# SanZhan or Sanchin Form?



## shifu (Dec 30, 2007)

[FONT=Verdana, Arial] Hi,

Who out there uses a version of the SanZhan or Sanchin form in their training and art?

If so what lessons do you get from the form and how do you training it?

The Mandarin "San Zhan" translates as "Three Wars". This is to mean the conflicts of "mind, body, and spirit". Yet in ancient Chinese culture there was not a distinction between the mind and the spirit, which is a more modern, western concept. In the traditional way and our research has led us to view the SanZhan the wars of those between "mind, body and breath", or "mind, body, and qi (internal energy)".

Breathing for SanZhan is important to its practice Correct breathing builds up internal and external strength, massages the internal organs, and concentrates the mind and spirit of the practitioner.

It is our belief that SanZhan started out as an exercise or moving Chi-Kung/Qigong practice and later was assigned a fighting element.

SanZhan is an water element form mainly because of the Jin that one seeks to train when doing this form. Shui Lan or Water Wave Jin is the main aim of training in this form. It is a similar to the silk cocoon jin that you'll find in Taiji except that there is a more rolling type of movement to express the Jin.

BaBulian (8 Steps) is found more in the hand movements. If you observe the hands cycle portion of the form, you should be able to detect the 5 Elements (WuXingShou) sequence. This element cycle changes from style to style so it is of little use to go into this deeper.

BaBulian starts with a "Three Wars" sequence of three similar movements forwards; "Calling Crane Wing Spreading", "Calling Crane Shaking its Plume" and "Calling Crane Shakes it Body". It then moves on to the "Four Doors" sequence which consists of "Calling Crane Blowing", "Calling Crane Prey (Breaking Bamboo)", "Calling Crane Folding Wings", Left and right "Calling Crane Stretching its Neck" (Mighty Hook) and finishing with "Calling Crane Leaving (outgoing) the Nest".

Lets hear from you![/FONT]


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## SenseiBear (Jan 1, 2008)

I practice a form from Isshinryu Karate called Sanchin - and the structure sounds the same - I could almost assign moves to the names you give - but I certainly didn't learn them as such.

I would be interested in seeing the form you do. While I don't have any video of me doing it, here is a video of the form as I learned it:
http://www.ironcrane.com/assets/multimedia/sanchin.WMV

Do you have something I can compare?


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## shadowoforegon (May 12, 2008)

there is san shin no kata practiced in bujinkan, I don't really know much about it yet


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## clfsean (May 13, 2008)

shadowoforegon said:


> there is san shin no kata practiced in bujinkan, I don't really know much about it yet


 
Not the same...


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## punisher73 (May 13, 2008)

shifu said:


> [FONT=Verdana, Arial] Hi,[/FONT]
> 
> [FONT=Verdana, Arial]Who out there uses a version of the SanZhan or Sanchin form in their training and art?[/FONT]
> 
> ...


 
Sanchin kata was first brought to Okinawa by *Higaonna Kanryu *who founded Goju-Ryu.  That doesn't mean that others didn't practice a form or type of Sanchin before that, just that he is the first one to teach it on a wider scale.  Higaonna trained in China for awhile and brought back the forms from there, so there is a LARGE kung fu connection.  Sanchin is said to be VERY similiar to 5 Ancestor's Fist.  Uechi also brought back a version of Sanchin and in that one he kept the hands open in it.  (Miyagi later changed Goju Ryu's to closed hands).

Isshin Ryu uses a Sanchin Kata based on Goju Ryu's Sanchin Dai Ichi that uses the closed hands and 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.  Goju Ryu also has a Sanchin Dai Ni, that is VERY similiar but has two 180 degree turns in it and no backward stepping (very similiar to Uechi Ryu's version except the open vs. closed hands).

I have seen other clips from some Kung fu styles that use Sam Chien, San Zhan etc. and they all look very similiar to their okinawan cousins.


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## tshadowchaser (May 13, 2008)

I practice a FMA system but sanchin was brought into the system by my instructor who had studied in Okinawa prior to learning Sikaran.
The first 3 movements go forward 3 back 5 forward 3 .  I have practiced going just forward also.
The hand movements are circular and straight depending on the movement.


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## jkembry (Jun 6, 2008)

Shifu,

Thanks for your comments.  I am learning Sanchin in my studies of Uechi-ryu.  Kanbun Uechi originally studied Souther Chinese Kung-Fu (Pangainoon) and brought these teachings back to Okinawa.  So I appreciate the history...and the meaning (3 conflicts as I am taught - strength, breathing and posture).

- Jeff -


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