Taikyoku - First Cause

A universal theme in the martial arts (true martial arts, that is) is peace. One of the most basic lessons that I’ve learned in Shotokan is called First Cause, which is the literal translation of “Taikyoku”(the first kata that I was taught). First Cause can be interpreted as several things.

First cause can mean that you never start a fight, and this lines up perfectly with the first precept of the Dojo Kun. The best way to overcome a conflict is to not enter a conflict in the first place. Sometimes, conflict is inevitable, but when the conflict is started by you, there is no excuse for it, and any effort spent on overcoming the conflict is wasted energy. When conflict arises, you can usually talk the situation down, but in some cases, you may be forced to defend yourself, which martial artists should be trained to do. This brings us into another interpretation of first cause.

If you are backed into a corner with no possible way out, what do you do? Some would attempt to get out of this situation the Steven Segal way, and knock all of the opponents out with several well placed kicks. While this works in the high intensity, amazing world of Kung Fu flicks, back in the real world, it usually just ends up with the defender injured or dead. When backed into a corner, with no other option than to fight, you HAVE to take the initiative if you want to survive. But what is the most effective way to do this? You have to take out the attacker on the edge. If you attack the one in the middle, the gap you created can be closed rather quickly, trapping you again. This wastes time and energy. If you attack the adversary on one of the outsides, the gap is not so easily closed, and you may have more time to escape.

In learning Taikyoku, you learn these lessons. Even though Taikyoku Shodan is the first kata in many styles, that does not mean that it is not for everyone’s benefit. It is a black belt kata, preformed starting at the white belt level. If you learn the lessons it has to teach, and always remember them, you will go far in the martial arts.

It's All In The Hips

People who train in the martial arts realize that it's all in the hips. Well, mostly anyways. Your legs are your rooted connection to the strong Earth element, and tapping into that force, by gripping the ground, and using it to turn your body makes your punches, kicks, blocks, and other attacks stronger by atleast ten times.

Your punch in itself is powerful, even without hip rotation, but look at it this way. Imagine your hand as a chisel. If you strike something repeatedly with a chisel, you will eventually knock it loose, but it takes much more effort than if you use a hammer behind that chisel. Your hips are the concussive force that drives the chisel right to its' mark, making it more powerful, and more effective. Force = Mass x Acceleration. It's simple physics. A punch off of the shoulder has the mass of the arm and fist, and all of the acceleration that the pectoral and arm muscles can muster. Whereas, a punch coming from the ground up has the mass of the ENTIRE body behind it, plus the acceleration of the hips twisting forward, and the punch rocketing forward from its' chamber.

One of the first things you have to understand about hip rotation, is that you cannot and will not get a good hip swing until you have developed strength and stability in your lower body. After developing stability and strength in your lower body, the next step to achieving your full power is developing strength and stability in your core. The last, but not least important step is the strengthening of your arms and upper torso.

The last tip that I'll share for now is that without a proper stance, you won't be able to fully unlock the power of your hips. If your stance is too wide, too narrow, too deep, or too shallow, your hips will not become unlocked, and much of your power will be lost, and expelled in the wrong direction.

I hope you've found this article helpful. Until next time, have a blessed day.

A New Beginning

Hello, everyone. My name is Alex, and I would like to welcome you to my blog. For my first entry, I would like to let you get to know me and my background a little bit better.


I am seventeen years old, I am a lifetime resident of North Carolina. I am an avid martial artist, I currently take six classes per week. I study:

• Shotokan Karate(first degree brown belt)
  
• Ving Tsun Gung Fu(white sash)
  
• and Youn Wha Ryu(first degree blue belt).
  

I have studied several other styles in the past, including:

• Judo(white belt)
  
• Tsunami Ryu[an eclectic style, encompassing Judo, Jujitsu, Aikido, Aikijutsu, Bojutsu, Iaijutsu, Karate, Gung Fu, and several other styles](Junior Black Belt, Trainee Instructor)
• Tae Kwon Do(purple belt)
• and Tang Soo Do(purple belt)

My goal for the future is to teach, and own my own school, where all styles and forms of martial arts are accepted.

Aside from martial arts, I am a musician, a visual artist, and a writer. I play guitar, aswell as sing and write music; I take photographs and draw and I also write short stories and poems. If you have a request for a piece, just let me know and I should be more than happy to oblige.

If you have anything else that you want to know about me, just ask! I am a very friendly person, and would be more than thrilled to answer any questions you may have about myself, martial arts, or anything else I may know the answer to.

Until next time, thanks for reading my blog, have a blessed day.