Hello friends! Yes, yes, I know it's been quite a while. Over a month, as a matter of fact. Well, the month of June has been quite amazing and challenging. So much has happened that I don't even know where or how to start.
But, most recent and important for you to know is that I am recovering from having my appendix explode inside my gut and leave a nice hole in my intestine. This caused infection to spread inside my abdomen. But don't worry. I had surgery to remove the appendix and repair the damage. Now I am home healing after a week in the hospital and hope to return to life again soon.
Recovery has been long and not as quick as I would like. My mental energy hasn't been high enough to get on this blog to even pluck out a chronicle of the many things which have transpired over the month of June, which include an amazing trip to Japan, passing the godan test, changing jobs and returning to my old occupational field and just all sorts of fun things.
When I feel a bit better, I will get out my field notes from my Japan trip and post them here. In the meantime, know that I am healing well and will be back to training and blogging soon.
Peace to all,
D
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Peeling the onion...
This week, my Intel class only had a couple people in it. Both guys are shodans and both have been in their current rank for over a year. So, I decided to put my attention on what they needed to do in order to reach the next level - nidan.
What is interesting is that both these guys are exact opposite from each other in their strengths and challenges (I hate using the work 'weaknesses'). One is a long time karate veteran who has about as much experience with his shotokan than I do with the Bujinkan! The other is a professional mountain climber with no prior martial arts experience.
The karate veteran struggles with transitioning past his motor skill habits. He has a hard time opening up his hips and legs when moving and tends to turn his feet inward in his usual karate posture. This causes him to lose the essential fluidity, balance and power needed to make our techniques work the way they do. He doesn't bend and move his knees enough and simply has a hard time 'letting go'. Karate is a very powerful art, but their power base is in their posture, rooted in a twisting action of the hips. Our power base is in our fluidity and movement, with the emphasis on using the legs. Posture is important, but the current flavor of Bujinkan techniques doesn't rely on the rigidity of posture, but more on flow, timing and position. In a nutshell, karate deals with the body of the attacker, where our art is dealing with the spaces around the attacker - if that makes sense.
The other guy is good with his movement, but lacks the structure of his posture. He tends to lean off his base, his elbows float out away from their natural line of support, and he is often off balance very easily. But, he gets flow and has excellent ukemi, even with hard, fast techniques.
So, this night I decided to dissect each of their own level of taijutsu. I chose movements which put much emphasis on knees and footwork, but also on correct posture and balance. One of our techniques is called Juji Aruki, which is basically a cross stepping motion. But, this involves specific angles of the knees and feet, where you actually 'drop' into this movement. Then, you 'uncoil' from this posture to continue moving, kicking, striking, etc. If done correctly, it is very powerful. Done incorrectly, balance becomes difficult and the uncoil weak.
I also took apart their basic back shift into a kamae called Bobi no Kamae. We did this as a response to a shoulder grab, where the pull back of the right foot, hip and shoulder either off balanced the grabbing attacker or dislodged the grab altogether. The rear hand moves to the rear hip and the lead hand forms a fist and drives up into the upper ribs under the grabbing arm.
The fun part was watching them turn this into a jerking motion where the emphasis was on the upper body yanking backwards. If the attacker held his grip tightly, the person doing the technique stumbled because they weren't strong enough to jerk themselves back.
I explained how this isn't about jerking the body backwards, because this would fuel a forward movement of the attacker and create opportunity for a follow up punch. Instead, I showed them that you have to first drop the weight down by bending both knees, then 'roll' the weight backwards using the legs. If done correctly, the person actually allowed gravity to pull them back and down. Their leg swung back in correct posture as a means to catch and support the falling weight. When done correctly, the grabbing attacker was pulled off balance or couldn't hold the grip - and the defender didn't exert any force to do it.
This was a good fix to some bad movement and both of them really understood the benefits. This same principle then was used in many other examples, where the movement initiated from a drop in weight, then 'rolling' the balance in the direction desired. Every time they did that, techniques worked with much less strength needed.
So, for my karate guy, he learned to rely more on the use of his knees and footwork and the other guy learned to keep himself more over his knees and footwork.
I continued to peel away the onion of their taijutsu, pointing out areas which needed fine tuning. This also included explaining how they needed to be aware of where their noses pointed. Both would point their noses away from their attacker, even when in kamae. This level of fine tuning is what will take them into the next level, so my hope is that this class afforded them a valuable 'prescription' of what they need to focus on in their future training.
Based on the level of satisfaction they displayed by the end of class, I assume it did.
What is interesting is that both these guys are exact opposite from each other in their strengths and challenges (I hate using the work 'weaknesses'). One is a long time karate veteran who has about as much experience with his shotokan than I do with the Bujinkan! The other is a professional mountain climber with no prior martial arts experience.
The karate veteran struggles with transitioning past his motor skill habits. He has a hard time opening up his hips and legs when moving and tends to turn his feet inward in his usual karate posture. This causes him to lose the essential fluidity, balance and power needed to make our techniques work the way they do. He doesn't bend and move his knees enough and simply has a hard time 'letting go'. Karate is a very powerful art, but their power base is in their posture, rooted in a twisting action of the hips. Our power base is in our fluidity and movement, with the emphasis on using the legs. Posture is important, but the current flavor of Bujinkan techniques doesn't rely on the rigidity of posture, but more on flow, timing and position. In a nutshell, karate deals with the body of the attacker, where our art is dealing with the spaces around the attacker - if that makes sense.
The other guy is good with his movement, but lacks the structure of his posture. He tends to lean off his base, his elbows float out away from their natural line of support, and he is often off balance very easily. But, he gets flow and has excellent ukemi, even with hard, fast techniques.
So, this night I decided to dissect each of their own level of taijutsu. I chose movements which put much emphasis on knees and footwork, but also on correct posture and balance. One of our techniques is called Juji Aruki, which is basically a cross stepping motion. But, this involves specific angles of the knees and feet, where you actually 'drop' into this movement. Then, you 'uncoil' from this posture to continue moving, kicking, striking, etc. If done correctly, it is very powerful. Done incorrectly, balance becomes difficult and the uncoil weak.
I also took apart their basic back shift into a kamae called Bobi no Kamae. We did this as a response to a shoulder grab, where the pull back of the right foot, hip and shoulder either off balanced the grabbing attacker or dislodged the grab altogether. The rear hand moves to the rear hip and the lead hand forms a fist and drives up into the upper ribs under the grabbing arm.
The fun part was watching them turn this into a jerking motion where the emphasis was on the upper body yanking backwards. If the attacker held his grip tightly, the person doing the technique stumbled because they weren't strong enough to jerk themselves back.
I explained how this isn't about jerking the body backwards, because this would fuel a forward movement of the attacker and create opportunity for a follow up punch. Instead, I showed them that you have to first drop the weight down by bending both knees, then 'roll' the weight backwards using the legs. If done correctly, the person actually allowed gravity to pull them back and down. Their leg swung back in correct posture as a means to catch and support the falling weight. When done correctly, the grabbing attacker was pulled off balance or couldn't hold the grip - and the defender didn't exert any force to do it.
This was a good fix to some bad movement and both of them really understood the benefits. This same principle then was used in many other examples, where the movement initiated from a drop in weight, then 'rolling' the balance in the direction desired. Every time they did that, techniques worked with much less strength needed.
So, for my karate guy, he learned to rely more on the use of his knees and footwork and the other guy learned to keep himself more over his knees and footwork.
I continued to peel away the onion of their taijutsu, pointing out areas which needed fine tuning. This also included explaining how they needed to be aware of where their noses pointed. Both would point their noses away from their attacker, even when in kamae. This level of fine tuning is what will take them into the next level, so my hope is that this class afforded them a valuable 'prescription' of what they need to focus on in their future training.
Based on the level of satisfaction they displayed by the end of class, I assume it did.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
'Nuther class update...
Tuesday's class went well, as usual. I spoke a bit about some of the things I picked up at Dale's "Back from Japan" seminar I attended last Saturday. Then, I started off with a basic Kukishinden Ryu kata from that seminar, which began with the attacker doing a right punch, right kick, and right punch sequence. I explained that in Feudal Japan, especially on the battlefied, your sword hung at your left hip. So, you became efficient at being able to fight from the right side of the body while protecting the left side where your swords hung. Thus, the attack sequence being limited to the right side of the body is a logical approach to being able to attack your opponent without putting yourself at risk of having your weapons grabbed.
This attack sequence could very well be used as a 'breaking down', prepatory move designed to create proper distance and put the defender in a weakened position for an eventual draw and cut with the sword.
However, the kata is in response to such a tactic. So, the defender blocks the attacks, shifting positions each time to control the distance and angle. Once the final punch is completed, the defender then slips in and does a throw. In this case, the throw was either a Koshi Nage (hip throw) or toppling move like Ganseki Oshi, where you off balance them over their far leg, then step through (buckling their outside knee) and they fall away.
At Dale's seminar, he talked about how Nagato Shihan (during Dale's recent Japan trip) said the densho version of many kata are dangerous to memorize exactly as they are recorded. Many things are purposely left out that, without them, make the person doing the kata vulnerable. This kata was a perfect example. If you just did what was written for the kata, you would have to enter and throw an attacker who only has had their limbs blocked. They easily would be able to counter the forward motion of the defender and the attempted throw would leave a very easy vulnerability, especially since the defender's back would be against the attacker.
So, I showed many of the things Dale taught which make the throw possible - and safe - to execute. Some of this involved using initiating strikes before moving in, but others had more to do with 'drawing out' the attacks so that the attacker would be off balance. The moving in action to throw would occur as the attacker was attempting to 'right themselves' from their off balanced position. This was something you wouldn't see on paper or even video, unless you felt it yourself or someone actually pointed it out to you. Thus, the importance of training with the right people firsthand.
I tied some of this feeling with our current direction of exploring the Kumi Uchi. As the attacker would come in with a committed attempt at Kumi Uchi, you would move in such a way to control the space and angle so that they would still get the Kumi Uchi, but be terribly off balanced. From this position, the attacker has nothing left to do any follow up technique, so they have to move in to recapture their balance. Of course, while they move in, you change direction to where they have no balance again and they often will fall on their own. Throw in some juicy strikes during all this interplay and you have a great technique!
Notice I mentioned the strikes come after you establish all the other base elements and effects on the attacker. This is where people misunderstand kata. They see them in reverse. They see the strikes, or any physical 'thing', as the catalyst to getting that effect. But, in actuality, those are just decorations...
One of the things noted was that when the space (or "kukan") was controlled correctly and the attacker achieved getting the Kumi Uchi applied, their loss of balance caused them to use the Kumi Uchi as their support. So, instead of using the Kumi Uchi to take balance, they used it to try and recapture their own! If they tried to remove a hand to strike, for instance, they would fall because their hand was their support.
I spoke about how you want to be in a position where they rely on you for their security, or you control that which they are using for their security. You have the choice to take that away at any point and leave them completely disrupted and confused. This puts you in complete control. Psychologically, if they 'feel' secure with something, they won't be trying to change it. So, they will actually work to maintain that security, even if it continues to put them in your control. The subconscious mind works that way. All it knows is what it feels. So, if it feels safe, it will try and control the person to maintain that safety - even if the reality is not so 'safe'.
Another more fundamental lesson that came out of the class was the importance of doing things correctly at every point. When doing long sequences, especially with counters, every point has to be done correctly or the end result won't happen or it won't make sense. We were doing counters to Kumi Uchi and other attacks and at some point, suddenly the counters began failing to work. I watched them struggle for a while, then I had them stop and go back to the beginning. The conclusion was they were not doing the initial attack correctly, because that was no longer the 'technique'. This is a common mistake I see all the time with many people. You go through the attack pattern so many times, you get used to having it be countered, that you let up on the intensity or foundational skills in that initial attack. Then, the subsequent counter fails because the conditions are no longer appropriate for that counter. Such was the case here.
So, every time a part of the technique wasn't working, I had them stop and back up to the beginning. Every time I did that, suddenly everything worked! The counter itself was never really the problem. It was all the actions which make the counter logical!
All in all, it was a great class.
This Saturday I am planning on going to Alex's class and train with his guys. Most of my Intel group is planning on going, too. This should be a great opportunity to get in some foundational training before heading off to Japan in 3 weeks!
This attack sequence could very well be used as a 'breaking down', prepatory move designed to create proper distance and put the defender in a weakened position for an eventual draw and cut with the sword.
However, the kata is in response to such a tactic. So, the defender blocks the attacks, shifting positions each time to control the distance and angle. Once the final punch is completed, the defender then slips in and does a throw. In this case, the throw was either a Koshi Nage (hip throw) or toppling move like Ganseki Oshi, where you off balance them over their far leg, then step through (buckling their outside knee) and they fall away.
At Dale's seminar, he talked about how Nagato Shihan (during Dale's recent Japan trip) said the densho version of many kata are dangerous to memorize exactly as they are recorded. Many things are purposely left out that, without them, make the person doing the kata vulnerable. This kata was a perfect example. If you just did what was written for the kata, you would have to enter and throw an attacker who only has had their limbs blocked. They easily would be able to counter the forward motion of the defender and the attempted throw would leave a very easy vulnerability, especially since the defender's back would be against the attacker.
So, I showed many of the things Dale taught which make the throw possible - and safe - to execute. Some of this involved using initiating strikes before moving in, but others had more to do with 'drawing out' the attacks so that the attacker would be off balance. The moving in action to throw would occur as the attacker was attempting to 'right themselves' from their off balanced position. This was something you wouldn't see on paper or even video, unless you felt it yourself or someone actually pointed it out to you. Thus, the importance of training with the right people firsthand.
I tied some of this feeling with our current direction of exploring the Kumi Uchi. As the attacker would come in with a committed attempt at Kumi Uchi, you would move in such a way to control the space and angle so that they would still get the Kumi Uchi, but be terribly off balanced. From this position, the attacker has nothing left to do any follow up technique, so they have to move in to recapture their balance. Of course, while they move in, you change direction to where they have no balance again and they often will fall on their own. Throw in some juicy strikes during all this interplay and you have a great technique!
Notice I mentioned the strikes come after you establish all the other base elements and effects on the attacker. This is where people misunderstand kata. They see them in reverse. They see the strikes, or any physical 'thing', as the catalyst to getting that effect. But, in actuality, those are just decorations...
One of the things noted was that when the space (or "kukan") was controlled correctly and the attacker achieved getting the Kumi Uchi applied, their loss of balance caused them to use the Kumi Uchi as their support. So, instead of using the Kumi Uchi to take balance, they used it to try and recapture their own! If they tried to remove a hand to strike, for instance, they would fall because their hand was their support.
I spoke about how you want to be in a position where they rely on you for their security, or you control that which they are using for their security. You have the choice to take that away at any point and leave them completely disrupted and confused. This puts you in complete control. Psychologically, if they 'feel' secure with something, they won't be trying to change it. So, they will actually work to maintain that security, even if it continues to put them in your control. The subconscious mind works that way. All it knows is what it feels. So, if it feels safe, it will try and control the person to maintain that safety - even if the reality is not so 'safe'.
Another more fundamental lesson that came out of the class was the importance of doing things correctly at every point. When doing long sequences, especially with counters, every point has to be done correctly or the end result won't happen or it won't make sense. We were doing counters to Kumi Uchi and other attacks and at some point, suddenly the counters began failing to work. I watched them struggle for a while, then I had them stop and go back to the beginning. The conclusion was they were not doing the initial attack correctly, because that was no longer the 'technique'. This is a common mistake I see all the time with many people. You go through the attack pattern so many times, you get used to having it be countered, that you let up on the intensity or foundational skills in that initial attack. Then, the subsequent counter fails because the conditions are no longer appropriate for that counter. Such was the case here.
So, every time a part of the technique wasn't working, I had them stop and back up to the beginning. Every time I did that, suddenly everything worked! The counter itself was never really the problem. It was all the actions which make the counter logical!
All in all, it was a great class.
This Saturday I am planning on going to Alex's class and train with his guys. Most of my Intel group is planning on going, too. This should be a great opportunity to get in some foundational training before heading off to Japan in 3 weeks!
Monday, May 14, 2007
What a seminar!
Wow, what a great time I had Saturday at a seminar with Dale! This was his "Back from Japan" seminar and I was really looking forward to getting some good training with him before I head to Japan myself in 3 weeks. Because so many people had said they would be there, he changed the location from the typical Buyu Center to a park just south of the Golden Gate Park in north San Francisco. It was easy for me to find, since it was just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, by the Presidio military installation (which I am VERY familiar with).
The park is actually somewhat 'hidden' behind the row of housing along the north side of Lake Street and I didn't find any actual main entrance. But, all the intersecting streets ended at Lake street and became walk-in entrance points to the park, which ran along the north side on the other side of the houses. So, I found a place to park a few streets away and walked through one of the entrances. I was instantly amazed as the entrance opened up to a panoramic view of a beautiful park landscape, complete with an immense lake, groves of thick trees and well manicured grassy fields. I walked down the winding path and easily found 'the group', which wasn't hard considering they were all wearing black dogi.
What struck me right away was the relatively low number of people - only about 10! There were a few familiar regulars, plus some newer guys I had never met before. It seemed so many people had sudden things come up and had to cancel! At first, I felt bad because we could have used the Buyu Center. But, as I breathed in the wonderful ocean air (we were just off the entrance to the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean) and felt the cool wind and warm sunshine, I felt that we were in the perfect training environment.
A few more people showed up and Dale began his teaching by going over some things he experienced in Japan. One of the things he emphasized was the feeling of 'no-attachment' to any part of the technique. This was important in order to create the effect of not giving your attacker anything to work with, or counter against, yet they are defeated. He also talked alot about breaking down your attacker, which reminded me of a great quote from one of our Japanese Shihans, Nagato sensei, who said "this is not judo. We are not throwing people. We break people and they fall". Although a funny quote, it really defines the root of what this year's training is like. Dale did a great job in showing that very same thing.
We did the usual long sequenced Kukishinden Ryu kata, using the typical right punch, right kick, right punch attack pattern. He talked a bit about how these long sequences were often written down as attacks from multiple attackers, but since training is typically with one partner, they appear like this. The feeling of the techniques had to do almost entirely with taking space, or shape, so that the attacker cannot continue. There were alot of hits, but mostly to only affect the position of the attacker. We did many gyaku waza, primarily wrist or arm controls, but this wasn't the goal of the techniques.
