Sanchin

[seasoned]

There is always a "to each their own".
Sanchin taught one thing, while Tensho another.
Sanchin is the teaching of principles, while kata and the drills are more on the application side of it.......

 

[seasoned]

Well, I've got a pet question that I use to remind my students all the time, though it means something different for karate kata, it's pretty relevant to this conversation:

Where is your opponent?

And consider the martial application of the turn in terms of seasoned's post on spinal flex and grounding. :wink:

It seems were on the same page............

 

[seasoned]

While considering Sanchin and the transfer of power being taught, consider different kinds of power.
While turning in Sanchin, although there are martial principles of throwing involved, a manifestation of whipping power can be detected.

 

[K-man]

While considering Sanchin and the transfer of power being taught, consider different kinds of power.
While turning in Sanchin, although there are martial principles of throwing involved, a manifestation of whipping power can be detected.

I feel that the turns in Sanchin are more about dynamic tension and maintaining centre. Most certainly there is transfer of power, but the whipping or throwing turns, for me, are in all the other kata, not so much in Sanchin. :asian:

 

[seasoned]

I feel that the turns in Sanchin are more about dynamic tension and maintaining centre. Most certainly there is transfer of power, but the whipping or throwing turns, for me, are in all the other kata, not so much in Sanchin. :asian:

I'm not looking at individual techniques in Sanchin, only the principles that make all else happen in the other kata. We have to be able to point back to Sanchin as the magnification of such principles. As you know a principle is such that it teaches the proper movement of MANY techniques.

 

[Cirdan]

Facinating thread! I did not know there were so many variations of Sanchin out there.

I guess I am one of few Wadokas who practice this kata, as far as I know it is not part of the Wado curriculum in most places. Our school has a version very similar to the one in the link below.

 

[K-man]

Facinating thread! I did not know there were so many variations of Sanchin out there.

I guess I am one of few Wadokas who practice this kata, as far as I know it is not part of the Wado curriculum in most places. Our school has a version very similar to the one in the link below.

Very similar in the movements to Miyagi's version but totally different in the performance. It would be interesting to hear what he had to say about his understanding of the kata.

 

[Cirdan]

Very similar in the movements to Miyagi's version but totally different in the performance. It would be interesting to hear what he had to say about his understanding of the kata.

The folloing may be helpful in explaining the Sanchin version in the link I posted. Note that I am not associated with Steve Rowe, nor can I guarantee that what I quote below is 100% authentic.

Sanchin (Saam Jin) – the internal secrets to all martial arts!
By Steve Rowe

“He huffed and he puffed, like he was going to blow my house down, then his instructor came out and battered him with kicks and punches and broke sticks all over him…”

This is the Sanchin kata that many karateka are familiar with, ibuki breathing and a lot of isometric contraction, building an ‘iron shirt’ of muscle and an immunity to pain.

There is however another view of Sanchin…

“He pulsed through his whole body, with the waves sticking and pulsing against the floor like a snake, arching his body like a cat about to pounce, or a crane rearing up to strike with it’s wings, his eyes blazed with the power of the tiger hunting its prey, the grace and danger of an animal on the hunt was evident….”

Sanchin is a form thought to have originated from the Fujian Province of Southern China, it is prevalent in the Fujian White Crane system along with other styles such as Monk Fist Boxing and Tiger/Crane systems. Some historical lineages take it back to the 6th Century and Boddhidarma’s visit to China, which is contentious. If Boddhidarma did visit China and teach the yogic internal systems of the day, it’s possible that they were the internal principles underlying the Chinese versions of Sanchin.

Chojun Miyagi was reputed to have bought the kata to Okinawa that is used in variants by the Goju Ryu, Uechi Ryu and Kyokushinkai styles of Karate. The Wado Ryu and Shotokan styles use Seishan (Shotokan call the kata Hangetsu) that is a derivative of Sanchin.

Sanchin means ‘3 battles’; this is often refers to the resolution of the battle between mind or spirit, body and breath. There are 3 levels of physical co-ordination required in the basic kata and 3 levels of breathing skill.

3 levels of physical co-ordination
In the first section the performer moves one arm whilst the other remains still, in the second section he moves both arms in the same manner at the same time and in the third section the arms perform different functions at the same time.

