In comparative analysis of techniques, there are countless similarities between the movements of Okinawan karate kata and the techniques used in historical European martial arts.
This example here is just one of a total 130 fighting techniques handed down by Johann Georg Pascha, published in 1663.
The description to the illustration is as follows:
“When the opponent grabs you by the upper arms with both his hands, then press your left hand into your left side and push his hands away with your left elbow (see picture). Push his hands away with your right elbow in the same way.”
In Okinawa karate, this technique can be easily recognized as a possible application for techniques from Pinan Sandan and Chinto, and these kata even have follow up techniques. Can you think of any other examples?
While such fighting methods are immortalized in so-called “wrestling books,” they were not “wrestling” in the modern sense (Greco-Roman), but rather fighting books in a broader sense, often in conjunction with weapons. In this context, therefore, “wrestling” refers to “unarmed combat.”
The title of the book, interpreted in modern language, is “Complete book of unarmed combat, instructing how to correctly attack the adversary, how to disengage from grips and holds etc., how to parry blows, and how to train the various techniques and counters.”
© 2023, Andreas Quast. All rights reserved.