Osu!

[Gyakuto]

Lets get back on track then.

Kyokushin does, but the width is personal. Ladies tend to be more narrow, but nature prevents me from it,

Ooo you’re showing off

I am probably 4 fists wide, but I never noticed if Osu shouting enlarges the issue I think not.

My thought was that perhaps the more ‘macho’ styles of martial arts, those that say “OOSS” quite a lot, would use a wider-than-normal knee separation in seiza in a sort of ‘primitive genital display signal’, the sort one might see in the great apes. I suppose we’re lucky that most humans don’t have large swollen, bright red rumps or maybe they’d be inclined to display those too.

Do they shout Osu at your places in Berlin?

It depends upon what you’re doing to them

If you have knee or back issues, you might be excused to use the lotus position instead. I personally can sit forever in lotus as I am relaxed, but only a brief while in seiza as it tenses the leg muscles.

I actually sit in seiza for 5-10 minutes every morning, just to keep those muscles loose. I’m introducing the excruciating ‘tate hiza’ into this regime now. I can manage about 20 secs in tate hiza!

Tate Hiza. The left leg in the same sort of position as in seiza but has 90% of one’s weight upon it. The right foot is on it’s outer edge, the knee held vertically at about 45 degrees. I once asked an 8th Dan Hanshi how I can sit more comfortably in tate hiza. “You can’t” was his laconic reply.

 

[Fungus]

I actually sit in seiza for 5-10 minutes every morning, just to keep those muscles loose. I’m introducing the excruciating ‘tate hiza’ into this regime now. I can manage about 20 secs in tate hiza!
View attachment 32821

Tate Hiza. The left leg in the same sort of position as in seiza but has 90% of one’s weight upon it. The right foot is on it’s outer edge, the knee held vertically at about 45 degrees. I once asked an 8th Dan Hanshi how I can sit more comfortably in tate hiza. “You can’t” was his laconic reply.

Interesting, I have to thinkg about that. For me it's all about your anatomical preferences are. I have poor internal but exceptional exterionr hip rotation. My physioterapist told me i have exterior hip rotation like a baby. So this is why lotus is truly relaxing. The normal seiza the issue is my tenseed thights. when I am warmed out it's fine, but i need to ironically kick the heavy bag for a while before I can manage seiza. But that's just me. This is why I spend 30 mins on the heavy bag in the bag room before entering the dojo todo seiza.

I am not sure i get what the difficulty with tate hiza is? The right leg needs exterior hip rotation form the picture, and that i can do naturally, not because i trained, but because my hips seems biased that way.

 

[O'Malley]

Traditionally, women sit in narrower positions in seiza (formal sitting).

Sitting techniques and rules

Beginner's guide to sitting techniques and rules in Japan.

www.japan-guide.com

In aikido, women may still sit in narrower positions in formal situations (like when bowing at the beginning and end of training) but will otherwise sit as wide as men for suwariwaza (techniques performed with both partners in seiza) and hanmi handachiwaza (techniques performed with one partner in seiza and the other standing).

Technically, although you start in seiza during the abovementioned techniques, you immediately transition to kiza, a position where your feet are held vertically under your butt and provide support for nimble movement:

 

[Gyakuto]

Interesting, I have to thinkg about that. For me it's all about your anatomical preferences are. I have poor internal but exceptional exterionr hip rotation. My physioterapist told me i have exterior hip rotation like a baby.

Thankfully not the genitals of a baby.

So this is why lotus is truly relaxing.

‘Hip mobility’ has a lot to do with the depth of the hip socket (acetabulum), it’s edge features (spurs) and the length of the femoral neck. If the femoral neck is short and the acetabulum deep, you’ll never be able to do the box splits, for example; the bone won’t let you!

The normal seiza the issue is my tenseed thights. when I am warmed out it's fine, but i need to ironically kick the heavy bag for a while before I can manage seiza. But that's just me. This is why I spend 30 mins on the heavy bag in the bag room before entering the dojo todo seiza.

After I’ve done my weight training, I find I have far more flexibility in my hip adductors even though I don’t exercise those muscles in particular. I assume my muscles are so fatigued that the myotactic stretch reflex is inhibited allowing for a greater range of motion. That may be the what’s happening with you.

