Goju Kai – Page 11 – Seitou Ryu Karate

Shihan Paul Coleman
7th Dan JKF Goju Kai & Goju Ryu Karatedo Seiwakai
Head Instructor of Oxford Karate Academy

RHH: Hi Shihan, please can you tell our readers who you are and what you do?

PC: I am a Goju practitioner having began martial arts training in the 60s, with my start in Goju being 1974. I teach karate as a professional.

RHH: What is your current grade and title(s)?

PC: I have a 7th Dan in All Japan Karate-Do Seiwakai, I also have a 7th Dan In the Japan Karate Federation Goju Kai and a Kyoshi certification.

RHH: When did you start training, where and who with?

PC: I started Judo, boxing and karate in the 60s and took up Goju in October 1974 under James Rousseau, who was a 5th Dan representing the group under Morio Higaonna.

RHH: What got you started in the martial arts?

PC: Not sure really. I remember seeing Enter The Dragon and thought “WOW! I want to do some of that”

As a kid I had no big brothers and was bullied. I went to the boxing gym where the bullies trained and there was my chance to spar one on one without four of them ganging up on me.

RHH: Do/did you ever compete?

PC: Many times!

RHH: Any particular highlights during your competitive career?

PC: I have competed and officiated in various competitions including:-

• 1975 BKCC All styles, Belle Vue, Manchester Official

• 1980 Leopoldsburg Belgium Silver Team WUKO kumite

• 1981 IOGKF World Championships Okinawa Japan Silver Team WUKO kumite

• 1981 EKF Championships at Aston Villa Silver Team Kata

• 1982 Italia Coppa Internazionale Miyagi Chojun Italy Silver Team WUKO kumite

• 1982 All Styles Open Tournament Gold individual Kata

• 1982 B.K.K. Knockdown Crystal Palace Competitors medal (I got disqualified!)

• 1983 Campionato Europeo Karate Goju-Ryu Italy Bronze Team WUKO kumite

• 1984 Coupe Miyagi France Gold Team WUKO kumite

• 1984 All Styles Open Tournament Gold individual Kata

• 1989 Miyagi Chojun Festival San Diego California USA Gold individual Iri-Kumi

• 1990 Miyagi Chojun Festival San Diego California USA Gold individual Iri-Kumi

• 1990 Miyagi Chojun Festival San Diego California USA Silver Team Iri-Kumi

• 1991 Mid-West Karate Tournament Bronze Team Kata

• 1991 Mid-West Karate Tournament Gold Team WUKO kumite

• 1991 IOGKF World Championships Okinawa Japan Gold individual Iri-Kumi

• 1992 IOGKF, European Championships France. Silver Team Iri-Kumi

• 1992 IOGKF, European Championships France. Bronze individual Iri-Kumi

• 1997 EKGB National Children’s Championships Kata judge

• 1998 EKGB National Senior Championships Kata judge

• 1998 EKGB National Junior Championships Kata judge

• 1999 EKGB National Senior Championships Kata judge

I have entered numerous other events, too many to mention.

RHH: That’s an impressive record, what are your favourite techniques?

PC: Front leg left mawashi geri, as you may well know <laughs> and left jodan uri uchi.

(NB: On the first occasion that Shihan Paul and I got to spar, he knocked me out with his front mawashi geri)

RHH: Favourite kata?

PC: It fluctuates between Sepai and Kururunfa. Currently Kururunfa, but working mainly on Suparinpei, Sanchin and Tensho.

RHH: Would you say that you are a kata person or a kumite person?

PC: I am a karate person!

RHH: Who was your hero growing up?

PC: As a kid nobody, then Bruce Lee, Mohammed Ali and I liked Mike Tyson for his ferocity. My all time favourite boxer was “Marvellous” Marvin Hagler.

RHH: What’s the best thing about being a karate teacher?

PC: Seeing others develop. Kids that grow in confidence and adults too. Seeing people with a higher self-esteem.

RHH: And the worst?

PC: Seeing a student with SO much latent talent walk away from something they could be great in.

RHH: What’s your greatest achievement to date?

PC: I guess 7th Dan was a high, winning gold in California in 1989. But like you, being a daddy and seeing my children come into this world.

RHH: Who has influenced you the most in your karate?

