Saturday, March 24, 2007
A Randori Workout at Shodokan
During the one-hour randori workouts at Shodokan, the following sequence of drills is typical. The person holding the knife is called the tanto (after the fact that a dagger in Japanese is called a tanto.) The unarmed person is referred to as the toshu (literally unarmed) player.
1) One-on-one taisabaki. Each person in a pair takes turns stabbing at the other. Maybe 30 seconds each. Overhand as well as normal stabs. Several rounds are played. In the first, tanto cannot feignt, and toshu cannot use his arms to help block. In the next, tanto is still prevented from feignting, but toshu can uses his arms to block. In the third, the intensity and reality of the drill are kicked up, with tanto allowed to feighnt and do multiple stabs and toshu allowed to block.
2) Two-on-one taisabaki. Here, groups of three are formed. Two get knives and take turns stabbing at the third person. Little time should elapse between sucessive stabs so that toshu really has to dance, constantly having to face a new attacker just after having avoided the previous one. This is done for maybe 45 seconds before the players rotate rolls.
3) The two tanto hijimochi no tsukuri drill. Here pairs are formed. But one person is given two tantos, one for each hand. They then face off and the person with the tantos stabs. The other grabs one arm, and attemps one of the hijimochi no tsukuri grabs (elbow control grabs) against that arm. Not only is the grab made and a hijimochi no tsukuri attempted, but the attempt is also made to use the drip to drive the stabber off the mats. The stabber is required to push back, constantly trying to circle back towards the center so as to not be driven off of the mats. He can also after a few seconds attempt to put the other tanto onto toshu's chest. If this happens, toshu is to quickly switch arms and do a hijimochi no tsukuri against this other arm. This is done for maybe one minute before the two people switch rolls.
4) Kakari geiko. Maybe 60 seconds each side. This is essentially sparring with no resistance.
5) Hiki tate geiko. Maybe 60 seconds each side. This is light sparring with moderate resistance. Tanto only goes down if good aikido is being done (good posture, good timing, etc.) This drill can be repeated so that renzoku waza (multiple techniques in sequence) are practiced. If so, then tanto never goes down on the first technique that toshu attempts, thereby forcing toshu to try a second or even a third technique so as to practice combinations.
1) One-on-one taisabaki. Each person in a pair takes turns stabbing at the other. Maybe 30 seconds each. Overhand as well as normal stabs. Several rounds are played. In the first, tanto cannot feignt, and toshu cannot use his arms to help block. In the next, tanto is still prevented from feignting, but toshu can uses his arms to block. In the third, the intensity and reality of the drill are kicked up, with tanto allowed to feighnt and do multiple stabs and toshu allowed to block.
2) Two-on-one taisabaki. Here, groups of three are formed. Two get knives and take turns stabbing at the third person. Little time should elapse between sucessive stabs so that toshu really has to dance, constantly having to face a new attacker just after having avoided the previous one. This is done for maybe 45 seconds before the players rotate rolls.
3) The two tanto hijimochi no tsukuri drill. Here pairs are formed. But one person is given two tantos, one for each hand. They then face off and the person with the tantos stabs. The other grabs one arm, and attemps one of the hijimochi no tsukuri grabs (elbow control grabs) against that arm. Not only is the grab made and a hijimochi no tsukuri attempted, but the attempt is also made to use the drip to drive the stabber off the mats. The stabber is required to push back, constantly trying to circle back towards the center so as to not be driven off of the mats. He can also after a few seconds attempt to put the other tanto onto toshu's chest. If this happens, toshu is to quickly switch arms and do a hijimochi no tsukuri against this other arm. This is done for maybe one minute before the two people switch rolls.
4) Kakari geiko. Maybe 60 seconds each side. This is essentially sparring with no resistance.
5) Hiki tate geiko. Maybe 60 seconds each side. This is light sparring with moderate resistance. Tanto only goes down if good aikido is being done (good posture, good timing, etc.) This drill can be repeated so that renzoku waza (multiple techniques in sequence) are practiced. If so, then tanto never goes down on the first technique that toshu attempts, thereby forcing toshu to try a second or even a third technique so as to practice combinations.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The Tanto Ura Waza
Within the last year or so, a new set of kata has been added to the Shodokan curriculum. It is called the Tanto Ura Waza and it is a set of 10 counter techniques (ura waza) that can be used during tanto randori.
