the teachings of Kaicho Amor indicate that TCM was never a part of Taika Oyata’s teachings, therefore it is not a part of Ryukyu teachings as the Alliance would see it. That aside, if a student did want to learn where should they begin? Having seen both sides of the story, I can say that you need to learn the following:
Learning the channel paths and details is simple enough. Learn to trace the paths on the body by way of memorizing the anatomical landmarks for each channel. When learning point names, focus less on the abbreviated names, or channel names (e.g. L5 or Lung 5) and focus more on the traditional names of the points as these can give an insight into the importance of the point and what its uses may be. Also of importance are points which have special functions such as the Alarm and Associated Points, the Ghost Points and the Windows of the Sky Points as these groups tend to have specific functions which can be exploited for Martial Arts purposes. For example, there are a number of points on the head and neck region which form the group called the Windows of the Sky. These points are said to govern the energy flow to and from the head. Once these points are identified and compared with techniques used to alter levels of consciousness (I prefer the term Energy Disruption as opposed to Knockout) it becomes apparent that these points tend to be used in the majority of head and neck disruptions. The study of the Five Transformations or Five Elements involves learning the cycles relating to the control and regulation of energy flows within the channels. Select carefully the points you wish to learn about. It is not necessary to learn hundreds of point locations, names and functions. In reality, you will probably use less than a hundred points in all the bunkai you ever learn. The bottom line is this. It is too easy to become engrossed in the studies of these subjects and forget that the core of Ryukyu Karate is not an understanding of TCM and the ability to spout off quasi-scientific terms and principles. It is possible to develop superb Tuitejutsu and Kyushojutsu ability without knowing the first thing about what Acupuncture point does what, how and to whom. There is no requirement for years and years of book study just to be a top martial artist. The core of Ryukyu Karate is defined within the five Dojo Kun precepts and the ten Guiding Principles. These things along with diligent hard work and long term kata and kobudo study directed by a good Instructor will produce a cake far tastier and better looking than the cake which only has a good icing.
Copyright 2007, M C Rickard, All Rights Reserved. |
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