Outer Eastern Martial Arts
Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate, Progressive Krav Maga & Reality Based Self Defence
Kakie is a traditional form of Okinawan training similar to sticking hand practice from the Chinese Martial Arts such as Tai Chi and Kung Fu. It is also a fundamental part of Tegumi or Okinawan wrestling.
For those familiar with Taira Sensei's teaching you will recognise the sticky hands in his drills.
The traditional method of training Kakie conditions the arms as well as teaching sensitivity, depending on whether the contact is heavy or light. With light contact you can sense the intent of your partner before he actually moves so you are immediately ready to counter his movement. A variation of the drill is to use one hand against your partner's two hands and to practise with your eyes closed.
The last video is discussing the principles of a much softer type of sticky hands as found in Tai Chi. It is very much the same sticky hands that we practise.
The Way of Least Resistance
Dan Djurdjevic
Push hands or "listening hands" - what it's all about.
Very recently I have been doing a lot of "push hands". What is "push hands"?
Well to start with, I prefer Chen Yun-Ching Shifu's term for it - "listening hands". Other terms used include "sticky hands". This is a form of 2 person training (a form of limited sparring, if you will) that is found in almost every traditional Chinese and Okinawan system of martial arts.
Well to start with, I prefer Chen Yun-Ching Shifu's term for it - "listening hands". Other terms used include "sticky hands". This is a form of 2 person training (a form of limited sparring, if you will) that is found in almost every traditional Chinese and Okinawan system of martial arts.
Basically it involves setting up a rhythmical, cyclic sequence of
movements with a partner. This cycle can then be interrupted at certain
unpredictable moments with a technique - be it a push, a strike or a
joint lock (qin-na). Accordingly it serves as a platform for applying
techniques in a semi-free scenario; one where this a dynamic context
(ie. one that occurs in the context of continuous movement) but not one
that is totally unpredictable and chaotic. There is, instead, only one
moment of "chaos" - the point at which you or your partner chooses to
"break" the sequence with an unscripted movement. How you break that
sequence and how your partner responds to that sequence depends on what
happens next.
Some schools have set movements - often quite elaborate - making up the sequence.
Sometimes these movements take the form of "essence moves" that form the foundation of deflections, parrys and even strikes. Examples can be found in the taiji sequence "peng, liu, ji and an" and in the various "chi sau" ("sticky hands") of wing chun (which feature deflections such as fook sau, tan sau, lap sau, bong sau etc.). The concept in such sequences is that while moving through it you are mapping neural pathways important for learning the principles (and not necessarily the actual techniques) that underlie traditional fighting methodologies.
Some schools have set movements - often quite elaborate - making up the sequence.
Sometimes these movements take the form of "essence moves" that form the foundation of deflections, parrys and even strikes. Examples can be found in the taiji sequence "peng, liu, ji and an" and in the various "chi sau" ("sticky hands") of wing chun (which feature deflections such as fook sau, tan sau, lap sau, bong sau etc.). The concept in such sequences is that while moving through it you are mapping neural pathways important for learning the principles (and not necessarily the actual techniques) that underlie traditional fighting methodologies.
Sometimes these drills are practised without any attempt to "break" the
flow; their practice is in itself a means to an end. Most schools will
however have some element of a "break".
In some schools there isn't even a set sequence; instead practitioners will simply let their arms remain in contact while flowing around each other until someone makes an aggressive movement (ie. the "break" referred to above) - to which the the other person will then have to respond. This is usually called "freestyle" push hands or listening hands.
In some schools there isn't even a set sequence; instead practitioners will simply let their arms remain in contact while flowing around each other until someone makes an aggressive movement (ie. the "break" referred to above) - to which the the other person will then have to respond. This is usually called "freestyle" push hands or listening hands.
Some schools will do both scripted and freestyle listening hands.
But this still leaves unanswered the following question: why do this form of training? What function does listening hands have that cannot be achieved through other forms of training, be it sparring (free or restricted)?
The answer, as I've foreshadowed, lies in sensitivity; "listening" to your opponent, learning how to "hear" every change in his or her movement through contact and responding to that change in a seamless, intuitive way.
In this regard I often see various forms of listening hands (particularly Okinawan kakie) being performed with tension (ie. muscular resistance or exertion). This approach is, in my view, of limited value.
But this still leaves unanswered the following question: why do this form of training? What function does listening hands have that cannot be achieved through other forms of training, be it sparring (free or restricted)?
The answer, as I've foreshadowed, lies in sensitivity; "listening" to your opponent, learning how to "hear" every change in his or her movement through contact and responding to that change in a seamless, intuitive way.
In this regard I often see various forms of listening hands (particularly Okinawan kakie) being performed with tension (ie. muscular resistance or exertion). This approach is, in my view, of limited value.
You can read more here.