50 aspects of Chinese Maritime Defense Arts

Five aspects of a military art

  1. In military combat there are multiple opponents and distances.
  2. Military combat focuses on team fighting. (Many against many, many against one).
  3. Military combat requires a broad set of offensive fighting capabilities.
  4. Military combat requires weapons training.
  5. Military training and all aspects of the transmission of military information is done in complete secret.

Five aspects of a naval defense art

  1. Melee fighting (attackers all around)
  2. Close quarters (confined area)
  3. Short spears
  4. Uncertain footing (a ship’s deck can be slippery and unsteady)
  5. Requirement for training in close quarters, and requirement for secrecy

Five ways to hide a spear art in an empty hand art

  1. Look in the wrong direction
  2. Close hands. Make fists and turn wrists.
  3. Remove/hide techniques and teach variations.
  4. Practice symmetrical and stylized movements.
  5. Practice some movements slowly and with pauses.

Five aspects of spear movements

  1. The ability to fight opponents in opposite directions requires the development of both the right and left side.
  2. A spear movement can attack the weapon (block) or the enemies body (strike).
  3. Spear fighting requires effective stabbing motions.
  4. Spear movements require effective chopping motions.
  5. Short spear movements include swinging movements.

Five aspects of Chinese short spear kata

  1. There are offensive horizontal cuts to a specific target.
  2. There are offensive downward angular cuts to a specific target.
  3. There are offensive upward angular cuts to a specific target.
  4. There are offensive stabbing thrusts to a specific target.
  5. These movements are used to create complex combinations.

Summary of five major training principles of a spear art

  1. There are always multiple opponents
  2. Speed is the essence of the movement
  3. There are charges of charges of various distances that can be used for attacking and retreating simultaneously
  4. Running is essential.
  5. Opponents aren’t necessary stationary and they can have longer weapons.

Pinan kata - five common sequences with other kata families

  1. The kata work in both directions, front and back
  2. 3 (4) steps (attacking and retreating)
  3. High hand positions
  4. Forty five degree angles and side to side movements
  5. Variations on angles are useful

Five attributes of Pinan (Channan) kata

  1. Attacks
  2. Evasions
  3. Spins/stabs
  4. Opposite directions
  5. Movements on all four lines.

Five spear techniques in Pinan Shodan

  1. Strikes
  2. Chops
  3. Horizontal Swings
  4. Rising swings
  5. Stabs

Five reasons kata should be evaluated for use with the spear

  1. Critical importance for defending tribute trade
  2. Chinese military authorities in Okinawa
  3. 1609 date is over-rated
  4. Motobu mention of Chintei - Yari
  5. Utter lack of useful applications for long forward movements found in kata.