As such, they must conform to the two basic rules regarding counter techniques during tournament matches:
1) The tanto (dagger wielding) player can only counter with the five atemi waza techniques.
2) The tanto player can only counter when the toshu (unarmed) player is grabbing one of tanto`s arms with both of his (toshu`s) own hands.
The 10 Tanto Ura Waza are described below. For each entry, I first give the name of the technique that toshu is attempting to execute against tanto. Then I give the name of the technique that tanto uses as a counter. In all cases, toshu grabs tanto`s knife holding arm with both of his own hands before being countered as described.
1) Oshi Taoshi countered by Ushiro Ate. Tanto uses his tanto holding arm to execute the throw. Tanto runs backwards circling around toshu. This is done one handed. Tanto uses his knive holding hand to make a one-armed ushiro ate, with the stabbing arm being draped over toshu's shoulder and down his chest. If tanto is stabbing right handed, then he ends up behind and to the left of toshu, with tanto's right armpit resting over toshu's left shoulder, and the rest of tanto's right arm running vertically down the left hand side of toshu's chest.
2) Hiki Taoshi countered by Shomen Ate. Tanto uses his tanto holding arm to execute the throw. It is shomen ate against the chest since you cannot legally shove the tanto towards toshu`s face in a match. Tanto first drops his weight and stiffens his stabbing arm to squelch the momentum of toshu's attempt at hiki taoshi. They get to a moment of a tug of war and then tanto shoots forward to execute the shomen ate. This is very much like the 8th kyu shomen ate done against an aigamae katate dori grab.
3) Waki Gatame countered by Gyakugamae Ate. Tanto stiffens up, drops his weight, and keeps his elbow in (waki o shimeru) to stop the waki gatame before hitting toshu with an off-hand gyakugamae ate. That is, if tanto stabs with the right hand and toshu grabs that arm and tries to do waki gatame against that arm, tanto does gyakugamae ate with his left arm.
4) Kote Gaeshi into Ushiro Ate. Here, just after toshu has broken tanto`s balance forward along tanto`s weak line and just as toshu is begining to bend tanto`s elbow back to execute the kote gaeshi, tanto swings his knife holding arm down vertically past his hip, pulling toshu past his center, and twisting him around into position to do ushiro ate. This is the same as a technique seen in one of the Oyo Waza (application techniques) done from an Aigamae Katate Dori Jodan no Kuzushi.
5) Kote Gaeshi into Gedan Ate. Here, just after toshu has broken tanto`s balance forward along tanto`s weak line and just as toshu is begining to bend tanto`s elbow back to execute the kote gaeshi, tanto drops down and does gedan ate with his free (opposite) arm. That is, if tanto is stabbing right handed, he ends up doing gedan ate with his left side forward, attacking toshu's right leg (toshu should be in a right foot forward posture at this moment after having broken tanto's balance forward onto tanto's weak line.)
6) Tenkai Kote Hineri into Ushiro Ate. Suppose that tanto stabs with his right hand. Toshu grabs that arm from the inside and tries to spin under that arm to execute the tenkai kote hineri technique. As toshu steps forward to move under tanto's armpit, tanto slides forward and traps toshu against his chest. They are now both facing the same direction, with tanto behind toshu,with tanto essentially hugging toshu from behind, with tanto's right (stabbing arm) over toshu's right shoulder and down that side of toshu's chest and the free (non-stabbing) arm over toshu's left shoulder, with the shote of the left hand around the upper pectoral muscle area, just below the collar bone (as per usual). It is crucial that the hug be snug as it prevents toshu from continuing to spin and thereby stops him or her from executing the tenkai kote hineri. Tanto then does ushiro ate to throw toshu onto his back.