We even did some techniques with the 3' hanbo stick, just to show the continuity of the same principles.
I was fortunate to train with some great people and we learned just as much from each other as we did from Dale. I was feeling very good and I seemed to really catch on quickly to whatever we were doing. It was a good feeling to just 'get it' and do things right, especially when I hear Dale say "good job!" or give me the 'thumbs up'.
One interesting factor in the training was the terrain we were on. The grove we were in had nice, thick green grass, but it was sloped and full of small dips and lumps. This made training interesting, since every move was effected by the varied terrain features. At one point, we laughed at how much 'air' we were getting by throwing our uke downhill! Then, there was the comedy of stepping into a dip and stumbling to catch balance, while still trying to do the technique. It was a safe and challenging environment, but the lessons it provided were invaluable.
It was actually very cool to have such a small number of people. I got to work very closely with Dale. As in previous seminars, I was his uke most of the time and the experience was very rewarding. I really learn by feeling, so to have him use me as his attacker afforded me learning opportunities I would have missed by just watching. Then, to be able to have him spend time correcting my mistakes and pointing out things I missed made for a very productive time for me!
We took several breaks and had some great personal talks. Dale and I walked to a local market and I bought his lunch, which is always something I like to do. The first time I met Dale, I was financially challenged and was not going to be able to afford to come to his seminar. He told me not to worry about paying and just come train. I have never forgotten that and, now that I'm doing comfortably well for myself, am happy to buy his lunch as an expression of my gratitude. With him being a gojudan (15th degree black belt), he certainly doesn't 'need' to be that way, but his spirit of buyu (warrior friendship) and love of budo is stronger than what status he holds within our Bujinkan organization. It is because of this that I am proud to call him my teacher and my friend.
So, now I look forward to sharing what I've learned tomorrow night with my Intel guys. I only hope I can somehow transmit even a small sample of Dale's energy and taijutsu.
Wow... All I can say is wow...
The park is actually somewhat 'hidden' behind the row of housing along the north side of Lake Street and I didn't find any actual main entrance. But, all the intersecting streets ended at Lake street and became walk-in entrance points to the park, which ran along the north side on the other side of the houses. So, I found a place to park a few streets away and walked through one of the entrances. I was instantly amazed as the entrance opened up to a panoramic view of a beautiful park landscape, complete with an immense lake, groves of thick trees and well manicured grassy fields. I walked down the winding path and easily found 'the group', which wasn't hard considering they were all wearing black dogi.
What struck me right away was the relatively low number of people - only about 10! There were a few familiar regulars, plus some newer guys I had never met before. It seemed so many people had sudden things come up and had to cancel! At first, I felt bad because we could have used the Buyu Center. But, as I breathed in the wonderful ocean air (we were just off the entrance to the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean) and felt the cool wind and warm sunshine, I felt that we were in the perfect training environment.
A few more people showed up and Dale began his teaching by going over some things he experienced in Japan. One of the things he emphasized was the feeling of 'no-attachment' to any part of the technique. This was important in order to create the effect of not giving your attacker anything to work with, or counter against, yet they are defeated. He also talked alot about breaking down your attacker, which reminded me of a great quote from one of our Japanese Shihans, Nagato sensei, who said "this is not judo. We are not throwing people. We break people and they fall". Although a funny quote, it really defines the root of what this year's training is like. Dale did a great job in showing that very same thing.
We did the usual long sequenced Kukishinden Ryu kata, using the typical right punch, right kick, right punch attack pattern. He talked a bit about how these long sequences were often written down as attacks from multiple attackers, but since training is typically with one partner, they appear like this. The feeling of the techniques had to do almost entirely with taking space, or shape, so that the attacker cannot continue. There were alot of hits, but mostly to only affect the position of the attacker. We did many gyaku waza, primarily wrist or arm controls, but this wasn't the goal of the techniques.
We even did some techniques with the 3' hanbo stick, just to show the continuity of the same principles.
I was fortunate to train with some great people and we learned just as much from each other as we did from Dale. I was feeling very good and I seemed to really catch on quickly to whatever we were doing. It was a good feeling to just 'get it' and do things right, especially when I hear Dale say "good job!" or give me the 'thumbs up'.
One interesting factor in the training was the terrain we were on. The grove we were in had nice, thick green grass, but it was sloped and full of small dips and lumps. This made training interesting, since every move was effected by the varied terrain features. At one point, we laughed at how much 'air' we were getting by throwing our uke downhill! Then, there was the comedy of stepping into a dip and stumbling to catch balance, while still trying to do the technique. It was a safe and challenging environment, but the lessons it provided were invaluable.
It was actually very cool to have such a small number of people. I got to work very closely with Dale. As in previous seminars, I was his uke most of the time and the experience was very rewarding. I really learn by feeling, so to have him use me as his attacker afforded me learning opportunities I would have missed by just watching. Then, to be able to have him spend time correcting my mistakes and pointing out things I missed made for a very productive time for me!
We took several breaks and had some great personal talks. Dale and I walked to a local market and I bought his lunch, which is always something I like to do. The first time I met Dale, I was financially challenged and was not going to be able to afford to come to his seminar. He told me not to worry about paying and just come train. I have never forgotten that and, now that I'm doing comfortably well for myself, am happy to buy his lunch as an expression of my gratitude. With him being a gojudan (15th degree black belt), he certainly doesn't 'need' to be that way, but his spirit of buyu (warrior friendship) and love of budo is stronger than what status he holds within our Bujinkan organization. It is because of this that I am proud to call him my teacher and my friend.
So, now I look forward to sharing what I've learned tomorrow night with my Intel guys. I only hope I can somehow transmit even a small sample of Dale's energy and taijutsu.
Wow... All I can say is wow...
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Entering and taking control...
Well, it was another Black Belt Club class again! Training was great! I started off class with a little drill where I did a controlled stomp kick to their chest while they stood, eyes closed, directly in front of me. Upon taking the hit, they were supposed to release their breath and shift back into a Koho Kaiten, or backwards roll. This loosened up their bodies well!
Next, we did some pivot and roll away drills as a response to a Jodan Tsuki, or punch to the head. They would simply pivot away and do a forward shoulder roll, then come up facing me in kamae (fighting posture). Part of the drill was to find points in the roll where they could see me and it was great to watch them find the point when they were upside down in their roll, but could still look up at me. If they made eye contact with me, then they got it. Next time, I might test them to tell me how many fingers I'm holding up!
The theme of the night was still revolving around Kumi Uchi. In my last blog entry, I described this as being the typical starting point for judo/jujutsu, where you have your left hand on their right elbow and your right hand grabbing their left upper lapel at the shoulder. This tends to be glossed over alot, so I wanted to really focus on the importance of Kumi Uchi as a technique, just like any other technique. I explained how clothing is unreliable for grabbing and, in the event of the opponent having a light shirt or no shirt, you could slide your right hand up into their arm pit and grab the outside of their pectoral (breast) muscle, just as you would grab the lapel. The same emphasis was applied, where exact positioning of the grabbing hand on the shoulder would put leverage against any punching actions the opponent may take with that arm.
With the left hand grabbing the elbow, the direction was important. In the context we were exploring, the angle needed to be an inward, trapping motion of the opponent's elbow. They needed to pull the elbow directly into the center mass of their body to lock it in place. When done in time with the control and leverage with the right hand, they could really gain control and dominance of their opponent.
And, the theme of the night was about entering and taking control with authority.
We explored entering the center space as a response against a right punch and many times they kept leaving their trail leg outside the center space. I pointed out how this is like busting in with your entry team but leaving some of your guys outside - it creates a liability and you aren't using all your resources. They started getting it and moving both legs into the opponent's center space, taking the space well and finding it enabled them to establish the Kumi Uchi relatively easily without putting themselves in danger from subsequent attacks.
Once entry and control was obtained, they took the balance to the outside rear and finished with an outside leg leverage in following with the Kukishinden Ryu kata of Seion.
I showed a variation involving the situation where the opponent, in feeling their balance being pulled over to one side, tries to upright himself. The uprighting action is the timing for the tori (person grabbing) to simply let go of the shoulder and drive his hand up, slapping the uke's (the one grabbed) face. This causes the uke to jerk back and off their balance again. The tori then moves his slapping hand across and to the right shoulder of the uke, while still pulling in their right elbow. The tori then turns his body counter clockwise into the center of the uke, then uses his right leg to kick out the uke's left leg. The subsequent loss of balance by the uke is enough for them to simply drop to the ground.
We then explored this Kumi Uchi against a knife wielding attacker, where the uke stabs at the tori's neck with their knife and the tori responds by slipping past the thrust and moving into the center space, taking up the Kumi Uchi. What was important was how they controlled the elbow in their center body so that the uke couldn't pull back their knife wielding hand and cut the tori. In addition, proper control of the uke's right shoulder meant they couldn't strike the tori to open up space for another stab. Then, they could perform either takedown from the variations above.
We then looked at a "what if" scenario from a punch defense, where the Tori applied the Kumi Uchi. In this scenario, the uke responded by trying to force their right hand in an attempted grab to the tori's face and the tori would have trouble leveraging the forward motion of the uke's shoulder and arm. At that moment, the tori was instructed to let go of the shoulder and use their forearm to raise and parry the grabbing arm as they pivoted to the outside. The sudden lunge of the uke's arm allowed for the tori to not only parry it, but extend it to their outside. This set up an extended arm bar across the tori's body, held by the tori's left hand, and the tori used a right fist to smash the uke in the side of the head. Then, the takedown was a simple extension and leverage of the outstretched and locked arm.
This was a valuable lesson in being able to evacuate from the Kumi Uchi, like evacuating your entry team when resistance is overwhelming. But, more than just evacuating, this tactic causes the uke to pursue and expose themselves to a counter attack (i.e. the arm bar). They loved this variation and spent alot of time playing in an "aliveness" feeling, really trying to 'get' each other. From there, we looked at the counter to the counter, where the uke dips their shoulder under the pressure of the arm bar to be able to slip out and into a fighting posture (kamae). If done right, they actually become the tori, finding their opponent's arm/wrist easily caught in their forward hand. Then, they could do a simple takedown.
We played with similar techniques, but while wearing bokken (wooden training swords). This provided valuable lessons in controlling necessary space to allow for the handles and scabbards to move freely to avoid snagging. Also, protecting both weapons from being deployed by the uke added to the increased awareness during the technique.
We finished the night looking at the concept of dipping the shoulder to take the leverage out of arm locks. We played with this as a response to Hon Gyaku, which is a technique involving a straight arm, bent wrist, pain control. We also looked at this as a response to Han Gyaku, which is similar to Hon Gyaku, but you bend or put pressure on the elbow in a bent and downward angle to create instant pain compliance. Getting under such leverage using the shoulder in time with proper use of the legs allowed for many throws and such. It was a fun way to end the night.
We were all sweaty and satisfied in another successful night of training.
Next, we did some pivot and roll away drills as a response to a Jodan Tsuki, or punch to the head. They would simply pivot away and do a forward shoulder roll, then come up facing me in kamae (fighting posture). Part of the drill was to find points in the roll where they could see me and it was great to watch them find the point when they were upside down in their roll, but could still look up at me. If they made eye contact with me, then they got it. Next time, I might test them to tell me how many fingers I'm holding up!
The theme of the night was still revolving around Kumi Uchi. In my last blog entry, I described this as being the typical starting point for judo/jujutsu, where you have your left hand on their right elbow and your right hand grabbing their left upper lapel at the shoulder. This tends to be glossed over alot, so I wanted to really focus on the importance of Kumi Uchi as a technique, just like any other technique. I explained how clothing is unreliable for grabbing and, in the event of the opponent having a light shirt or no shirt, you could slide your right hand up into their arm pit and grab the outside of their pectoral (breast) muscle, just as you would grab the lapel. The same emphasis was applied, where exact positioning of the grabbing hand on the shoulder would put leverage against any punching actions the opponent may take with that arm.
With the left hand grabbing the elbow, the direction was important. In the context we were exploring, the angle needed to be an inward, trapping motion of the opponent's elbow. They needed to pull the elbow directly into the center mass of their body to lock it in place. When done in time with the control and leverage with the right hand, they could really gain control and dominance of their opponent.
And, the theme of the night was about entering and taking control with authority.
We explored entering the center space as a response against a right punch and many times they kept leaving their trail leg outside the center space. I pointed out how this is like busting in with your entry team but leaving some of your guys outside - it creates a liability and you aren't using all your resources. They started getting it and moving both legs into the opponent's center space, taking the space well and finding it enabled them to establish the Kumi Uchi relatively easily without putting themselves in danger from subsequent attacks.
Once entry and control was obtained, they took the balance to the outside rear and finished with an outside leg leverage in following with the Kukishinden Ryu kata of Seion.
I showed a variation involving the situation where the opponent, in feeling their balance being pulled over to one side, tries to upright himself. The uprighting action is the timing for the tori (person grabbing) to simply let go of the shoulder and drive his hand up, slapping the uke's (the one grabbed) face. This causes the uke to jerk back and off their balance again. The tori then moves his slapping hand across and to the right shoulder of the uke, while still pulling in their right elbow. The tori then turns his body counter clockwise into the center of the uke, then uses his right leg to kick out the uke's left leg. The subsequent loss of balance by the uke is enough for them to simply drop to the ground.
We then explored this Kumi Uchi against a knife wielding attacker, where the uke stabs at the tori's neck with their knife and the tori responds by slipping past the thrust and moving into the center space, taking up the Kumi Uchi. What was important was how they controlled the elbow in their center body so that the uke couldn't pull back their knife wielding hand and cut the tori. In addition, proper control of the uke's right shoulder meant they couldn't strike the tori to open up space for another stab. Then, they could perform either takedown from the variations above.
We then looked at a "what if" scenario from a punch defense, where the Tori applied the Kumi Uchi. In this scenario, the uke responded by trying to force their right hand in an attempted grab to the tori's face and the tori would have trouble leveraging the forward motion of the uke's shoulder and arm. At that moment, the tori was instructed to let go of the shoulder and use their forearm to raise and parry the grabbing arm as they pivoted to the outside. The sudden lunge of the uke's arm allowed for the tori to not only parry it, but extend it to their outside. This set up an extended arm bar across the tori's body, held by the tori's left hand, and the tori used a right fist to smash the uke in the side of the head. Then, the takedown was a simple extension and leverage of the outstretched and locked arm.
This was a valuable lesson in being able to evacuate from the Kumi Uchi, like evacuating your entry team when resistance is overwhelming. But, more than just evacuating, this tactic causes the uke to pursue and expose themselves to a counter attack (i.e. the arm bar). They loved this variation and spent alot of time playing in an "aliveness" feeling, really trying to 'get' each other. From there, we looked at the counter to the counter, where the uke dips their shoulder under the pressure of the arm bar to be able to slip out and into a fighting posture (kamae). If done right, they actually become the tori, finding their opponent's arm/wrist easily caught in their forward hand. Then, they could do a simple takedown.
We played with similar techniques, but while wearing bokken (wooden training swords). This provided valuable lessons in controlling necessary space to allow for the handles and scabbards to move freely to avoid snagging. Also, protecting both weapons from being deployed by the uke added to the increased awareness during the technique.
We finished the night looking at the concept of dipping the shoulder to take the leverage out of arm locks. We played with this as a response to Hon Gyaku, which is a technique involving a straight arm, bent wrist, pain control. We also looked at this as a response to Han Gyaku, which is similar to Hon Gyaku, but you bend or put pressure on the elbow in a bent and downward angle to create instant pain compliance. Getting under such leverage using the shoulder in time with proper use of the legs allowed for many throws and such. It was a fun way to end the night.
We were all sweaty and satisfied in another successful night of training.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Putting a little realism in it...
In last night's class, I had my black belt guys working on various techniques from the Kumi Uchi hold (the classic judo starting hold - one hand lapel, the other on the elbow). I had them first practice just getting the Kumi Uchi on a backpeddling uke, so they really had to put intent on securing a good hold. This was valuable, since most of the time Kumi Uchi is learned as a static, walk up and gently grab them attitude. Once they got proficient at getting the hold on, then we worked on some responses to this hold. This included a third person coming in from the flank with a sucker punch to the held person's head. This led into controlling the space and balance of both attackers while moving out of their 'control space' and into the outer spaces around the Kumi Uchi hold. If balance was not taken on either attacker, the attackers were allowed to continue with another attack or re-establish the Kumi Uchi hold.
This led into working with responding against just the Kumi Uchi by being able to draw a concealed knife from their waistband. If the Kumi Uchi was employed correctly, the control of the shoulder and opposite elbow made it difficult to just reach down and draw the knife. But, if they moved correctly, they had relative freedom of movement and could draw the knife in a way that the holding opponent couldn't see or feel. Then, they were allowed to stab or cut as they wished.
This led into an ura version, where the person doing the Kumi Uchi now had to adapt and evade the knife attack. They first were told to try and prevent the knife draw with the Kumi Uchi hold, which essentially made them commit to the holding attack. This made it realistic in having to evac the hold and evade the knife, but since they couldn't see the knife, they had to 'feel' the change and the knife attack. Once they got it, the taijutsu opened up and they really went after each other! It was great to see it and the whole thing carried incredibly realistic energy to it. They even cranked it up a notch and tried to really stab or cut each other with intent. Every point in the technique was a blur as to who the uke and tori were, since each phase for each person was about trying to really control the other's actions. They made many mistakes and were stabbed and cut (hypothetically, of course) at various points, but still kept going. This was an important point I discussed at the end of class - most knife victims suffer many, many cuts and stab wounds and still fight, still live. So, just because they get stabbed or cut doesn't mean the technique is over. Same for the attacker, too. Just because they may score a cut or stab doesn't mean they stop.
There were other things we did, which continued in the same format. What was most valuable wasn't the things they did correctly - it was the making of mistakes, the exploration of possible solutions and having the right spirit to keep going. That attitude, to me, is the most powerful of all techniques and something that will carry them farther in their martial arts path than anything else. It's not something I can teach, only inspire them to discover for themselves. Yet, without it, they would never be true budoka, real martial artists, no matter how much they train.
