# Do you guys have dietary or drinking requirements before practicing Sanchin or kata?



## angrywhitepajamas (Sep 15, 2010)

This question was brought up in my dojo.  The reply in class was "Depending on how someone practices sanchin, their blood pressure will be  elevated to different degrees. Harder sanchin (goju and some uechi  schools) will increase systolic blood pressure significantly.  So  anything that affects blood pressure or blood viscosity will have more  detrimental effects on not only the practitioner but the quality of the  sanchin. (this can be anything from presence or absence of medications, caffine, high amounts of glucose in the blood, high levels of  triglycerides...) Plus a higher systolic blood pressure can mean what  ever was floating in the individuals blood stream will make its way into  the lymph, then to the sweat."  I haven't seen the last side effect with softer sanchin, or other katas.

Is any one willing to share what they do before hitting the dojo? Any thogts on it?


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## rlp271 (Sep 16, 2010)

I would think that food and drink you consume that affects your  performance is entirely up to your body.  The only thing that bugs me  before class is fried chicken.  I only did it once, and I won't do it  again.  As far as the quality of your sanchin kata being affected, if  something affects your performance, it will affect all aspects of your  performance, not just one kata.  In regards to blood pressure, I was on a  different forum a long time ago where they discussed this.  I'll try to  dig it up, but someone found that sanchin kata only raises your blood  pressure about as much as power lifting does.  In other words, not a  ridiculous amount.


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## David43515 (Sep 16, 2010)

In regards to heavy lifting and isometrics, the only time you have really noticeable elevations in BP is if you`re holding your breath. That`s why for isometric exercise they suggest you hiss your breath out duing the exercise.

The only time I`ve been given dietary advice for training was when I began Iron Palm training. There`s no alchohal and no sex for the first 100 days until your system gets used to the pounding you`re taking. (At least that`s the story. Personally I think it`s just to get you stressed enough that you WANT to spend all day slapping a bag full of steel shot.)


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## Cirdan (Sep 16, 2010)

David43515 said:


> The only time I`ve been given dietary advice for training was when I began Iron Palm training. There`s no alchohal and no sex for the first 100 days until your system gets used to the pounding you`re taking.


 
Something tells me I`ll never master Iron Palm...

Anyway we have no special practices regarding food before doing Sanchin or any other kata. I think the Sanchin we practice is a not quite as hard as that of many other styles however.


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## Bill Mattocks (Sep 16, 2010)

angrywhitepajamas said:


> This question was brought up in my dojo.  The reply in class was "Depending on how someone practices sanchin, their blood pressure will be  elevated to different degrees. Harder sanchin (goju and some uechi  schools) will increase systolic blood pressure significantly.  So  anything that affects blood pressure or blood viscosity will have more  detrimental effects on not only the practitioner but the quality of the  sanchin. (this can be anything from presence or absence of medications, caffine, high amounts of glucose in the blood, high levels of  triglycerides...) Plus a higher systolic blood pressure can mean what  ever was floating in the individuals blood stream will make its way into  the lymph, then to the sweat."  I haven't seen the last side effect with softer sanchin, or other katas.
> 
> Is any one willing to share what they do before hitting the dojo? Any thogts on it?



I am no expert, and I'm certainly not a doctor, so this is not medical advice.

However, when I started training in karate two years ago, I weighed nearly 300 pounds.  I could not run a mile without stopping.  I had borderline high blood pressure at 140/90, my cholesterol was terrible, and my blood sugar, although I did not know it, was over 300.

Now I weigh 60 pounds less, I can run, my blood pressure is 110/70, my cholesterol is fine, and my blood sugar is 100.

The doctor says I could not have done the blood pressure or the cholesterol lowering by the simple act of taking my diabetes medication; that only lowers blood sugar.  I believe that karate has been responsible for the rest.

Our first kata is Sanchin, so I've been doing it (Goju style as practiced in Isshin-Ryu) for two years.  It has done me no harm.

I might suggest the excellent book, 
*The Way of Sanchin Kata: The Application of Power*

by Chris Wilder.

It's not very expensive on Amazon, but it's an eye-opening read.  Of course it is no substitute for learning Sanchin in a dojo, but it's an excellent substitute.