3 levels of breath control
In the first section the performer performs a full breath on the tsuki (punch) followed by a half breath on the uke (block). In the second section, he takes a complete ‘double’ breath in and out by utilizing the ‘core’ muscles to fill the lungs at the bottom and ‘flaring’ the muscles of the back to complete the in breath without raising the chest and then reversing the process to breathe out. In the third section the breath is restrained whilst the arms circle, then the body is used to ‘suck’ the breath in when the arms are pulled back and then compressed to press the breath out as the arms are extended.

Use of the core for internal connection
Many coaches today focus on ‘core muscle’ training, these are the muscles in the centre of the body that connect upper and lower and hold it ‘in position’ controlling posture. In Tai Chi this is referred to as ‘the waist’ and we are instructed to ‘loosen’ it (to connect upper and lower body) and to manipulate it to transmit power from the feet and legs up into the torso and arms. In Sanchin the core is softened to make this connection and is continually trained to develop a powerful ‘root’ into the feet and suspends the bodyweight into the muscles and tendons of the legs instead of ‘balancing’ it on top and pushing it through the knee joints. The line of power goes from the core, through the femoral triangle, wraps around the calves and goes under the feet from the heels to the arches. It’s then used to manipulate the arm movements and stepping, this idea is then taken to a higher level in Tensho kata.

5 bows
Sanchin kata works off the spine. The spine works like a bow. The bow is flexed from the top by ensuring that the skull sits properly on top of the spine (the occipital sits properly on the atlas), in the Tai Chi classics this is taught as “pulling up from the crown of the head, as if being pulled by a rope from above”. From the bottom it is flexed by pulling the pubbocoxygennus muscle (often known as the ‘PC’ muscle), which pulls the coccyx towards the pubis. When these two skills work in harmony the entire spine can be flexed separating every vertebra and creating a powerful ‘bowing’ action.

The hands then connect with each other, spiraling the muscles and fascia until a connection is obtained through the chest and back, the bowing of the spine means that the chest sinks and closes whilst the back opens, this increases the power of the connection between the hands and the bowing of the arms.

The feet connect in a similar way by spiraling against floor, creating a spiral through the legs to connect at the hips. This gives the ‘5 bows’. The action of the bow means that the muscles and fascia on the movement lines of the body are all connected through a gentle spiraling action, it also means that the joints are ‘open’ and this active mind through all the body gives a heightened awareness that allows for good energy flow.

Softening of the entire body core
With all these lines in place and the activity taking place it would be too easy to become ‘stiff’, the softening of the core at the waist and centre needs to be joined with the softening upwards in front of the spine, in front of the rib cage (allowing it to roll forwards and downwards with the sinking of the chest), around the heart, up through the inside of the collar bone and up to the sides of the head (without losing the posture of the skull on the spine). From the core downwards the thigh muscles need to be softened until you can feel your bodyweight in the bottom of them spiraling above the knee and then down through the calves to the soles and arches of the feet. This ‘joined up connection’ gives the body a powerful internal connection, takes all the excess tension out of the other connected lines and powers a pump that sends energy around the body.

This pump works in connection with the flexion of the bows and is always in a state of ‘flux’, in other words it is constantly active so it never becomes tense or static.

Pumps
Traditionally, there are 4 pumps of energy in Kung Fu, the first is in the arches of the feet (activated by pressing the bodyweight through them at the correct angle), the second is at the kidneys (activated by releasing and bowing the spine at the lower back), the third is between the shoulder blades (activated by sinking the chest and opening the back) and the fourth at the base of the skull at the occipital region (activated by placing the skull on the top of the spine and drawing upwards). These function in conjunction with the bowing of the spine and limbs. Energy is pumped up the governor vessel at the back and drained down the conception vessel at the front; they are joined by placing the tongue to the top palette behind the front teeth and the pulling of the pubbocoxygennus muscle in the core.

Sink, swallow, float and spit
These terms are traditionally used in Sanchin and are often misunderstood. Sink refers to the softening down through the entire body core; swallow refers to the activation of the 4 pumps (the sensation of activating from the feet is somewhat like swallowing) float refers to the feeling you get as flow of energy rises from the pumping action and spit refers to passing the energy on to the opponent through a technique.

The key is in the potential
The key to the kata and this practice is in the potential. The practitioner is in a constant state of heightened readiness throughout the body. He can respond in any direction with full force or complete yielding in a microsecond. This is the highest skill, to hold the awareness and state of readiness throughout the body at all times.