This led into working with responding against just the Kumi Uchi by being able to draw a concealed knife from their waistband. If the Kumi Uchi was employed correctly, the control of the shoulder and opposite elbow made it difficult to just reach down and draw the knife. But, if they moved correctly, they had relative freedom of movement and could draw the knife in a way that the holding opponent couldn't see or feel. Then, they were allowed to stab or cut as they wished.
This led into an ura version, where the person doing the Kumi Uchi now had to adapt and evade the knife attack. They first were told to try and prevent the knife draw with the Kumi Uchi hold, which essentially made them commit to the holding attack. This made it realistic in having to evac the hold and evade the knife, but since they couldn't see the knife, they had to 'feel' the change and the knife attack. Once they got it, the taijutsu opened up and they really went after each other! It was great to see it and the whole thing carried incredibly realistic energy to it. They even cranked it up a notch and tried to really stab or cut each other with intent. Every point in the technique was a blur as to who the uke and tori were, since each phase for each person was about trying to really control the other's actions. They made many mistakes and were stabbed and cut (hypothetically, of course) at various points, but still kept going. This was an important point I discussed at the end of class - most knife victims suffer many, many cuts and stab wounds and still fight, still live. So, just because they get stabbed or cut doesn't mean the technique is over. Same for the attacker, too. Just because they may score a cut or stab doesn't mean they stop.
There were other things we did, which continued in the same format. What was most valuable wasn't the things they did correctly - it was the making of mistakes, the exploration of possible solutions and having the right spirit to keep going. That attitude, to me, is the most powerful of all techniques and something that will carry them farther in their martial arts path than anything else. It's not something I can teach, only inspire them to discover for themselves. Yet, without it, they would never be true budoka, real martial artists, no matter how much they train.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Class recap...
It seems my Intel group is quickly becoming a black belt club! New people aren't joining and the regulars have been advancing nicely into dan ranks, so that now I am faced with having an almost all black belt group. I don't mind at all, since it means we can let go and play without having to constantly revisit basic material. I do constantly cover basics, since those need constant development, but I don't have to spend time having to explain the same things over and over. Having a regular revolving door of new people all the time means having to re-explain those things, too.
The downside is that I do see a number of new faces peeking in on us, obviously enjoying what they see, but I wonder how many are too intimidated to come in or think the class is only for advanced students. Oh well, I guess maybe the right person will take that chance and step in regardless. The first test is the door, apparently.
Last night I covered more yoroi (armor) principles, keeping in the current theme of our Kukishinden Ryu. We drilled some high and low blocking strikes using the kote, which is the armor that covers the forearm and back of the hand. We explored the posture of Kosei no Kamae, which is similar to the upward forearm block from karate. But, there are many small differences which play significantly in the real battlefield application of the posture.
Survival on the battlefield was the primary concept I focused on, which included always moving your position, having awareness of surroundings, keeping good balance and being able to move in such a way to allow for deliverance of power without giving up balance and strategic positioning. The techniques were less important as was control of the space and balance.
Most of the techniques centered around Kumi Uchi, which is a classic jujutsu starting hold. You hold your partner's right elbow with your left hand and, with your right hand, grasp your partner's right shoulder. Your partner mirrors your hold on you as well and both of you have the intent of push/pull to take balance, using footwork to adjust the angle of your body.
When in armor, you cannot grasp the lapel because the breastplate will not allow it. So, you grasp the strapping or edge of the breastplate up at the point between their outer pectoral muscle and shoulder, in that 'dip' above the arm pit area. No matter how tight they pull back their shoulders to flatten their shirt, this area of their shirt will always be loose enough to secure a hold. In armor, this point is always open enough to get your fingers in to hold. But, you also have to be careful not to trap your fingers, too!
We practiced doing some basic off balancing and takedowns from this position. We didn't do throws, as in judo, but more of simple balance taking and toppling. This involved controlling the two points grabbed and finding the unsupported angles to push and pull the upper torso, while moving in different angles with the legs, to produce an almost effortless technique to topple the person. Then, I showed a counter where you do the same thing in response to their action and you topple them instead.
Next, we looked at using Kumi Uchi as a base while another person did a straight punch to the held person's head. First we did this from the right side, then the left side. Using the same principles of finding the unsupported angles to move around the grabbing attacker, I showed how you could easily use the person as a shield while evading the punch. I threw in some extra goodies which involved snuffing out the grabbing attacker by using chokes, neck breaks and even some killing techniques with concealed knives. This was a side lesson I normally wouldn't show, but because I had all my senior guys there, I decided to give them some of that training.
To amp things up a bit, I had the punching attacker wear a boxing glove and attempt to really nail the held person in the side of the head. This added a nice dynamic to the training, each person really moving out of the way out of fear of getting punched hard. The grabbing partner was instructed to really try and hold them so they couldn't easily slip by. They had to have good angles and use correct technique to break the balance of their grabbing attacker in order to have the space to avoid the punch. It was a good experiment that paid off well.
We continued along this same line of techniques, all with an emphasis on feeling and realism. They enjoyed it very much and the higher level required to find the effortlessness to the techniques was a good growth curve.
Finally, I decided to show some techniques involving the same kind of two person attack, but ended with both attackers in arm locks and being leveraged to the ground. This was a good stretch for these guys, both in learning and in their arms! Again, they had to really know how to slip out of the danger space and move into safe spaces while controlling the balance of both attackers with as little effort as possible. Resistance was used and the significance of the strategic and technical concepts became abundantly clear. Any error meant one of the attackers easly slipped out of the hold and could continue the attack. It was a good lesson.
We ended class tired and satisfied.
The downside is that I do see a number of new faces peeking in on us, obviously enjoying what they see, but I wonder how many are too intimidated to come in or think the class is only for advanced students. Oh well, I guess maybe the right person will take that chance and step in regardless. The first test is the door, apparently.
Last night I covered more yoroi (armor) principles, keeping in the current theme of our Kukishinden Ryu. We drilled some high and low blocking strikes using the kote, which is the armor that covers the forearm and back of the hand. We explored the posture of Kosei no Kamae, which is similar to the upward forearm block from karate. But, there are many small differences which play significantly in the real battlefield application of the posture.
Survival on the battlefield was the primary concept I focused on, which included always moving your position, having awareness of surroundings, keeping good balance and being able to move in such a way to allow for deliverance of power without giving up balance and strategic positioning. The techniques were less important as was control of the space and balance.
Most of the techniques centered around Kumi Uchi, which is a classic jujutsu starting hold. You hold your partner's right elbow with your left hand and, with your right hand, grasp your partner's right shoulder. Your partner mirrors your hold on you as well and both of you have the intent of push/pull to take balance, using footwork to adjust the angle of your body.
When in armor, you cannot grasp the lapel because the breastplate will not allow it. So, you grasp the strapping or edge of the breastplate up at the point between their outer pectoral muscle and shoulder, in that 'dip' above the arm pit area. No matter how tight they pull back their shoulders to flatten their shirt, this area of their shirt will always be loose enough to secure a hold. In armor, this point is always open enough to get your fingers in to hold. But, you also have to be careful not to trap your fingers, too!
We practiced doing some basic off balancing and takedowns from this position. We didn't do throws, as in judo, but more of simple balance taking and toppling. This involved controlling the two points grabbed and finding the unsupported angles to push and pull the upper torso, while moving in different angles with the legs, to produce an almost effortless technique to topple the person. Then, I showed a counter where you do the same thing in response to their action and you topple them instead.
Next, we looked at using Kumi Uchi as a base while another person did a straight punch to the held person's head. First we did this from the right side, then the left side. Using the same principles of finding the unsupported angles to move around the grabbing attacker, I showed how you could easily use the person as a shield while evading the punch. I threw in some extra goodies which involved snuffing out the grabbing attacker by using chokes, neck breaks and even some killing techniques with concealed knives. This was a side lesson I normally wouldn't show, but because I had all my senior guys there, I decided to give them some of that training.
To amp things up a bit, I had the punching attacker wear a boxing glove and attempt to really nail the held person in the side of the head. This added a nice dynamic to the training, each person really moving out of the way out of fear of getting punched hard. The grabbing partner was instructed to really try and hold them so they couldn't easily slip by. They had to have good angles and use correct technique to break the balance of their grabbing attacker in order to have the space to avoid the punch. It was a good experiment that paid off well.
We continued along this same line of techniques, all with an emphasis on feeling and realism. They enjoyed it very much and the higher level required to find the effortlessness to the techniques was a good growth curve.
Finally, I decided to show some techniques involving the same kind of two person attack, but ended with both attackers in arm locks and being leveraged to the ground. This was a good stretch for these guys, both in learning and in their arms! Again, they had to really know how to slip out of the danger space and move into safe spaces while controlling the balance of both attackers with as little effort as possible. Resistance was used and the significance of the strategic and technical concepts became abundantly clear. Any error meant one of the attackers easly slipped out of the hold and could continue the attack. It was a good lesson.
We ended class tired and satisfied.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Catching up a bit...
Well, I have been so incredibly busy that I totally forgot to update my blog after last week's class! I have purchased my tickets to Japan, so now I'm committed! I am both excited and nervous about it. I am going with 3 others, one of whom has been there a few times already. But, they are going there a few days ahead of me, so I will be going over by myself. I am sure I will be ok, but it makes me nervous to think about how I will be alone in a country where I do not speak or read the language. I do have maps and some basic directions. I know someone will probably meet me at the airport when I arrive. But, I am such a planner that the vagueness of it all concerns me.
I did a lot of domestic flights while serving in the military, plus I've flown back and forth from the east coast to the west coast. But, going out of country is a different matter. In addition, the military did all the itinerary for me - all I had to do was be at the right place at the right time and I would be taken care of. I guess I am too used to that! Oh well, I'm a big boy and can take care of myself. Besides, many others make the journey alone and, if they can do it, so can I.
Anyway, the last class went very well. I finished up the Torite Goho waza, which involve several elbow/shoulder locks and leverages. In keeping with current themes, I showed how armor modified these techniques and the spaces required needed to be controlled at all times. The tendency for new people (and how the original techniques are taught) is to gain limb control and maintain it all the way until the opponent falls or rolls on the ground, then finish with some kind of ground hold.
On the battlefield, this isn't important. The same techniques, instead of being focused on taking someone down, are meant more as methods to open up and disrupt the opponent. This creates the right timing and space to either finish them with a strike, use their body as cover or move on to the next opponent (or escape). We played with several ideas, deploying well timed punches and kicks during the space of time the oppenent was opened up and floundering from the arm twist and leveraging techniques.
We also put on our wooden bokken training swords and practiced using this timing and space to be able to draw and cut the opponent. We even did some half techniques, where the space and timing allowed for a cut to a second incoming opponent.
In the end, it was a physically tiring class. I came to class already tired from the day's work and I could sense others felt the same. We ended class on time and enjoyed some usual after class chit chat before heading to our homes.
I did a lot of domestic flights while serving in the military, plus I've flown back and forth from the east coast to the west coast. But, going out of country is a different matter. In addition, the military did all the itinerary for me - all I had to do was be at the right place at the right time and I would be taken care of. I guess I am too used to that! Oh well, I'm a big boy and can take care of myself. Besides, many others make the journey alone and, if they can do it, so can I.
Anyway, the last class went very well. I finished up the Torite Goho waza, which involve several elbow/shoulder locks and leverages. In keeping with current themes, I showed how armor modified these techniques and the spaces required needed to be controlled at all times. The tendency for new people (and how the original techniques are taught) is to gain limb control and maintain it all the way until the opponent falls or rolls on the ground, then finish with some kind of ground hold.
On the battlefield, this isn't important. The same techniques, instead of being focused on taking someone down, are meant more as methods to open up and disrupt the opponent. This creates the right timing and space to either finish them with a strike, use their body as cover or move on to the next opponent (or escape). We played with several ideas, deploying well timed punches and kicks during the space of time the oppenent was opened up and floundering from the arm twist and leveraging techniques.
We also put on our wooden bokken training swords and practiced using this timing and space to be able to draw and cut the opponent. We even did some half techniques, where the space and timing allowed for a cut to a second incoming opponent.
In the end, it was a physically tiring class. I came to class already tired from the day's work and I could sense others felt the same. We ended class on time and enjoyed some usual after class chit chat before heading to our homes.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Class update!
Hello friends! I didn't hold class last week in light of the Easter/Spring Break holiday week. The family and I took a much needed vacation and spent several days camping at the coast. *sigh* That was nice...
Last night's class was the first class since before the break. I was told some of my guys got together last week anyway and practiced together without me. I like it when they take responsibility for their training like that and keep things going even when I'm not there. This is part of my own philosophy, but I believe the martial path is a personal journey - even though we need to have partners to practice with. At times, it can be lonely and other times you can really feel the connection to the greater family of fellow budoka. But, in the end, it's all about our individual selves and only we are accountable to our own success and failure. So, you can never expect to have another person lead you, or hold your hand, or spoon feed you. You have to take the initiative, get out and do it for yourself. Ok, off my soapbox!
Last night was a great class! I decided to look at the Omote and Ura Gyaku Waza from the Torite Goho portion of our Kihon Happo, which is one of the foundational parts of our whole taijutsu training. Beginners understand the Omote and Ura Gyaku Waza to be the basic outside and inside wrist twists/throws, but they really are much more than that.
I used the Kukishinden Ryu feeling of wearing yoroi (armor) and showed how this affects these kinds of grappling techniques. Because the wrists and hands are hard to hold when wearing armor, the main emphasis then becomes controlling the elbow and spine of the opponent. Once control of the uke's spine and kukan (space) is achieved, then the appropriate 'taking' of the motion to either outside or inside (omote or ura) can be done. Throws are difficult in armor, so the finality actually is more of a takedown, often with a well placed foot behind the uke's extended leg or kick to their knee. Also, since it is normal to have weapons, special considerations are taken in regards to controlling the uke's ability to draw theirs (or even yours).
Another important factor in last night's class was getting the uke to move their own body, then using that movement to provide the energy to complete the technique. This is important because armor is heavy and, when properly postured, can create a solid foundation. However, if that foundation is broken, then the weight of armor becomes a liability, since the off balanced distribution of the weight can be difficult to correct. In addition, having to move a weighted opponent requires energy, which will wear you out. But, if you do certain things which cause the armored uke to move himself, then you've caused the necessary movement needed without expending your own energy to do it. I demonstrated several examples of how to make this happen, showing that it is all about the timing and capturing that critical moment in the flow of motions to capitalize on the shift in the uke's balance.
Once they 'got it', then the gyaku waza took on a life of its own. Uke were flying around, crumpling in a pile of moans and cringes as the pain of extended elbows and twisted wrist joints caused pain and broke balance. They were happy with how easy it was to accomplish this effect once the movement and timing concepts were utilized.
I added some variations to the techniques by implimenting a kubotan (small stick) into the techniques, using pressure points under the armpit to make the uke raise up.
I decided to end class with a little 'aliveness', by having each uke put on a boxing glove on their right hand. They did a left lapel grab and right punch, either as a cross punch or step through. The tori would do an Omote Gyaku in the fashion previously explored, but would switch halfway and do an Ura Gyaku. As they switched, the uke would have opportunity to launch a second punch, which they did. Since they were wearing gloves, I encouraged them to actually attempt to hit their tori with reasonable force. This was a good exercise, since it gave the tori something more realistic to worry about, plus it gave them more energy in the technique to work with. That really had a great effect in the intensity, which added all the more to the taking of balance and eventual throw or takedown.
By the end, everybody was exhausted and well pleased with the progress of the evening. After some final words, we bowed out and left for home.
In reflection, this class was one of those where I had only a small idea of what I was going to teach, but found myself on a virtual explosion of concepts and high intensity techniques. It seemed I was moving well, capturing timing almost effortlessly and just being in the right spots at every point. Maybe it was luck or maybe I was just feeding on my enthusiasm for my Japan trip in June. Maybe it was one of those times when I just 'got it' and was in the moment. Whatever the reason, I needed to feel that again. I needed to feel my own inner budo express itself well.
Last night's class was the first class since before the break. I was told some of my guys got together last week anyway and practiced together without me. I like it when they take responsibility for their training like that and keep things going even when I'm not there. This is part of my own philosophy, but I believe the martial path is a personal journey - even though we need to have partners to practice with. At times, it can be lonely and other times you can really feel the connection to the greater family of fellow budoka. But, in the end, it's all about our individual selves and only we are accountable to our own success and failure. So, you can never expect to have another person lead you, or hold your hand, or spoon feed you. You have to take the initiative, get out and do it for yourself. Ok, off my soapbox!
Last night was a great class! I decided to look at the Omote and Ura Gyaku Waza from the Torite Goho portion of our Kihon Happo, which is one of the foundational parts of our whole taijutsu training. Beginners understand the Omote and Ura Gyaku Waza to be the basic outside and inside wrist twists/throws, but they really are much more than that.
I used the Kukishinden Ryu feeling of wearing yoroi (armor) and showed how this affects these kinds of grappling techniques. Because the wrists and hands are hard to hold when wearing armor, the main emphasis then becomes controlling the elbow and spine of the opponent. Once control of the uke's spine and kukan (space) is achieved, then the appropriate 'taking' of the motion to either outside or inside (omote or ura) can be done. Throws are difficult in armor, so the finality actually is more of a takedown, often with a well placed foot behind the uke's extended leg or kick to their knee. Also, since it is normal to have weapons, special considerations are taken in regards to controlling the uke's ability to draw theirs (or even yours).
Another important factor in last night's class was getting the uke to move their own body, then using that movement to provide the energy to complete the technique. This is important because armor is heavy and, when properly postured, can create a solid foundation. However, if that foundation is broken, then the weight of armor becomes a liability, since the off balanced distribution of the weight can be difficult to correct. In addition, having to move a weighted opponent requires energy, which will wear you out. But, if you do certain things which cause the armored uke to move himself, then you've caused the necessary movement needed without expending your own energy to do it. I demonstrated several examples of how to make this happen, showing that it is all about the timing and capturing that critical moment in the flow of motions to capitalize on the shift in the uke's balance.
