Tuse Kakuto

Possible Second Dan

2010-07-11T17:00:00.001-07:00

Tsue Kakuto has always been envisioned as a 6 colored belt, 1 black belt system based on the fighting version of the walking cane. We are considering adding a 2nd Degree Black Belt to expand the knowledge base to incorporate shorter stick pattern weapons, certainly a mid-length stick and possibly a pocket stick. No decision has been made, and we are in the information gathering stage as to whether this is even a good idea.

Orange Material Posted

2010-07-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

The Orange Belt (4th Kyu) knowledge package has been completed and is posted on the website with a link off the Orange Belt requirements page. We are working on the Green Belt knowledge package now. Expect that it will include additional material on the selection of points for striking.

New Table Of Striking Points Added

2010-06-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

We have added a new table of striking points that lists the points by meridian. It can be found by pulling down the cane Kata page to the bottom and clicking on the link.

Kata Completed

2010-01-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

We have completed the Red and Black belt kata requirements and posted them on the website. Note that Black belt techniques are dangerous and will only be taught to practitioners who fully understand their physical impacts and the legal implications of use of such force. They should only be used when an obvious threat exists such that the practitioner is in fear for his or life in combat with an armed individual who is demonstrating the clear intent to kill the practitioner, and when escape is impossible.

A Discussion of Tsue Kakuto Kata

2010-01-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

Our view of the kata is that it is a structure for training, not that it is a specific sequence that has to be executed in one way. We really use it in several ways:

(1) as a stationary solo attack kata - one person goes through the hits in sequence with either strikes (actions that use the cane shaft to deliver circular blows, using either a single hand or two hands) or thrusts (actions that land with the tip of the cane with one hand, or much better two hands like a bayonet thrust) - and a fellow practitioner serves as the aiming point (no or very
light contact). This helps students learn the points and is our core sequence for training that gets longer and longer as you go up the ranks.

(2) as a moving kata - as the solo attack but against an opponent who is moving forward so that the student has to coordinate footwork and blows to keep at a good hitting distance. In some cases the speed of the opponent's movement may force the student to omit hits in the sequence, while still keeping with the flow.

(3) as an interactive attack and defense drill, done with movement - one person attacks with realistic forward movement, the other person uses one of the parries to block the attack and then riposting to three open points with a sequence of strikes and thrusts. This gets the student used to picking open targets and hitting them.

The kata works (1) the inside of the arm to (2) the center line of the body to (3) the outside of the arm and (4) meridians on the edge of the torso to (5) the outside of the leg and then (6) the inside of the leg, (7) around to the back, and finally in Red and Black to foot hits (a specialized type of preemptive attack) and head hits (because of their possible lethality they will be the last actions taught). The kata also can be executed on either side of the body, depending on whether the attacker is right handed or left handed.

We are really focusing on learning and hitting targets, rather than learning specific movement sequences, so a perfectly good kata execution could be one of the three inside wrist targets against an initial attack, followed by an upper arm hit, followed by a hit to the collar bone area, followed by a hit to the hip as the opponent turns away, and finally a hit to one of the back targets ... or a hit to the wrist, followed by a strike to one of the knee targets, followed by a direct thrust to a Conception Vessel target.

Content Changes For Knowledge For Belts

2009-10-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

We have made some changes in the knowledge requirements for our ranks. Orange Belt material is currently being completed and will include information on how to use the concepts of distances taught to Yellow Belts to guide combat decisions.

In addition, we are further refining the list of striking points after Orange Belt:

Green Belt - adds the inside of the leg points to the outside points taught in Orange Belt.
Purple Belt - will add strikes to the sides.
Red Belt - will add strikes to the back.
Black Belt - will be the level at which head strikes are covered because of the high degree of control required and the danger these strikes represent.

What Color Is Your Belt?

