SHORIN RYU KARATE'S
FAST AND HARD
SELF DEFENSE SYSTEM
By
GEORGE W. ALEXANDER
Okinawa, Japan is the birthplace of karate and Shorin Ryu karate is the oldest and most traditional form of this Okinawan martial art. The fighting strategy of Shorin Ryu Karate is predicated on pure self-defense. It uses "fast and hard" retaliatory kicks and punches to subdue an opponent and to end a confrontation quickly. Proper vital point striking is also emphasized to make countermeasures effective. In addition, the style emphasizes strong blocking movements coupled with taisabaki (body shifting) allowing one to shift away from an opponent's attack and be in a position to counterattack. The effectiveness of Shorin Ryu karate is a function of the simplicity of the techniques and movement inherent in the style.
The Japanese martial arts characterize attacks as Sen No Sen (offensive strategy) and counterattack as Go No Sen (defensive strategy). More specifically, Sen No Sen refers to taking the initiative, i.e., attacking first. Go No Sen means taking the initiative later. Actually, Shorin Ryu Karate‘s fighting strategies of Sen No Sen (offensive strategy) and Go No Sen (defensive strategy) were first expounded in the classic work of Sun Tzu, The Art of War. The Sun Tzu classic covers strategy and tactics for warring armies. It is the earliest known work dealing with the art of war and is considered by many authorities to be unsurpassed in its depth of understanding of the subject. The Sun Tzu text was written about 420 BCE in China and proposes that the highest strategy is to defeat the enemy without ever engaging him or striking a single blow. It also suggests that if you know yourself and you know your enemy you will win one hundred percent of the time. The book, Bubishi Martial Art Spirit, karate’s mystical sourcebook, cites the Sun Tzu principles of strategy as they relate to individual combat.
Another work that influenced Shorin Ryu karate's self-defense system in called Go Rin No Sho - The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. It is known to be one of the greatest books ever written on strategy. In the Go Rin No Sho, Musashi equates the strategy of warring armies to that of individual combat saying that it is one in the same thing. This was the first time this theory was ever aspired to. Musashi further states that much like warfare on the field of battle, a surprise attack is an accepted and even heralded tactic. This is implicit in Musashi’s statement, “There is no warrior in the world today who really understands the way of strategy.” In other words, no Marquis of Queensbury rules in battle, whether man-to-man or army-to-army. No quarter shall be taken and none shall be given. No doubt a great guideline for self-defense.
Certain elements of fighting tactics long used in Okinawa as part of Shorin Ryu’s strategy include the proper use of distance, speed and timing. Using distance (maai) correctly means engaging an opponent so as to be at a distance at which you must advance one step to attack, or retreat one step to defend. Paradoxically, as in taisabaki, it means to have the opponent away from you and yet to be close to him.
The advantages of speed are obvious. Without the ability to strike quickly, the best attack and counterattack simply will not work. Timing refers to attacking or defending at the precise moment in order for the techniques applied to be most effective. Attacking at the wrong moment allows your opponent to seize the advantage by finding a weakness in your defense. Blocking too late allows your opponent to penetrate your defense.
Another element of fighting tactics is power. The development of knockdown power is critical in actual combat. An old Okinawan expression was Ikken Hissatsu, meaning to kill with one blow. This refers to developing enough destructive power to kill by using one punch or kick. This was done by understanding kime or focus and “impact conditioning”. Kime is the ability to make a muscular contraction at the end of the execution of a kick or punch. This creates the snap of the gi. Impact conditioning refers to striking the makiwara (striking post) repeatedly in order to develop destructive power.
In combat, there is ultimately a winner and a loser. This is true regardless of whether the engagement is between two warring armies, two contestants at a karate tournament or a street fight. The strategy of individual combat and that of warring armies is often the same. Fighting strategy can be regarded as the alternate use of offense and defense. Both of these elements of strategy have merit especially in a self-defense situation. Offense is aggressively closing in on the opponent and finishing him off. Offense employs taking the initiative first or attacking first, before the opponent can launch an attack of his own. It incorporates the element of surprise. Defense, on the other hand is used to fortify oneself against an attack. Pure defense is a strategy used to neutralize an opponent’s attack. An important point to note is that in order to win or defeat the opponent with a defensive strategy, a counterattack must be launched after the defense. Otherwise, the attacker has only been stopped for the moment. Pure defensive strategy alone can not defeat the opponent.