Spiraling and mobility
The Sanchin stance, often considered immobile, is the opposite, utilising the well balanced spiraling motion and mental capacity for instant movement gives a mobility that many students fail to appreciate; giving very powerful kicks and strikes that fly off the spiral assisted by shrugs from the shoulder and waist girdles and given extra penetration from the hips.

Testing
When Sanchin is tested, the stance and structure are tested for the ability to take the pressure into a spiral and either hold, repel or blend with the pressure. The performer should be able to do any of the three responses. In training the tester will start soft and as skill is gained, increase pressure until it becomes a ‘realistic’ push, pull or strike.

Conclusion
Sanchin is the ideal qigong training for karate. It teaches the internal system of connection and power sourcing that many ‘external’ systems lack. It gives the harmony of mind/spirit, breath and body that the title suggests and is worthy of far deeper study than many students currently give it. The potential for an instant yin or yang response to an attack is the highest form or training plus the other trinity of the benefits of Martial Arts training is health, skill and application and each of these facets is well catered for within this form.

 

[TimoS]

Chojun Miyagi was reputed to have bought the kata to Okinawa that is used in variants by the Goju Ryu, Uechi Ryu and Kyokushinkai styles of Karate. The Wado Ryu and Shotokan styles use Seishan (Shotokan call the kata Hangetsu) that is a derivative of Sanchin

Couple of things here that sort of pop out to my eyes: to my understanding, the Sanchin in Uechi is not the same as in Goju. I do think they are "related", but not the same. Also, about Seisan being a derivative of Sanchin, could be. I've heard theories of the relation being the other way round also. I think that one reason why Seisan might be considered older than Sanchin is that variations of Seisan can be found in (some) Shorin ryu schools, but Sanchin only in a few. About the rest of the article I really can't say much, because I've done Sanchin maybe once, years ago

 

[K-man]

Couple of things here that sort of pop out to my eyes: to my understanding, the Sanchin in Uechi is not the same as in Goju. I do think they are "related", but not the same. Also, about Seisan being a derivative of Sanchin, could be. I've heard theories of the relation being the other way round also. I think that one reason why Seisan might be considered older than Sanchin is that variations of Seisan can be found in (some) Shorin ryu schools, but Sanchin only in a few. About the rest of the article I really can't say much, because I've done Sanchin maybe once, years ago

Certainly the Uechi Ryu and Goju Ryu Sanchin are different in many ways. There are also many variations of Seisan. The Goju version is not really related to Sanchin although it does start out in similar fashion and it does continue the same techniques at different stages.

 

[TimoS]

There are also many variations of Seisan.

True, but at least I think that they all share a common root, a "proto-Seisan", that has been lost to the sands of time

The Goju version is not really related to Sanchin although it does start out in similar fashion and it does continue the same techniques at different stages.

If I remember the conversation correctly, the speculation was that Sanchin could be sort of a very simplified Seisan. I am familiar with Shorin Seisan, but not with Sanchin nor with Goju Seisan, so I can't say much more.

 

[K-man]

True, but at least I think that they all share a common root, a "proto-Seisan", that has been lost to the sands of time

If I remember the conversation correctly, the speculation was that Sanchin could be sort of a very simplified Seisan. I am familiar with Shorin Seisan, but not with Sanchin nor with Goju Seisan, so I can't say much more.

Some time back I ordered a video on the fighting application of Seisan and when it arrived I think it was the Uechi version. I couldn't even find a similarity. So you may be right in saying there was once a common ancestor but I suspect it had changed markedly before Higaonna and Uechi went to Fukien in the late 1800s. :asian:

 

[TimoS]

I suspect it had changed markedly before Higaonna and Uechi went to Fukien in the late 1800s. :asian:

Yes, it must've changed quite a lot by that time. You have only to look at the Seisan kata in Shorin, Goju and Uechi and see how different they are from each other. At least I believe our Seisan comes from China also, but nobody knows what it looked like back then, whenever that was. Be that as it may, to me it's just normal evolution. Different people have different ideas what a kata should look like, so it gradually changes. This, I believe, must've happened to Sanchin also, as evidenced by e.g. how different the Goju and Uechi Sanchin are.


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"Look. Listen. Sweat." - Morio Higaonna

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