Kataude dori - release#1 ushirowaza

Here is another example (time 1:25-1:35) of release#1 being used from an ushiro position - this time, uke has tori in kataude dori - a locked-arm come-along.  Tori gets in synch with uke's stepping and steps away, drawing uke offbalance.  To further disrupt uke's motion, tori "kicks" uke's leg.  I use the quotes here because you don't really have to kick, just touch his leg to stop it and stick it to the ground.  From there tori does a large release#1 motion and finishes with wakigatame.

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We played with this interesting little tidbit during this past weekend's ABG.

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Giant release #1 from ushiro

Here is an old video of Yonkata.  Not a bad example at all.  I particularly like their interpretation of the first two techniques.  Very similar to some ideas that Henry Copeland showed us at a Yonkata seminar a couple of years ago.  I also like the (fast) pacing of this demo.

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But the reason that I posted it is as an example of the first ushirowaza that we played with this past weekend, which is the seventh technique from this collection appearing between time 0:20 and 0:22.  This is a good example of what I was mentioning in my previous post about it being very difficult to prevent release #1, even if uke gets behind you.

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Later in this exercise (technique #14, time 0:52-0:55) you see this idea repeated.  Tori tries to do #1 release from an ushiro condition but uke succeeds at preventing R1, so tori slips under the arm (release #5) and finishes with maeotoshi.

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Ushirowaza as releases

In our particular flavor of Tomiki aikido, we have a set of movements called releases that sorta act as beginnings.  Then we have the basic kata techniques in Junana and Owaza that act as endings.  You can, to a large extent piece together most any technique in aikido by starting with one of the releases and ending with one of the kata finishes.

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So, where does ushirowaza fit in with respect to the releases?  Easy.  Most of the ushirowaza are about the same things as releases #1, 2, or 5.

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In fact, at the beginning of ABG 2010, I posed the question, "In our system of aikido, what is our first exposure to ushirowaza?" Folks mumbled and stumbled around and finally came up with, "Koryu Dai San."  Well, actually it is at white belt, not quite the first day of practice but soon thereafter - Release #5 is usually introduced to beginners by saying, tori is trying to do #1 but uke is trying to turn the corner and take tori's back, so tori steps under uke's arm.

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It turns out that Release #1 is very hard to stop tori from doing.  There are several kata variations (like Yonkata #7) that illustrate a release#1 from an extreme ushiro position - deep in the hole.  But every so often uke grabs your back with sufficient vigor that you can't get #1 to work, so what are the backup plans for release #1?  Release #2 and Release #5.

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What I'm teaching at Union

This coming weekend, October 29-30, 2010, I'll be teaching a judo seminar at Union University in Memphis. The tentative curriculum includes...

• 4 parts of a throw
• 2 ways to do kuzushi
• 1 time to do kuzushi
• deashibarai
• kosotogari
• hizaguruma
• osotogari
• koshiguruma
• taiotoshi
• renzoku-style practice vs. static uchimata - what each is good for

Any of that sound interesting?  Want to attend? send me an email and I'll direct you to the right folks at Union to get you set up to come play with us.

Why ushirowaza?

The thematic focus for this past weekend's abg was ushirowaza (attacks from the rear).  "Why ushirowaza," I was asked. Well, besides the fact that it is a part of aikido that we mostly neglect, I had a handful of reasons...

To improve randori.  Ever get into a situation in randori where you hesitated to do an otherwise appropriate move because the guy might get your back? I bet if you hesitated then he got your back anyway.  More exposure to ushirowaza should reduce that hesitation.

Rory Miller made the observation in a recent blog post that we tend to tell students to attack from the back, and we teach them how to do it, but when we spar or randori, we revert back to toe-to-toe.  I think greater exposure to ushirowaza will have a positive effect on this.

Thirdly, I have been thinking lately about what a gruesome hodgepodge the advanced kata in Tomikiryu are.  If you want to study ushiro (for instance) you have to search thru all the kata because these techniques are scattered here and there.  To facilitate studying specific attacks, I've been disassembling the advanced kata and cataloging the techniques in lists sorted by attack.  Since it was already on my mind, we took the ushiro list and worked it.

...so that's why ushirowaza.

What is aikido?

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ABG 2010 Schedule

This weekend we'll be having our 5th annual Aiki Buddies Gathering (ABG) at Mokuren Dojo in Magnolia, MS.  Looks like we'll be having aikidoka from Starkville, Jackson, Magnolia, Baton Rouge, and perhaps a couple of special guest appearances from folks from Memphis and Seattle among others!  We'll be working on ushirowaza (attacks form behind) so expect a series of posts in the next few days on these ideas that we're working through.