7) Tenkai Kote Gaeshi (Shiho Nage) into a Gyakugamae Ate done with the stabbing arm. Suppose that tanto stabs with his right hand. Toshu will move to the inside of that arm, grab it with both hands and try to swing it past tanto's center. As toshu tries to swing the right arm past tanto's center, tanto counters by doing gyakugamae ate with his stabbing arm. This should catch toshu in mid stride, as toshu must step forward with his left leg in order to prepare to turn around (the turning being necessary to complete the tenkai kote gaeshi that he is attempting.) When comparing this counter with the next, this one is executed a moment later than the next one, as this one assumes that uke has done more of the arm swing and has started to step forward with his left leg in preparation for turning around.
8) Tenkai Kote Gaeshi (Shiho Nage) into a Gyakugamae Ate done with the non-stabbing arm. Suppose that tanto stabs with his right hand. Toshu will move to the inside of that arm, grab it with both hands and try to swing it past tanto's center. As toshu does this, he moves into a right foot forward stance. As toshu tries to swing the right arm past tanto's center, tanto first prevents uke from being able to swing the right arm far enough by dropping his weight and pulling in his own stabbing arm elbow into his side (waki o shimete.) This should be done abruptly so as to bring everything to a (very short) momentary stillness. But since this stops toshu from completing the swing, toshu should still be in a right foot forward stance, so that the correct gyakugamate ate to do would be the one involving tanto's left arm.
9) Mae Otoshi into Gedan Ate. Suppose that tanto stabs with his right hand. Toshu will move to the inside of that arm, grab it with both hands and try to swing it past tanto's center. As toshu tries to swing the right arm past tanto's center, tanto counters by dropping down and doing gedan ate with his stabbing arm. This should catch toshu in mid stride as toshu must step forward with his left leg in order to prepare to execute mae otoshi. As tanto drops down to do the gedan ate, his stabbing forearm should spin so that his own thumb goes from facing away from him to facing towards his own belly button. Doing this sharply will tend to break toshu's grip.
10) Sumi Otoshi into Shomen Ate. Imagine that tanto stabs with his right arm. Toshu avoids to the outside (to the right from tanto's perspective) and beings to attempt sumi otoshi by grabbing the stabbing arm and begining to lunge forward while holding it. Tanto counters by turning 90 degrees to his own right so as to face toshu while simultaneously switching his stance so that while turning tanto goes from right foot forward (which is how tanto stabbed) to left foot forward. At the same time, tanto's free left hand comes up his center to uke's neck/chin so as to be in position for a left foot forward shomen ate.
As such, they must conform to the two basic rules regarding counter techniques during tournament matches:
1) The tanto (dagger wielding) player can only counter with the five atemi waza techniques.
2) The tanto player can only counter when the toshu (unarmed) player is grabbing one of tanto`s arms with both of his (toshu`s) own hands.
The 10 Tanto Ura Waza are described below. For each entry, I first give the name of the technique that toshu is attempting to execute against tanto. Then I give the name of the technique that tanto uses as a counter. In all cases, toshu grabs tanto`s knife holding arm with both of his own hands before being countered as described.
1) Oshi Taoshi countered by Ushiro Ate. Tanto uses his tanto holding arm to execute the throw. Tanto runs backwards circling around toshu. This is done one handed. Tanto uses his knive holding hand to make a one-armed ushiro ate, with the stabbing arm being draped over toshu's shoulder and down his chest. If tanto is stabbing right handed, then he ends up behind and to the left of toshu, with tanto's right armpit resting over toshu's left shoulder, and the rest of tanto's right arm running vertically down the left hand side of toshu's chest.
2) Hiki Taoshi countered by Shomen Ate. Tanto uses his tanto holding arm to execute the throw. It is shomen ate against the chest since you cannot legally shove the tanto towards toshu`s face in a match. Tanto first drops his weight and stiffens his stabbing arm to squelch the momentum of toshu's attempt at hiki taoshi. They get to a moment of a tug of war and then tanto shoots forward to execute the shomen ate. This is very much like the 8th kyu shomen ate done against an aigamae katate dori grab.
3) Waki Gatame countered by Gyakugamae Ate. Tanto stiffens up, drops his weight, and keeps his elbow in (waki o shimeru) to stop the waki gatame before hitting toshu with an off-hand gyakugamae ate. That is, if tanto stabs with the right hand and toshu grabs that arm and tries to do waki gatame against that arm, tanto does gyakugamae ate with his left arm.
