MERIDIANS AND THEIR IMPACT ON KARATE TRAINING & KATA by Sempai Robert New

When I first started training in karate I looked at the warm up as simply that, a warm up for the lesson ahead. After I trained for a while I began to see that the movements in the warm up could be used for self-defence. Similarly when I started to learn Kata; first I learned the movements and then began to see the applications or bunkai hidden within the techniques. However it was not until I started to train in Shiatsu that I began to see whole new side to some of the movements from the warm up and Kata. What I discovered was that within these movement were not only self-defence applications and stretches of the limbs but also stretches and movements of meridians. Meridians, according to Eastern medicine, are energy channels that flow throughout the body. Traditionally there are twelve meridians, each related to a particular organ of the human body.[1] For more information on the meridians, refer to the appendix. This essay will examine some of the links between the Eastern concepts of meridians and the body and karate training. It will analyse some of the movements from the warm up for relevance to meridian exercises and also explore the kata Nai Hanchi as a means for improving the health of various organs based on the meridian movements within it.

WARM UP

Most of the beneficial exercises for various meridians occur during the standard warm up. Part of the warm up consists of the following movements:

MOVEMENTS

1)      Swinging the arms from side-to-side

2)      Clasping hands and raising them behind your back

3)      Clasping hands and raising them above your head and stretching upwards

4)      Pulling in then out with arms

5)      Circling the arms

6)      Back raises

7)      Deep breathing

                 (1)                                               (2)                                            (3)

                 (4)                                               (5)                                    (6)

                  (7)

The warm up exercises benefit various organs/meridians, namely the gall bladder, liver, lungs, large intestines, spleen and triple warmer. The movements are either stretches that help maintain the structure and “health” of the meridian or movements that help disperse the energy along the meridian.

The Gall Bladder is assisted by movement (1). This movement stretches the gall bladder and causes the bile that is stored within it to move around; in Eastern medicine this stops it becoming “stagnant.” Thus this movement is said to help not only the gall bladder but also digestion (since bile is responsible for breaking up dietary fats so they can be transported to the rest of the body).

The Liver is also assisted by movement (1). The liver is an extremely important organ in the body and it has many functions. Some of which include the production of bile (which is then stored in the gall bladder), detoxifying the blood, storing vitamins, regulating blood sugar and storing iron (part of red blood cells).

The Small Intestine is assisted by movement (2). This movement helps to pull the organ into its correct anatomical position (especially if the abdomen is drawn in at the same time). The small intestine is where the nutrients from the food we eat are absorbed into our body and so having it in the correct position (and therefore less likely to block) is important to maintain the health of the body.

The Lungs are assisted by movements (3) and (4) and (7). These movements help the lungs by opening/extending the rib cage and expanding the lungs – thereby helping to remove the “stagnant” air from the lungs  (this is especially true of the deep breathing) and improving respiration. In Eastern traditional medicine air (and food) contain “Ki” (Lifeforce/energy); therefore improving the condition of the lungs is very important. It is worth noting that karate also facilitates this through the aerobic conditioning the practice of this art requires.

The Large Intestine is assisted by movements (5) + (6). The large intestine is responsible for the elimination and production of solid wastes from the body and is where the stool is formed. The movements assist this organ by stretching it and “pulling” the organ into place as well as stimulating the movement of energy along its meridian.

The Triple Warmer is assisted by movement (5). The triple warmer is a theoretical organ that is akin to the body’s thermostat and equilibrium control centre. The triple warmer harmonises respiration, digestion and elimination. The movement of the arms stimulates this meridian, which flows from the ring finger to the side of the eyebrow.

The Spleen is assisted by movement (7). The benefit to this organ from this exercise is not from any particular movement or stretching of the organ but due to the inhalation of “Ki” that supports the organ.

Based on these relationships to organ health, one can see how the warm up exercises help the body to cope with the training ahead by boosting the health and performance of the body and also by increasing the body’s ability to cope with the training. One can conclude from this that the warm up is a vital part of training.

The interesting thing about the above movements is that there are correlations to them within Kata. One can see for example, how one of the movements from Seishan (Kata) has the same effect on the body/back as “back raises” (movement 6 above) (see pictures below).

            Seishan                                        Warm Up Movement (6)

NAI HANCHI

Hidden within the Nai Hanchi kata (called Tekki in Shotokan) are more movements that relate to meridians and the Eastern philosophy of the body. What is interesting about this kata is that there is some anecdotal evidence that suggests that performing it many times may have beneficial effects on the health of the body. Take for example the following quotes from Gichin Funakoshi’s autobiography Karate-Do: My Way Of Life:

“I was rather a sickly baby and a frail child; accordingly it was suggested when I was still quite young that to overcome these handicaps I ought to begin the study of karate. … [Soon] my health began to improve noticeably [and I became] strong, vigorous and outgoing.”

