Iain Abernethy : The blog

It’s been a little while since we put any video clips up here on the blog; so I thought it was about time we put that right!

As many of you will know, I recently purchased the rights to all my martial arts DVDs. One of the positives of this big dent in our finances is that we can now make use of that footage in some pretty exciting ways!

One thing I will now be doing is putting short clips from the DVDs on this blog so you good people can have free online mini lessons! This first short clip is a few bits of footage from my “Masters Seminar” DVD.

This DVD was filmed at “The Masters Seminar” a few years ago, where a number of the UK’s leading martial artists – from a variety of differing arts and styles – got together to teach. I did a session on how Naihanchi / Tekki kata teaches the skills associated with covering and clinching. Whilst the DVD records the full session, this clip looks at the use of the opening “salutation” and some of the counter clinching later on in the form.

If you click on the “play now” link below (or the “play in pop up” link) it will allow you to view the clip. The blog’s built in player has limits on the file size it can work with so we had to keep the file size down for this clip. Therefore the clip may get a little grainy if you blow it up too much. However, if you watch it at standard size it will be clear enough.

Warning: The methods shown on this clip are potentially dangerous and must not be attempted by anyone unless they are in good health and under the direct supervision of a suitably qualified and experienced martial arts instructor.

I hope you enjoy this short online video lesson; and if you’d like to see more, please check out the DVD or the associated download. I’ll be back with more soon!

All the best,

Iain

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 Naihanchi / Tekki Bunkai [5:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2531)

The fifth issue of Jissen is now ready for download! We have over 80 pages of quality pragmatic information for you in Jissen 5 and I hope you find it all enjoyable, educational and thought provoking. Each issue is getting a massive amount of downloads and the feedback has been universally positive. Good to know you obviously feel we’re hitting the mark!

I’ve received quite a few emails from readers stating how much they like the “themed” nature of previous issues. I have to confess that any common threads running though previous issues were entirely accidental! If an article is well written, information focussed, and pragmatically biased then we’ll do our best to find space for it. However, whilst totally unintentional, I will claim any credit on offer for the fact that a number of Jissen 5’s articles discuss the relationship between traditional and modern self-protection systems! I hope you enjoy our contributors’ thoughts on these issues as much as I did.

Issue 5 also sees us include the first two of a series of interviews conducted by Michael Rosenbaum! All of the people interviewed are skilled and experienced practical martial artists. Michael’s thoughtful questions allow the reader to learn from the experiences of the interviewees and for them to share their hard-won knowledge. This month we kick things off with two superb pieces with Ed Francisco (USA) & Gary Chamberlain (UK). In the next issue we’ve got another great interview with leading realist Dave Turton, with yet more interviews to follow! I’m very grateful to Michael and all those who have been interviewed. These information heavy pieces are what interviews should be and you can be assured that no vacuous personality pieces will grace the pages of this publication.

Contents: Reality Based Training! What Is It & Who Really Needs It? – Traditional Values – Self-Defence & The Law – Chinto Kata: History & Application – Ed Francisco Interview – Martial Arts Scepticism: Martial Appeals – Extract from “Waking Dragons”: The Field of Truth – Tradition & Reality – Contact in Training: Part 1 Making Contact – Gary Chamberlain Interview – Feeling Fear & Practicing Kata – Transitional Aspects in Karate: Part 1 – Okinawan Karate: An Eclectic Arsenal – The Bunkai of Basics 3: Hikite – The Little Black Book of Violence Foreword – The Way of Kata: Part 5 – The Gearbox Concept

Contributors: Rev. Arthur Chenevey – Tony Somers – D. Cooper – Iain Abernethy – Ed Francisco – Michael Rosenbaum – Jamie Clubb – Goran Powel – Ben Hockman – Stewart McGill – J.W. Titchen – Gary Chamberlain – Martin O’Malley – Chris Denwood – Matthew Apsokardu – Matthew Miller – Sergeant Rory Miller – Kris Wilder – Lawrence Kane – Mark Campbell

How to download: Right click on the cover image and then select “save target as” (some times “save page as”). Then choose where you wish to save the file (normally the “desk top”) and download it.

