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Marlin Emschweiler
What is conditioning? Martial Artists may define it as body building, aerobic calisthenics. Others may define it as pounding; the toughing of the body to take/absorb hits.
The dictionary
defines it as a sound state of fitness, to render fit, to accustom a person to
something (like body pounding). The dictionary also defines it as any
circumstances that affect a person or activity.
Anybody can lift weights to develop a strong body and toughen up their
body to take and absorb hits.
Let us look beyond the obvious and look at what Sanchin teaches us. First what is the meaning of Sanchin? It means three steps or conflicts, but what are the conflicts. Mind, body and spirit. What good is having a strong body when the mind is dull and the spirit weak?
The practice of
Sanchin is called Shi-Go-Ki. This means to condition your body against pain and
your mind against fear. Sanchin was first developed as a form of
meditation. Later, movement was added to trick the mind.
As a moving meditation, it develops self-discipline and mental
tranquility. You learn to control your body and mind, so that a sudden
movement, word or other action will not distract you.
Another important aspect of Sanchin is breathing. Proper breathing is
essential to body hardening and stamina. The Pangai-noon style is based on the
movements of the Tiger, dragon and crane. The
dragon inspired breathing techniques that are almost spiritual in nature; light
and floating like clouds or powerful as the winds of a hurricane.
Yagyu
Munenari
Controlling or conditioning the mind can be accomplished by staring straight ahead during your kata, looking not at any point, nor concentrating on any one thing, but striving to open your sense of awareness to take in as much of your surroundings as possible. At first, you will only see and be aware of a small area around you. But if you do it properly, no sudden motion will catch your attention and thus limit your awareness. Focusing on a single action or object can be called a distraction in Karate, since your awareness to your surroundings would be greatly reduced. This could relate to focusing on a single punch, and not being able too clearly see a follow up technique or an attack by a second person.
What gradually happens through training is that a student’s awareness expands, and no loss of clarity occurs within his vision. Once the mind opens up in this manner, the mind will be able to absorb 100% of what the eyes transmit, and all senses become greatly improved.
What about the “spiritual aspects” of conditioning? Kimi, or spiritual focus is probably the most important element in the development of kiai. It is the gel that brings all the other facets together. Kime is the focus that literally defines kiai’s “focused life force.” It takes a long time for most students to learn a proper kiai. How many times have we heard students grunt or even yell the word kiai when told to kiai on the strike? It takes a very long time to develop it. It is used to focus all your energy into a single strike, or in the case of a master, the yell alone is enough to strike terror in an opponent. Focus your spirit through your eyes. Fighting isn’t merely a physical contest. It is a battle of wills, a deadly struggle of one spirit against another. There is a lot of truth in the old saying, "the eyes are a window to the soul”. If you believe that it’s metaphysics or simply psychology, you can read the strength of an opponent’s spirit in his eyes. Do not stare into his eyes or watch his face; the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi said, you should keep your gaze large. But your spirit must focus on dominating his, and to do that, the center of your gaze should rest gently on the portal to his spirit, his eyes.