Red Clay Combatives

Red Clay Combatives Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Red Clay Combatives, Personal trainer, CSRA, Augusta, GA.

Steve Ledwith’s Red Clay Combatives is dedicated to providing high quality instruction and the historical and cultural preservation of the arts of Destreza Eskrima and Western Blade Craft.

"All is in Sanchin...but you need Seisan!"Sensei Bill HarrisI've come full circle and returned to my traditional roots.
06/17/2026

"All is in Sanchin...but you need Seisan!"
Sensei Bill Harris

I've come full circle and returned to my traditional roots.

Three Battles: Sanchin is the foundational kata of Uechi-Ryū karate, meaning "three battles" or conflicts, which traditi...
06/15/2026

Three Battles: Sanchin is the foundational kata of Uechi-Ryū karate, meaning "three battles" or conflicts, which traditionally refer to the unification of mind, body, and spirit. It is the first kata learned in the style, serving as the core for developing stable stances, controlled breathing, and the structural alignment required for all subsequent techniques.

The Uechi-Ryū version is distinct from other styles like Gōjū-Ryū in its ex*****on: it utilizes open-hand strikes (nukite) rather than closed fists, employs faster, natural breathing instead of the loud, forced ibuki breathing, and emphasizes speed and impact over slow, isometric dynamic tension. The stance (sanchin dachi) is characterized by a narrow, upright, "pigeon-toed" posture with knees bent inward to protect the groin and energy focused from the body's center.

While the original Chinese form taught by Kanbun Uechi was open-handed and relaxed, variations exist due to the style's evolution and the lack of early standardization. Some modern practitioners incorporate elements of dynamic tension for conditioning, but the traditional Uechi-Ryū approach prioritizes selective tension and relaxation to generate explosive power, viewing Sanchin as a "meditation in motion" that builds the "Iron Body."

06/14/2026

**Sanchin.**

"All is in Sanchin."

The Three Battles—Mind, Body, and Spirit. Lately, my focus has settled on the battle of the Spirit.

Not force, but flow.

Projecting the *ki* outward. Rooting into the earth while allowing energy to move freely through the body like water finding its course. Stripping away the tension of muscle fighting muscle. Releasing the barriers that interrupt the connection between intention and action.

This is the "soft" within Pangainoon—*Half-Hard, Half-Soft*. It is the study of the internal as much as the external. Not merely how much force is applied, but how force is generated, directed, and expressed.

At times, I become lost within the kata.

The form begins to breathe on its own. Techniques reveal applications I had never considered. Movements blend together. New possibilities emerge from familiar patterns. Creativity enters the flow. What once seemed rigid becomes fluid. The structure remains, but the expression evolves.

For those confined by the walls of orthodoxy, such exploration may seem uncomfortable. Yet it raises an important question:

**Is the form meant to own the individual, or is the individual meant to eventually own the form?**

One summer evening, I watched my Sensei, Bill Harris, move through the kata. There was no separation between them. He flowed seamlessly from one form to another in an almost trance-like state. The movements were familiar, yet I could not tell where one kata ended and the next began. There was no performance, no conscious effort—only expression.

The forms no longer contained him.

The form was his.

That is the way.

Address

CSRA
Augusta, GA
30901

Website

, ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Red Clay Combatives posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category