I am not sure i get what the difficulty with tate hiza is? The right leg needs exterior hip rotation form the picture, and that i can do naturally, not because i trained, but because my hips seems biased that way.

It’s having 90% of one’s weight resting on the left leg. It levers open the knee joint, stretching the cruciate ligaments especially if one has larger calf muscles acting as a a more distal fulcrum.

 

[Gyakuto]

Traditionally, women sit in narrower positions in seiza (formal sitting).

Yes, it obviates the risk of rodents scuttling ‘up there’

 

[O'Malley]

Yes, it obviates the risk of rodents scuttling ‘up there’

Wouldn't know. I'm a cat, rodents tend to stay away in any case.

 

[Gyakuto]

Wouldn't know. I'm a cat, rodents tend to stay away in any case.

And you keep your knees together, I hope.

 

[HighKick]

TKD that’s koreanized Shotokan karate, do they “Osu/Oss” or something similar in Korean ??

Never heard it is any of the TKD schools I have been to over the decades. And that is north of 200 schools. When I use Google translate, the pronunciation comes out about the same.

 

[Fungus]

It’s having 90% of one’s weight resting on the left leg. It levers open the knee joint, stretching the cruciate ligaments especially if one has larger calf muscles acting as a a more distal fulcrum.

I see. i will try next time im warmed up. Does it help with a big butt that touches the heels to releif knees?

 

[Same Trick]

Ooo you’re showing off

My thought was that perhaps the more ‘macho’ styles of martial arts, those that say “OOSS” quite a lot, would use a wider-than-normal knee separation in seiza in a sort of ‘primitive genital display signal’, the sort one might see in the great apes. I suppose we’re lucky that most humans don’t have large swollen, bright red rumps or maybe they’d be inclined to display those too.

It depends upon what you’re doing to them

I actually sit in seiza for 5-10 minutes every morning, just to keep those muscles loose. I’m introducing the excruciating ‘tate hiza’ into this regime now. I can manage about 20 secs in tate hiza!
View attachment 32821

Tate Hiza. The left leg in the same sort of position as in seiza but has 90% of one’s weight upon it. The right foot is on its outer edge, the knee held vertically at about 45 degrees. I once asked an 8th Dan Hanshi how I can sit more comfortably in tate hiza. “You can’t” was his laconic reply.

Maybe it’s just your dojo flooring that’s uncomfortable?

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

And you keep your knees together, I hope.

Cats don’t have “knees” they have stifles.

 

[Gyakuto]

I see. i will try next time im warmed up. Does it help with a big butt that touches the heels to releif knees?

Your left heel should be pressing against one’s anus. I kid you not! It is supposed to be the position and armoured samurai could sit in and still move rapidly in all directions (in seiza, it is said one can really more forward).

 

[Fungus]

Your left heel should be pressing against one’s anus. I kid you not! It is supposed to be the position and armoured samurai could sit in and still move rapidly in all directions (in seiza, it is said one can really more forward).

Then I am not qualified to pull that trick off, getting voth heels into bulls eye. I suspect my seiza would not hold up for inspection. OTOH, the exact details of the seiza is not something that we pay detail to in our club. Everybodies seiza seem to vary quite a bit.

 

[Gyakuto]

Then I am not qualified to pull that trick off, getting voth heels into bulls eye.

I suspect my seiza would not hold up for inspection. OTOH, the exact details of the seiza is not something that we pay detail to in our club. Everybodies seiza seem to vary quite a bit.

I think the more classical martial ways, this kind of thing is emphasised to elevate them into ‘art’ rather than effective forms of fighting.

 

[isshinryuronin]

I think the more classical martial ways, this kind of thing is emphasised to elevate them into ‘art’ rather than effective forms of fighting.

I think there 2 main reasons for seiza knee position:

1. If the knees are too far apart it is more difficult raise yourself up for the initial technique.
2. Like in the West, there are ways considered "proper" for a gentleman or lady to sit.

And yes, having good form is stressed in most TMA positions.