When is a push not a push

One of the two common paths in nijusan begins with an evasion toward uke's inside while pushing the attacking arm toward the hole between uke's feet. This is similar to the standard junana offbalance - but in nujusan tori uses one arm. In this path it is very easy for tori to overpower uke and lose the opportunity to do a technique. This is okay if the offbalance completely smears uke, but if uke doesn't die right away, tori's push can give uke enough balance and impetus to reverse roles and take the lead. A few things to remember when doing this offbalance:

• Uke's attack can only solidify at the end of the step, so tori doesn't need to be strong or push hard.
• Tori should concentrate on moving his center toward the hole betwen uke's feet and then allowing uke's attack to solidify right at the edge of the hole.
• Tori should allow the momentum of his center to move in one direction until the solidity of uke stops tori's forward motion.
• Tori should get both feet under his center right as uke's front foot lands.
• Often the feel of this offbalance is that of catching uke's punch, stepping to the edge of the hole, and dropping uke over the edge. When it works right it does not feel like tori is pushing uke's arm. It is very much a feeling of releasing uke - as in hanasu.