Shorin Ryu Karate's
Philosophy of Self Defense
It must be recognized that real self-defense is not just about studying techniques contained in the Shorin Ryu karate system. Real self-defense is not about fighting. It is about awareness. The basic philosophy of Shorin Ryu's self-defense system is to detect and avoid threatening situations and if necessary, to break physical contact by escaping from a threatening situation with your body, your honor and your belongings intact in that order. The Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu said that superior strategy is to thwart your enemy's plan without coming into physical contact. In self defense this means to be aware of possible physical threats and to avoid those threats. Sun Tzu also said that those who lie in wait for the unprepared will triumph. This means that if you practice techniques for escaping physical confrontation, you will be prepared if you have to resort to physical means to survive.
In self-defense the most important aspect is awareness of your immediate surroundings. This enables you to recognize potentially threatening situations and to avoid them. The best-trained martial artist in the world cannot put up an adequate defense if he or she does not notice that there is a threat. Being ambushed [or sucker punched] usually leads to defeat.
There is an alert system to keep you prepared for defense. This system has three readiness conditions or states of readiness. These readiness conditions are states of mind not physical states of readiness. The three states are green, amber and red. The three states of readiness are defined as follows:
The Three States of Readiness
GREEN: This is a state of no perceived danger. The way most of us think when we are in our homes. If you are attacked while in this state of mind you are undone before you can physically react to the attack or situation. Additionally, you should never stumble about the world in a constant readiness condition of green. In a readiness condition of green you are always susceptible to an unperceived attack.
AMBER: This is a condition of constant monitoring of your surroundings. This condition does not imply a state of paranoia. It is a state where you are aware of all your surroundings, the good, the bad and the inconsequential. Without this monitoring you cannot evaluate the situation to determine if there is a threat present.
RED: This is a condition where there is an immediate threat present. This condition is known in U.S. Marine Corps infantry tactics as "contact eminent". The question is not if you are going to be attacked but rather when and how.
Obviously, a readiness condition of amber can escalate to red if you perceive a situation where you can be attacked. The point is you must be able to determine the best way to avoid conflict, i.e., determine the proper technique to employ in order to break contact and escape. An alternative strategy is to employ a preemptive strike during a readiness condition of red. With regard to the legal issue of self-defense, the concept of "it was self defense" is really a modern legal concept. Offense and defense are elements of an overall fighting strategy. The moral or legal implications of whom attacked who first is a mute point in combat. The overall purpose is to win at any cost. However, in order to avoid any complications with the authorities it is best to leave the area of an altercation immediately without leaving your business card.
In self-defense awareness is the ultimate key to success and not mere mastery of techniques. No matter how good you are you can't use your skill if you are taken by surprise. Your goal should be to escape from any situation or altercation uninjured. This philosophy is often in opposition to the aggressive fighting spirit developed in your Shorin Ryu karate training in the dojo. Additionally, it is quite different from the classical philosophy of European style warfare, "close with and kill your enemy". It is also quite different from the words of Genghis Khan "Man's highest joy is in victory: to conquer one's enemies, to pursue them, to deprive them of their possessions and to listen to the lamentation of their women and children". A pretty brutal philosophy! But no more brutal than the intentions of an assailant who in an altercation is intent on doing you harm when it comes to your own personal self-defense.
A more sensible approach to modern self-defense as opposed to the "close and kill" approach or the wanton aggression of Genghis Khan is to simply escape from any situation uninjured. If you perceive a threat of danger and feel an attack is eminent then three options are available to you. These options should be used in the following manor:
1. Awareness and Avoidance: Use awareness and avoidance to thwart an assailant’s attack. Perceive and then simply avoid a potentially dangerous situation. When it is time for the enemy to attack you are simply not there.
