Brought to you by Renshi Robyn Rush-James THE OBSERVER Volume 1, Issue 2 May 1st, 2008 A quick glance at what is inside this issue: Weapons Wisdom HISTORY OF THE SAI Korean National Flag, 2 The sai (short sword) was to have Book Review, Differences been known originally as a farming between Arnis, Kali and tool. Used by the okinawans was Escrima dragged through the soil by one peasant, while another would plant the seed in the resulting furrow. If Stances Knowledge & 3 approached by a marauding Meet the Masters samurai, the Sai is used as a couple (Chotoku Kyan) (2), but there has been a custom to carry the third sai hidden in the belt. This third sai could be used in the case where one sai was being Picture obtained from: www.karate.org.yu/articles Jhoon Rhee 7 qualities of 4-5 thrown at the opponent. Thus, the a Champion, Martial Arts third sai was actually used to throw at the warrior (think about the end “manji sai”. A manji sai has an arm Etiquette, Jeff Speakman Sai-jutsu Seminar, Okinawan Sym- of Choto Kyan no sai). This guard that has a shape of the letter maneuver was often the key to Sai-Jutsu is defined as the tech- bol “S” rather than the typical “U” winning the encounter. shape. The kobudo expert Shinko niques of using the Sai or Jitte Tales from the Island, 6-7 The sai was capable of killing or Matayoshi, saw this weapon in for warfare. The principal maiming an enemy with a blow to Counting in Japanese, Shanghai (China) and brought it method was to catch a sword the back to the neck or a thrust to later to Okinawa. Merchandize Special, blade with the central section the throat or the eye. However, the Before 1900, Sai was used by the and cause it to slide down to Kenpo Kata History, Shi- sharp points of that first sai have members of the local police, the lodge in between the guard and han Larry Isaac Bio been blunted and rounded and it no “chikusaji”, for doing their duty longer serves as a weapons for and for self-protection. The chiku- the middle, close to the handle. Tenets of Tae Kwon Do 8-9 mortal combat. saji were in charge for guarding the The wrist twisted the blade and Why kids should study Fashioned of steel and chrome- palace, collecting tax, maintaining either snapped it or perhaps Martial Arts, History of a plated, it is an attractive weapon, the order and catching outlaws. dragged it from the swords- Samurai bearing two prongs at the handle. The sai was considered the ideal man’s hands or simply pulled it In the early days, there used to be weapon for defending oneself aside so that the defender could many different types of this against attackers with a stick or a attack with the other sai. Instructor Spotlight, Ob- 10 weapon, but nowadays its form is club, because it enables catching standardized. server purpose & Weap- the opponent’s weapon and disarm- www.karate.org.yu/articles ons Schools Contact Info There is a type of a sai called a ing. Misconceptions and Myths: A Black Belt is a Master Excerpts from February 2006 issue of Black Belt Magazine, Part 1 - Vol 44 No. 1 (http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/452) by Jonathan Maberry Not even close. A first-degree black belt and you feed him for a day, but teach a man within a few years. Most of the traditional is an advanced beginner. The belt signifies to fish and you feed him for life. This is instructors I know maintain that a person his passage from the ranks of those who similar to the climb from colored belt to becomes a true expert by the time he are still learning to the ranks of those black belt: The black belt has learned how to reaches third degree, which is for many who’ve learned how to learn. That’s a learn and therefore becomes more proactive arts the point at which a person can begin significant difference. in his own education. teaching. The transition from white belt to black Does this mean he’s an expert? Well, my These days, first- and second-degree belt has less to do with techniques than colleagues in the martial arts are evenly split black belts are often assigned to teach, and with learning the methodology and proce- on that point. One point of view is: Yes, a many are even called sensei. This market- dures necessary to think like a martial first-degree black belt is an expert on the ing tactic confuses the issue, especially artist. A black belt should be able to grasp basic gross motor skills necessary to perform when younger students learn to equate the concepts on which the arts are based, martial arts moves. The other is: No, a first- anyone with a black belt with instructor- which is far more important than his ability degree black belt is not an expert but an level expertise. to perform any technique. There’s a saying advanced beginner who’s just grasping the about human survival: Give a man a fish concepts he’ll need to become an expert PAGE 2 THE OBSERVER VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 The Korean National Flag The Korean National Flag, the symbol of the Republic of Korea South Korea, is named "T'aegukki." The name was derived from the taeguk circle in the center. The circle is divided equally and in perfect balance. The red upper section represents the yang and the blue lower section stands for the yin. According to traditional Oriental Philosophy, the two symbolize the great cosmic forces, which oppose each other but achieve perfect harmony and balance. The taeguk circle stands for the eternal principle that everything in the universe is created and develops through the interac- tion between yin and yang; thus it symbolizes creation and development. The four trigrams surrounding the circle denote the process of yin and yang going through a spiral of change and growth. The three unbroken lines at the upper left represent heaven (kun), the three broken lines at the lower right represent earth (kon), the two broken lines with an unbroken line in the middle at the upper right represent water (kam), and the two unbroken lines with an broken line in the middle at the lower left represent fire (yi). The white background of the flag symbolizes the purity of the Korean peo- ple and their peace-loving spirit. The flag as a whole is symbolic of the ideal of the Korean people to develop forever together with the universe. As red and blue constitute two extreme colors of the visible light spectrum, the flag can only refer to opposites unified within the white color used as back- ground. It has been noted that when originally designed the red was the color of the King whereas blue was the color of ordinary people. http://www.itatkd.com/koreanflag.html BOOK REVIEW — Readers Corner! The Bible of Karate: Bubishi translated with commentary by Patrick McCarthy* This book is one of the required and mandatory readings of books for a black belt rank with Mrs. Rush-James in either Kenpo open hand or in Kobudo (weapons). This book gives great insights to the history and philosophy of martial arts. Along with topics of Chinese Medicine and Herbal Phar- macology, Vital Points, and Fighting Techniques. It is of a higher level reading and is one considered of the secret books of quanfa (kempo). The white crane principles are described in this historical document as well as the original orthodox bunkai (application) of kata’s (forms) along with moral precepts that govern the behavior of those that are serious practitioners that use and understand why it has been kept a secret for so many generations. “Patrick McCarthy is one of the foremost Western Historian of Karate-do” - Fighting Arts International What are the differences between Arnis, Eskrima, and Kali ? Basically, there is no difference. The where skills in both empty hand and The name Kali is seldom used in the general martial arts community uses the weapons are developed using similar, if Philippines and in most cases is an un- different names to refer to the same art. not the same, training methods to teach known word. Originally, the difference in the name both. Practitioners of these arts are either implied the region from which noted for their ability to fight with Spelling - Eskrima is the same as Es- the art originated or the time period weapons or empty hands interchangea- crima. Eskrima is the older spelling. when the art was developed. bly. These three names, and there are many Eskrima and Arnis are the names pri- http://www.martialartsresource.com/ others, refer to Filipino Martial Arts marily used in the Philippines today. filipino/filframe.htm VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 THE OBSERVER PAGE 3 “ The Horse Stance” To get into the proper horse stance your feet tween your heels. “The Horse Stance” should be slightly more than twice shoulder- Kiba Dachi width apart. Feet should be pointed straight Abdominal and buttock muscles should be ahead with your knees bent so that your tight and your toes should grip the floor. You should be low enough in your stance to pro- The horse stance is one of the most com- lower legs are near-perpendicular. (If your vide a solid foundation, but not so low that mon stances in the martial arts.