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PS Please subscribe to the Jissen Newletters at www.jissenmag.com

April’s podcasts sees us discuss mind training! There are lots of differing ways in which people can approach mind training. Not all are too my tastes and I have to be honest and say I’m not that great a fan of some of the more “esoteric” approaches. I am with Gichin Funakoshi that the strengthening of the mind is achieved, not through any flowery / “new-age” practises, but through austere combative training:

“One whose spirit and mental strength have been strengthened by sparring with a never-say-die attitude should find no challenge too great to handle. One who has undergone long years of physical pain and mental agony to learn one punch, one kick should be able to face any task, no matter how difficult, and carry it through to the end. A person like this can truly be said to have learnt karate.” – Gichin Funakoshi

In this podcast I discuss the ways in which martial arts training can strengthen the mind, and how that strengthening process can benefit our daily lives as well as our combative skills. I think this vitality important aspect of martial arts training is largely ignored or misunderstood; and yet without an understanding of how we strengthen our mind, there can be no true “Jutsu” (combative skill) and no true “Do” (personal development). I hope you enjoy the podcast!

All the best,

Iain

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 Strengthening the Mind [17:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1009)

Sorry there was no podcast in February. All my time was taken up getting the latest issue of Jissen (free online practical martial arts magazine) ready for download. That issue was our most popular yet and we’re now back with a brand new podcast!

This month we discuss the always controversial subject of “weapon defence”. The podcast begins by looking at the nature of karate and poses the question of whether the methods of kata effectively address this vitally important area? The podcast also compares unarmed combat and armed combat, as well as suggesting some ideas for effectively training with weapons. The podcast includes my own views on disarms and also asks whether “weapon defence” is even a viable concept? Perhaps there is a better way to deal with an armed enemy?

I do hope you enjoy the podcast and find it useful. The podcast also includes a little bit of news on the Society of Applied Traditional Martial Arts (SATMA) which I hope you’ll also find of interest.

All the best,

Iain

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 "Weapon Defence" [22:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1245)

The winter issue of Jissen – the free online practical martial arts magazine – is now available for download! Issue 4 is our biggest issue yet! As you know, Jissen is totally devoted to the practical side of the martial arts and will never shirk from telling it like it is and challenging the “established wisdom”. If you check out the contents list below, you’ll see that Jissen is running the kind of articles that you simply won’t find elsewhere.

Jissen will always give a platform to well written articles, regardless of how “controversial” or “out of step with the mainstream” they may be considered. With that in mind, I’d ask you to read through this issue’s offerings and query if an article that questions what many see as the core philosophies of the martial arts would find a platform elsewhere? What about an article that graphically discuss the realties of knife wounds? What about an article that questions why martial artists train with traditional weaponry? What about an article that suggests we must use “bad language” in the dojo? And which other martial arts magazine would publish an article discussing in detail how a street gang operated? It is such content that makes Jissen unique (that and the fact it is free!). Enjoy!

Issue Four (Winter 2009)

Contents: Martial Arts Scepticism: Philosophy and Ancient Wisdom - The Myth of the Quick Kill - Getting To The Root Of It All - The Four Stages of Man - Kushanku Kata: History & Application - Whatever Happened to “Rock Kata”? - Bassai Bunkai - Tales of a Street Gang - Adaptable Karate: The 3 stages of kata analysis: Part 2 - The Way of Kata: Part 4 - Forearmed for Combat: Strengthening and Hardening the Forearms - Creating Kata: Historical Precedents – Words - The Bunkai of Basics: Part 2 - Taekwondo’s Black Hole - The Little Black Book of Violence by Kris Wilder & Lawrence Kane

Contributors: Jamie Clubb - Rev. Arthur Chenevey - Eric Parsons - Tony Somers - Iain Abernethy - Brian P. Struchtemeyer - Mark A. Cook (aka “Oldman”) - Keith Le Bihan - Chris Denwood - Kris Wilder - Lawrence Kane - Robert T. Tuohey - Dave Nielsen - J. W. Titchen - Matthew Miller - Stuart Anslow

How to download: Right click on the cover image and then select “save target as” (some times “save page as”). Then choose where you wish to save the file (normally the “desk top”) and download it.

