8/13/2019 Kamae is the Most Important Aspect of Your Technique

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Kamae is the most important aspect of your technique. Without having strong,stable kamae our movement and technique will account for nothing.

Kamae is often overlooked. Within most programs of study, it is regulated tothe very beginning of study and never looked at or assessed as the student

develops.

Too often do you see students told to imitate these postures, without anyexplanation as to why they are practicing them.

Even worse are those instructors that will demonstrate a technique, whichinvolves starting in a particular posture, who subsequently drop all kamaefrom their movement, only to assume it again at the very end after themovement has been completed.

Kamae are not start and end point of a movement.

Kamae are learnt to provide us with the stable platform from which to baseany offensive or defensive movement

To truly understand kamae, one must understand not only the physicalaspect, but also the mental aspect of the posture. Each and every posture notonly has physical presence but also an attitude depending on what strategyor tactic one is employing.

I use the term posture while others use the term stance. While both wordshave the same meaning, I prefer to use posture as I feel it rolls smoothly offthe tongue, while the term stance tends to be shot out. I use the termposture as this is how I feel each kamae should be assumed. Smoothly andsoftly, rather than hard and fast. I feel that using the term posture helpsunderstand what it is we are hoping to achieve when studying kamae.

So why learn kamae?

We practice kamae so our bodies, through muscle memory, instinctivelyassume a certain posture depending on the threat or task at hand. We useIchimonji no Kamae (Figure One Posture) so often that we often drop into the

posture at the drop of a hat, but often forget all about it as we progressthrough our technique.

The training philosophy within the Mahoutsukai Dojo revolves around fivemain points. These are:

Posture KamaePower Sanshin no KataBalance Kihon Happo no KataTechnique Kihon / Waza / KataStrategy Gunryaku Tenkan Ho

8/13/2019 Kamae is the Most Important Aspect of Your Technique

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The first and most important is posture. Lets look at this model in anotherformat.

We will look at this training model as a tree.

The first thing a tree requires is good soil to grow in. It must be stable, solidand nutritious otherwise nothing could grow there. One the tree hasestablished itself it requires a strong root system in order to feed itself andprovide a good hold of the earth. A stout, solid trunk grows in order to supportall the branches the tree will need so it is able to produce leaves in order tocatch the sunlight it needs for energy. When the tree is ready it bears fruit,which falls to the ground and so the cycle repeats.

The fruit on the tree can be look at as the strategic or tactical element in ourmodel. This is often the bit most people reach for and try to consume withoutunderstanding how it got there. To understand strategy, one must have a solidgrounding in all the other aspects of any movement, whether that be on anindividual basis or in control of a multitude of things.

The branches are our techniques. These branch out in many directions. Thetwist and adapt to the environment. In their multitude they allow the tree toproduce many leaves, supplying energy and allowing the tree to bear fruit.

The trunk represents our ability of create and break balance. Without balancewe have nothing. If the trunk of the tree does not grow straight and strong itwill fall. Any tree that is unable to grow straight and tall will always adapt itselfto maintain its balance.

The roots are our power generation. Without power, any movement willflounder and fail, just as without an extensive root system our tree will not getthe nourishment required and will wither and die. Just as the tree spreads itsroots for nourishment, so must we understand how to generate powereffortlessly and easily to we can survice.

Lastly the soil represents our posture. Without good, solid ground beneath thetree, it will not grow nor flourish. Without a solid foundation under it, the treewill fall at the first hurdle it encounters. Without a solid foundation the tree will

not be able to grow into the giant it has the potential to be.So with good soil, large roots, a strong trunk, lots of branches.well eatsome delicious fruit