05/28/2025
Lessons from the Bow : #3
The next step involves the hands. In some kata openings versions they just go straight out… in others straight out and down… in others straight out and up… in others up and down… some reach out and pull back… some lift up and some press down…. In some the hands go up and circle down…. What if it’s all of these?
As the hands come up, the elbows are at a 90° angle… this is chinkuchi 1. If you draw an imaginary line between the extended fingers in this position you have a measurement standard. Anything that touches or is past that line is capable of receiving a head butt. Anything beyond that line merely moves backward if you were to headbutt them. So it is a range finding aspect.
Chinkuchi are positions of equal strength in opposite directions. The strongest positions occur along a line consisting of a minimum of 3 points to plot the line. The strongest 3 oositions are:
#1 elbow 90°, palm facing upward
#2 elbow 135°, palm vertical facing inward
#3 elbiw 175-180°, palm facing downward
(Aka chinkuchi #1, #2, #3).
Reaching straight forward reveals chinkuchi positions #1, #2, #3 extending and #3, #2, #1 withdrawing.
If one raises the hands to a 45° arm angle (90° elbow angle) while extended, they rotate on the path upward (palm down, to palm inward, to palm upward)… again revealing the chinkuchi progression from position #3 to #2 to #1.
If one has there hands upward in chinkuchi #1 Palm up and lowers the hands downward to pointing down and outward at a 45° angle… one goes through chinkuchi #1 to #3 to #3.
Lifting straight up or straight down also goes through chinkuchi #1 to #2 to #3. The bodies strongest positions should be maintained to be optimal of in its best structural and functional form.
One can also circle the hands clockwise and counter clockwise either with one arm or with both apart or with both crossed at the wrists ( a point called Juji). The hands must maintain proper chinkuchi through out the motions whether low to high or high to low. This is the Kuruma (circle or elliptical motion) of the vertical axis.
So now we’ve seeing the beginning concepts within Ti :
1. Extenion & Contraction , Expand & Collapse
2. Pull , Push , Push to Pull, Pull to Push
3. Open , close , open to closed, closed to open
4. Up , Down, Up to Down, Down to Up
5. Inward , Outward , In to out , Out to In
6. Left , Right , Left to Right, Right to Left
7. Lift , Press , Sink , Rise
8. Chinkuchi & Chinkuchi positions #1, #2, #3
9. Juji
10. Kuruma
11. Clockwise & counterclockwise
12. Inward rotation & outward rotation
**These concepts are expanded on continually in Ti.**