Once they 'got it', then the gyaku waza took on a life of its own. Uke were flying around, crumpling in a pile of moans and cringes as the pain of extended elbows and twisted wrist joints caused pain and broke balance. They were happy with how easy it was to accomplish this effect once the movement and timing concepts were utilized.
I added some variations to the techniques by implimenting a kubotan (small stick) into the techniques, using pressure points under the armpit to make the uke raise up.
I decided to end class with a little 'aliveness', by having each uke put on a boxing glove on their right hand. They did a left lapel grab and right punch, either as a cross punch or step through. The tori would do an Omote Gyaku in the fashion previously explored, but would switch halfway and do an Ura Gyaku. As they switched, the uke would have opportunity to launch a second punch, which they did. Since they were wearing gloves, I encouraged them to actually attempt to hit their tori with reasonable force. This was a good exercise, since it gave the tori something more realistic to worry about, plus it gave them more energy in the technique to work with. That really had a great effect in the intensity, which added all the more to the taking of balance and eventual throw or takedown.
By the end, everybody was exhausted and well pleased with the progress of the evening. After some final words, we bowed out and left for home.
In reflection, this class was one of those where I had only a small idea of what I was going to teach, but found myself on a virtual explosion of concepts and high intensity techniques. It seemed I was moving well, capturing timing almost effortlessly and just being in the right spots at every point. Maybe it was luck or maybe I was just feeding on my enthusiasm for my Japan trip in June. Maybe it was one of those times when I just 'got it' and was in the moment. Whatever the reason, I needed to feel that again. I needed to feel my own inner budo express itself well.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Domination!
Last night's class went well. We are still taking a break from Rokushakubo, focusing on basic taijutsu while wearing yoroi (armor). We bowed in and did our usual warm up rolling segment. Then, I grabbed my padded hanbo and had them stand in a line. Each person had to stand in front of me in shizen no kamae (natural stance). I would make a slow, horizontal swing with the hanbo at shoulder level and they had to do a vertical drop to a prone position and spring back up into shizen no kamae again. Then, I would swing at their shoulders again in a backhand manner, so as to train from right and left swings.
This was done slowly and smoothly at first. Then, as the line progressed through, I did the same two swings at hip level. After that cycle of guys went through, I moved the swings back to shoulder level, but at full speed. Finally, I ended with a round of full speed, hip level swings.
At first, most of them were jumpy and some got smacked. But, in time, they relaxed more and more, finding that when they relaxed, they had good reaction time and were able to drop below each swing - even the hip level, full speed ones! This was an important lesson in 'letting go' and in the 'shizen', or naturalness, of their movements. I was standing at striking distance, poised to swing each time. I would wait until I saw their body and energy 'settle', then snap the strike out. So, it was quite a sudden and challenging thing to avoid if they were focused on my technique. They had to really let go and just 'feel' when the strike was going to happen. Some dropped even before I swung! I laughed and made reference to how many folks we've seen on video doing that in Soke's Godan test, where they sit before Soke and he does a downward swing with a padded sword from behind!
I explained how this exercise is the first step in understanding the Sakki, or Godan, test - even though I am not qualified to administer such a test. But, many of the same things are involved in being able to 'receive' this type of test - letting go, not thinking, no technique, trust the feeling, etc. It was a good practice drill.
Next, I taught the three Koshi Sanpo Kata from our Kihon Happo Waza. The first, Ichimonji no Kata, involves a response to a head strike where you evade and block to the outside, then finish with an Omote Shuto (half open fist from outside the frame of the body - similar to a judo chop). I explained how, in training, you make large movements to understand and develop the little things within those movements. But, in Shinken (real fighting), the timing and movements become blurred. The 'step 1, step 2 and step 3' approach disappears and the whole thing becomes 'step 1'. I showed this using a strategy of "Dominating the Kukan (space)", where you aren't just moving into the opponent's space - you are dominating it to such a degree the opponent is left helpless and vulnerable. Plus, to tie in current themes, you are doing this while both of you are armored.
So, using this domination strategy, I changed the technical aspects of the original kata to make it seem more of a forward moving, offensive response. However, in looking at it more closely, it became clear to them I was still moving away and blocking, but the shift between moving away and moving into their center space for the Omote Shuto was so blurred that it appeared to be completely forward movement. Even the Omote Shuto was delivered from the center of my chest, instead of the high posture of the hand up by the forehead or temple. I just 'fired' it from it's natural position. Needless to say, the opponent was locked backwards on his heels, couldn't step back to regain balance, and fell away from being hit by my shuto while in this vulnerable position.
Then I showed a variation or expansion of this technique by using a shinai practice sword against a sword wielding opponent. We both started in Seigan no Kamae, but I pulled my right foot back to be in a reverse kamae. My partner brought his sword up over his head in Daijodan no Kamae, then swung down at my head in Tenchi Giri (downward cut). I moved in under his strike with my right step, bringing my sword up in a cross block, but used my forearms to block his forearms (similar to a Kosei no Kamae posture). Then, while still holding the weight of his strike, shifted my left foot in a kind of aruki cross step past his right foot. I 'let go' of the weight of his body by twisting out of the aruki cross step posture, placing my left elbow against his right shoulder and bringing my sword around behind his neck to cut the cervical spine (under the back plate of the helmet). This involved using precise body placement to enable me to 'feel' the actions of my partner and dominate the available spaces, leaving him vulnerable and dependent on my position for his balance. Once I took that away by twisting out of the cross step, he fell forward and was easily cut.
They liked this technique very much and spent considerable time with it.
Next, we explored the Jumonji no Kata and Hicho no Kata techniques, using the same concepts of timing and domination. Each time, the attacker felt as if I was directly coming into him, but again I was moving away and into the center space in such a way that the shift away was hidden.
This was a good class overall. We ended the night playing with some defenses against a double leg takedown, where the attacker goes in for the waist, then slides their 'hug' down to the knees. Once they compress the knees together, the toppling is easy. I showed defense ideas at every stage, from entry, to waist grab to knee compression. Then, I showed ideas from the conventional mount position, side mount position and so on - demonstrating the sport technique vs the real combat technique. This was not a class in BJJ or MMA grappling, but rather an exploration in how these things would happen in real combat and what considerations are there when there are no rules to what you or the attacker can do.
We bowed out to each other, then left satisfied another good night of training was achieved.
This was done slowly and smoothly at first. Then, as the line progressed through, I did the same two swings at hip level. After that cycle of guys went through, I moved the swings back to shoulder level, but at full speed. Finally, I ended with a round of full speed, hip level swings.
At first, most of them were jumpy and some got smacked. But, in time, they relaxed more and more, finding that when they relaxed, they had good reaction time and were able to drop below each swing - even the hip level, full speed ones! This was an important lesson in 'letting go' and in the 'shizen', or naturalness, of their movements. I was standing at striking distance, poised to swing each time. I would wait until I saw their body and energy 'settle', then snap the strike out. So, it was quite a sudden and challenging thing to avoid if they were focused on my technique. They had to really let go and just 'feel' when the strike was going to happen. Some dropped even before I swung! I laughed and made reference to how many folks we've seen on video doing that in Soke's Godan test, where they sit before Soke and he does a downward swing with a padded sword from behind!
I explained how this exercise is the first step in understanding the Sakki, or Godan, test - even though I am not qualified to administer such a test. But, many of the same things are involved in being able to 'receive' this type of test - letting go, not thinking, no technique, trust the feeling, etc. It was a good practice drill.
Next, I taught the three Koshi Sanpo Kata from our Kihon Happo Waza. The first, Ichimonji no Kata, involves a response to a head strike where you evade and block to the outside, then finish with an Omote Shuto (half open fist from outside the frame of the body - similar to a judo chop). I explained how, in training, you make large movements to understand and develop the little things within those movements. But, in Shinken (real fighting), the timing and movements become blurred. The 'step 1, step 2 and step 3' approach disappears and the whole thing becomes 'step 1'. I showed this using a strategy of "Dominating the Kukan (space)", where you aren't just moving into the opponent's space - you are dominating it to such a degree the opponent is left helpless and vulnerable. Plus, to tie in current themes, you are doing this while both of you are armored.
So, using this domination strategy, I changed the technical aspects of the original kata to make it seem more of a forward moving, offensive response. However, in looking at it more closely, it became clear to them I was still moving away and blocking, but the shift between moving away and moving into their center space for the Omote Shuto was so blurred that it appeared to be completely forward movement. Even the Omote Shuto was delivered from the center of my chest, instead of the high posture of the hand up by the forehead or temple. I just 'fired' it from it's natural position. Needless to say, the opponent was locked backwards on his heels, couldn't step back to regain balance, and fell away from being hit by my shuto while in this vulnerable position.
Then I showed a variation or expansion of this technique by using a shinai practice sword against a sword wielding opponent. We both started in Seigan no Kamae, but I pulled my right foot back to be in a reverse kamae. My partner brought his sword up over his head in Daijodan no Kamae, then swung down at my head in Tenchi Giri (downward cut). I moved in under his strike with my right step, bringing my sword up in a cross block, but used my forearms to block his forearms (similar to a Kosei no Kamae posture). Then, while still holding the weight of his strike, shifted my left foot in a kind of aruki cross step past his right foot. I 'let go' of the weight of his body by twisting out of the aruki cross step posture, placing my left elbow against his right shoulder and bringing my sword around behind his neck to cut the cervical spine (under the back plate of the helmet). This involved using precise body placement to enable me to 'feel' the actions of my partner and dominate the available spaces, leaving him vulnerable and dependent on my position for his balance. Once I took that away by twisting out of the cross step, he fell forward and was easily cut.
They liked this technique very much and spent considerable time with it.
Next, we explored the Jumonji no Kata and Hicho no Kata techniques, using the same concepts of timing and domination. Each time, the attacker felt as if I was directly coming into him, but again I was moving away and into the center space in such a way that the shift away was hidden.
This was a good class overall. We ended the night playing with some defenses against a double leg takedown, where the attacker goes in for the waist, then slides their 'hug' down to the knees. Once they compress the knees together, the toppling is easy. I showed defense ideas at every stage, from entry, to waist grab to knee compression. Then, I showed ideas from the conventional mount position, side mount position and so on - demonstrating the sport technique vs the real combat technique. This was not a class in BJJ or MMA grappling, but rather an exploration in how these things would happen in real combat and what considerations are there when there are no rules to what you or the attacker can do.
We bowed out to each other, then left satisfied another good night of training was achieved.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Class Recap...
Last night's class was great. I decided we'd give the Rokushakubo stuff a rest for a couple weeks and just look at taijutsu. So, I spent the first part of the night touching on the Sanshin no Kata movement forms and how wearing armor affects how you move. Things like upright posture, keeping the shoulders back (centered over the hips), not over extending yourself, keeping the feet closer together (yet wide enough to provide a balanced base), use of the knees to roll the motions instead of start and stop actions, how the weight of armor will pull and plant your position if not moving properly and so on.
Next, I covered the unique dynamics of the Jodan and Gedan Uke blocking actions. The armored kote (armor worn on the forearm and back of hand) provides the striking surface for powerful blocks, usually done in an upward motion from Kosei no Kamae or in a downward motion by dropping the weight and bending the knees deeply. The arms don't fuel the action, the body does. This is due to the taxing effect of the weight of armor on the arms and shoulders.
Next, we looked at some basic kata, starting with some variations of Seion from Kukishinden Ryu. This is a basic takedown, shown in the densho as starting from the Kumi Uchi grappling posture. I showed it as a technique versus a two punch combination. Then, I followed it with a counter technique, which the students enjoyed very much.
I showed a few more techniques in this fashion, with the base form first then a counter technique. My guys like learning the base form, then exploiting all the holes in it. The point was clear that every technique has holes and knowing where they are makes the technique efficient and adapting.
For some new excitement, I brought a couple of padded soft hanbo and we played a bit with some randori (controlled sparring). It was fun to watch how quickly things like kamae, control of space, striking technique and such all broke down once the action was on. I found that most were afraid of really hitting their partner and, at the same time, afraid of the vulnerability that comes with opening up the posture to make 'realistic' swings with the hanbo. So, at many points the exchange became a game of light, jerky jabs and lots of reaching. But, soon it took on more realistic aspects as they started to take larger movements to simulate real intent, but with controlled speed. Unfortunately, one of my guys lost balance and did a side roll to recover, but broke the hanbo in the process. So much for that! I'll be reconstructing it over the weekend.
We ended the class with a few more basic techniques versus a two and three punch attack, with a counter technique thrown in each time. Eventually, we were all tired and ready to end class. So, with a satisfied bow to each other and a "domo arigato gozaimasu", we ended the evening and went home.
I like it when the guys walk away feeling like they've had their fair portion of budo training. It's like eating - too much and you feel bloated and miserable. Too little and you are unsatisfied and scrounging around later for snacks. Just enough and it just makes the evening 'just right'.
Next, I covered the unique dynamics of the Jodan and Gedan Uke blocking actions. The armored kote (armor worn on the forearm and back of hand) provides the striking surface for powerful blocks, usually done in an upward motion from Kosei no Kamae or in a downward motion by dropping the weight and bending the knees deeply. The arms don't fuel the action, the body does. This is due to the taxing effect of the weight of armor on the arms and shoulders.
Next, we looked at some basic kata, starting with some variations of Seion from Kukishinden Ryu. This is a basic takedown, shown in the densho as starting from the Kumi Uchi grappling posture. I showed it as a technique versus a two punch combination. Then, I followed it with a counter technique, which the students enjoyed very much.
I showed a few more techniques in this fashion, with the base form first then a counter technique. My guys like learning the base form, then exploiting all the holes in it. The point was clear that every technique has holes and knowing where they are makes the technique efficient and adapting.
For some new excitement, I brought a couple of padded soft hanbo and we played a bit with some randori (controlled sparring). It was fun to watch how quickly things like kamae, control of space, striking technique and such all broke down once the action was on. I found that most were afraid of really hitting their partner and, at the same time, afraid of the vulnerability that comes with opening up the posture to make 'realistic' swings with the hanbo. So, at many points the exchange became a game of light, jerky jabs and lots of reaching. But, soon it took on more realistic aspects as they started to take larger movements to simulate real intent, but with controlled speed. Unfortunately, one of my guys lost balance and did a side roll to recover, but broke the hanbo in the process. So much for that! I'll be reconstructing it over the weekend.
We ended the class with a few more basic techniques versus a two and three punch attack, with a counter technique thrown in each time. Eventually, we were all tired and ready to end class. So, with a satisfied bow to each other and a "domo arigato gozaimasu", we ended the evening and went home.
I like it when the guys walk away feeling like they've had their fair portion of budo training. It's like eating - too much and you feel bloated and miserable. Too little and you are unsatisfied and scrounging around later for snacks. Just enough and it just makes the evening 'just right'.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Finding the Center
My class last night went very well. The problems that plagued my taijutsu last Saturday at Dale's seminar seemed to all but disappear and I felt strong in my movements. *sigh of relief*
We started class with our usual ukemi rolling to warm up the spine and body. Then, I had everybody practice Bofuri gata with their rokushakubo or jo. I walked around the room and did some fine tuning of each person's technique, mostly with footwork and letting the staff move with it's own energy. I also revisited the aruki cross stepping movements with them and eventually they were all moving about the room fairly freely, spinning their staves with greater ease.
From there, I showed a variation of a Bojutsu kata (can't recall the name at the moment). It starts with the attacker doing a mid-level draw and cut with the sword (iaijutsu). You move outside the attack to the forward left and into a posture called Jodan no Kamae, where the forward tip of the staff goes in the space between the attacker's sword wrist and handle. The rear of the bo (right side) is held horizontally up over the top of the head. Then, you step with the right foot, parrying their sword hand to the outside left, sliding your left hand up to their wrist and using your left forearm in a kind of 'lock' or leverage to control the sword. From there, you step with your right foot behind their forward right foot and drive your right hand and staff into their neck to topple them down. You end by stepping forward with your right leg to break or pin their extended sword arm.
This went fairly well. They quickly figured out the kata isn't so much about the technical movements as it is about controlling the space and the spine of the attacker, so that they become unable to withdraw their sword arm and/or step away to regain their posture. If done correctly, it doesn't require a 'grabbing' of the sword arm, but rather the control happens from the proper use of the Jodan no Kamae and keeping the space (also known as 'kukan') open.
I showed a more nasty variation. Instead of driving your right hand and staff into their upper body and head, you take it over the top of their head to place the rigid staff behind their neck. As they fall backwards, you follow their descent to drive your right forearm against their head. This forces the neck to break against the haft of the staff, which braces into the ground to create a kind of anvil effect on the attacker's neck. It's a very dangerous technique, so please don't try to do this without proper instruction and careful practice.
From there, I showed a small counter to this technique, just to make them aware of the holes that exist in it and how moving properly using the kukan space and kamae posture correctly prevents or reduces the counter.
Next, we looked at a counter against a grab and punch attack. You stand there, casually holding your staff in the right hand in a 'guard post' position (staff pointing upwards like a palace guard). The attacker approaches, grabs the staff with their left hand and does a right cross punch to your face. Without moving the staff, you step back 45 degrees to the right, blocking the punch with the left forearm and fist. From their, you shift into a neck strike with your extended left hand, then reach up to the tip of the staff. By using the attacker's own grabbing hand as the axis, you pull back with your left hand and push forward with your right, bringing the bottom of the staff up to strike the attacker in the groin. Then, you slide your left hand forward to grab their right hand, which is still on the staff, and step forward with your right leg in front of their extended left leg. This puts your body behind the elbow of their extended left arm, so that you can do an arm bar throw by simply twisting your body sharply or drop them with an arm bar leverage by kneeling down. Finish by bringing the staff back to center.
From there, we went into unarmed taijutsu against a two hand combination attack. This started with a taking of the first punching arm to the outside, then taking the center space when the attacker attempts the second cross punch. This taking of the center space was the key to the rest of the evening. As the space was taken, the technique called for a pulling down of the lead punch and lifting of the second punch (with the right forearm) so that the attacker's shoulders cross the line of the hips in a cross pattern. This made toppling the attacker backwards very simple, since the line of the shoulders pointed to the third point of their "Balance Triangle", or that point which is between the feet. When done in the right timing, the attacker is literally thrown by their own inertia and their center space taken.
