Stop making these three killer
mistakes in the opening
sequence of Naihanchi
How you perform the opening movements of Naihanchi is a dead giveaway of your depth of knowledge. Practicing these movements incorrectly is just empty, meaningless movement. In just a few minutes learn how to fix these three mistakes.
About Sensei Pardue
"Throughout my life, I've trained with some of the world’s most renowned masters of Japanese Karate and Jiujitsu. Yoshihiko Iwasaki, Masafumi Shiomitsu and Tatsuo Suzuki were huge influences in my life. In particular, Master Shiomitsu who inspired me to follow my path with courage and determination.
I was a quiet, somewhat shy, un-athletic teenager. But I pushed myself to compete in Karate tournaments despite my fear and anxiety. Karate tournaments in those days were not the controlled game they are today. You stood an excellent chance of breaking an arm or even losing your teeth. The training at the Dojo leading up to a tournament was even worse. The fighting was bare-knuckle, bloody and brutal."
Qualifications and Achievements
• Irish National Champion 1982, ’84, ’85, ’92
• European Champion 2000, 2002
• Certified Wado-Ryu Karate Instructor since 1982
• Appointed Chief Instructor of the Wado-Ry Karate-Do Academy in America in 2003.
• Meditation and mindfulness practice since 1978
• BA Shiatsu and Chinese Medicine
• Sotai–Japanese therapeutic stretching
• Personal Coaching
What Dedicated
Wado Black-Belts Have to Say
"My compliments to Sensei Tyrone Pardue on his work to preserve and spread Wado-Ryu Karate's teachings. His live courses on Zoom are excellent. His past courses on Chinto and Seishan were fantastic, and I anticipate that his next course on the important kata Naihanchi will be a suitable adjunct to the previous clinics."
Sensei Alex Waith, 7th Dan, Chief Instructor, Canadian Wado-Ryu Karate-Do Federation, Toronto, Canada
"Tyrone Sensei’s classes are very well structured and rich in technical detail! His classes and courses are not only excellent for clear explanations of technique but also for the cultural and historical background!"
Mayumi Sumida, 2nd Dan, Wado Academy Paris, France
"Sensei Tyrone Pardue is the most knowledgeable, insightful, and creative Wado instructor I have trained with. Tyrone has the extremely rare capacity to see a martial artist where they are and guide them deeper into their practice so that it becomes more productive and, just as important, more pleasurable."
Sensei Greg Rubinson 4th Dan, Instructor, Westchester Wado Academy, Los Angeles, California
"Online training with Sensei Pardue has been a fantastic expansion to my Karate knowledge. Key concepts underpinning a Wado stylist’s movement are explained and unpacked with detail and clarity. Excellent in-depth training."
Sensei Matthew Wood, 3rd Dan Instructor, Walton Wado Karate Club, UK
"The depth of knowledge Sensei Tyrone shares concerning body mechanics is insightful and has really helped my approach to practice, I'm especially grateful for some little tweaks to help protect the joints. The supplementary resistance training that accompanied the courses is very well thought out and hugely beneficial."
Andy Vine, 1st Dan, Instructor Faversham Wado Karate Club, UK
Origins of Naihanchi
No one knows who created the original Chinese Kata called Nihanchi Sho - a Chuan-Fa form whose origins are lost in the mists of time. But we do know that the modern versions of Naihanchi were brought to mainstream Okinawan Karate by Sokon (Bushi) Matsumura around 1825. He taught it to Yusutsune Itosu (1830-1915), who then taught it to Kenwa Mabuni, Gichin Funakoshi, and notably–Choki Motobu who taught it to Hironori Ohtsuka, the founder of Wado-Ryu.
The meaning of the name is often said to be "fighting sideways," but if you go back to the original Chinese roots of the Kata you get closer to the real meaning. 'Nai' means "inner" or "inside" and refers to controlling inner power, and fighting inside. 'Fan' means a clawed foot of a particular animal and probably refers to how the feet are slightly turned inwards and how they dig into the ground. 'Chi' means both a physical foundation and inner energy (Ki in Japanese).
Naihanchi is one of the most important (possibly the most important) Katas in Wado-Ryu. Grandmaster Ohtsuka says in his book:
"I favor Naihanchi. It is not interesting to the eye, but it is challenging to use. Naihanchi increases in difficulty with more time spent practicing it. However, there is something "deep" about it. It is fundamental to any movement that requires reaction, I believe. Some people may call me foolish for my belief. I, however, prefer this over all else, and hence I incorporate it into my movement."
Naihanchi is a fundamental requirement for all Wado-Ryu instructors and Kata competitors.
About the Warrior Zen Karate Academy
We aren't a federation or an association, we are an open, online Dojo dedicated to teaching authentic practices to bring benefits to both Senseis and their students.
We are non-political and believe that knowledge should be shared with anyone that has a genuine interest in self-improvement, providing quality teaching to their own students and the preservation of authentic martial arts and meditation practices.
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