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...