4) Kote Gaeshi into Ushiro Ate. Here, just after toshu has broken tanto`s balance forward along tanto`s weak line and just as toshu is begining to bend tanto`s elbow back to execute the kote gaeshi, tanto swings his knife holding arm down vertically past his hip, pulling toshu past his center, and twisting him around into position to do ushiro ate. This is the same as a technique seen in one of the Oyo Waza (application techniques) done from an Aigamae Katate Dori Jodan no Kuzushi.
5) Kote Gaeshi into Gedan Ate. Here, just after toshu has broken tanto`s balance forward along tanto`s weak line and just as toshu is begining to bend tanto`s elbow back to execute the kote gaeshi, tanto drops down and does gedan ate with his free (opposite) arm. That is, if tanto is stabbing right handed, he ends up doing gedan ate with his left side forward, attacking toshu's right leg (toshu should be in a right foot forward posture at this moment after having broken tanto's balance forward onto tanto's weak line.)
6) Tenkai Kote Hineri into Ushiro Ate. Suppose that tanto stabs with his right hand. Toshu grabs that arm from the inside and tries to spin under that arm to execute the tenkai kote hineri technique. As toshu steps forward to move under tanto's armpit, tanto slides forward and traps toshu against his chest. They are now both facing the same direction, with tanto behind toshu,with tanto essentially hugging toshu from behind, with tanto's right (stabbing arm) over toshu's right shoulder and down that side of toshu's chest and the free (non-stabbing) arm over toshu's left shoulder, with the shote of the left hand around the upper pectoral muscle area, just below the collar bone (as per usual). It is crucial that the hug be snug as it prevents toshu from continuing to spin and thereby stops him or her from executing the tenkai kote hineri. Tanto then does ushiro ate to throw toshu onto his back.
7) Tenkai Kote Gaeshi (Shiho Nage) into a Gyakugamae Ate done with the stabbing arm. Suppose that tanto stabs with his right hand. Toshu will move to the inside of that arm, grab it with both hands and try to swing it past tanto's center. As toshu tries to swing the right arm past tanto's center, tanto counters by doing gyakugamae ate with his stabbing arm. This should catch toshu in mid stride, as toshu must step forward with his left leg in order to prepare to turn around (the turning being necessary to complete the tenkai kote gaeshi that he is attempting.) When comparing this counter with the next, this one is executed a moment later than the next one, as this one assumes that uke has done more of the arm swing and has started to step forward with his left leg in preparation for turning around.
8) Tenkai Kote Gaeshi (Shiho Nage) into a Gyakugamae Ate done with the non-stabbing arm. Suppose that tanto stabs with his right hand. Toshu will move to the inside of that arm, grab it with both hands and try to swing it past tanto's center. As toshu does this, he moves into a right foot forward stance. As toshu tries to swing the right arm past tanto's center, tanto first prevents uke from being able to swing the right arm far enough by dropping his weight and pulling in his own stabbing arm elbow into his side (waki o shimete.) This should be done abruptly so as to bring everything to a (very short) momentary stillness. But since this stops toshu from completing the swing, toshu should still be in a right foot forward stance, so that the correct gyakugamate ate to do would be the one involving tanto's left arm.
9) Mae Otoshi into Gedan Ate. Suppose that tanto stabs with his right hand. Toshu will move to the inside of that arm, grab it with both hands and try to swing it past tanto's center. As toshu tries to swing the right arm past tanto's center, tanto counters by dropping down and doing gedan ate with his stabbing arm. This should catch toshu in mid stride as toshu must step forward with his left leg in order to prepare to execute mae otoshi. As tanto drops down to do the gedan ate, his stabbing forearm should spin so that his own thumb goes from facing away from him to facing towards his own belly button. Doing this sharply will tend to break toshu's grip.
