John Donne said, ‘No man is an island’ and it was forever grained in our consciousness that all people should live as a community, or at least, everybody should commune with everybody. Of course this is a truth that could not be taken down easily especially because it is a scientific as well as philosophical truth that man is a social being. In the practice of martial arts and in the refinement of martial arts skills this quote also applies because we need to socialize to practice our technique, to hone our technique and to become better if not than our peers, or opponents, at least than ourselves.
But what then, if, socialization was stripped away from us? In these times of social distancing and isolation, some may feel the degradation of their technique because the lack of socialization has stripped them of the opportunity to practice with a partner. During these times we are pushed to consider the practices in our martial arts that we sometimes shun, the individual practice of technique and the refinement of imagination.
In this article, I will try to reflect on two styles of martial arts that have in themselves a kind of ‘individual practice’, the Karate Kata and the FMA Sayaw. I will try to conjure my knowledge on how these kinds of practice came to be, and how, by knowing the frameworks of the mind that the ancestors had when they practiced these, will it help us get the most in our individual training.
It is not untrue that it is better to practice with a partner. If you are with a partner when you are practicing a technique you develop a greater feel for the technique because the intricacies are revealed to you. But there are times when practicing with a partner is not possible. During these times you rely on your minds eye, you rely on an image of the opponent in your mind. And this practice is important because sometimes, there are certain moves that are so deadly you cannot apply it to a partner. But in the mind’s opponent, which is immortal, you can do it infinite times. So, following this thought, practicing the technique in your mind and simultaneously moving the body, has its own significance which transcends the reason that you don’t have a practice partner.
In Okinawan Karate, this type of practice is called Kata. Some define it as a set of forms or moves and techniques practiced alone and having an opponent in the mind. The history of Karate and Kata is so vast and dark, reaching as far back as China, in Fukien and the Shaolin Temple. In following this history, we can say that the practice of long Katas (as opposed to Japanese Kata in i.e. Iaijutsu, which is a set of quick techniques) can be traced back to the Taolu(Chinese version of Kata) practiced in Shaolin Temple’s Kungfu. If we follow this line of history then we can say that the original frame of mind that the forefathers of Karate had was that the practice of Kata was like a meditation as with the monks (also a form of practice which strengthens the body). It is to visualize an opponent in the mind, but ultimately, the goal is to overcome oneself. But through the years, let us not forget that the frames of mind have changed because the practice now was transferred from the mainland China to Okinawa. In this sense, it became only not a meditative practice but a way to pass down techniques. Much like the Fukien White Crane Master, or Chinese Incense Shop Boxing Master giving a Flash Drive filled with techniques to the Okinawan Karate Master. So it was now transformed from a meditative practice into becoming a living book which records the techniques passed down from generation to generation.
So, if we think about it, we can achieve the highest possible outcome when practicing a kata if we will think the kind of situations the masters of old were into. Some say a kata was practiced on a boat. Some say kata is this, and that. A little bit of history research will help us. In this way, we will not be lost in practice. Example, there are certain moves which may be awkward in a real fight situation, like the famous hikite or the hand that is being drawn backwards when punching. In situations like this, it is better to ask, why would the masters do this? And sometimes the answer will come to you. (The function of hikite is not just a ‘chamber’ like when you are readying a gun for firing, but more like a grabbing hand – see? Karate is really for street fights)
In the case of FMA the practice of moving individually and thinking of your opponent in the mind had a much more complex history. The practice of weapons has been around since the height of trade between some Philippine Islands and India down to Southeast Asia. The Sayaw, which literally means “dance” can be traced back to the days of the rituals. The Philippines, as we know it right now, with its borders and territories, was never a country of only one culture. Even before the Spaniards, and before the Muslims who interacted with the Pre-colonial Filipinos, the archipelago was divided into “chiefdoms.” These chiefdoms had their own type of worship which are akin to present day ethnic groups type of worship – the rituals performed with dances. Even today, warrior dances can be seen from Philippine Ethnolinguistic groups, as part of their cultural heritage. Long ago, warrior dances such as these were prevalent in precolonial society.
But the concept of ‘sayaw’ as an individual dance which helps the dancer practice his own martial art really took its function as we know it as a reaction to the political forces which outlawed the practice of the indigenous martial arts. In the time of the Spaniards, gatherings which are suspicious and that were deemed by the Spanish as illegal (especially the practice of Martial arts) Filipinos where forced to hide the techniques in there dances, in social gatherings. Hence, as you can see today, there are certain drills which move like a dance. But it also worth noting that the interaction with Spanish soldiers and the enlistment of native Filipinos to Spanish Soldados helped also transform and hone the concept of sayaw. Indeed, the term “carenza” came to be. Today, when FMA practitioners practice their carenza, they practice their “flow”. When we say flow, usually, it is the practiced of an unhindered movement in a dance like manner exhibiting techniques and footwork. In the practice of this then, because it is weapon based, it is important to remember that this is like Kata in which the practitioner trains individually, but unlike the Kata because the practitioner weaves his techniques by his own. What I am saying is, the practitioner is not merely a recipient of knowledge passed down but as an active user of it.
Therefore, in the practice of sayaw, or carenza if you like, it is helpful to think that one should not be boxed by technique, instead, one should heighten his visualization of the violent situations in mind. This is what I like about individual practice. It is as if you have to conjure in your mind, a very alive, very aggressive opponent. This practice therefore helps with the imagination. (I cannot stress less, the importance of this kind of practice the cognitive development of kids, or even its benefits to older people who are experiencing cognitive difficulties) and it also lets yourself be consumed by flow, becoming one with the universe (My boy Lao Tzu is smiling).
In the Final analysis, although the two have different purposes or frames of mind, we can learn something which is valuable. For me, looking at these two different kinds of practice, the takeaway is, we can practice individually the techniques that was passed on to us. These techniques may be passed down as a rigid set or as a series of techniques which you can freely assemble and make your own. What matters most is that it is not only a practice of the body but also of the mind. In training the mind to conjure situations and think of probabilities, we can assume and assess a lot of things that will help us when we have to use our skills in the future.
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