This led to other techniques which involved very close fighting scenarios, where striking turns to grappling. We looked at how controlling the center space of the attacker nullifies much of their technique and how the timing of when to move out of that space creates the finish. The techniques themselves became less important than the space at the center of them. By taking and controlling this center space, dominance was achieved and the attacker easily defeated.
Lastly, we spent time looking at Sankakujime, the infamous "Triangle Choke" commonly known as the "Rear Naked Choke" in modern sport grappling. After some practice applying it from various approaches around our partner, I started showing defenses against this form of attack. The classic defenses show trying to defeat it after it is put on, but this is dangerous. If the attack is done correctly, the odds are with the person doing the choke. Stopping the blood flow to the brain only takes less than a minute to render someone unconscious. So, the defense needs to start happening as the technique is being applied. We looked at ways of using natural ukemi to feel and move with the intial actions of the setting of the choke and how getting out of the attacker's center space makes application of the choke difficult. We tried this while closing the eyes, so that the sensory skills could be used. Eventually, they were doing pretty well at moving out of the effective center space required for the attacker to get the choke hold on securely, even when done at more of a randori or realistic speed. This was a good exercise and it went very well.
This was a good class and I was complimented by the group as we bowed out for the evening. I like it when they compliment me, not to feed my own ego, but that I walk away really feeling as if I sparked a growth curve in each of them. Their growth is very important to me and knowing that the teaching I give them could mean the difference between life and death if any of them ever happen to end up in a violent situation gives me a real sense of responsibility. I am fortunate to have such quality people who look to me for that guidance. They are not looking to be entertained, so I know that compliments I receive from them are genuinely because they found something valuable from a real budo sense.
I needed to feel that again after my feelings of disappointment and frustration with my taijutsu at Dale's seminar. I needed to return and take possession of my own 'center', to regain control of myself and my budo.
I feel great now!
We started class with our usual ukemi rolling to warm up the spine and body. Then, I had everybody practice Bofuri gata with their rokushakubo or jo. I walked around the room and did some fine tuning of each person's technique, mostly with footwork and letting the staff move with it's own energy. I also revisited the aruki cross stepping movements with them and eventually they were all moving about the room fairly freely, spinning their staves with greater ease.
From there, I showed a variation of a Bojutsu kata (can't recall the name at the moment). It starts with the attacker doing a mid-level draw and cut with the sword (iaijutsu). You move outside the attack to the forward left and into a posture called Jodan no Kamae, where the forward tip of the staff goes in the space between the attacker's sword wrist and handle. The rear of the bo (right side) is held horizontally up over the top of the head. Then, you step with the right foot, parrying their sword hand to the outside left, sliding your left hand up to their wrist and using your left forearm in a kind of 'lock' or leverage to control the sword. From there, you step with your right foot behind their forward right foot and drive your right hand and staff into their neck to topple them down. You end by stepping forward with your right leg to break or pin their extended sword arm.
This went fairly well. They quickly figured out the kata isn't so much about the technical movements as it is about controlling the space and the spine of the attacker, so that they become unable to withdraw their sword arm and/or step away to regain their posture. If done correctly, it doesn't require a 'grabbing' of the sword arm, but rather the control happens from the proper use of the Jodan no Kamae and keeping the space (also known as 'kukan') open.
I showed a more nasty variation. Instead of driving your right hand and staff into their upper body and head, you take it over the top of their head to place the rigid staff behind their neck. As they fall backwards, you follow their descent to drive your right forearm against their head. This forces the neck to break against the haft of the staff, which braces into the ground to create a kind of anvil effect on the attacker's neck. It's a very dangerous technique, so please don't try to do this without proper instruction and careful practice.
From there, I showed a small counter to this technique, just to make them aware of the holes that exist in it and how moving properly using the kukan space and kamae posture correctly prevents or reduces the counter.
Next, we looked at a counter against a grab and punch attack. You stand there, casually holding your staff in the right hand in a 'guard post' position (staff pointing upwards like a palace guard). The attacker approaches, grabs the staff with their left hand and does a right cross punch to your face. Without moving the staff, you step back 45 degrees to the right, blocking the punch with the left forearm and fist. From their, you shift into a neck strike with your extended left hand, then reach up to the tip of the staff. By using the attacker's own grabbing hand as the axis, you pull back with your left hand and push forward with your right, bringing the bottom of the staff up to strike the attacker in the groin. Then, you slide your left hand forward to grab their right hand, which is still on the staff, and step forward with your right leg in front of their extended left leg. This puts your body behind the elbow of their extended left arm, so that you can do an arm bar throw by simply twisting your body sharply or drop them with an arm bar leverage by kneeling down. Finish by bringing the staff back to center.
From there, we went into unarmed taijutsu against a two hand combination attack. This started with a taking of the first punching arm to the outside, then taking the center space when the attacker attempts the second cross punch. This taking of the center space was the key to the rest of the evening. As the space was taken, the technique called for a pulling down of the lead punch and lifting of the second punch (with the right forearm) so that the attacker's shoulders cross the line of the hips in a cross pattern. This made toppling the attacker backwards very simple, since the line of the shoulders pointed to the third point of their "Balance Triangle", or that point which is between the feet. When done in the right timing, the attacker is literally thrown by their own inertia and their center space taken.
This led to other techniques which involved very close fighting scenarios, where striking turns to grappling. We looked at how controlling the center space of the attacker nullifies much of their technique and how the timing of when to move out of that space creates the finish. The techniques themselves became less important than the space at the center of them. By taking and controlling this center space, dominance was achieved and the attacker easily defeated.
Lastly, we spent time looking at Sankakujime, the infamous "Triangle Choke" commonly known as the "Rear Naked Choke" in modern sport grappling. After some practice applying it from various approaches around our partner, I started showing defenses against this form of attack. The classic defenses show trying to defeat it after it is put on, but this is dangerous. If the attack is done correctly, the odds are with the person doing the choke. Stopping the blood flow to the brain only takes less than a minute to render someone unconscious. So, the defense needs to start happening as the technique is being applied. We looked at ways of using natural ukemi to feel and move with the intial actions of the setting of the choke and how getting out of the attacker's center space makes application of the choke difficult. We tried this while closing the eyes, so that the sensory skills could be used. Eventually, they were doing pretty well at moving out of the effective center space required for the attacker to get the choke hold on securely, even when done at more of a randori or realistic speed. This was a good exercise and it went very well.
This was a good class and I was complimented by the group as we bowed out for the evening. I like it when they compliment me, not to feed my own ego, but that I walk away really feeling as if I sparked a growth curve in each of them. Their growth is very important to me and knowing that the teaching I give them could mean the difference between life and death if any of them ever happen to end up in a violent situation gives me a real sense of responsibility. I am fortunate to have such quality people who look to me for that guidance. They are not looking to be entertained, so I know that compliments I receive from them are genuinely because they found something valuable from a real budo sense.
I needed to feel that again after my feelings of disappointment and frustration with my taijutsu at Dale's seminar. I needed to return and take possession of my own 'center', to regain control of myself and my budo.
I feel great now!
Monday, March 12, 2007
Friendship, pain, sweat, frustration - happiness!
Wow, what a week...
To start off with, my Intel class last Tuesday was incredible. One of my shodans, Andrew, invited us to an after training get-together at his house, which is right across the boulevard from Intel. I ended up running a little late getting to class, due to heavy traffic, but phoned another of my shodans to start without me. When I got there, only 4 of us were in attendance and they were rolling around and practicing basics. We quickly bowed in and started warming up with our 5' jo staves, doing the bofuri gata. As I was practicing, I started doing aruki cross stepping in time with the flowing movements of the jo and this sparked interest in the others. So, I spent some time showing a step by step synchronization of movements between forward and backward cross step motions and the motions of the jo staff, so that even in the crossed step 'half point', they still had strike or block kamae positioning. This led into using the aruki to make subtle range changes while using the tip of the jo to keep the uke distracted and using this aruki method to allow for multiple strikes, thrusting in the half step of the crossed legs kamae.
From there, we explored similar concepts with the bokken, or wooden training sword, just to show continuity. Then, we looked at unarmed striking concepts using the same strategy.
Lastly, we played with some yoroi jujutsu, or grappling in armor. This was in preparation to the upcoming Dale Seago seminar on Saturday.
We decided to end class 30 minutes early and head over to Andrew's house for our 'get together'. We arrived and I was impressed and surprised with everything Andrew had prepared! I was expecting to just hang out and chat for a bit, maybe have a beer or something. But, he had a prepared sushi platter, fresh salmon steak, bread (for the salmon), Corona beers, tea and even some ice cream Bon-Bons for dessert! We ate, drank and had a great time chatting about everything from training, gadgets, hiking, and all sorts of topics. Afterward, Andrew treated us to a slideshow on his laptop computer, giving an excellent photo tour of a mountain climbing expedition he did in South America!
What I came away with was a reminder of just how important fellowship is to martial arts training. We have been training together for almost 5 years now and I can only think of a few times we've gotten together outside of the dojo to just hang out and enjoy each other's company. I sent an email to them the next day, thanking them for the evening and vowing to do more of these 'get togethers' from now on. They all agreed it's been too long and we need to do more of it.
When Saturday came, I got down to the Sacramento Bujinkan Dojo well ahead of Dale and most others. A black belt student there had keys so we were able to get in early and start setting up. I brought my SCA armor and trucked it in, which caused quite interest among those who were there early.
After starting the business end of the seminar, getting a roster of names going and collecting fees from people, Alex showed and so I had my 'hosting partner' to start the organizing of the itinerary (lunch schedule, payment details, etc). We got word that Dale was running late, but since he was coming from San Francisco, we expected the possibility of traffic and such. So, we spent the time chatting with everybody, making new friends and reacquainting ourselves with old ones.
Dale arrived, not much late, and we promptly began the seminar. Dale mentioned to me it would be good for me to wear my armor for the first part of the seminar, so I began lacing on the pieces as they bowed in and Dale talked about many things, including his adventured filming a documentary with the MythBusters TV show. I was happy the armor went on smoothly, especially since it had been over a year since I fought in it last. But, the leather strappings still fit and the metal plates weren't too rusty. The night before, I had put strips of duct tape along many of the edges and points. Getting cut with rusty metal would not be a good thing!
After all the armor was on, including my sircoat tunic, I walked out into the training area. The armor made it's usual clanging and creaking and it caused everybody to turn and look. I suspect they had never seen medieval armor live before, at least not at a Bujinkan seminar! Everybody was happy and excited to see it and it definitely added an energy level to the room.
I stood next to Dale and, as he demonstrated some basic Sanshin movements (from a Kukishinden armored 'feel'), I copied them so that the others could see how armor really does affect the posture and movements. It was a great visual demonstration and people later commented how seeing me really helped them understand what Dale was teaching.
We went on to do some basic kata and I practiced mostly in the air, being afraid of accidentally cutting someone with my armor plating - particularly on my elbows and knees. I spent some time with a judan and hachidan who were training together, so they could see the unique attributes armor added to the kata we were doing. They loved it!
Dale did some kata on me, doing Onikudaki and other nasties. I took the ukemi well and was able to fold into various falling positions as needed. He didn't throw me, but I know I could have taken that ukemi as well.
I had opportunity to train with some others in the room and it was very enlightening for them. However, the room was becoming very warm and humid, so my own heat level was getting very high. Eventually, I started removing parts of my armor, starting with my helmet, in between being Dale's uke and training with my partner. Eventually, though, I got out of the armor and put on my dogi. I was soaked completely in sweat and it didn't take long to soak through the dogi I put on, too!
The rest of the day went fast. We stopped for lunch about midway. I bought Dale's lunch and spent some quality time with him discussing all sorts of things. Then, we continued the seminar until well into the late afternoon (around 5pm).
Overall the seminar was excellent! Dale's teaching is always top notch and his technique is beautiful. I, on the other hand, suffered many setbacks and challenges. Once I became very hot from training in armor, I couldn't get myself to cool down. I sucked down bottles of water and took a few breaks, but would quickly get overheated again. I would go from being Dale's uke, where he would hit, twist and throw me fairly hard, then jump into training with my partner. I didn't have time to cool down like the others who were watching Dale demonstrate.
This really affected me pretty much most of the day, especially at the second half. I found myself losing many of the basics, like timing and flow. I was fortunate to train with a very experienced Bujinkan dan rank, who pointed out and helped me with all these areas. It was frustrating for me on many levels, mostly because these were things I normally don't struggle with and I could 'see' these things happening - even though it seemed I lacked the ability to fix them! So, I just kept going, kept adjusting to the suggestions given to me by my partner and tried to relax. Many times I felt incredibly dizzy and actually had to step away to get some fresh air to cool down. My patient training partner is also very skilled in Yoga and healing arts, so he spent some time with me working on my breathing and energy levels. This helped alot to keep me back on 'center'.
At the end of the day, I felt stupid and really disappointed with myself. Either I was just having a bad day, maybe my body was in a weak cycle, or I really am developing a weakness for over heating. At any rate, I found that being overheated affected me by robbing me of essential basics in my taijutsu - basics that I believe could get me killed. So, I am going to have to put a new focus on my training. I do not want to keep making myself overheat, because that is dangerous to my body. But, I do think I need to spend more time working on the subtle aspects to my basics, to drill them into my body deeper and deeper. That way, when I am under such conditions, they are rooted farther into my subconscious body mechanics and will be there when I need them.
If I learned anything this entire last week, I can sum it up in two things:
1. The importance of fellowship among buyu
2. The importance of kihon, or foundation, in training
Yet, these are things I've already known. But, I suppose the cycle needs repeating, needs reminding. It takes good training opportunities and good training friends to 'remind' us!
Now I look forward to my Intel class on Tuesday!
To start off with, my Intel class last Tuesday was incredible. One of my shodans, Andrew, invited us to an after training get-together at his house, which is right across the boulevard from Intel. I ended up running a little late getting to class, due to heavy traffic, but phoned another of my shodans to start without me. When I got there, only 4 of us were in attendance and they were rolling around and practicing basics. We quickly bowed in and started warming up with our 5' jo staves, doing the bofuri gata. As I was practicing, I started doing aruki cross stepping in time with the flowing movements of the jo and this sparked interest in the others. So, I spent some time showing a step by step synchronization of movements between forward and backward cross step motions and the motions of the jo staff, so that even in the crossed step 'half point', they still had strike or block kamae positioning. This led into using the aruki to make subtle range changes while using the tip of the jo to keep the uke distracted and using this aruki method to allow for multiple strikes, thrusting in the half step of the crossed legs kamae.
From there, we explored similar concepts with the bokken, or wooden training sword, just to show continuity. Then, we looked at unarmed striking concepts using the same strategy.
Lastly, we played with some yoroi jujutsu, or grappling in armor. This was in preparation to the upcoming Dale Seago seminar on Saturday.
We decided to end class 30 minutes early and head over to Andrew's house for our 'get together'. We arrived and I was impressed and surprised with everything Andrew had prepared! I was expecting to just hang out and chat for a bit, maybe have a beer or something. But, he had a prepared sushi platter, fresh salmon steak, bread (for the salmon), Corona beers, tea and even some ice cream Bon-Bons for dessert! We ate, drank and had a great time chatting about everything from training, gadgets, hiking, and all sorts of topics. Afterward, Andrew treated us to a slideshow on his laptop computer, giving an excellent photo tour of a mountain climbing expedition he did in South America!
What I came away with was a reminder of just how important fellowship is to martial arts training. We have been training together for almost 5 years now and I can only think of a few times we've gotten together outside of the dojo to just hang out and enjoy each other's company. I sent an email to them the next day, thanking them for the evening and vowing to do more of these 'get togethers' from now on. They all agreed it's been too long and we need to do more of it.
When Saturday came, I got down to the Sacramento Bujinkan Dojo well ahead of Dale and most others. A black belt student there had keys so we were able to get in early and start setting up. I brought my SCA armor and trucked it in, which caused quite interest among those who were there early.
After starting the business end of the seminar, getting a roster of names going and collecting fees from people, Alex showed and so I had my 'hosting partner' to start the organizing of the itinerary (lunch schedule, payment details, etc). We got word that Dale was running late, but since he was coming from San Francisco, we expected the possibility of traffic and such. So, we spent the time chatting with everybody, making new friends and reacquainting ourselves with old ones.
Dale arrived, not much late, and we promptly began the seminar. Dale mentioned to me it would be good for me to wear my armor for the first part of the seminar, so I began lacing on the pieces as they bowed in and Dale talked about many things, including his adventured filming a documentary with the MythBusters TV show. I was happy the armor went on smoothly, especially since it had been over a year since I fought in it last. But, the leather strappings still fit and the metal plates weren't too rusty. The night before, I had put strips of duct tape along many of the edges and points. Getting cut with rusty metal would not be a good thing!
After all the armor was on, including my sircoat tunic, I walked out into the training area. The armor made it's usual clanging and creaking and it caused everybody to turn and look. I suspect they had never seen medieval armor live before, at least not at a Bujinkan seminar! Everybody was happy and excited to see it and it definitely added an energy level to the room.
I stood next to Dale and, as he demonstrated some basic Sanshin movements (from a Kukishinden armored 'feel'), I copied them so that the others could see how armor really does affect the posture and movements. It was a great visual demonstration and people later commented how seeing me really helped them understand what Dale was teaching.
We went on to do some basic kata and I practiced mostly in the air, being afraid of accidentally cutting someone with my armor plating - particularly on my elbows and knees. I spent some time with a judan and hachidan who were training together, so they could see the unique attributes armor added to the kata we were doing. They loved it!
Dale did some kata on me, doing Onikudaki and other nasties. I took the ukemi well and was able to fold into various falling positions as needed. He didn't throw me, but I know I could have taken that ukemi as well.
I had opportunity to train with some others in the room and it was very enlightening for them. However, the room was becoming very warm and humid, so my own heat level was getting very high. Eventually, I started removing parts of my armor, starting with my helmet, in between being Dale's uke and training with my partner. Eventually, though, I got out of the armor and put on my dogi. I was soaked completely in sweat and it didn't take long to soak through the dogi I put on, too!