PC: Many have influenced me. In the past I had James Rousseau, who made simple things interesting and difficult things seem easy, he was a good teacher. Then my time was divided between Len Sim and George Andrews. Len helped a lot with my kata and George made me a stronger, more determined character and developed my fighting instinct. Morio Higaonna was inspirational for his sheer tenacity and passion. Leo Lipinski has changed a lot of basics and given a new depth to them, by making them more applicable, thanks to his teachers Shuji Tasaki and Seiichi Fujiwara, who have given me enormous guidance this past 2 decades. I was fortunate enough to have technical help in kata by Akira Shiomi Hanshi, who is a genius at kata.

RHH: What are your plans for the future?

PC: To help others grow and develop and hope that I can still achieve a deeper understanding as a human being, a father and a karate teacher. Oh! And husband, or I get into trouble! <laughs>

RHH: Finally, any words of wisdom for our readers?

PC: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Be a person that you like from within and shine some light on others that you may be fortunate to share time with.

RHH: Thank you for your time Shihan. Domo arigato gozaimashita.

PC: Osu, Take care and bless you and your family.

Sensei Richard Hang Hong with Shihan Paul Coleman

Close fighting techniques attacking opponents in a tight distance of “Issun” (one inch)

By Akira Shiomi Hanshi

Goju Ryu Karate can be mentioned as drawing a big circle with a thick brush dripping black ink. It’s not like a square drawn in a thin line of a fountain pen.

Let me explain some typical techniques of Goju Ryu.

1. The movement of En, circular motion

Technically, Goju Ryu features circular motion against straight power. Circular motion is very strong like an arched dome resisting external pressure.
Resistance against external pressure is stronger than that of straight movement. Circular motion is a very important training method to master engaged movement of the hip and arms.

Naturally, circular motion continues. Good offense and defense. Block turns into attack as Furauchi following sabaki, block. In Goju Ryu Karate, blocks turn into attacks instantly. Not by simple and separate actions of blocks and attacks, circular motions correspond to all situations.

2. Imagining close fighting

One of the characteristics of Goju Ryu Karate is that both Kumite and Kata consist of various techniques based on close fighting.
Generally, power is calculated as follows: Power, quantity of motion = Mass X Speed. You need a right amount of distance to maintain speed.

In a close fighting, we develop skills to strike and hit opponents in a distance of Issun, an inch. Propulsive force to keep going, inertial force which is gained by sudden stop, centrifugal force by circular movement of hips, and descent force maintained by lowering the body with loosened knees, in addition to that force made by stretching muscle can make it possible to strike and hit in a distance of Issun. However, it is not enough. On top of that, breathing force is needed. Goju Ryu regards breathing as one of the most important factors.

3. Abdominal breathing

Usually, people breath with their chests. However, in Goju Ryu, we breathe from the abdomen. This breathing technique is lowering the diaphragm and opening the chest cavity. Normally, people swell their stomachs when they breathe from the abdomen, which indicates your breathing to your opponents. Therefore, you have to tighten your stomach when you breathe. This application gives more pressure than breathing normally. It provides internal organ massage effects. Also, it is a good training.

In Budo, short breathing is preferred than long breathing. However, you use long breathing while performing Sanchin. Long breathing settles the mind and the body down, while short breathing elevates energy. Sanchin is performed with long breathing for training. Short breathing must be used in a fight.

The imagine of this breathing is inhaling all the “Ki” that exists in the universe from “Jo-tanden”, upper tanden between eyes. You actually inhale through your nose, and then you lower all the “Ki” down to “Chu-tanden”, middle tanden, just above the stomach. Next, you lower it to “Ge-tanden”, the solar plexus under bellow and compress it to explode.

This image is just like a car engine, inhale –> compress –> explode –> discharge. The big gear of the engine in “Ge-tanden” provides its rapid power to other gears of joints. Then you punch and kick lowering your hip level by the help of countervailing power.

You do this by breathing techniques, which makes it possible to attack in a distance of “Issun”.
Practicing Sanchin and Tensho regularly is necessary to master it. Therefore, it is said that Goju starts with Sanchin and ends with Sanchin. Remember that Sanchin, Goju’s close-handed kata, especially conforms “Body”, “Breathing”, and “Heart” to one and cultivates mental strength and strong force.

Akira Shiomi