“If a man with gastric troubles practices karate until the sweat runs from his body, it will cause his blood to flow more freely and so alleviate his distress.” (Funakoshi, 1956, p xiv)

There is also evidence to suggest that Nai Hanchi was the first kata that Funakoshi learnt as the following quotes show;

“In the past, Nai Hanchi was … the first kata taught” (Abernethy, 2002)

“In his writings, Funakoshi informs us that Itsou required him to practice each version of Nai Hanchi for over three years. It is a good indication of the kata's importance when you consider that the first decade of Funakoshi's training revolved solely around Nai Hanchi.” (Abernethy, 2002)

In light of this one can conclude that Funakoshi’s improved health was brought about at least in part by the practice of this kata.

The opening moves of Nai Hanchi involve the raising and circling of the arms in a way that is similar to movement (5) above and then bringing the palms of the hands to the sternum and moving them down in front of the abdomen until the arms are locked straight. One can also practice deep breathing (movement (7) above) in conjunction with these movements (breathing in as the arms are raised and out as they are lowered. If one accepts the meridian theory and the concept of ki then these movements, as well as having many self-defence applications (bunkai,) also have health benefits. Overlooking the bunkai for these movements they can be interpreted (or re-interpreted) as being:

1. The inhalation of ki as the arms are raised, exhalation of “used ki/air” as the arms are lowered/come together.
2. Gathering ki in the hands as more ki is inhaled and the elbows bend to bring the hands to the sternum.
3. Ki is then directed to the internal organs as the hands run down the abdomen; specifically the small and large intestines are targeted through this motion given their anatomical location beneath the muscles.

Thus these few movements can bring about improved health by improving the functioning of the small and large intestines, however these organs continue to be “targeted” in the next few movements.

The large intestines are targeted by the movement “drawing the bow”/palm heel (see pictures below & movement 8 in Appendix B). This stance stretches the meridian (rather than the actual organ) and promotes energy flow along it.

(8) Nai Hanchi “drawing the bow”/palm heel

Later movements in the kata are also very similar to movements (1) & (5) that were discussed earlier. These movements also target the large intestine (and liver, gall bladder & triple warmer).

 (9) Circling arms (soto uke)                     (10) arms side to side/empi

The kata as a whole can be split into two halves whereby the first and second halves are mirror images of each other. This supports the theory that the kata is designed to help the meridians of the organs listed, since meridians are bilateral which means they run on both the left and right sides of the body. Thus the movements of Nai Hanchi being performed on both sides of the body means that the meridians are doubly benefited and gain more than if the kata was performed in one direction only. The interesting thing about Nai Hanchi is that if you analyse its effects on meridians it targets mostly the small and large intestines. This means that the quotes from Funakoshi & Abernathy given above become even more strongly linked.

Funakoshi states that karate practice can cure gastric upsets, Abernathy equates the early years of Funakoshi’s karate training with the practice of Nai Hanchi kata, Analysis of the kata shows that it benefits the small and large intestine (i.e.: the gastric system), therefore one can tentatively conclude that there is a link between these three assertions.

Based on the evidence of the links between some of the warm up movements and meridian exercises/stretches and the strong correlations these movements have with those of Nai Hanchi kata, it can be concluded that in addition to being an excellent kata for bunkai, the repeated performance of Nai Hanchi kata can have many beneficial effects on the performer’s health and their digestive system.

 REFERENCES:

Abernathy, Iain (2002) Nai Hanchi - Karate's Most Deadly Kata?

URL: http://www.practical-martial-arts.co.uk/practical_karate/iain_abernethy/ia_deadly_kata.html

Funakoshi, Gichin (1956) Karate-Do: My Way Of Life Kodansha, USA.

Hibbs, Linc (2004) Tai Shi Kai Wado-Ryu Dojo Handbook and Training Manual

Tai Shi Kai, Australia.

McCarthy, Patrick (1995) Bubishi: The Bible of Karate Tuttle Publishing, USA.

Murdoch, Lewis (2001) A Martial Arts Perspective –Wado/Shiatsu in Pointers (Journal of the Shiatsu Therapy Association of Australia), STAA, Australia.

Nai Hanchi: URL: http://www.linacre.ox.ac.uk/soc_pages/karate/pages/Naihanchi/naihanch.htm

Wilson, Molly et al. (1999/2000) Shiatsu Certificate Course. [NOTES]