Kaikitsune Makoto 210 Posted December 6, 2002 Fellow human beings! You can be a tennis fan without ever touching the tennis club and you can be music lover without having any skill in playing and you can enjoy hockey game without knowing even the rules! So naturally you can also enjoy sumo without understanding its details at all but there might be other crazy people besides me that actually scrutinizes shiko, does it as part of his/her work outs, gets faschinated by the kinesiological aspects of shiko and wants to learn and understand shiko as well as possible :-) Shiko is most distinctively associated to sumo. Every sport has its training methods and there are thousands of ways to train legs, hips and lower back but shiko is so exclusively seen in sumo that it deserves some discussion! First of all the historical origin of shiko. I am aware of the symbolic demon chasing and drawing gods attention by performing shiko. I wonder when was shiko mentioned the first time? When did it emerge has part of complex rituals in sumo, as a training method? Have there been variations on how it was done in correct way? One often reads about current oyakata emphasizing the significance of shiko as an important tool to build up endurance, stability and overall solidness to prevent lower body injuries. One article containing shiko topic was posted on the ML in 1999. http://www.banzuke.com/99-3/msg00565.html "There is the right way to do 'shiko' - squat as low as possible but still be able to raise a leg and then while maintaining the hip position, bring the leg down. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hoshifransu 0 Posted December 7, 2002 Very interesting post, Kaikitsune-zeki, as ever ! Thanks a lot for this one ! Later I mailed to Shiroikuma (amateur Czech sumowrestler who has won some titles and trained at Naruto-beya, Musashigawa-beya, Azumazeki-beya etc.) Shirikuma-San is fantastic ! He would really have deserved a professionnal career ... Why not ? The amount, the pros should ideally do cca 500 a workout - this is basically what the Oyakata agree on. Really very impressive ! Do some shiko! Well, as far as I'm concerned, why not, but the problem remains my neighbours on the floor below ... I have already many problems with them because of my supposed noise (though I think they have a real problem in life) but shiko could definitely "kill" them ... Seriously, now. It's the cheapest way and of course, the most traditionnal way to strengthen knees and hips, for sure ! Shiko is great !!! At the reverse, I watched an old report about Konishiki. The report said it was him who really changed the traditional ways of training, bringing modern classic methods from the Occident like bodybuilding, jogging, weight lifting. A wrestler like Wakanosato, for example practice a lot of weight lifting. I don't remember if Konishiki could make good shiko movements too, but nowadays, Takanohana is one of the most impressive to do this ! Well, I watched another report on french-german channel Arte dedicated to training in Sumo, some years ago, and unfortunately I hadn't registered it and they never re-broadcasted it ... Recently Arte re-broadcasted the report about the oichomage and the chonmage, but not that one, unfortunately, I'm looking forward to registering it one day at last ... So, it was very very interesting and I was really shocked during the report by another training method which is not shiko nor matawari, nor teppo, nor keiko sessions : the rikishi sat and received a lot of hits on the head and on the face given by the stable master with a wooden cudgel, to get used with the pain ... Well, that's not teppo, what is it ? Does it still exist in Sumo training ? It's dangerous, it's crazy ... Though the sumotori are much more prepared to head bangings during a fight like this, but it's too hard to do that to someone ! Syd Hoare (a God to me) often said that the training methods are less difficult today than in the past, (which could explain the reason why more foreigners join Sumo now) did he allude to this ? Does someone heard about these violent hits with a wooden cudgel I described above ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tony 16 Posted December 8, 2002 Ahh! Chiyonofuji's shiko! Marvelous! Kitanoumi, also, executed very powerful shiko. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hoshifransu 0 Posted December 8, 2002 Well, why not ... Tonyonofuji ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tony 16 Posted December 9, 2002 Kaikitsune-zeki! Do you give me rishiki's names who executed very good shiko? ( nowadays ) Kaio, OK! But he will be absent in january, and I don't video of his shiko! An other rikishi in makuuchi? Thanks!(Waving goodbye...) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hananotaka 8 Posted December 12, 2002 Shiko strikes me as very similar to the plie of ballet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kaikitsune Makoto 210 Posted December 16, 2002 Seriously, now. It's the cheapest way and of course, the most traditionnal way to strengthen knees and hips, for sure ! Shiko is great !!!At the reverse, I watched an old report about Konishiki. The report said it was him who really changed the traditional ways of training, bringing modern classic methods from the Occident like bodybuilding, jogging, weight lifting. A wrestler like Wakanosato, for example practice a lot of weight lifting. I don't remember if Konishiki could make good shiko movements too, but nowadays, Takanohana is one of the most impressive to do this I think modern training methods are welcomed to sumo too as supplementary exercises. Especially in strengthening weak parts and enhancing balance of muscles + when recovering and recuperating from injury. Sumo is explosive and dynamic sport with major emphasis on anaerobic endurance but also aerobic condition plays a part. I know many rikishi work out with conditioning bike every now and then and Akebono used to do pool exercises under water holding his breath (I am not sure if this is that efficient) in order to improve his aerobic endurance. Takanohana is without a doubt a master in shiko but still his visually impressive shiko during dohyo iri and such has received critique too for some technical aspects. Do you give me rishiki's names who executed very good shiko? ( nowadays )Kaio, OK! But he will be absent in january, and I don't video of his shiko! An other rikishi in makuuchi? Good question Tony (Sigh...) Asashoryu and Takanonami for starters. Also Naruto-guys are very good if I remember correctly. The problem is that mostly shiko during shikiri serves a different goal than shiko in training so shikiri shiko can be done in rather casual manner without much attention paid to the details. I can't believe Asanowaka or Miyabiyama would do such pathetic shiko in training too. After all Miya was even ozeki at one point!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tony 16 Posted December 16, 2002 I said that Chiyonofuji's shiko were wonderful. But, my point of view was "esthetical"! And I've seen only during shikiri and yokozuna dohyo-iri. So, Kaikitsune, how do you consider Chiyonofuji'shiko? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