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The schedule for the weekend goes something like this:

• Friday 10/22
• 5:30-7:30 aikido
• eat something TBD
• Saturday 10/23
• breakfast (unhealthy-but-delicious stuff!)
• 9:00-11:00 aikido
• eat something (Elise is making a pot of chili)
• 1:00-3:00 aikido
• 5:00-7:00 aikido
• Woodhenge - cookout - but bonfire is not likely due to burn ban.

 Plenty of open mat time.  Y'all are welcome to sleep on the mat or in the living room if you like.  If you need directions to the dojo, check the link in the top right corner of this page or call me.

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Be there and be square (triangle-circle-square, that is)!

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Shomenate - foundation of aikido

Shomenate is the first "real technique" that we teach beginner aikidoka because it is foundational to the rest of aikido practice but also because it is just about the best fall-back self-defense technique there is. Here are a couple of hints to make the most of your shomenate.

• Extend uke's neck fully - Remember, you don't want to press horizontally backward on uke's face. Instead you want to use your palm under his chin to tilt his bead backward so that his spine is locked into an upward-looking position. This makes it harder for uke to attack you (he can't see you), it is disorienting, and it gives you tremendous leverage on uke's center through his locked spine. From this position you press horizontally backward through uke.
• Tori, extend your step through uke - You want to take a larger-than normal step through uke's feet with both of your feet. If you leave one foot back then you sap power out of the throw. Try to get both of your feet past the line of uke's heels. Try to get your second foot (recovery step) in there as fast as possible. This sort of feels like a hop, but not upward - your direction of travel is downward and forward between uke's feet.
• Uke, yield and fall - take a step back and sit down. Oftentimes if tori is nice to you, it would be possible to step back and not fall, but this can spoil your learning effect. You want to take this time to learn how to handle this fall so that it is not as severe, so ... take the fall!

 [photo courtesy of Ashley Rose]

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Proof of Chinese influence on aikido

There's this conspiracy theory promoted by nutjobs like Dojo Rat and some of his ilk, that Morihei Ueshiba must have been influenced in his creation of aikido by the internal Chinese martial arts - particularly by Baguazhang.  There are similarities between these arts, but nobody has been able to put forth any definitive proof that Ueshiba visited Master-X in year-y and studied these particular parts of art-Z that eventually became this thing in aikido...
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Then I remembered this little nugget and it hit me, this is suggestive of a Chinese connection.  Is it proof positive?  Certainly not, but it is at least suggestive...
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Canadian Aikido master, Henry Kono, states in this lecture, that he asked Ueshiba directly, "Why can't we do the things that you do?" and Ueshiba replied, "Because you do not understand Yin and Yang."
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I watched that lecture a long time ago, but it just hit me today, those are Chinese words for a Taoist concept.  The Japanese terms for the same concept would be In and Yo.  So...
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If Kono was quoting OSensei directly and not just spontaneously translating for his audience, then Japanese Ueshiba was using Chinese terms for a concept that he claimed was the secret underpining of aikido.
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Interesting.  Maybe Dojo Rat is not as much of a nutjob as you might first suspect ;-)  Nah  I'm sure you're right...

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Shambhala's new Book of Five Rings

I recently got a chance to review a wonderful new edition of Miyamoto Mushshi's Book of Five Rings that was just published by Shambhala.  This is a lovely yellow hardcover binding of the classic Cleary translation (I've read good, bad, and ugly translations of this book, and Cleary's is by far the best) and it has lovely, full-color art on the cover and within.  Also, as a nice bonus, the entire text is included in audio on two CDs.

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If you're looking for a good translation nicely bound with good art and audio, this is definitely the book for you.  Click on the link to the left to order from Amazon.

What is karate?

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The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers!

I stumbled across this on Netflix today and watched it on a whim. First, let me assert my masculinity. I am not a Gleek and I don't watch dance movies unless my wife threatens me.  I even puke at the thought of having to endure America's Got Talent and Dancing with the (hasbeen) Stars.

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But this was the most extraordinary show I've seen in a long, long time. I sat engrossed and watched 10 episodes back-to-back. According to Wikipedia, they have the first three seasons already filmed. I for one, cannot wait to see the rest of the show.

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Check it out for a much more engrossing superheroes/martial arts series than Heroes (which went down the toilet at super-speed)

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High tech blogging

Trying out a new thing here.  I just got a new high tech Android phone with a blog client, so I'm trying out flogging on the go.  Client seems to work nicely...

What is aikido?

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