In summary, no I do not believe that Sanchin, properly done, is harmful.  Iron Palm I have no idea about, but that sounds like a bunch of hooey to me.


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## punisher73 (Sep 16, 2010)

Sanchin is not something mystical or magical. It is a kata that develops the body and makes it stronger through dynamic tension.

Therefore, it should not have any more dietary restrictions than any other regular exercise program and trying to eat and be healthy.

As to the "dangers" of Sanchin, I have heard and read about alot and they all are from doing it wrong. I have heard the high blood pressure thing and also that it causes hemoroids. None of this has been found in medical studies.

Your breath should correspond to the tension in the kata. So if you are doing it with only light tension, your breath should be close to normal. Also, the exagerated "throat breathing" that you hear like someone is trying to clear their throat is a misapplication as well. It was a beginner tool to illustrate the breath and not meant to be done that way as it serves no purpose.  When you hold your breath while tensing it is just as dangerous as holding your breath while physically straining doing anything else.  It produces the Valsalva Manuever which after the blood pressure spike causes your brain to drop the bp as a safety mechanism and you pass out.  Weightlifters die every year because of this and the weight falls on them.  But, sanchin kata does not "cause" high blood pressure, although it will elevate bp just as any other exercise does.

Here is one study done on Sanchin kata, I think it might be the same one as mentioned earlier.
http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/karate/sanchin.html


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## Empty Hands (Sep 16, 2010)

punisher73 said:


> Sanchin is not something mystical or magical. It is a kata that develops the body and makes it stronger through dynamic tension.
> 
> Therefore, it should not have any more dietary restrictions than any other regular exercise program and trying to eat and be healthy.http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/karate/sanchin.html



What he said.  Your body doesn't know if muscle tension is from martial arts or some other form of similar exercise.  Martial Artists tend to treat their art as something mystical and mysterious, when at the end of the day it's just specialized exercise.  Don't overthink it.  One kata but not another won't miserably fail because you drank the "wrong" thing first, sex and itching won't mess up your chi, etc.


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## Grenadier (Sep 17, 2010)

No real requirements, aside from avoiding heavy eating from 2 hours before class starts, and making sure that you've been drinking water along the way.  Maybe avoid eating bean burritos, 3 bean salad, or chili with red kidney beans, though...

My ritual before training, is brewing up a pot of coffee at the dojo, and having a piping hot mug of that heavenly dark concoction, about 20 minutes before I either teach or train.  With that infusion of caffeine, I tend to relax a bit more (yes, I know it's a stimulant, but keep in mind my caffeine habit, since I'm a research scientist by day), and proper relaxation can only help you with your flow.


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## dancingalone (Sep 17, 2010)

I perform sanchin kata at least 5 times a day.  Once hard, once soft, and then the balance of the repetitions are done however I feel like that day.  When I was younger, I did every repetition in a hard fashion with clenched muscles all over my body, forcibly expelling air.  I could see the strength building benefits, but I did notice some development of surface veins, so I backed off a bit.

I don't do anything special in terms of diet for preparation for training.  Moderation in all things is good.  I drink a bit of red wine every night and I pretty much eat whatever I want as long as it is not to excess.  I am pretty healthy other than a back problem that I keep at bay with stretching and yoga.  I believe karate practice and sanchin in particular have contributed to this good fortune.


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## K-man (Sep 17, 2010)

Generally I don't eat within an hour or so  before training and I try to keep well hydrated. I don't think that Sanchin kata performed correctly has any health problems. I don't have any evidence to suggest that it has health problems if performed incorrectly either.
What I do know is that Sanchin is very valuable in helping to develop core strength and centre.  This is demonstrated in the testing process, if that testing is done properly.
It is said that the breathing during the practice of Sanchin assists in developing the circulation of Ki down the conception vessel on the inhalation and back up the governor vessel on the exhalation.  Take that as you like because it can be neither proved or  disproved, but certainly in the past it has been an essential part of Goju Ryu training.  :asian:


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## Maiden_Ante (Sep 23, 2010)

I don't eat at least 30 minutes (preferably 1 hour) before training. Drinking water is another story however. After the training I like to eat a fruit of some sort to regain some energy.


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