Sanchin

Nihongo|Sanchin|サンチン|Sanchin is a kata of Southern Chinese (Fujianese) origin that is considered to be the core of several styles, the most well-known being the Goju Ryu and Uechi Ryu styles of Karate as well as the Chinese martial arts of Fujian White Crane, Five Ancestors, and the Tiger-Crane Combination style associated with Ang Lian-Huat. Tam Hon taught a style that was called simply "Saam Jin" ("Sanchin" in Cantonese). The name Sanchin, meaning three battles, is sometimes interpreted as the battle to unify the mind, body, and spirit; there are other interpretations of it, however.

The version of Sanchin used by most styles of Karate was developed by Goju Ryu founder Chōjun Miyagi and uses a very strong, tense closed fist "push". In Uechi Ryu and in Ryusei, the practice of Sanchin is closer to the Chinese version with faster spear hand strikes a little snake like.

General Information

Only one stance is used—the sanchin (meaning "three battles") stance, from which a name of the kata is derivative now (initially it was named as Peppuren [http://seinenkai.com 1] . Sanchin-dachi is a practical stance, and yet is the most difficult stance to master. The legs protect the body from sweep kicks, the thighs are to trap low kicks. According to a tai chi manual ("Zhengzi 13 postures"), the punch draws its power from the earth through the legs—the flip of the hips enables the strength of the whole body to be channeled and focused into one punch.

Properly employed, Sanchin kata follows the "hard" style of karate—all the muscles are to be flexed and tensed throughout the kata—actually making it the most strenuous kata. This type of strength training, is only recently understood in Western science and is known as "isometric training" in bodybuilding.

In Chinese training, Sanchin kata also introduces the student to the use of "qi" (Japanese "ki") for training and fighting applications. It can be understood to be a form of "qigong" as employed in Chinese Wushu. Many western interpretations of qi/ki explain it as an enhanced understanding of internal body dynamics and muscle control through repeated and strenuous training.

In Gōjū, there are two sanchin kata: the first one, Miyagi's sanchin (or "sanchin dai ichi"), the most widely taught as initial and Kihongata, was created for such purpose by Chojun Miyagi, and has no turns so the karateka goes forward and then backwards. The second sanchin, Higashionna's sanchin (or "sanchin dai ni") is a full-version Sanchingata and is older and was taught by Higashionna Kanryo. In this kata the karateka always goes forward, but turns 180 degrees twice. Initially it was taught with open hands, as sanchin-kata still is in Uechi-ryu, but later it was also revised to closed fists by Miyagi's co-student Juhatsu Kyoda, founder of To'on-ryu, and adopted by Chojun Miyagi as well.

This kata was adopted by other styles such as Isshin-ryū.

Stance

The Sanchin routine uses only its namesake stance and is carried out with controlled breathing (ibuki breathing) - only half exhalation so that you never fully exhale. Inhalation and exhalation are performed in unison with the various blocking and striking movements. In the most commonly taught versions, emphasis is placed on the tension of the practitioners' muscles, and movement of the body as a solid, stable unit, with only the moving part relaxing a little. The Chinese and Uechi-Ryu version uses open hands while other Japanese versions tend to use closed fists. Certain schools of Five Ancestors kung fu, most noticeably those hailing from the Chee Kim-Thong lineage, employ minimal tension during execution. This is intended to facilitate the correct training of qi (or ki).

The following description does not apply to the Chinese Sānzhàn stance.

The narrow (shoulder width) upright "pigeon-toed" foot position of the Sanchin stance (Japanese: sanchin dachi) balances stability in two directions (front and side) with the flexible waist rotation needed for strong punches and kicks, whilst the hips remain forward and stable to maintain a rooted stance. The turned-in position of the front knee and the bent back knee help protect the groin from kicks.

Shime

Some styles use Sanchin as a method of checking strength and posture, as well as concentration. All hits directed towards the karateka are done at the end of the punch, when they are in their most tense position. Most Goju-ryu schools use the following checking procedure:

* Light to heavy slap to the shoulders. This checks that the shoulders are relaxed, but tense. It also tests to see if the karateka's stance will buckle under the blow.
* Light tapping to the lats. This is to check if the karateka is holding proper form with their arms, and squeezing their elbows in.
* Checking the legs. From behind, slap the front of the hamstrings, and then the calves.
* Fingers to the back of the neck. This is a reminder to fix posture.
* Kick. From the rear, kick to the groin. If the karateka is in proper Sanchin stance, he or she will be able to trap the kick with the inner thighs.
* Stomach check. Light to heavy slapping of the stomach, open palm. This reminds the karateka to regulate breathing and push out with the stomach.
* Posture. Check the posture by hooking, open palmed, the wrists, and guiding the punch, while applying resistance. Also, when stepping forward, give a little pull to check balance and stepping method.

See also

* Karate stances
* Karate kata
* Tiger Crane Paired Form
* Isshin Ryu
* Naihanchi

External links

* [http://www.yongchunbaihechuen.com/videos.html Martin Watts' collection of Yongchūn White Crane (永春白鶴) videos, including several renditions of Sānzhàn (Sanjan)]
* [http://www.kungfu-taichi.com Videos of San Zhan patterns from Crane, Dog style and Okinawan Karate styles]