Found a new lever!


Working on my first book I focussed a lot on the basics of grappling, but have far from exhausted the subject.

Most techniques I have explained used a manipulation of the wrist or leg. One other lever I did give brief attention to was the philtrum- the spot right at the bottom of the nose.  



In Judo our opponent wears a gi with a belt, sleeves and lapels that can be grabbed. In actual fights outside the dojo (which you should of course not actively pursue) we do not have those handholds. We dn't have rules either.

Last night- surfing Youtube- my attention was brought to the head. This is how it happened:

I have recently learnt Gojushiho Sho from my Sensei. For those of you that don't study Japanese Karate this is a kata that is taught at senior level. It is officially the most advanced kata I know. I have supplied a link to a video of this awesome kata below:


https://youtu.be/FxyScLnqdIg


You will notice the quick open hand thrusts that make up a large part of the kata. I got told that these were 

spear hand strikes and a quick escape from having your wrist grabbed while attacking. 


I have come to take explanations like that with a pinch of salt. A guideline I use in analyzing kata is that a situation or application that is not likely to appear in a real fight should get excluded. When developing or uncovering bunkai, in other words, you have to find a real problem that is likely to occur to which the move is a practical solution.

Not able to come up with answers on my own I have consulted the most reliable source of Bunkai I know in this day and age. No- Not Youtube!

Sensei Iain Abernethy!

https://youtu.be/9qK6FeYWP64

Now is this move badass or what?!!

I was excited, scared, in awe and respectful all at once when I saw this application!

Back to my topic now. In Aikido and Judo you may get to learn a lot of wrist holds, locks and throws that start with grabbing a limb, but the head can actually turn the whole body. 

As the kata application shows you would of course have to clear all hazardous limbs out of the way, but once the stance is broken- by either causing the opponent's hips to get pushed out to the rear or by having the opponent bent over backwards like Iain shows we apply pressure to the side of the jaw while pulling the other side or back of the head towards us. Pressure against the mandible in this way is sure to get the head to turn.

Although I love kicking and punching a grappling move like this is definitely not to be refused. 

Now I have yet another kata for morning practice and an awesome move to work on with the next self defence class.



That's what is cooking over here. Keep posting and train well!


Today I have copied a whole lot of pages from my book. Who has been collecting the other pages so far?


 








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blindfold training

Image
Now here's something I have not yet written about. :D I have been interested in the Zen side of Japanese martial arts since the age of 16. It was about at this age when I began with Qigong as well. As a young karateka back then I did not have the confidence, strength or aggression of my classmates and looking back- I think it was a good thing. Because of that classes scared me. Now- had it not been to exposure to the mental training techniques provided to me by Zen- I would not have seen this hostile dojo environment as the ideal testing grounds for the things I have read. This is one major factor to which I attribute my development as a martial artist. One very important training tool that has always served me well and that continues to do so to this dat is Zen Meditation. This, in itself, has provided me with a number of benefits about which I can write in detail. One of those- was the development of intuition and sensory acuity. It is actually wonderfu
Read more

Tai Chi Movement #3- Wave Hands like Clouds

Image
I have just started searching for examples of this movement on the internet and realised that among all the people doing Tai Chi out there I might just be the only one who would apply Cloud Hands the way I do. I have found different variations of the movement itself as well. This makes my writing about my version and its application a bit unfair as you will be missing out on some really elaborate applications. Now- how I always did this movement is starting from a posture like the Lute Playing posture like the picture below- or the Spread Wings posture like this: From either one of these ready postures I then rotate my front foot and let my body follow while my leading hand makes contact with an imaginary thrust and I then complete the rotation by passing the attack while I guide its force past me with minimal effort and my free hand follows the blocking hand to wind up for an outward strike. When the rotation and step is complete I shift weight
Read more

Learning a Martial Art- some basic guidelines

Image
I think we have by now come across a couple of people who are studying some martial art or the other on their own. Back when I tried doing it at the age of 10 I used a book and later more books followed. Well- even after I did join an actual dojo more books followed even then... People are quick to say that you can't learn a martial art from a book. That is understandable. I for one know that you can't work as a lawyer if you have only gotten your law degree. In fact- few people feel as incompetent as a bright graduate starting out as a candidate at a law firm. The main reason why martial arts can't be learnt by reading alone is that experience plays a large part in developing the skills that any martial art has to offer. Knowledge is not enough. Nonetheless- self study is possible. We may argue about to which extent, but the history of Chinese and Japanese martial arts feature instances where people studied a scroll or a f
Read more