When one oscillates without tension magic is born. There’s nothing like watching Hatsumi Sensei, his tensionless action is spectacular and of great beauty. There are two terms we must consider in the training of our martial art; one of them is KIHON and the other HENKA. From my perspective these are much more than mere technical terms, they posses by themselves a very deep meaning that can be used for our own life and not only in the dojo.

KIHON refers to the fundaments. Technically speaking, we know the Kihon Happo but there are also many other technical movements that belong to the Kihon as are rolls, break falls, sidesteps and a long etcetera.

When we speak of the Kihon we refer to the visible, we refer to what gives us safety and this safety gives us tranquillity and serenity.
Then the Kihon provides a series of tools and to train it gives us the ability and/or dexterity to use them properly.

In the other hand we have HENKA. It makes reference to the natural variations and above all to develop a superior sight. It’s the ability to “change”, to make movements that come from the “no movement”, from the “no action”, from the “no thinking”.

Yes… I say movement and no technique, because technique has clear and concise limits, but movement is unlimited and infinite. In a society where we have the act of collecting very rooted in ourselves, is sometimes a real shock to have to throw everything away after we have learned it to be able to try to reach the enlightenment of the superior sight.

So KIHON is the fundamental base and HENKA is the superior sight. It’s a subtle game between rooting and uprooting. I would also like to alert about a possible danger when we accede to the variation and is that it might become a Kata when we think is spontaneous movement.

There’s a moment when the training of the HENKA can become something forced through one’s need to feel secure. I have even seen people that write the variations as if they were a well illustrated and forged Kata. I think that’s not the way. A HENKA is born and dies at the same instant.

So let’s train the KIHON to get serenity and travel to the HENKA to get a superior sight.

Good training.

Pedro Fleitas, Unryu

www.kankaku.net

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