Keiken soku (経験則) Rule of thumb (Empirical rule)

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The rule of thumb is a vitally important physical signature of Isshin-ryū Karate gokui. The rule of thumb is a distinct key characteristic of Isshin-ryū Karate. Understanding its concept unlocks and locks one of the fundamental principle of Shimabuku Tatsuo Sensei's teachings.

Passai no kamae. This kamae is in Sunsu kata.

It’s funny, I would venture to guess many wonder why I, “Question Everything.” Well, because it is the only way to fact find, fact check and understand what it is that people are trying to teach others especially in such a public venue like blogging or FaceBooking, etc. I especially question things that, “Don’t make sense; Don’t seem accurate; Don’t or Didn’t exist in the earlier days, for men anyway; Seem contrived; Seem something that tends to trigger the more academic side of me in logic and common sense.”

I admit, it is clever to use the Japanese terms and symbolically connect the meme, “Rule of Thumb,” to the symbolic connection of the thumb, as a rule, to a perception of the thumb placement, at one time considered unique to Isshinryu, on the fist as a direct connection to Isshinryu and its vertical fist. 

Long, long ago I wrote about the vertical fist along with the twelve traits of Isshinryu one of the Isshinryu Luminaries presented in those earlier years where the vertical fist and thumb on top as trademarks of Isshinryu. 

Read, if you wish, The Twelve Isshinryu Features https://isshindo.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-12-isshin-ryu-features.html

In short (good info in rest of article if you wish to read it);

10. A fist made with the thumb on top of the fist as opposed to the thumb being over the two fingers. Such a position, with the thumb on top, locks the wrist and serves to tighten the fist.

I will not address the exact physics of the thumb but will readily admit that even today this particular form of the fist and its use are still a distinctive feature of Isshinryu yet you will find that a good deal of today's Isshinryu dojo don't actually use it. 

11. A vertical punch, which increases speed and power. 

A vertical rising punch might be a bit more accurate. In reality when observing the use of the vertical fist you find that only in the rising punch does the fist actually remain vertical. In truth it shifts slightly to one side or the other depending on targeting and where that target aligns with the height of the person applying it to the person on the receiving end. This is pretty much truth to all forms of the punch.

Now, as to fundamental teachings this is a feature of Isshinryu that has since been adopted by many other systems except that most don't actually put the thumb on the top vs. down the side, etc.

You see, even with the above said along with the twelve features of Isshinryu, presented not by Tatsuo-san but one of his students upon returning to the States to teach, I still don’t get the connection it is the proverbial “rule of thumb” toward understanding all the aspects of the system that drives Isshinryu as a form of karate. I don’t see how it:

• It holds a position of great importance as some physical signature (what does physical signature even mean?) of the ken-po goku-i or any other goku-i provided by Sensei? 
• I cannot see how this proverbial rule of thumb is distinct as to any characteristic of Isshinryu except that its position seems unique in regard to other systems or styles who form the fist in other ways. Matter of fact, every fist formation has a purpose so they are all relevant but it may just be that Isshinryu practitioners are seeking out some unique thing that puts them and the system in a higher status but in the end, who knows?
• How can understanding the thumb on top of the fist unlock or lock any fundamental Principle of Tatsuo-san’s teachings, i.e., what is unlocked and what is locked and what does that even mean and what principles because there are a plethora of principles in karate and martial arts that are and are not the first principles of physiokinetics, technique, philosophy, theory, self-defense and chemical adrenal stuff? 
• Principles are what drive the fists and feet regardless of formation and applications, they are not dictated by any one physical physiokinetic sub-principle. 
• The fist and thumb alone or even coupled with other structural principle based connection provides any holistic and/or wholehearted teachings conveyed by Tatsuo-san at least according to the research on those five luminaries of Isshinryu who brought it to the United States. 
• The fist and any formation regardless is just one single entity of a huge collection of principled based multiple methodologies used in karate and martial arts so it eludes me as to how this one trait can be such a huge contribution to the overall teachings of any one Sensei or his system, style or teachings.

So, as with many of the Isshinryu Features the attribution of such importance to any one things is, in my mind, ludicrous and misleading. It does not promote a system of effectiveness and proficiency but smacks of the, “Twaddle Tendency, Information and Confirmation bias, etc.” 

Then I would ask, “What is the Rule of Thumb?” What I found is this, “The rule of thumb is a broadly accurate guide or principle, based on experience or practice rather than theory.”  It is also stated by some sources as, “A rule of thumb is a principle with broad application that is not intended to be strictly accurate or reliable for every situation. It is an easily learned and easily applied procedure for approximately calculating or recalling some value, or for making some determination.”

Granted, there are many things within the teachings of Isshinryu or for any karate system or martial arts system that fits the bill of being a rule of thumb but to generalize it toward an “iffy” reference of Tatsuo’s teachings leaves a lot to be desired. Does the person advocating this believe it and how do they explain it adequately to themselves let alone to fledgling students? Or is this one of those things where they assume everyone will understand because,”That is how my Sensei told me so it must be true!” 

If one truly wishes to understand then it is best for them to look for, “just because or should, etc.,” in the explanation or for vagueness or questioning faces saying, I don’t get it but I ain’t going to ask and look the fool, type thing. You have to ask questions, you have to get answers, you have to fact check those answers, you have to analyze it and then you need to synthesize it into your own. 

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