2009-10-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

We have added a new feature to our Website, an archive called What Color Is Your Belt? Over the years, many Martial Arts have used colored belts to identify the rank of their practitioners. There is great variability in the colors used and the ranks that they identify. This set of pages will gradually collect as many examples of belt schemes as we can find, and make them available in a single source. Listing does not say anything about the qulaity or legitimacy of the system, only that martial artists have worn these belts with pride.

Belt Color Change

2009-09-25T05:12:00.000-07:00

Effective 1 October we will transition from Brown to Red belts for Kyu 1. Although there are a number of different explanations of how belt colors evolved in the martial arts, the reality is that color choices in belts are largely arbitrary. Most arts use Brown as the highest rank before Black (we actually have been doing an extensive research project on belt colors, examining the color systems of some 300 arts and individual martial arts schools). Red will make our highest kyu belt more distinctive (a number of arts do use Red as the highest color before Black), is an energizing color (as opposed to Brown), and fits better with our color progression. So, welcome to Red ...

Update to 4th Kyu (Orange) Requirements

2009-06-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

After considerable testing we have come to the conclusion that the first edition of targets for the leg simply requires the cane fighter to close too closely to the opponent (exposing the head and upper torso) for safety. We have identified three new points, which, with Sea of Blood, will allow strikes to the thigh and knee from the inside and outside lines, without as deep a closure being required.

Updated Knowledge Requirements for Yellow Belt

2009-05-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

We have added information on tactical lines to the Yellow Belt knowledge page. The use of the traditional fencing lines of high and low, inside and outside, simplifies description of the target and of defensive actions.

Thesis Requirement for 1st Dan

2009-05-17T05:57:00.000-07:00

Currently Tsue Kakuto ends its earned ranks with a 1st Dan Black Belt. That means that achieving 1st Dan represents the highest skill and knowledge level of the method. In this context, the requirement for a thesis seemed appropriate. Because we view Tsue Kakuto as an evolving system that constantly learns and refines its technique based on that learning, the thesis is critical to the advancement of the method. Each thesis must contribute new knowledge and understanding to our practice.

A good thesis defines a clear research question. For example, a recent thesis examined the adequacy of our target set for the inside arm, based on a variety of other approaches to pressure point attacks. It also needs a clear research method, one that the reader can follow, understand, and trust based on clear description. And it must be grounded in the literature of the martial arts and other combat systems.

It is never too early to start thinking about what you would like to pursue as a thesis topic. Talk with your instructor, and find a topic that will help improve Tsue Kakuto as a system.

Return Strokes From Active Parries

2009-05-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

In this method we tend to view the act of intercepting, diverting, or blocking (all three different outcomes) an attacking strike as an active parry, rather than as simply a block. Properly executed a parry does several things: (1) keeps you from immediate impact, (2) bleeds off the opponent's energy so that the attack lies spent, (3) inflicts injury to the opponent, and (4) sets up (and starts) an offensive strike in return. The two low, two middle, and one high parries all open up the possibility of an action by either strike or thrust. The key to these actions is (1) rapid execution once the parry has been effectively executed and (2) adaptation of the riposte to the exposed target area based on the opponent's body position.

Yellow Belt Knowledge

2009-05-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

The knowledge required for Yellow Belt is updated and corrected and now posted on the website under the Rank information link. This is a model for the overall approach to how we will present information for students of this style. Our current approach is that knowledge requirements for tests are cumulative, with each kyu requiring the knowledge of all previous ranks.

Work on Leg Attacks

2009-05-09T12:26:00.001-07:00

We have been working to expand the set of target points for the leg. The Orange kata requirements address targets that mainly fall on the front of the leg. However, these tend to be more difficult to hit unless you are striking from the side in a voiding movement. In the next rank we will be introducing more leg points. Although the leg is a difficult target to hit and still maintain a safe distance, the lateral and medial targets we will add will make the striking points clearer, and actually create a band of targets that can be hit from the front or either side with essentially the same angle of strike.

In reviewing the White kata, and discussing the involved meridians, we realized that we managed to select three points in the same wrist band of target locations that hit three critical meridians: heart, lung, and pericardium. The goal is to try to do the same wherever we can.