10) Sumi Otoshi into Shomen Ate. Imagine that tanto stabs with his right arm. Toshu avoids to the outside (to the right from tanto's perspective) and beings to attempt sumi otoshi by grabbing the stabbing arm and begining to lunge forward while holding it. Tanto counters by turning 90 degrees to his own right so as to face toshu while simultaneously switching his stance so that while turning tanto goes from right foot forward (which is how tanto stabbed) to left foot forward. At the same time, tanto's free left hand comes up his center to uke's neck/chin so as to be in position for a left foot forward shomen ate.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
An Atemi Waza Timing Drill against a Tanto Stab
This drill is to develop timing for atemi waza strikes. It is done in itterations, each building upon the previous one.
For instance, suppose that tori wants to practice his timing for shomen ate.
Uke and tori start at proper distance (ma-ai.) They are both standing in neutral posture (shizen-tai), with neither foot forward--that is, in neither a left-foot-forward nor a right-foot forward stance.
Suppose that uke has the knife in his right hand. He first pounces down into a right-foot-forward stance (migi-gamae). He lower his center and prepares to spring forward and stab. He is ready like a cat about to pounce!
He then springs forward and stabs. Tori just stands there and gets stabbed with the rubber knife.
This first itteration is just so that tori can get used to the timing of a stab.
On the second itteration, uke goes into the pounce but does not get the chance to stab, because as uke is going into the right-foot forward pouncing position, tori slides forward into the right-foot-forward position for shomen-ate. Tori enters and just barely touches uke. There is no throw on this itteration. But the timing must be right: tori slides forwars as uke is transitioning from the neutral stance into the pounch. That is, tori enters as uke is preparing to stab. This is sen no sen.
On the third and final itteration, tori not only slides forward for shomen-ate as uke transitions into the pouncing position, he also finishes the technique and throws uke.
So on the first itteration, tori stands there and gets stabbed, learning how uke moves. On the second, tori slides into position for shomen ate as uke goes into the right-foot-forward pouncing position (knees bent, center lowered.) And then on the third itteration, tori not only moves forward as uke goes into the pouch but finishes things up but completing the throw.
Naturally, this three-itteration drill can be done for any of the atemi waza.
But notice that the version I just described involves sen no sen, or tori moving simultaneously with uke. You can also practice this drill as a go no sen drill, or one in which tori moves second.
In this version, tori moves in for the technique after doing a tai sabaki to avoid the stab. So the order is uke stabs, tori moves out of the way using good taisabaki, uke pulls back (after stabbing) and then tori moves in towards uke as uke pulls back and then throws uke at that point in time. This is go no sen because tori definitely moves second, after uke stabs.
This drill is also done using three itterations.
First, uke stabs and tori just does a taisabaki to get out of the way and then stays still as uke pulls back after the stab. Uke should not only pull is arm back, but should also slide backward with his feet as well. (But keeping the same stance, so that if he is in a right foot forward stance after finishing the stab, he slides backward still in a right-foot-forward stance.) The pouncing routine is also the same. Both start in shizen tai, uke goes into a right-foot-forward pouncing position, and then stabs. But now, after stabbing, uke pulls back.
On the second itteration, uke stabs, tori gets out of the way, but then follows uke in as uke slides back. As tori slides forward, he moves into the proper position for an appropriate atemi waza technique. But he does not finish the throw.
On the third itteration, tori finishes the throw, with the proper timing being that tori adds to uke`s backward sliding motion, so that the atemi waza is very easy to apply effectively.
A final version of this drill involves second stabs. That is uke stabs straight forward at tori, tori does a taisabaki, uke points his center at wherever tori is now standing,　goes into a pouncing position and then takes a second stab at him.
On the first itteration, tori gets out of the way of the first stab but not the second.
On the second itteration, tori gets out of the way of the first stab, and then enters to do an atemi waza as uke gets ready to pounce for the second stab. Uke never gets the second stab off because tori is already coming in at him. But there is not throw on this second itteration.
On the third itteration, the throw is made.
For instance, suppose that tori wants to practice his timing for shomen ate.
Uke and tori start at proper distance (ma-ai.) They are both standing in neutral posture (shizen-tai), with neither foot forward--that is, in neither a left-foot-forward nor a right-foot forward stance.
Suppose that uke has the knife in his right hand. He first pounces down into a right-foot-forward stance (migi-gamae). He lower his center and prepares to spring forward and stab. He is ready like a cat about to pounce!