The rest of the day went fast. We stopped for lunch about midway. I bought Dale's lunch and spent some quality time with him discussing all sorts of things. Then, we continued the seminar until well into the late afternoon (around 5pm).
Overall the seminar was excellent! Dale's teaching is always top notch and his technique is beautiful. I, on the other hand, suffered many setbacks and challenges. Once I became very hot from training in armor, I couldn't get myself to cool down. I sucked down bottles of water and took a few breaks, but would quickly get overheated again. I would go from being Dale's uke, where he would hit, twist and throw me fairly hard, then jump into training with my partner. I didn't have time to cool down like the others who were watching Dale demonstrate.
This really affected me pretty much most of the day, especially at the second half. I found myself losing many of the basics, like timing and flow. I was fortunate to train with a very experienced Bujinkan dan rank, who pointed out and helped me with all these areas. It was frustrating for me on many levels, mostly because these were things I normally don't struggle with and I could 'see' these things happening - even though it seemed I lacked the ability to fix them! So, I just kept going, kept adjusting to the suggestions given to me by my partner and tried to relax. Many times I felt incredibly dizzy and actually had to step away to get some fresh air to cool down. My patient training partner is also very skilled in Yoga and healing arts, so he spent some time with me working on my breathing and energy levels. This helped alot to keep me back on 'center'.
At the end of the day, I felt stupid and really disappointed with myself. Either I was just having a bad day, maybe my body was in a weak cycle, or I really am developing a weakness for over heating. At any rate, I found that being overheated affected me by robbing me of essential basics in my taijutsu - basics that I believe could get me killed. So, I am going to have to put a new focus on my training. I do not want to keep making myself overheat, because that is dangerous to my body. But, I do think I need to spend more time working on the subtle aspects to my basics, to drill them into my body deeper and deeper. That way, when I am under such conditions, they are rooted farther into my subconscious body mechanics and will be there when I need them.
If I learned anything this entire last week, I can sum it up in two things:
1. The importance of fellowship among buyu
2. The importance of kihon, or foundation, in training
Yet, these are things I've already known. But, I suppose the cycle needs repeating, needs reminding. It takes good training opportunities and good training friends to 'remind' us!
Now I look forward to my Intel class on Tuesday!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Last night's class...
Last night I taught my Intel class and found that my body is still quite sore from Dale's seminar last Saturday. I had several of my regulars in attendance, so we reviewed some of the Rokushakubo stuff I've been showing for the past several weeks. I chose not to review kamae postures, following the same path that our Soke took this year with his theme of Kukishinden Ryu. I did, however, spend quite a bit of time on the Bofuri Gata, which involves the constant movement of the staff. We looked at how each point in the movement is a base for strikes and blocks and how the legs need to keep one's position constantly moving. In the chaos of the battlefield, staying in one position for a length of time increases the danger from enemy combatants on all sides. So, the bofuri technique is about freedom and movement - and keeping moving while surrounded by danger.
We drilled high and low hits from bofuri, as advancing and retreating actions. We drilled some basic thrusting techniques, too. Then, I went into some kata concepts involving controlling the distance, then off balancing the uke to allow for a closing step and throw with the staff.
Next, I showed some things picked up at Dale's seminar, mostly in regards to unarmed techniques, but with the feeling of wearing armor. We looked at several kata from Kukishinden Ryu, but focused mostly on the base actions instead of the entire kata.
Something Dale taught at his seminar really struck with me and I taught it to my students. Dale explained that many of the kata in the Kukishinden Ryu involve long, drawn out series of actions. Although practiced against one uke or attacker, the actual densho describes them as being against many foes. Given the purpose of Kukishinden Ryu as a school for battlefield combat, where you face enemies all around you, this would make sense. In addition, Dale said that many of the movements would also be used fighting aboard ships, which were also part of the warring going on in Japan during this tradition's history. This cleared up alot of questions for me, since I've always known Kukishinden Ryu to be a battlefield art. Dale said that there aren't even many ground hold techniques, since the logical battlefield tactic would be to quickly defeat the opponent and move on to another. In fact, it would be normal to even leave a wounded enemy and move on, because other soldiers would be following along to 'clean up' the easy kills you left behind. The same was true in European medieval combat, too.
Our evening ended with some sword kata and free play of unarmed techniques. In the sword kata, I showed one similar to what Dale taught. You're wearing your sword, sheathed, when the attacker does a left hand lapel grab and right cross punch to your face. You step back with the right and, with your left hand still holding the scabbard and hilt of your sword, swing it up to block the punching arm on the inside of their wrist. Then, the attacker does a right kick, but you step back with your left leg and parry the kicking leg with a downward swing of the sword handle (while still in the scabbard). From there, you begin to draw the sword with your left hand by shooting it up to hit the attacker just under his nose with the pommel of the handle. You keep the forward pressure as you step slightly to the right inside their balance point, place your right hand on the sword handle and finish drawing the sword from the scabbard by using your body to remove the scabbard from the blade (it's a backward movement).
Because the distance between you and the attacker is now increased, but you haven't let up on the pressure with the pommel to the attacker's face, you snap the blade forward from the outside to cut the attacker across either the back of their neck or low across the belly. It's a difficult technique to describe in words, but the point is to use the handle to control the balance and space of the attacker, while using the body to draw the sword out. It's a very effective technique and fun to play with. They guys loved it and kept at it until we decided to end the training.
Overall, we weren't real aggressive with our training, since I was still sore and the others were visibly exhausted from long work days. So, it was a good time to relax and work on moving slow and precise. Next week we can work on conditioning.
Cheers!
We drilled high and low hits from bofuri, as advancing and retreating actions. We drilled some basic thrusting techniques, too. Then, I went into some kata concepts involving controlling the distance, then off balancing the uke to allow for a closing step and throw with the staff.
Next, I showed some things picked up at Dale's seminar, mostly in regards to unarmed techniques, but with the feeling of wearing armor. We looked at several kata from Kukishinden Ryu, but focused mostly on the base actions instead of the entire kata.
Something Dale taught at his seminar really struck with me and I taught it to my students. Dale explained that many of the kata in the Kukishinden Ryu involve long, drawn out series of actions. Although practiced against one uke or attacker, the actual densho describes them as being against many foes. Given the purpose of Kukishinden Ryu as a school for battlefield combat, where you face enemies all around you, this would make sense. In addition, Dale said that many of the movements would also be used fighting aboard ships, which were also part of the warring going on in Japan during this tradition's history. This cleared up alot of questions for me, since I've always known Kukishinden Ryu to be a battlefield art. Dale said that there aren't even many ground hold techniques, since the logical battlefield tactic would be to quickly defeat the opponent and move on to another. In fact, it would be normal to even leave a wounded enemy and move on, because other soldiers would be following along to 'clean up' the easy kills you left behind. The same was true in European medieval combat, too.
Our evening ended with some sword kata and free play of unarmed techniques. In the sword kata, I showed one similar to what Dale taught. You're wearing your sword, sheathed, when the attacker does a left hand lapel grab and right cross punch to your face. You step back with the right and, with your left hand still holding the scabbard and hilt of your sword, swing it up to block the punching arm on the inside of their wrist. Then, the attacker does a right kick, but you step back with your left leg and parry the kicking leg with a downward swing of the sword handle (while still in the scabbard). From there, you begin to draw the sword with your left hand by shooting it up to hit the attacker just under his nose with the pommel of the handle. You keep the forward pressure as you step slightly to the right inside their balance point, place your right hand on the sword handle and finish drawing the sword from the scabbard by using your body to remove the scabbard from the blade (it's a backward movement).
Because the distance between you and the attacker is now increased, but you haven't let up on the pressure with the pommel to the attacker's face, you snap the blade forward from the outside to cut the attacker across either the back of their neck or low across the belly. It's a difficult technique to describe in words, but the point is to use the handle to control the balance and space of the attacker, while using the body to draw the sword out. It's a very effective technique and fun to play with. They guys loved it and kept at it until we decided to end the training.
Overall, we weren't real aggressive with our training, since I was still sore and the others were visibly exhausted from long work days. So, it was a good time to relax and work on moving slow and precise. Next week we can work on conditioning.
Cheers!
Monday, February 26, 2007
Oh, ow, oooh...
Wow! What a week!
My Tuesday class went great! We went over the fundamentals of the Kukishinden Ryu Rokushakubo, such as kamae (postures), strikes, Ukemi Gata receiving forms, bofuri staff flowing movements, and a few kata from the Shoden level. Everybody was in good form, picking up the movements quickly and finding the right 'feel' to the kata. What I emphasized was controlling the effective range needed to use the long staff, which involved good leg work and timing. With the heavier staff common to Kukishinden Ryu, it becomes difficult to make sudden, snappy motions with the weapon. So, you have to time everything just right to keep the flow of the weapon moving and still be able to block and strike effectively. This was an important point which the group understood well.
Saturday, I drove down to Stockton for a seminar with 15th dan Dale Seago. What an awesome time that was! There were around 12-15 of us in attendance, most of whom were black belts. But, what made it even more special was that Dale honored me with being his uke for damn near 90% of the entire seminar! He demonstrated each technique at least 4-5 times, hitting, throwing and twisting me all up. I would crash to the floor, jump up and attack again. The tempo was just as fast and it was great fun! Dale's technique is so precise and his level of control is amazing. After 2 hours of this, we broke for lunch. Then, we resumed for another 3 or so hours of solid training.
Needless to say, I was well thrashed by the end of it. I had sweat through all my clothing and was very happy to get home to a nice, hot shower! Seeing how much Dale had beaten up on me, the guys at the seminar commented how happy they were I was there. I replied that I was honored to "take one for the team"!
Dale did an excellent job of expressing the armored feeling of Kukishinden Ryu, showing how this affects our basic movement drills of the Sanshin no Kata and how our own balance needs to be centered at all times. I understood this very well, having over 8 years of armored sport combat experience through the Society for Creative Anachronisms (www.sca.org). If you haven't worn armor before, it's hard to really grasp how it affects your balance, movement, awareness and so on. But, Dale was able to really describe it well, so that the others were able to replicate it in their unarmored bodies. He really is a great teacher.
So, as I am now back to work, I sit here typing. I can feel the bruises on my arms from the constant blocking hits. My neck muscles ache from repeated smashes with Dale's fist. My back muscles are sore from the consistent landing on the ground in twisted contortions. Even my right toes hurt from something that happened in one of many techniques Dale did on me.
But, deep inside I feel strong and ready for more. Now, I look forward to another of my Tuesday classes!
Cheers!
My Tuesday class went great! We went over the fundamentals of the Kukishinden Ryu Rokushakubo, such as kamae (postures), strikes, Ukemi Gata receiving forms, bofuri staff flowing movements, and a few kata from the Shoden level. Everybody was in good form, picking up the movements quickly and finding the right 'feel' to the kata. What I emphasized was controlling the effective range needed to use the long staff, which involved good leg work and timing. With the heavier staff common to Kukishinden Ryu, it becomes difficult to make sudden, snappy motions with the weapon. So, you have to time everything just right to keep the flow of the weapon moving and still be able to block and strike effectively. This was an important point which the group understood well.
Saturday, I drove down to Stockton for a seminar with 15th dan Dale Seago. What an awesome time that was! There were around 12-15 of us in attendance, most of whom were black belts. But, what made it even more special was that Dale honored me with being his uke for damn near 90% of the entire seminar! He demonstrated each technique at least 4-5 times, hitting, throwing and twisting me all up. I would crash to the floor, jump up and attack again. The tempo was just as fast and it was great fun! Dale's technique is so precise and his level of control is amazing. After 2 hours of this, we broke for lunch. Then, we resumed for another 3 or so hours of solid training.
Needless to say, I was well thrashed by the end of it. I had sweat through all my clothing and was very happy to get home to a nice, hot shower! Seeing how much Dale had beaten up on me, the guys at the seminar commented how happy they were I was there. I replied that I was honored to "take one for the team"!
Dale did an excellent job of expressing the armored feeling of Kukishinden Ryu, showing how this affects our basic movement drills of the Sanshin no Kata and how our own balance needs to be centered at all times. I understood this very well, having over 8 years of armored sport combat experience through the Society for Creative Anachronisms (www.sca.org). If you haven't worn armor before, it's hard to really grasp how it affects your balance, movement, awareness and so on. But, Dale was able to really describe it well, so that the others were able to replicate it in their unarmored bodies. He really is a great teacher.
So, as I am now back to work, I sit here typing. I can feel the bruises on my arms from the constant blocking hits. My neck muscles ache from repeated smashes with Dale's fist. My back muscles are sore from the consistent landing on the ground in twisted contortions. Even my right toes hurt from something that happened in one of many techniques Dale did on me.
But, deep inside I feel strong and ready for more. Now, I look forward to another of my Tuesday classes!
Cheers!
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Vacation this week :-)
Hi friends!
This week I'm off from work on a vacation, or at least I'm only in my office for one day (today). So, you won't get posts from me probably until next week.
For those of you interested in my weekly class happenings, I'm still planning on continuing Kukishinden Ryu bojutsu and looking forward to going to 15th dan Dale Seago's seminar hosted in Stockton on Saturday.
I will post how things went the next time I'm at work. Heaven forbid I actually post on my personal blog when I'm NOT supposed to be working! :-)
Cheers!
This week I'm off from work on a vacation, or at least I'm only in my office for one day (today). So, you won't get posts from me probably until next week.
For those of you interested in my weekly class happenings, I'm still planning on continuing Kukishinden Ryu bojutsu and looking forward to going to 15th dan Dale Seago's seminar hosted in Stockton on Saturday.
I will post how things went the next time I'm at work. Heaven forbid I actually post on my personal blog when I'm NOT supposed to be working! :-)
Cheers!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Gotta love my group...
The dynamics of my group is funny. They are all employees at the Intel facility I teach at, so most of them come straight after work. As a corporation, Intel is a strong company and one of the leaders in the technological market, being responsible for micro chips, processors and many other important computer technologies sold around the world. But, as common with the industry, they fluctuate constantly between volume spikes and dips. With that, so does their staffing numbers. When that happens, it has a profound effect on my class. This may mean layoffs, which could cause me to lose students. But, since most of my students have seniority with the company, it usually means longer work hours as duties are added on to make up for the personnel "adjustments".
When these things happen, I'm lucky to get a handful of students show up and new enrollments drop to nothing. At times, there have been only a couple of us training. At the height of the employement surge, I've had over 15 in attendance before. So, consistency has always been a challenge.
Last night was no exception.
I have some who have stopped coming, for reasons associated with late meetings and work projects. I also have a couple who are out of town on business related reasons. Yet another is dealing with sick children. So, in a nutshell, last nights class brought out only one person. This person is one of my shodans and also is a yondan in Shotokan Karate (no easy achievement!). Even though it was just the two of us, our time together was anything but disappointing.
I was able to review what we did at Alex's, since he was one of my guys who also came to that training. Because the lower body alignment for Shotokan is different than what we use in the Bujinkan, that became the focus of my work with him. We did many drills with the Rokushakubo, with the attention being paid to the correct postures and movement of the legs and upper torso. I was able to really pinpoint small corrections and fine tuning of things and very soon he was showing great progress in breaking old habits. He had some questions in difficulties he was having with some of the posturing and I was able to answer them in a way that made sense to him.
Eventually, we were doing some great kata drills with each other, which involved striking, blocking and countering against either our Rokushakubo or Bokken (sword). Because of the attention we were able to spend on the little details, the kata had sufficient power, flow and balance. Our Rokushakubo staves were smoking from the various blocked strikes and such! I saw great improvements in his use of the knees and the dynamics of moving in strong kamae. The confidence in his performance was evident as he could 'feel' the kata come alive and the Rokushakubo become a natural extension of himself. Even though there is still some fine tuning that still need developing, he is off to a great start.
We trained solidly for 2 hours and I was surprised how quickly the time went. By the end, we were both sweaty, tired and satisfied with the results of our training together.
So, even though everybody else missed class for various reasons, I felt this class was one of the most important classes I had taught. I don't think I could have made the same progress with him while working with everybody else, too. It was time well spent, in my opinion.
I know he felt the same way.
Next week, we will continue on the same path of developing a strong foundation in the Rokushakubo staff - regardless of how many can manage to attend. Soon, however, I will start focusing on the thrusting techniques, in preparation for our transfer to Sojutsu - or spear combat.
In my opinion, both Bojutsu and Sojutsu should be learned together. In real combat, the likelihood of your spear tip being broken or hacked off is quite high. In those circumstances, your spear now becomes a staff - or Rokushakubo. On the flip side, if you are wielding a Rokushakubo or any long staff, the likelihood of your staff being broken or hacked is high. This will probably result in your staff having a sharp end - thus becoming a kind of spear. So, by learning both skills, you are better prepared to adapt to whatever kind of weapon you suddenly end up with at any given moment.
Stay tuned for more soon...
When these things happen, I'm lucky to get a handful of students show up and new enrollments drop to nothing. At times, there have been only a couple of us training. At the height of the employement surge, I've had over 15 in attendance before. So, consistency has always been a challenge.
Last night was no exception.
I have some who have stopped coming, for reasons associated with late meetings and work projects. I also have a couple who are out of town on business related reasons. Yet another is dealing with sick children. So, in a nutshell, last nights class brought out only one person. This person is one of my shodans and also is a yondan in Shotokan Karate (no easy achievement!). Even though it was just the two of us, our time together was anything but disappointing.
I was able to review what we did at Alex's, since he was one of my guys who also came to that training. Because the lower body alignment for Shotokan is different than what we use in the Bujinkan, that became the focus of my work with him. We did many drills with the Rokushakubo, with the attention being paid to the correct postures and movement of the legs and upper torso. I was able to really pinpoint small corrections and fine tuning of things and very soon he was showing great progress in breaking old habits. He had some questions in difficulties he was having with some of the posturing and I was able to answer them in a way that made sense to him.
Eventually, we were doing some great kata drills with each other, which involved striking, blocking and countering against either our Rokushakubo or Bokken (sword). Because of the attention we were able to spend on the little details, the kata had sufficient power, flow and balance. Our Rokushakubo staves were smoking from the various blocked strikes and such! I saw great improvements in his use of the knees and the dynamics of moving in strong kamae. The confidence in his performance was evident as he could 'feel' the kata come alive and the Rokushakubo become a natural extension of himself. Even though there is still some fine tuning that still need developing, he is off to a great start.
