All caches in
this series are named after Katas that are practised and studied in
Goju Ryu karate. Although there are only 12 basic Katas in this
style of karate, Kata have been developed and added throughout the
years. Some dojos include these additional Katas, as well as other
foreign Katas in their training. The Kata in this series represent
those studied at the various dojos my family has been involved with
for over two decades.
All caches are on the Bruce Trail, and other
than a few exceptions, should be easy
finds.
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"Karate begins and ends with Kata. Kata is the
essence and foundation of karate and it represents the accumulation
of more than a 1000 years of knowledge. Formed by numerous masters
throughout the ages through dedicated training and research, the
kata are like a map to guide us, and as such should never be
changed or tampered with"
Morio
Hiagaonna
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Kata literally means
"form" in Japanese, and is a series of choreographed patterns or
movements practised by most Japanese and Okinawan martial arts. In
Goju-Ryu Karate, the kata is an essential form of training, helping
a student to visualize an enemy attack and their response. Kata
practise promotes the development of proper breathing, technique
and focus, to help develop power and strength, while maintaining a
relaxed, calm mind, and is often described as "moving
meditation"
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, Pangai-noon and the Tiger-Crane
Combination style associated with Ang Lian-Huat. Tam Hon taught a
style that was called simply "Saam Jin" (Cantonese for "Sanchin").
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 Chojun Miyagi
and uses a very strong, tense closed fist "push". 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. 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