2. Preemptive Strike: If avoidance is not an option, that is there is no way out of the situation, then use a preemptive strike. A preemptive strike is used when the threat of violence is eminent or about to happen at any moment. It makes use of a great tactical element, the element of surprise. You simply attack the assailant before he can attack you [or as he attacks you].
3. Block and Counterattack: Wait for the assailant to attack, then block and counterattack. This is the classic defense, to wait for the opponent to attack and then strike him at his weak point when he is most vulnerable and defeat him.
These principles should be used in the order given in order to insure the highest degree of success. Again, awareness and the ability to perceive a threatening situation are essential in your own personal self-defense.
However, this self-defense strategy should be tempered with a certain amount of moral responsibility. It requires good judgement to determine what amount of force is necessary to subdue an attacker. The concept of force continuum is that you respond with an appropriate or equal amount of force as that wielded against you. One should know that there is a difference between your brother-in-law, who at a party has had a little too much to drink and has become obnoxious, and a knife-wielding mugger in an alley. You don't use the same techniques in both situations.
The Psychology of Self-Defense
It is known from street fighting experience that an untrained attacker's behavior is often predictable. Aggressive behavior on the part of a potential assailant typically starts with loud talking. The attacker will then poke or shove or point his finger at his intended victim. Then the real action starts. Invariably, the attacker will throw a right roundhouse punch to the head followed by a left punch to the head. The final aggressive action is grappling. An attacker will usually then try to tie up his victim by pinning his arms and wrestle him to the ground. This behavior must be perceived and evaluated quickly in order to be successful at self-defense. A potential assailant usually exhibits aggressive behavior by loud threatening speech accompanied by finger poking and then shoving. Unconsciously, your assailant is telling you what he is going to do. You should be thankful for this because he has given up the element of surprise, one of the main elements of strategy. Your reaction should be to subtly step into renoji dachi (L stance) shifting your hips to a 45 degree angle, thus depriving him of targets by displacing your vital points such as groin, solar plexus, etc. without your assailant even noticing the subtle shift to a kamae or ready stance. A caveat to your self-defense psychology is to beware of the experienced street fighter! A truly dangerous assailant will not exhibit this behavior. He will not give up the element of surprise and will try to "sucker punch" you.
Implied in Shorin Ryu’s self-defense strategy is the ability to lead the opponent into a position in which the defender takes advantage of the attacker’s movement and then counterattacks. This defense and counterattack strategy has certain additional advantages, which actually make it the favored method. In the counterattack, the defender must be able to move his body quickly to avoid an attack. Notwithstanding a preemptive strike, Shorin Ryu Karate's self-defense response to an attack by an assailant is twofold. One measure is to block the attack; the second is to simultaneously shift away from a blow by body shifting or taisabaki. Body shifting is displacing or angling away from an opponent's attack so that the opponent can be hit, but the defender still remains out of range. Body shifting can be to the inside of the opponent's attack or the outside. The outside is preferable in that it puts the defender away from the power zone and makes it difficult for the assailant to reach the defender with a second punch. The use of the counterattack requires superb timing and use of proper distancing as well as executing the counter technique with swift action. These elements are prerequisite to making this strategy work.
Pure self-defense implies only neutralizing the
assailant's attack. However, to insure your own safety a counterattack
must be launched after the defense. An old Chinese proverb states "To be
merciful to your attacker means to be harmful to yourself".
Additionally, once you have succeeded in striking your assailant then it
is time to give up a certain amount of bravado. It is advisable to break
contact with the assailant as soon as possible. Once the assailant's
attack has been neutralized and the defender has launched a
counterattack it is important to leave the area in order to prevent
further attacks. The defender should run if necessary in order to break
contact. In summary, the psychology of self-defense and your reaction to
it and appropriate response is predictable. The system of self-defense
contained in Shorin Ryu karate is both simple and effective and can be
easily learned. These proven strategies of self defense derived from
Shorin Ryu Karate have been tested in combat and have survived to the
present day. They have been handed down to us from another time
and are the "fast and hard" fighting tradition of Shorin Ryu Karate.