We trained solidly for 2 hours and I was surprised how quickly the time went. By the end, we were both sweaty, tired and satisfied with the results of our training together.
So, even though everybody else missed class for various reasons, I felt this class was one of the most important classes I had taught. I don't think I could have made the same progress with him while working with everybody else, too. It was time well spent, in my opinion.
I know he felt the same way.
Next week, we will continue on the same path of developing a strong foundation in the Rokushakubo staff - regardless of how many can manage to attend. Soon, however, I will start focusing on the thrusting techniques, in preparation for our transfer to Sojutsu - or spear combat.
In my opinion, both Bojutsu and Sojutsu should be learned together. In real combat, the likelihood of your spear tip being broken or hacked off is quite high. In those circumstances, your spear now becomes a staff - or Rokushakubo. On the flip side, if you are wielding a Rokushakubo or any long staff, the likelihood of your staff being broken or hacked is high. This will probably result in your staff having a sharp end - thus becoming a kind of spear. So, by learning both skills, you are better prepared to adapt to whatever kind of weapon you suddenly end up with at any given moment.
Stay tuned for more soon...
Monday, February 12, 2007
Oh, what a weekend...
Well, Saturday was a blast! I attended Alex's bojutsu class and was happy to see both Johns from my Intel class! One John is a shodan and the other is an Ikkyu, who is also a regular at that dojo, as well. Alex was pleased to have us there and the energy was high among the participants.
We started a bit late, so we bypassed the usual warm ups. We did some light kihon training, using some Sanshin no Kata and some Gyaku wrist reversal techniques with our partners to loosen up our bodies and get ourselves into a training mode.
Then, on to the Rokushakubo 6' staff...
We started with a quick review of the 9 Kamae (postures), but didn't spend much time with them. This is in part because I was told this year Soke had someone demonstrate each one, then said "ok, now forget them". Soke had said that we need to move away from Kamae as postures and just look at them as guides to movement, which is something he had said many times before. But, coming off the heels of last year's theme of Shindenfudo Ryu, where there are no official Kamae (except for standing and sitting in natural positions), this doesn't surprise me.
Next, we went through the basic strikes with the bo and their corresponding targets. What Alex emphasized was the use of the whole body, in particular the legs, when moving the bo. This is important, since the tendancy is to want to swing the bo like a stick to hit a target. This will wear out the arms quickly and cause many holes in the Kamae, which provide the balance, power and protection on the battlefield (the real lesson behind the Kamae!).
From there, we drilled the evading movements of the Ukemi Gata overhead parry/block, then against an overhead bo strike from our partner. I was very happy with the movement of both my guys, since I just showed all this last Tuesday in our class. The things I pointed out in that class became even more clear as Alex mirrored the same things in his teachings. Alex said there are actually many more kata contained within the Kihon Gata (18 I think), but we weren't going to cover them at this time.
From there, we got into the 'good stuff'. Alex explained the Shoden, Chuden and Okuden breakdown of kata as having 9 techniques each. These 9 are actually 3 levels of 3 techniques, but I can't remember the names of each level he labeled them as. I am terrible at memorizing names and such!
He demonstrated the first kata from the Shoden level (Goho, I think). He broke it down, as Alex always does, into 'steps' of layered movements. He explained how the first level of kata has to do with an attitude of 'checking' your attacker, or stopping their ability to attack. For instance, the timing of the first kata is to create a perceived opening to draw their attack, then hitting them as they begin the attack - not after the attack is launched. For instance, in one kata, you do an Ashi Barai (leg strike), then pull back into a 'passive guard' kind of posture. The attacker blocks the low strike, then raises their sword into Daijodan no Kamae and attempts to pursue you as you move back. But, as they lung forward, raising their sword over their head, you 'flip' the jo around into a downward strike on top of their head or their hands (or you can bring the tip to their face as a spear like movement). This, in essence, stops their attack and 'checks' them.
There were many other wonderful kata, but I won't describe them here. There are some things you just have to be there to experience firsthand.
Alex's classes are always very enjoyable to me. His teaching style is very technical and, as he is an avid note taker himself, his teaching style appeals to those who are interested in exact names and densho kata. He points out regularly that whatever he is teaching or a particular aspect is what he learned from teachers like Someya Sensei in Japan or Luke Molitor here in the US, or even from Soke's classes. His head is filled with all sorts of knowledge picked up from training with these sources and he doesn't spare any sharing of that knowledge. I always feel like I am getting a snapshot view of Alex's own learning, a kind of 'laying out' of all the different things he has picked up from those he trained with. I like this because I can pick out tidbits I find interesting, whether to share or expound upon with my class, or to just file away for my own understanding. It creates a nice balance for my Intel guys when they also participate in his classes, since I am also a stickler for knowledge.
However, I have always been the kind of person who doesn't 'color within the lines' or do things exactly as written. I've always been one to step out a bit and play with my own interpretations and sparks of interest, instead of sticking to the directions. Sometimes I get my fingers burned, but mostly I find that I learn better that way and discover much more in the process. I also teach this way. So, where we have densho kata that describe certain techniques in certain ways, I am one to take a piece of it and run with it, playing with many different interpretations. I guess for me my focus is always on taijutsu fundamentals like balance, posture, efficiency, and so on - regardless of what kata is being explored. This is why I am terrible at memorizing, but I have been complimented on my taijutsu - and my ability to 'get it' when shown a kata. I guess we all have our own unique way of learning and teaching. In addition, I think this is why it's important to get out and train with different teachers, because none of us truly has 'the way' to learning and sharing this art. Being exposed to as many different flavors of Soke's budo through these different people can only help add more richness and depth to each of our own understanding.
So, where Alex may be different than I, we are really the same. Two sides of the same coin, you could say. But, I'll be the first to admit that he definitely has a better knowledge of the material properties of that coin! Apparently, I'm good at spending it wisely and not so good at knowing what it's made of! :-)
After Alex finished, Judan Joel arrived to do a bit of teaching. He was happy to see us there and jumped right in to some demonstrations. He did some unarmed techniques against punches to show use of space, balance and angling in dominating and toppling the attacker. He explained how armor would affect these techniques, then taught how a knife could be applied in the spaces created.
Next, we looked at similar concepts in 'stealing the sword' of your attacker, as they threw a right punch at you. Ikkyu John and I were training together and I started adding some other elements like pulling the sword away to protect it from John's grab, or using my right hand to cover the sword while punching with the left (surprise!). Joel liked that very much and demonstrated the idea to the group, as another level to what he showed.
That little training session was very enjoyable and it was refreshing to train with Joel again. It had been a long time since we trained together and, after the class was over, we spent considerable time 'catching up' with some friendly chat. He had alot of things to say about my Japan trip and suggested that he may be going around the same time. He offered to take me on a bit of touring to see some great sites he had visited on previous trips, including a boat ride, visits to shrines, his favorite market place and so on. I accepted the offer and am looking forward to his sharing if he happens to be there when I'm there!
One thing I noted with my guys that I will be taking to the next class tomorrow night at Intel is the importance of legs and kamae. I'm not talking (or writing!) about kamae as in the 9 postures, but more about proper alignment and position of the parts of the body during the various bojutsu movements. I was concerned with the lack of proficiency in some of the people in how they aligned their feet, knees, hips, shoulders, spine and head during the various kata and drills. It was interesting how the classic "L" shape of feet and knee alignment disappeared! In addition, the upper body often was flat instead of having the shoulders over the hips in the classic 'bladed' posture. This was something that was exposed greatly with the bojutsu training, so it seems this will be my focal point with my guys during the next several weeks of bojutsu training in our class. If these bo staves were the actual Kukishinden Ryu bo, which are much larger and heavier for crashing through armored opponents, these little things would prove critical. So, I have to devote my attention to drilling proper basics in regards to these areas immediately!
Always so much to do...
On a non-budo subject, the weather on Sunday was sunny and warm. This was a nice welcome after the heavy rains we experienced for the last 3 days. So, we spent the entire day working outside. I trimmed trees, broke down limbs and deposited them into the 2 "Green waste" cans I have and made a nice pile in the corner of the yard to put into the cans after the County guys come around and empty them for us.
In addition, I also did a considerable amount of domestic duties that needed doing for some time.
Needless to say, after training hard on Saturday and all the physical labor on Sunday, all my muscles are sore and well taxed. In fact, as I sit here typing away on this blog, I can feel my fingers complaining and the tingling on the skin of my hand from countless hours of using the long tree trimming pole and limb snips...
But, now I'm looking forward to more bojutsu training in my Tuesday Intel class!
Until next time...
We started a bit late, so we bypassed the usual warm ups. We did some light kihon training, using some Sanshin no Kata and some Gyaku wrist reversal techniques with our partners to loosen up our bodies and get ourselves into a training mode.
Then, on to the Rokushakubo 6' staff...
We started with a quick review of the 9 Kamae (postures), but didn't spend much time with them. This is in part because I was told this year Soke had someone demonstrate each one, then said "ok, now forget them". Soke had said that we need to move away from Kamae as postures and just look at them as guides to movement, which is something he had said many times before. But, coming off the heels of last year's theme of Shindenfudo Ryu, where there are no official Kamae (except for standing and sitting in natural positions), this doesn't surprise me.
Next, we went through the basic strikes with the bo and their corresponding targets. What Alex emphasized was the use of the whole body, in particular the legs, when moving the bo. This is important, since the tendancy is to want to swing the bo like a stick to hit a target. This will wear out the arms quickly and cause many holes in the Kamae, which provide the balance, power and protection on the battlefield (the real lesson behind the Kamae!).
From there, we drilled the evading movements of the Ukemi Gata overhead parry/block, then against an overhead bo strike from our partner. I was very happy with the movement of both my guys, since I just showed all this last Tuesday in our class. The things I pointed out in that class became even more clear as Alex mirrored the same things in his teachings. Alex said there are actually many more kata contained within the Kihon Gata (18 I think), but we weren't going to cover them at this time.
From there, we got into the 'good stuff'. Alex explained the Shoden, Chuden and Okuden breakdown of kata as having 9 techniques each. These 9 are actually 3 levels of 3 techniques, but I can't remember the names of each level he labeled them as. I am terrible at memorizing names and such!
He demonstrated the first kata from the Shoden level (Goho, I think). He broke it down, as Alex always does, into 'steps' of layered movements. He explained how the first level of kata has to do with an attitude of 'checking' your attacker, or stopping their ability to attack. For instance, the timing of the first kata is to create a perceived opening to draw their attack, then hitting them as they begin the attack - not after the attack is launched. For instance, in one kata, you do an Ashi Barai (leg strike), then pull back into a 'passive guard' kind of posture. The attacker blocks the low strike, then raises their sword into Daijodan no Kamae and attempts to pursue you as you move back. But, as they lung forward, raising their sword over their head, you 'flip' the jo around into a downward strike on top of their head or their hands (or you can bring the tip to their face as a spear like movement). This, in essence, stops their attack and 'checks' them.
There were many other wonderful kata, but I won't describe them here. There are some things you just have to be there to experience firsthand.
Alex's classes are always very enjoyable to me. His teaching style is very technical and, as he is an avid note taker himself, his teaching style appeals to those who are interested in exact names and densho kata. He points out regularly that whatever he is teaching or a particular aspect is what he learned from teachers like Someya Sensei in Japan or Luke Molitor here in the US, or even from Soke's classes. His head is filled with all sorts of knowledge picked up from training with these sources and he doesn't spare any sharing of that knowledge. I always feel like I am getting a snapshot view of Alex's own learning, a kind of 'laying out' of all the different things he has picked up from those he trained with. I like this because I can pick out tidbits I find interesting, whether to share or expound upon with my class, or to just file away for my own understanding. It creates a nice balance for my Intel guys when they also participate in his classes, since I am also a stickler for knowledge.
However, I have always been the kind of person who doesn't 'color within the lines' or do things exactly as written. I've always been one to step out a bit and play with my own interpretations and sparks of interest, instead of sticking to the directions. Sometimes I get my fingers burned, but mostly I find that I learn better that way and discover much more in the process. I also teach this way. So, where we have densho kata that describe certain techniques in certain ways, I am one to take a piece of it and run with it, playing with many different interpretations. I guess for me my focus is always on taijutsu fundamentals like balance, posture, efficiency, and so on - regardless of what kata is being explored. This is why I am terrible at memorizing, but I have been complimented on my taijutsu - and my ability to 'get it' when shown a kata. I guess we all have our own unique way of learning and teaching. In addition, I think this is why it's important to get out and train with different teachers, because none of us truly has 'the way' to learning and sharing this art. Being exposed to as many different flavors of Soke's budo through these different people can only help add more richness and depth to each of our own understanding.
So, where Alex may be different than I, we are really the same. Two sides of the same coin, you could say. But, I'll be the first to admit that he definitely has a better knowledge of the material properties of that coin! Apparently, I'm good at spending it wisely and not so good at knowing what it's made of! :-)
After Alex finished, Judan Joel arrived to do a bit of teaching. He was happy to see us there and jumped right in to some demonstrations. He did some unarmed techniques against punches to show use of space, balance and angling in dominating and toppling the attacker. He explained how armor would affect these techniques, then taught how a knife could be applied in the spaces created.
Next, we looked at similar concepts in 'stealing the sword' of your attacker, as they threw a right punch at you. Ikkyu John and I were training together and I started adding some other elements like pulling the sword away to protect it from John's grab, or using my right hand to cover the sword while punching with the left (surprise!). Joel liked that very much and demonstrated the idea to the group, as another level to what he showed.
That little training session was very enjoyable and it was refreshing to train with Joel again. It had been a long time since we trained together and, after the class was over, we spent considerable time 'catching up' with some friendly chat. He had alot of things to say about my Japan trip and suggested that he may be going around the same time. He offered to take me on a bit of touring to see some great sites he had visited on previous trips, including a boat ride, visits to shrines, his favorite market place and so on. I accepted the offer and am looking forward to his sharing if he happens to be there when I'm there!
One thing I noted with my guys that I will be taking to the next class tomorrow night at Intel is the importance of legs and kamae. I'm not talking (or writing!) about kamae as in the 9 postures, but more about proper alignment and position of the parts of the body during the various bojutsu movements. I was concerned with the lack of proficiency in some of the people in how they aligned their feet, knees, hips, shoulders, spine and head during the various kata and drills. It was interesting how the classic "L" shape of feet and knee alignment disappeared! In addition, the upper body often was flat instead of having the shoulders over the hips in the classic 'bladed' posture. This was something that was exposed greatly with the bojutsu training, so it seems this will be my focal point with my guys during the next several weeks of bojutsu training in our class. If these bo staves were the actual Kukishinden Ryu bo, which are much larger and heavier for crashing through armored opponents, these little things would prove critical. So, I have to devote my attention to drilling proper basics in regards to these areas immediately!
Always so much to do...
On a non-budo subject, the weather on Sunday was sunny and warm. This was a nice welcome after the heavy rains we experienced for the last 3 days. So, we spent the entire day working outside. I trimmed trees, broke down limbs and deposited them into the 2 "Green waste" cans I have and made a nice pile in the corner of the yard to put into the cans after the County guys come around and empty them for us.
In addition, I also did a considerable amount of domestic duties that needed doing for some time.
Needless to say, after training hard on Saturday and all the physical labor on Sunday, all my muscles are sore and well taxed. In fact, as I sit here typing away on this blog, I can feel my fingers complaining and the tingling on the skin of my hand from countless hours of using the long tree trimming pole and limb snips...
But, now I'm looking forward to more bojutsu training in my Tuesday Intel class!
Until next time...
Friday, February 9, 2007
Interesting...
Remember yesterday when I mentioned how cool it is when fellow buyu just 'happen' to be teaching the same things I happen to be teaching my group? Synergy, remember?
Well, I emailed my friend Alex to announce I would be Gracing his dojo with my presence on Saturday and wondered if he would be teaching. He emailed back with a resounding "YES!" and then told me he would be starting the Shoden level of Rokushakubo!
And, what did I write about starting this last class with MY group? I love it! LOL!
Anyway, what's really cool is that he said he knows kata from Shoden, Chuden, Okuden - which are different than the standard Sabaki Gata! This is such a regular thing now, to find out that there are kata other than what is commonly known in any of our ryuha! It always seems that Soke and the Japanese Shihan hold more than what they reveal.
Those who boast about knowing all the kata in the Bujinkan (or any of the ryuha within the Bujinkan) are funny, aren't they? I also think this is why it's almost useless to go 'kata collecting' because there are just so many to have to remember. At some point, you'd have to just throw up your hands and just keep moving forward in your training, forgetting what you knew because you can't walk forwards while trying to always look back. I believe trying to constantly remember all this stuff eventually becomes like rock collecting - at some point the bag will become too heavy to carry and you have to either stop and take what you have or start limiting which rocks you want to keep.
That's my conclusion at least. There are others who are far more proficient at collecting more rocks than I do. But, I like to think that the few I keep are the best I've discovered so far and at any time a better one could take the place of any others I have in my bag. So, even if I like the ones I have, I also acknowledge that there will eventually be ones which are better - so I'm not partial to any of them and can let them go if need be.
Tomorrow's training with Alex will be yet another rock hunting trip and I'm hoping I will walk away with some gems to replace some of the rocks I come in with...
Hopefully, the rocks in my head won't keep me from discovering the gems....
Ok, enough symbolism! I need more coffee...
Well, I emailed my friend Alex to announce I would be Gracing his dojo with my presence on Saturday and wondered if he would be teaching. He emailed back with a resounding "YES!" and then told me he would be starting the Shoden level of Rokushakubo!
And, what did I write about starting this last class with MY group? I love it! LOL!
Anyway, what's really cool is that he said he knows kata from Shoden, Chuden, Okuden - which are different than the standard Sabaki Gata! This is such a regular thing now, to find out that there are kata other than what is commonly known in any of our ryuha! It always seems that Soke and the Japanese Shihan hold more than what they reveal.