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PS Please also be sure to check out the new Jissen magazine website: www.jissenmag.com

In the first podcast of 2009 we will be discussing my views on the history and applications of Chinto / Gankaku kata. This includes a discussion on the kata’s history and the key aspects of its application. The history of the kata has not been definitively established, but it is widely thought that Sokon “Bushi” Matsumura created this kata following a period of instruction from a shipwrecked Chinese martial artist by the name of Chinto. This podcast recounts the story of the kata’s creation and examines the impact this has on how we should view the kata, and how we should apply it.

This podcast also compares Chinto to other kata - such as the Pinan / Heian series, Kushanku (Kanku-Dai) and Passai (Bassai-Dai) - in order to explore the kata’s unique nature. Examples of the bunkai (fighting applications) of the kata are also discussed. We also cover some historical information about Matsumura’s recorded distain for certain methods in order to see how the modern versions of the kata may contain elements that were not there originally. Chinto / Gankaku is a very interesting kata to study and I hope that you find some of my views on the form useful to you in you own study.

Aside from the main discussion on Chinto / Gankaku, this podcast also includes details of how you can download Michael Rosenbaum’s free book “Comprehensive Karate” and an announcement on the formation of the Society of Applied Traditional Martial Arts.

I hope you enjoy the podcast and I’ll be back with another soon!

All the best,

Iain

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 Chinto / Gankaku: Application & History [18:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1566)

This month we will be covering the history and evolution of modern boxing. In particular we will be focusing on the life and times of James Figg (1695 - 1734); who is regarded as the father of modern boxing. As we will see, the boxing that Figg practised and taught was quite different from the boxing of today. Old style boxing included punching, kicking, grappling, throwing, weapons, etc. Indeed, the evolution of boxing has a great deal in common with the evolution of karate. Both arts were originally brutal and holistic, but became more and more specialised as time passed. These parallels are also explored in the podcast.

To illustrate how boxing was originally practiced, the podcast describes Figg’s bout with Ned Sutton in 1727. This bout included punching, throwing, ground-fighting, cudgels and swords! We also cover how Jack Broughton - Figg’s student and boxing champion for 20 years - introduced the rules that saw the banning of gouging and kicking a man when he was down.

Modern boxing has also had a strong influence on the way eastern martial arts are practised in the west. This is how it should be and is indeed the traditional way. Chinese systems were influenced by Okinawan culture and indigenous Okinawan fighting systems. That is how karate came into being. Japanese culture and its indigenous arts further influenced karate when it moved from Okinawan to Japan. It is only right and traditional that western culture and the indigenous western fighting arts also had an impact when the karate reached the west. The influence of western boxing on karate is also discussed in the podcast.

I hope you enjoy what will be the last podcast of 2008. This year has seen a huge number of people listen in and I’d like to express my sincere thanks to our long time supporters and those who have recently joined us. I’ll be back with another podcast in the early part of January 2009! Happy Holidays!

All the best,

Iain

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 James Figg and the Evolution of Boxing [16:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1088)

Kushanku kata (also known as ‘Kanku-Dai’ and ‘Kosokun’) is one of the most popular forms in modern karate. It is a physically demanding and visually impressive form (when performed correctly) and it has a great deal to offer the practically minded karateka. In this podcast we will look at the history of the kata and examine some of the key concepts relating to its application.

The kata is a record of the combative techniques and concepts formulated by a Chinese martial artist who went by the name of Kushanku. In this podcast we look at the historical descriptions of Kushanku and the combative methods he is said to have employed. The podcast then moves onto discuss who created the kata, the linage of the kata and how it has come down to us today.

The main part of the podcast discusses the combative methodology recorded by the kata. This include a discussion on the concepts of datum setting - the throws of Kushanku, and the reasoning behind the order in which the techniques are presented in the kata.

