In the previous post I suggested that ikkyo/oshitaoshi seemed to me to be something like using uke's shoulder girdle and spine as levers to steer his center, like using a boat rudder to steer a boat.
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Now, I realize that all analogies fall apart when taken too far, but I think this one may bear a little extension. Imagine trying to steer a small boat down a swiftly moving stream by controlling the rudder. Now imagine trying to do that while standing on a rock in the river.
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That second one is not going to be too successful, because in order to use a rudder to steer a boat, you have to be riding in the boat. Likewise, to use uke's arm and shoulder as a lever to steer his center, you have to be riding uke - or at least connected to him and moving with him. Standing your ground and trying to turn uke upside down with a lever will not work as well as moving with him and using the lever to steer him.
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We are not standing our ground and mashing uke's elbow backwards into the ground. We are riding him into the ground using his arm and shoulder to steer him.
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Patrick Parker
www.mokurendojo.com