Those who boast about knowing all the kata in the Bujinkan (or any of the ryuha within the Bujinkan) are funny, aren't they? I also think this is why it's almost useless to go 'kata collecting' because there are just so many to have to remember. At some point, you'd have to just throw up your hands and just keep moving forward in your training, forgetting what you knew because you can't walk forwards while trying to always look back. I believe trying to constantly remember all this stuff eventually becomes like rock collecting - at some point the bag will become too heavy to carry and you have to either stop and take what you have or start limiting which rocks you want to keep.
That's my conclusion at least. There are others who are far more proficient at collecting more rocks than I do. But, I like to think that the few I keep are the best I've discovered so far and at any time a better one could take the place of any others I have in my bag. So, even if I like the ones I have, I also acknowledge that there will eventually be ones which are better - so I'm not partial to any of them and can let them go if need be.
Tomorrow's training with Alex will be yet another rock hunting trip and I'm hoping I will walk away with some gems to replace some of the rocks I come in with...
Hopefully, the rocks in my head won't keep me from discovering the gems....
Ok, enough symbolism! I need more coffee...
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Saturday plans...
I'm hoping to go train with my good friend Alex this weekend. He's a shidoshi teacher at Sacramento Bujinkan Dojo.
John, one of my senior guys (who is up for Shodan soon), goes there regularly, so it's been fun to see how going to both classes (Alex's and mine) affect his progress. I am constantly amazed at how there's so much synergy between both our training topics and such! John is always telling me when something I teach is either similar or exactly on target with something he learned in Alex's class! I think one of the main reasons might have to do with the fact that Alex and I have known each other and trained with each other for many, many years. I still remember when he was very new and now, several Japan trips later, is shidoshi and running his own classes! I have been honored to see so many friends grow up in this art...
Last weekend, Alex had a sub covering for him because he was out for some reason. I've emailed him to confirm if he will be teaching this weekend. If he isn't, I may or may not go. But, my hope is that Alex will be back. I miss training with him and always look forward to new goodies to learn!
I'm still excited about going to Japan in June! Alex is one of the guys I'm going with, so I'm looking forward to chatting with him on Saturday about preparations for our trip. Oh, and our annual Hombu fees are due, so I will also take care of that business. We like to send in all our stuff together as one package - makes for easier and quicker processing. Converting money to yen is always a hassle, so doing it in bulk makes things run smoother.
We also need to talk about our upcoming seminar with Gojudan Dale Seago on March 10th. Dale is a great guy and the business end of the seminar he prefers to handle privately and informal. But, I'm a planner, so I want us to have a game plan to make sure he is taken care of.
So much to do! I hope to be able to get in some good training, too! :-)
John, one of my senior guys (who is up for Shodan soon), goes there regularly, so it's been fun to see how going to both classes (Alex's and mine) affect his progress. I am constantly amazed at how there's so much synergy between both our training topics and such! John is always telling me when something I teach is either similar or exactly on target with something he learned in Alex's class! I think one of the main reasons might have to do with the fact that Alex and I have known each other and trained with each other for many, many years. I still remember when he was very new and now, several Japan trips later, is shidoshi and running his own classes! I have been honored to see so many friends grow up in this art...
Last weekend, Alex had a sub covering for him because he was out for some reason. I've emailed him to confirm if he will be teaching this weekend. If he isn't, I may or may not go. But, my hope is that Alex will be back. I miss training with him and always look forward to new goodies to learn!
I'm still excited about going to Japan in June! Alex is one of the guys I'm going with, so I'm looking forward to chatting with him on Saturday about preparations for our trip. Oh, and our annual Hombu fees are due, so I will also take care of that business. We like to send in all our stuff together as one package - makes for easier and quicker processing. Converting money to yen is always a hassle, so doing it in bulk makes things run smoother.
We also need to talk about our upcoming seminar with Gojudan Dale Seago on March 10th. Dale is a great guy and the business end of the seminar he prefers to handle privately and informal. But, I'm a planner, so I want us to have a game plan to make sure he is taken care of.
So much to do! I hope to be able to get in some good training, too! :-)
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Good class!
Last night's class was excellent! We focused on the 5' jo staff in all aspects of our training. One guy brought a 6' rokushakubo and I was surprised it didn't pose a danger to the overhead sprinklers and ceiling tiles! So, it looks like the rokushakubo will make it in to our regular training program after all!
We started with rolling and jumping drills from the bojutsu kamae. Forward rolls were done from Hira Ichimonji no Kamae, side rolls were done from Ichimonji no Kamae and back rolls were done from Seigan no Kamae. You really had to "walk and chew gum at the same time" with these exercises. Just doing a good roll wasn't enough - you also had to adapt around the jo staff so as to not drive a tip into the ground or tie yourself up with it. It didn't take long for my group to 'get it' and start showing good kamae, both in start and finish.
Next, I drilled a Kamae flow exercise. There are 9 listed kamae in Kukishinden Ryu Bojutsu and there is a good sequence where each one leads right into the next. Most of my guys knew these kamae already, especially since we just came off of doing some hanbo kamae recently.
As part of the warm up, we then looked at various kicking drills while in bojutsu kamae. We did a set of 20 kicks each. We did front and rear foot kicks from Seigan no Kamae, alternating side kicks from Hira Ichimonji no Kamae, and dropping back kicks from Hira Ichimonji no Kamae. This was a good segment, as it opened up the legs, hips and joints to show the importance of the lower body in bojutsu.
I taught the Ukemi Gata portion of the KKSR bojutsu, where you are moving off line to the side or forward diagonal, then create an angled overhead block. It was good to show how you need to move differently than in Jodan Uke, because you are using the rear arm and half of the body to create the surface for the uke's downward strike to land on. This allows the uke's weapon to simply slide off the back end of the jo. It was hard for them to get used to it, since they have been drilled to move back and away. However, because the rear hand is open and laying flat under the jo (to allow for the sliding of the uke's weapon off the back end of the jo), they have to move opposite. Otherwise, their lead hand (which is gripping the jo) will be struck by the uke's weapon and/or the line of force will hit directly on the jo. This could cause the jo to break and/or knock them backwards, whereas the correct way will cause the uke's weapon to hit over their rear shouler on the weapon and glide off the trailing end.
Another important point was having the proper kamae, where the jo is held directly over the head (instead of in front of the forehead). This is vital because, as you are stepping under the uke's strike and weapon, the likelihood is that the uke's weapon could break over yours. If your blocking weapon is in front of your head, the broken end of the uke's weapon will come down on top of you. By having it over the top of your head, the broken end will fall back behind you. In addition, the driving force of the blow is more likely to crash down on you if your weapon is not centered over the top of your head. This was an important point, because the tendency for my guys was to keep the weapon more in front of their head. This was probably due to the hesitancy to 'open up' their torso by extending their arms over their head. But, in real battle, you have to rely on good space, angle and kamae to protect you because you are not facing just one opponent. You have to move freely, to open up your taijutsu, and use space as your shield.
Next, I taught them Bofuri Gata. This was a fun exercise, since it involves the free movement of the jo in a constant, flowing rotation. They enjoyed this very much and commented how they could 'feel' the jo come alive through the energy of the motion. I spent alot of time letting them get the hang of it and enjoyed watching them challenge themselves with different footwork and movement patterns, while trying to keep the right 'relationship' with the free movement of their jo staff. This exercise led into other things like striking, thrusting and all sorts of strategies.
Finally, the last segment of class was devoted to using the jo staff in the Koshi Sanpo Waza from the Kihon Happo. We only had time to get into the Jumonji no Kata and Ichimonji no Kata, showing how using proper space for thrusts and strikes capitalized on the advantages such a long weapon provided. My emphasis was on hitting and backing away, to keep the uke always at the best target range for the longer weapon - especially when faced off with a sword wielding attacker. They really enjoyed this part because they understand the Koshi Sanpo in their unarmed base forms. To do them with the jo added another layer of understanding.
Overall, this was a very productive class. They are really looking forward to next week, when we will continue looking at the foundation of bojutsu, as explored with the shorter jo staff (and rokushakubo).
Until next time...
We started with rolling and jumping drills from the bojutsu kamae. Forward rolls were done from Hira Ichimonji no Kamae, side rolls were done from Ichimonji no Kamae and back rolls were done from Seigan no Kamae. You really had to "walk and chew gum at the same time" with these exercises. Just doing a good roll wasn't enough - you also had to adapt around the jo staff so as to not drive a tip into the ground or tie yourself up with it. It didn't take long for my group to 'get it' and start showing good kamae, both in start and finish.
Next, I drilled a Kamae flow exercise. There are 9 listed kamae in Kukishinden Ryu Bojutsu and there is a good sequence where each one leads right into the next. Most of my guys knew these kamae already, especially since we just came off of doing some hanbo kamae recently.
As part of the warm up, we then looked at various kicking drills while in bojutsu kamae. We did a set of 20 kicks each. We did front and rear foot kicks from Seigan no Kamae, alternating side kicks from Hira Ichimonji no Kamae, and dropping back kicks from Hira Ichimonji no Kamae. This was a good segment, as it opened up the legs, hips and joints to show the importance of the lower body in bojutsu.
I taught the Ukemi Gata portion of the KKSR bojutsu, where you are moving off line to the side or forward diagonal, then create an angled overhead block. It was good to show how you need to move differently than in Jodan Uke, because you are using the rear arm and half of the body to create the surface for the uke's downward strike to land on. This allows the uke's weapon to simply slide off the back end of the jo. It was hard for them to get used to it, since they have been drilled to move back and away. However, because the rear hand is open and laying flat under the jo (to allow for the sliding of the uke's weapon off the back end of the jo), they have to move opposite. Otherwise, their lead hand (which is gripping the jo) will be struck by the uke's weapon and/or the line of force will hit directly on the jo. This could cause the jo to break and/or knock them backwards, whereas the correct way will cause the uke's weapon to hit over their rear shouler on the weapon and glide off the trailing end.
Another important point was having the proper kamae, where the jo is held directly over the head (instead of in front of the forehead). This is vital because, as you are stepping under the uke's strike and weapon, the likelihood is that the uke's weapon could break over yours. If your blocking weapon is in front of your head, the broken end of the uke's weapon will come down on top of you. By having it over the top of your head, the broken end will fall back behind you. In addition, the driving force of the blow is more likely to crash down on you if your weapon is not centered over the top of your head. This was an important point, because the tendency for my guys was to keep the weapon more in front of their head. This was probably due to the hesitancy to 'open up' their torso by extending their arms over their head. But, in real battle, you have to rely on good space, angle and kamae to protect you because you are not facing just one opponent. You have to move freely, to open up your taijutsu, and use space as your shield.
Next, I taught them Bofuri Gata. This was a fun exercise, since it involves the free movement of the jo in a constant, flowing rotation. They enjoyed this very much and commented how they could 'feel' the jo come alive through the energy of the motion. I spent alot of time letting them get the hang of it and enjoyed watching them challenge themselves with different footwork and movement patterns, while trying to keep the right 'relationship' with the free movement of their jo staff. This exercise led into other things like striking, thrusting and all sorts of strategies.
Finally, the last segment of class was devoted to using the jo staff in the Koshi Sanpo Waza from the Kihon Happo. We only had time to get into the Jumonji no Kata and Ichimonji no Kata, showing how using proper space for thrusts and strikes capitalized on the advantages such a long weapon provided. My emphasis was on hitting and backing away, to keep the uke always at the best target range for the longer weapon - especially when faced off with a sword wielding attacker. They really enjoyed this part because they understand the Koshi Sanpo in their unarmed base forms. To do them with the jo added another layer of understanding.
Overall, this was a very productive class. They are really looking forward to next week, when we will continue looking at the foundation of bojutsu, as explored with the shorter jo staff (and rokushakubo).
Until next time...
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Planning for tonight...
Last night I was in the back yard practicing the kata Bo Furi with my 5' jo stick, putting much emphasis on the rolling of my joints and spine, while releasing more and more of my grip on the hard wood and feeling the subtle directional control take the rotating energy of the spinning staff in it's figure eight pattern. This was a good exercise for me; it had been a while since I picked up my jo staff. Normally, this kata is done with the 6 foot rokushakubo staff, but I've had to modify it to the 5' jo stick in order to teach it to my Intel guys. The facility they have is indoors and has a standard height ceiling, which means the rokushakubo would knock off any number of sprinkler heads hanging down from the cieling tiles, flooding the room in minutes and causing major damage. One does have to be careful about the environment they train in!
For the last month or so, I have been focusing on little things in my class that are prepatory to sojutsu, or spear combat. One thing I've been doing is spending considerable time on the kamae of Seigan no Kamae, with their lead hand outstretched and pointing at their own eyes in the mirror that covers the entirety of one wall in our training room. Then, while keeping a steady aim at the eyes in their reflection, they push forward and bend their forward knee so that the rear leg straightens out completely. Their rear hand, positioned at the hip, now moves up at a line to their lead hand and they begin stepping forward with their rear leg. Finally, as the feet and hands pass each other, the lead hand and foot now become the rear hand and foot. The rear hand now swings down to the hip as the new lead hand performs a punch at the eyes in their reflection and they extend on their lead leg until they have bent their forward knee enough to make their rear leg perfectly straight. The goal is to maintain a contstant hand/target sight line, first with the lead hand, then with the rear hand as it replaces the lead hand. If the body doesn't move smoothly along the same target line, the perspective will change. This will cause the sight line to go off target. By doing this movement correctly, the person maintains proper aim. This is how you execute a proper tsuki, or forward lunge attack.
In sojutsu, this forward motion is good for driving a spear in a straight line to pierce the enemy. By having a line directly to the enemy's eyes, they cannot tell the length of the spear and their brain has a hard time determing the sudden close of distance as the spear tip is launched at them along this line.
In this week's training email to the group, I announced we were going to start training with the jo staff as a prepatory phase to sojutsu. Even though training with the jo will fall under the bojutsu catagory, or stick/staff combat, I feel this is an important step in learning good sojutsu skills. So, I dusted off my jo stick last night and started 'reminding' my body of those basic skills that encompass good bojutsu training.
My hope is to take the class through some basic kamae, or postures, then into some basic striking and blocking drills. Of course, the emphasis will be on using the legs and spine to move the weapon and to develop a sense of the proper ranges. Then, we'll move on to the important kata of Bo Furi, to understand the energy of the weapon when it has a life of its own through continuous movement.
From there, we will look at how this weapon is used in our basic foundational katas of the Koshi Sanpo Waza. There are 3 and, at this point in my teaching, have more to do with the use of kukan, or space, than how to strike. The first, Jumonji no Kata, will be about protecting a 'buffer zone' between the defender and their attacker, using a series of good thrusts with proper kamae, then re-establishing the protective space. The second, Ichimonji no Kata, will involve entering a vulnerable space to close the distance and dominate the attacker. This will involve using the tip to open up and extend the attacker, then come in at an off angle to destroy them. The third and last, Hicho no Kamae, will involve using the contours of the attacker's body to find the weak targets which open up during their attack. Mostly this will involve piercing from underneath the contours of the body, which if armor was worn, would mean going under the protective plating.
Combine together, these three kata will set a good foundation for Sojutsu, using the bojutsu concepts as a base.
Finally, we'll end the class with some kata ideas on jo versus jo and jo versus katana attacks, just for some free play fun.
I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow...
Cheers!
For the last month or so, I have been focusing on little things in my class that are prepatory to sojutsu, or spear combat. One thing I've been doing is spending considerable time on the kamae of Seigan no Kamae, with their lead hand outstretched and pointing at their own eyes in the mirror that covers the entirety of one wall in our training room. Then, while keeping a steady aim at the eyes in their reflection, they push forward and bend their forward knee so that the rear leg straightens out completely. Their rear hand, positioned at the hip, now moves up at a line to their lead hand and they begin stepping forward with their rear leg. Finally, as the feet and hands pass each other, the lead hand and foot now become the rear hand and foot. The rear hand now swings down to the hip as the new lead hand performs a punch at the eyes in their reflection and they extend on their lead leg until they have bent their forward knee enough to make their rear leg perfectly straight. The goal is to maintain a contstant hand/target sight line, first with the lead hand, then with the rear hand as it replaces the lead hand. If the body doesn't move smoothly along the same target line, the perspective will change. This will cause the sight line to go off target. By doing this movement correctly, the person maintains proper aim. This is how you execute a proper tsuki, or forward lunge attack.
In sojutsu, this forward motion is good for driving a spear in a straight line to pierce the enemy. By having a line directly to the enemy's eyes, they cannot tell the length of the spear and their brain has a hard time determing the sudden close of distance as the spear tip is launched at them along this line.
In this week's training email to the group, I announced we were going to start training with the jo staff as a prepatory phase to sojutsu. Even though training with the jo will fall under the bojutsu catagory, or stick/staff combat, I feel this is an important step in learning good sojutsu skills. So, I dusted off my jo stick last night and started 'reminding' my body of those basic skills that encompass good bojutsu training.
My hope is to take the class through some basic kamae, or postures, then into some basic striking and blocking drills. Of course, the emphasis will be on using the legs and spine to move the weapon and to develop a sense of the proper ranges. Then, we'll move on to the important kata of Bo Furi, to understand the energy of the weapon when it has a life of its own through continuous movement.
From there, we will look at how this weapon is used in our basic foundational katas of the Koshi Sanpo Waza. There are 3 and, at this point in my teaching, have more to do with the use of kukan, or space, than how to strike. The first, Jumonji no Kata, will be about protecting a 'buffer zone' between the defender and their attacker, using a series of good thrusts with proper kamae, then re-establishing the protective space. The second, Ichimonji no Kata, will involve entering a vulnerable space to close the distance and dominate the attacker. This will involve using the tip to open up and extend the attacker, then come in at an off angle to destroy them. The third and last, Hicho no Kamae, will involve using the contours of the attacker's body to find the weak targets which open up during their attack. Mostly this will involve piercing from underneath the contours of the body, which if armor was worn, would mean going under the protective plating.
Combine together, these three kata will set a good foundation for Sojutsu, using the bojutsu concepts as a base.
Finally, we'll end the class with some kata ideas on jo versus jo and jo versus katana attacks, just for some free play fun.
I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow...
Cheers!
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