Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)
This meme is not what it would seem because it is often translated from modern perceptions rather than according to the times and social conditions where it was born.
It can be theorized that in the times giving birth to the art of “Ti,” Ti was taught and practiced by only certain individuals. This limited teaching and practice made it unavailable to the masses including the more nefarious folk who robbed and bullied. When such unscrupulous individuals plied their trade and found they faced a Ti practitioner they found themselves facing an unknown. It did not mean those unscrupulous and nefarious individuals didn’t have the tools to fight, etc., but simply ran into an unknown.
When even an experienced fighter be they the average person or the more experienced predator of unscrupulous and nefarious deeds encounter something unique, out of the norm and of a dangerous nature they tend to bounce into what modern times calls the OO bounce, i.e., the unknown causes a return to the observe and orient stages and because of the nature of the response to their attack the freeze there allowing for a solid beating.
The untrained is not meant to mean the average citizen, it is about its use against a determined attacker with a tool that is original, deadly and unknown allowing a tactical advantage. It means untrained in Ti or karate and other martial arts. We may assume untrained means anyone who has not ability to fight and defend as many stories about the peasants of Okinawa would indicate.
It must be remembered that a lot of the stories told about peasants against samurai or warriors are being discovered as mere stories with little or now historical fact behind them, stories most often created by the more modern proponents that give a mystic uniqueness to the practice of karate and martial arts.
Also, remember that Ti or karate was also utilized as a prerequisite toward training in arms, weapons like the swords, spears and archery disciplines. Before taking up dangerous weapons for training it was best for the people to learn about the principles of the body in the physical manifestation of things like movement, structure and balance, i.e., to control the hands and feet before taking up a practice sword or sword to learn how to fight, etc.
Most of the protectors of Okinawan elite were performed by those who had Ti or karate expertise but most often when applying protection they utilized those weapons before utilizing empty handed techniques and tactics.
Another aspect to the untrained is often those who became robbers and bandits where those not exposed to such training and practice be it Ti or Kobudo, etc. therefore they became criminal elements who developed their own ways to get what they wanted or ply their trade for survival.
The ancient practices of Ti or karate lost their more appropriate applications due to the push in making Ti or karate a educational tool in the school systems along with the propaganda driven teachings of Bushido in order to prepare the populace toward war and after also as an after effect of the war remained a “Watered down” version taught also to the occupiers. This form becoming sport oriented and a business changed it again where in most cases it became less a professional and efficient defense system and more a commercialized sport oriented model not well suited to self-defense, etc.
The good news is the concerted effort to bring back the more appropriate edition of karate for self-defense and combatives including the various forms of martial arts including the modern editions still used for sport. This is a good thing thanks to a hand full of professionals efforts to bring the short comings of most karate and martial arts concerning fighting, combatives and especially self-defense.
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