subject: The Purpose Of Goju Ryu Karate Kata Training [print this page] Goju Ryu Karate is famous for Sanchin Kata, though, to be fair, many other Karate systems train in Sanchin Stance based forms.This karate form is critical to the martial arts student not because of movements found in the goju ryu techniques. This form is critical because of Sanchin breathing.
There are several things that occur because of training in Sanchin Dachi. These things depend upon proper breathing practice, which is the first phase of the karate kata. Proper breathing, down to the tan tien, causes the body to generate energy.
This chi energy 'coats' the body as if with an impenetrable shield of armor. The muscles, the bones, the entire body, become able to withstand the hardest kick or punch. Strike somebody who has worked on sanchin dachi and you are apt to hurt yourself!
Proper breathing will establish an iron body (called golden bell in Chinese). The student wil then become capable of the lightening hard strikes, the bone breaking blocks, inherent within all good Goju ryu techniques. It is a rueful lesson to an attacker to strike a trained goju trained stylist and feel their arm shatter on a block, and then receive a strike that causes their ribs to break, their kidneys to fail, and their will to live wane.
It is easy to think that these things can be had by a simple training regimen consisting of Goju Ryu Kata, but that is not the truth. As with anything, sincere desire must be manifest in order for these things to work. This is where we must touch upon the intense martial arts discipline and the martial arts meditation that takes place in Goju.
The physical effects of Goju training are extreme. The body learns proper alignment, and workable mechanics occur. Of course, one must be sure they are practicing a workable and evolved style of the art.
The mind is the repository of existence, and it holds countless random thoughts during the course of a day. It is the purpose of the student to throw himself into his karate kata so intensely that the mind is cleared of random thoughts. A mind empty of distractions can then focus on pure martial discipline.
This method of emptying the mind results in a mind free from surface thoughts. There is no internal verbalizing of thoughts to the goju practitioner, or to any karateka practicing a good karate system. Thus, strong body, strong mind, the Goju Ryu Karateka reaps the benefits of Sanchin Kata in large ways.
