Tom Spellman 

July 2026

Musings of a Seeker – July 2026

 By Tom Spellman

Frontal and Dorsal Curvature – A Basics Study of Karate

My Ryu-Ha is incorporated from my three major influences: Karate-Do, Kenpo, and Jiu-Jitsu, and the image was that of a spherical, multifaceted gem composed of a multitude of interconnected conceptual facets existing in a creative and dynamic concert with one another.  

Frontal and Dorsal Curvature refers to the human body, standing erect, arms at sides, and feet facing forward, both the front and back sides featuring their contours and shapes. This concept is central, in that unlike many of the others, it is constantly updated throughout the practitioner's journey and evolves as does the person themselves. Stances or postures (which include psychological and emotional components) are generally in the Hanme (half-facing) configuration. 

The Frontal and Dorsal Curvature concept is studied in two sections. 

1. Left/Right Side posture Differences and Similarities- 

The first phase is to list all the natural body-part weapons one has accumulated knowledge of and list/define them for reference. With this comes the definition of the surfaces used for striking, thereby weaponizing one’s intent. Ultimately, this leads to intensive studies of the human anatomy, its skeletal, neurological, and internal organs. An aid to this lies in the book, The Bubishi, translated by Patrick McCarthy as reference.  

When comparing the right side and left side of a posture, it becomes clear that many types of weapons work differently depending on the side one has forward or back, especially when considering the delivery of kicks from the front or rear leg. For instance, a front-legged round kick with the right foot can be fired to an opponent's mid-section if he has his right foot forward. However, the same kick delivered to a left-side forward opponent can be blocked effectively with his forward elbow and wound the kicking foot in the process. Depending on which side each person chooses to put forward can help to reduce the strategies of successful attacks by up to 50% of one's choices and simplify the process. 

2. Planes of the body #1 and 2: 

#1 Natural- The body is composed of various planes of muscular and skeletal structure that naturally exist. The muscles, when strengthened by exercise, can be used as protective armor when flexed in times of crisis. In a profile view, the pectoral muscles often appear with a sloped, downward angle that can help deflect combative impact and reduce injury.  So, the body armor of the shoulders and chest, long back muscles, and the arms and legs need to be studied for their strengths and weaknesses. In conjunction with angles of impact and structural stability, matching attacking weapons, and delivery strategies that have been previously cataloged in ‘A’ can be applied to one’s success. The resistance at the point of impact that can occur upon contact at the correct angle can compound the effect upon the area struck, and multiply the injury effect. Also, you must take into consideration the natural human fears of falling and avoidance of pain; hence, injuries sustained from not knowing how to fall and stretching one’s arms out to break a fall occur. The old “Flinch” game is a good example of pain avoidance.  Our tendency to tense our muscles to armor up rather than moving off the train track of attack can be used to manipulate our opponent and expose valuable chinks in their armor you may exploit.

#2 Manipulated- Manipulation occurs when you strike, push, or in some way shift the opponent's body from an advantageous position to a position of exposure to adverse consequences. For instance, a person who is safe in half-facing fighting posture could be struck inwardly to the forward shoulder, thereby forcing his body to square itself and make his centerline exposed to attack with a follow-up strike. In the Crane kata Hakutsuru, there is a moment when you counter-grab his two forearms and pull him forward off balance. Before the pull, he is upright, and his pectoral muscles are protecting his collarbones from frontal attack. The forward pull causes his body to double over, at which time the tops of his collarbones are exposed to frontal attack; the kata calls for double heel palm strikes, breaking them both. Exploration of the mechanics of weight, posture, and pushed when pulled, pulled when pushed grappling theory is of great value.

The acquisition of basics and movements can become a linear format that can result in neglecting the early lessons while focusing on the most recent material learned, often concerning earning rank. Constantly reviewing the simplest of things and revisiting them offers opportunities to upgrade them to the ever-new you. The art should evolve as you do, thereby assuring its survival in this ever-changing world.

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