This podcast also includes our new intro music! The final part of the podcast includes some news and a little gift for all the regular listeners. I hope you enjoy the podcast!

All the best

Iain

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 Kushanku Kata: History & Application [21:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2089)

The third issue of Jissen is now ready for download! I’d like to start by thanking all of our readers for their enthusiastic feedback and relentless promotion of this publication. The amount of downloads has been fantastic! As you know, this magazine is put together solely with the pragmatically orientated martial artist in mind. It is also our intention to remain 100% focused on articles which contain genuinely useful information and hence we won’t be publishing event reports, personality pieces, etc. This magazine is also firmly committed to being completely free of charge and free to distribute. It is in this way that we intend to remain a wide reaching publication that is of genuine benefit to the reader.

One of the main benefits of using the internet to distribute Jissen is that our costs are much lower than the old print, distribute and sell model. Aside from ensuring the magazine will always be free for the reader (and hence also ensuring a much greater number of readers), another advantage is that we have complete independence as to what we choose to include.

It’s always been my view that “controversy” is closely related to thought-provoking and that the “mainstream” is not where you’ll find the cutting edge. Here at Jissen we know that serious martial artists want to read well written articles on an array of differing viewpoints. This publication has no external pressures so you can be sure of always finding the thought-provoking and the cutting edge within these pages. The paradox is that by refusing to be shackled by notions of what is “popular” and “safe”, it’s a safe bet that we will remain very popular! You’ve made it clear what you want and we are totally committed to bringing it to you. Enjoy issue 3 and we’ll be back with more soon!

Issue Three (Autumn 2008)

Contents: Martial Arts Scepticism: A Manifesto - Differing Visions - How to Spar for the Street: Part 3 - How to Survive a Knife Assault - Debunking Taekwondo Myths - Adaptable Karate: Part 1 - The Way of Kata: Part 3 - Kata Training for Fighting Reflexes - Naihanchi / Tekki Bunkai - Creating an effective application: Do San - Power and Impact

Contributors: Jamie Clubb, Eric Parsons, Iain Abernethy, Rev. Arthur Chenevey, Stuart Anslow, Chris Denwood, Laurence Kane, Kris Wilder, John Titchen, “Oldman”, Matt Sylvester

How to download: Right click on the cover image and then select “save target as” (some times “save page as”). Then choose where you wish to save the file (normally the “desk top”) and download it.

All the best,

Iain

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Would you believe it’s been a full two years since our first podcast! Thanks to everyone for your continued support of them! This month we are discussing the basics of power generation and the use of impact equipment. Being able to strike hard is without a doubt the most important skill needed for the combative side of self-protection. Karate is an art based on the “one blow, one kill” concept and hence power generation, and the use of impact equipment, should be central to what we do. It would be fair to say, however, that this is generally not the case. This podcast covers some of the reasons why much of modern karate has lost its way with regards to power and impact; as well as covering what we need to do to put things right.

The podcast starts with a look at the basic concepts of power generation. This includes the key principles of bodyweight, hip movement, timing and torque. An understanding of these principles is vital if you wish to have fight stopping power in your strikes. We look at these principles in relation to basic karate punches, kata and free-flowing strikes. The second part of the podcast looks at impact equipment such as makiwara, focus mitts, punch bags and kick-shields. The use, benefits and limitations of each piece of equipment are discussed.

This podcast is also accompanied by a short video clip showing myself and Peter Lakin demonstrating a pad-work drill under the supervision of Peter Consterdine. The reason for including this clip is to demonstrate some of the ideas discussed in the podcast and to show how focus mitts can be used to develop the power and accuracy of free-flowing combinations. The clip is taken from “Peter Consterdine’s Training Day Seminar” DVD; which was filmed late last year and is available from PeterConsterdine.com.

This month I also try (unsuccessfully) something a little bit different! I hope you enjoy the podcast and video clip and I’ll be back with more next month!

All the best,

Iain

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 Focus Pads Demo [1:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2098)
 Power and Impact Podcast [24:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1680)