The 3 over 1 Principle is the main method by which Kentuckiana Shotokan Karate Do (KSKD) teaches the Arts. We have found when new (and old) students follow this process of learning, they pick up the information taught much better. What is the 3 over 1 principle?
3 Over 1: Stances, Blocks, Strikes over Spirit
Yes, this is very simple. We like to tell the story to adults of how we came up with this progression of steps.
STANCES
When teaching, we encourage everyone to pay attention to their feet and legs: Their support system. The idea is that if they have a firm foundation and know how to step/move, they don’t have to worry about falling and everything else they do will be stronger. Taken further, one can simple step out of the way of an attack. If they keep moving in this way, the attacker can become frustrated and you have effected self-defense without “touching” the attacker.
BLOCKS
As with anything, you may have that one person who is just too good or aggressive with their attacks. This is where blocking comes in. Combined with good stances, blocks are very effective at preventing damage to self. The idea is to become so good at blocking, you can’t be touched. The legs are trained to provide great support. The arms are strengthened and conditioned to aide in blocking well. Later, timing is improved so that “strength” is not entirely needed. Again, you haven’t “struck” the attacker at this point. The idea by Gichin Funakoshi, the father of modern karate, is that of No First Attack.
STRIKES
Alas, there is that one person who simply doesn’t get the hint. Unfortunately there are times we must strike. If this ever becomes necessary, you will want to be really good at it. Understanding what to hit, how to hit, when to hit and being very accurate and able to repeat at will becomes important. As much as we stress the need for a strong, stable stance, and very effective and efficient blocking, we stress the accuracy and control of strikes. The idea is to be able to hit the third eye lash without hitting the eye itself. Wow. When you are able to do this, you will be able to hit what is needed, only as hard as needed, whenever you needed to. Your self-control will be amazing!
OVER SPIRIT
The One in this 3 Over 1 Principle is the Spirit. This is the foundation for all. One can think of the spirit as how much “heart” one has; the amount of effort one is willing to put into the activity. “She showed great spirit going after the ball!!” The greater the spirit, the greater the drive to do. For me, the Spirit is that which comes from God. The Spirit to do what is right, honest, helpful, etc. Both thoughts help with the development of the person doing karate. A good, strong, confident person will only benefit society. We help to build such strong Spirits!
What does all of that have to do with learning? When learning new techniques, most people become overwhelmed trying to take on too many things at one time. They see others in the class kicking and punching away! Moving so effortlessly! Having fun! Instead of trying to do everything, we encourage people to focus on their feet. Learn which foot is moving. Try to stay on beat just moving the feet at the right time. The block, punch, kick or combination of techniques to be performed may not be known, but one will be able to “keep up” and move with everyone else. Overtime, you will learn all of the techniques and have fun with the rest!
Take the time to breakdown new activities to their smallest part. Focus on the one part and add to it. Little by little, you will begin to understand the activity. Give yourself time to learn. You don’t have to know it all TODAY. Take a few weeks, months or even years. Some techniques require decades! Have patience. Get your base first. The 3 Over 1 Principle helps everyone learn to break activities into small parts and learn over time.
Have a look at our post on the Phases of Growth. This, combined with the 3 Over One principle, aides in step by step growth. Still not quite getting it right? Read Francisco’s thoughts on 10,000 Bad Kicks and keep trying!
The drawings used for the blog post came from the book The Essence of Karate by Fiore Tartaglia with the following copy right:
© Fiore Tartaglia | www.shotokan-kata.com | Spectra Publishing
Copyright by Fiore Tartaglia, Göppingen.
All rights reserved.