KATA SANCHIN
SANCHIN = "three battles"
The first kanji "san" it means "three" and the second kanji "chin" - among other things - it means "fight", "battles" or "conflict". But the original Chinese character it meant "lance hand" or "lance head".
Many Masters translate "Sanchin" as "three battles"; the battle of the mind, the body and the spirit, working as a single thing. We make an effort for the union of the mind, the body and the spirit, to train hard.
Other Masters sustain that "Sanchin" it means "three directions", arguing that this position is ideal to maintain the best balance when the attacks are received from three different angles.
In the most traditional Karate Do styles - as GOJU RYU - are very important the training of concentration techniques.- Because of this reason, not only the KATA SANCHIN, but the exercises that arise of this kata, are frequently practiced. However there are many Karate Professors that mistake the way, ignoring that concentration and tension are not the same thing. They also forget that the relaxation and correct breathing is equally important, and they finish executing these exercises and Kata, harder that a stone, between snorts and guttural roars that don't make other thing that to damage their vocal chords.
As if this was not enough, they subject the students that imitate them to true "beatings", hitting several parts of their bodies (many times with sticks), to remind them that they remain very hard.
This excessively rigid practice of these exercises is so noxious and mistaken, as to renounce them arguing that lack of practices utility.
To say that in SANCHIN DACHI the knees should be closed to avoid an attack to the genital, it is so simplistic as to express that this posture lacks of utility in the combat, and not to know how to differ among a simple sport and the development of the aspects linked with the domain and amplification of the conscience of the subtle energy that characterize the "Martial Art".
Although it is certain that the knees should be flexioned and lightly close, this is to counteract the forces and tensions that take place when being "screwed" the feet to the floor, pushing with the heels toward inside, and with the tips toward out, while the hip should be straightened and the pelvis should be entered inclining it forward, at the same time that the buttocks should be contracted and fundamentally the muscular package of the superior part of the legs; being these muscles those that protect the genital area.
This series of opposed tensions - that are developed along the whole position – it is the base, but qually important it is that the elbows enter, the shoulders disappear, the chin retract and the back part of the body stretches out. Crown and anal hole are in the same line, while if we traced lines from one hand to the other hand, and from both hands to the respective elbows, it would be formed a perfect triangle whose vertex would be in the "HARA" (low abdomen), converging all the forces in the "TANDEM" (Hara point where all the lines of energy of the body in fact converge). - This position forces to the abdominal breathing, for the own limitation of the expansion of the thoracic box, provoked by virtue of the pressure of the shoulders when descending.
Then, the object of this position is concentrate the force in the low abdomen, at the same time that stimulate the abdominal breathing. - The opposed flow of muscular tensions, should act as a suction bomb, and - for this reason - all constant or exccessive tension should be eliminated, because it would spread to block the circuits instead of pumping the energy toward the center; from down (earth force), and from up (sky force). Then, the function of SANCHIN is to join the energy, to concentrate the forces on the center, and - from the same one position - to learn how to transfer it toward the arms, for the execution of technical charged with "Ki".
This is the true utility in "another level combat", that takes place in the daily fight against the life, since SANCHIN KATA benefits us fundamentally in the field of our health, and our physical - and mental - balance.
It is very important to know that to concentrate it means "to join in a center", while tension is " the state of a body subjected to forces that stretch it "; and then not to forget that - when executing KATA SANCHIN - it should be avoided the maximum tenssions that spread to saturate and unstrengthen the muscular packages. Then, it is very important to put the accent in the circular relaxation of the muscles, and in the concentration of the attention in the "HARA", as well as in a correct breathing. -
The main benefit of an abdominal breathing resides in the massage that the diaphragm gives to the abdominal cavity, emptying of blood the digestive organs, so that subsequently these organs go being filled with new contributions of blood and oxygen. -
When the air comes out, it is because of the pressure of
the abdomen, and when the air enters it is because of its
expansion. Also a correct oxygenation of the lungs takes place,
because the biggest capacity of the lungs it is in its low part.
- This exercise, carried out from
The "TANDEM" is the faucet that opens the hose, and the contact area (defense or attack) it is the exit point of that jet of water.
In what concerns to the sounds that arise from the interior of the body, these sounds should not be forced trying to imitate anybody. - The sound that arises naturally with the expiration, it is the one that should be, and doesn't have more function than to be the natural expression of what we are doing. =
FERNANDO PRIETO
6to. DAN KENSHIN RYU