He then springs forward and stabs. Tori just stands there and gets stabbed with the rubber knife.
This first itteration is just so that tori can get used to the timing of a stab.
On the second itteration, uke goes into the pounce but does not get the chance to stab, because as uke is going into the right-foot forward pouncing position, tori slides forward into the right-foot-forward position for shomen-ate. Tori enters and just barely touches uke. There is no throw on this itteration. But the timing must be right: tori slides forwars as uke is transitioning from the neutral stance into the pounch. That is, tori enters as uke is preparing to stab. This is sen no sen.
On the third and final itteration, tori not only slides forward for shomen-ate as uke transitions into the pouncing position, he also finishes the technique and throws uke.
So on the first itteration, tori stands there and gets stabbed, learning how uke moves. On the second, tori slides into position for shomen ate as uke goes into the right-foot-forward pouncing position (knees bent, center lowered.) And then on the third itteration, tori not only moves forward as uke goes into the pouch but finishes things up but completing the throw.
Naturally, this three-itteration drill can be done for any of the atemi waza.
But notice that the version I just described involves sen no sen, or tori moving simultaneously with uke. You can also practice this drill as a go no sen drill, or one in which tori moves second.
In this version, tori moves in for the technique after doing a tai sabaki to avoid the stab. So the order is uke stabs, tori moves out of the way using good taisabaki, uke pulls back (after stabbing) and then tori moves in towards uke as uke pulls back and then throws uke at that point in time. This is go no sen because tori definitely moves second, after uke stabs.
This drill is also done using three itterations.
First, uke stabs and tori just does a taisabaki to get out of the way and then stays still as uke pulls back after the stab. Uke should not only pull is arm back, but should also slide backward with his feet as well. (But keeping the same stance, so that if he is in a right foot forward stance after finishing the stab, he slides backward still in a right-foot-forward stance.) The pouncing routine is also the same. Both start in shizen tai, uke goes into a right-foot-forward pouncing position, and then stabs. But now, after stabbing, uke pulls back.
On the second itteration, uke stabs, tori gets out of the way, but then follows uke in as uke slides back. As tori slides forward, he moves into the proper position for an appropriate atemi waza technique. But he does not finish the throw.
On the third itteration, tori finishes the throw, with the proper timing being that tori adds to uke`s backward sliding motion, so that the atemi waza is very easy to apply effectively.
A final version of this drill involves second stabs. That is uke stabs straight forward at tori, tori does a taisabaki, uke points his center at wherever tori is now standing,　goes into a pouncing position and then takes a second stab at him.
On the first itteration, tori gets out of the way of the first stab but not the second.
On the second itteration, tori gets out of the way of the first stab, and then enters to do an atemi waza as uke gets ready to pounce for the second stab. Uke never gets the second stab off because tori is already coming in at him. But there is not throw on this second itteration.
On the third itteration, the throw is made.
Back in Japan
Got into Osaka two days ago. First practice last night at the expanded Shodokan dojo. Very nice. Sakai Sensei led. Lots of high ranking gaijin including Cameron and Higgs. It is good to be back. I`ll be posting about what I pick up during the next two weeks.
I`m staying at Orange House, which is 5 minutes walking to Shodokan and isn`t half as bad as some said. But other gaijin are at the Chu-o Hotel near Tennoji Station. It is apparently nicer, and runs about 2,500 yen per night. The place I`m at runs half that, though. Very cheap. But toilets and showers down the hall. Some people can`t deal with that. I`m fine with it. But squat toilets only---that`s annoying.
UPDATE: I was wrong. There is a western style (sit down) toilet on the third floor. It is popular.
I`m staying at Orange House, which is 5 minutes walking to Shodokan and isn`t half as bad as some said. But other gaijin are at the Chu-o Hotel near Tennoji Station. It is apparently nicer, and runs about 2,500 yen per night. The place I`m at runs half that, though. Very cheap. But toilets and showers down the hall. Some people can`t deal with that. I`m fine with it. But squat toilets only---that`s annoying.
UPDATE: I was wrong. There is a western style (sit down) toilet on the third floor. It is popular.
