Dear Students, Teachers and Parents,

Please remember that all schools, clubs and the main dojo are closed
this Monday in recognition of Martin Luther King Day.

The next belt test will be February 1st at the following times: 8:45 –
little dragons; 9:00- all white, yellow and orange belts; 9:30 all
green, blue and purple belts. At 10:00 we will be having a free
seminar to cover the new requirements for all green, blue and purple
belt students. This should last 1 hour, so novice students should
plan on being there from 9:30 to 11:00. We will have an instructor
class at 11:00, which is mandatory for all instructors and assistant
instructors, which will be finished at 11:45.

Next months black belt club seminar will be on the 9 elements of
Kojosho and will be covered on Saturday, February 8th from 9:00 –
10:30.

Lesson of the Week

Hikite – The Retreating Hand

One important concept taught in classical martial arts is how to use
the opposite hand when performing a karate technique. The use of the
other hand when executing a karate technique is usually divided into
soide (the following hand) and hikite (the retreating hand). This
week we will discuss hikite or the retreating hand.
Many modern fighters make fun of the classical martial artist because
they pull their hand back to a chamber position along their side
because they do not understand the purpose behind this motion. This
action serves several purposes, but the two most important is
trapping and to provide additional power generated in the opposite
hand.
Trapping occurs by encircling the opponents extended limb and by
instantly trapping and pressing it to the side of our body. This
action holds the opponent for a split second to allow us to counter
attack or escape. Once we have trapped the attacking limb, this opens
us up to variety of predetermined counter attacks practiced in our
kata.
Another attribute of hikite, is the generation of more power in the
opposite hand. It is understood that for every action, there is an
equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, if you work on developing
more power in the retreating hand, the power of your punch will
increase as well. This is one of those subtle details that help
create the awesome power of a well-trained karate-ka. The average
person sees the difference in the power generated between two people,
but don't understand how it is done.
The principle of hikite is evident in many areas of our lives, but
one of the most important is in the act of giving and receiving. In
punching, one must pull the other hand back hard in order to punch
effectively. In getting things in life, it is important to know that
one has to give first and then you receive. Although many people
today feel that they are entitled to things without having to earn
them, this is contrary to natural laws. For example, we use this
concept in the dojo when talking about respect. While some schools
demand that a student shows respect to those senior to them, in the
classical school, respect is earned through learning to give respect
to others first. In order to get, you must first give –this is
understood to those that truly understand the concept of
hikite.

Respectfully,

Terry Bryan