Paul Masse Seminar 10/17/2009

I attended my first seminar in what felt like a year or so but looking at my blog I actually attended seminars for the first three months of this year. Time waits for no one.

I didn’t really know much about Paul Masse. I subscribe to his blog but to be honest haven’t read the past few posts. All I knew was he is a long time resident of Japan, is into art and photography, and also into street performing. It’s astonishing how varied people who study the Bujinkan are. Some martial arts attractive a specific type of personality but the Bujinkan attracts a very, very wide variety of people. The attendees of this seminar was pretty varied too. I got to see some friends I hadn’t seen in a while and I met a few new people whom I promptly punched, kicked or strangled with a rope. There were more women at this seminar than I recall seeing at any other.

Like other seminars Paul had someone first demonstrate something, anything, it didn’t matter, and then would add a number of extra bits to it. In the past I would take notes furiously during seminars but lately I haven’t because usually things are happening too quickly but more importantly because the steps of the movement are not important. What is important is the bigger picture of the movement, i.e. the feeling. I can write down details later but I’ll miss the feeling if I pause to take notes. I’m also far enough along in my training to be able to identify and reproduce most of the mechanical steps. The hidden techniques are what I need to focus on.

Paul showed many hidden movements with subtle and not so subtle strikes. He repeatedly mentioned demonstrating the “ferociousness” of the Bujinkan with multiple strikes to the same targets, smashing blows to the head and limbs, painful attacks with just the fingertips, and skillful control of the opponent by manipulating their fingers with his hands and feet. Needless to say he was very good at what he does and was quite inspiring to me. The handful of times he applied techniques to me I was astonished by how painful his fingers were and how easily he controlled me with light touches. He often mentioned controlling the opponent with air and he did a good job of conveying that feeling. Some other points he mentioned were: maintaining a connection with the opponent; not being in the fight; being within a hair’s breadth of an attack; letting things come to you by using misdirection or natural body responses; using light touches. I’m sure I’ve left some things out but that’s all that stood out.

Aside from straight taijutsu we used sword, knife and rope for some techniques. With the sword techniques the opponent was just wearing the weapon and in typical fashion it was used against the opponent without unsheathing it. With the knife we either drew it from our belt or took it from the opponent’s belt as part of the natural flow of the technique. With the rope though it was pretty straight forward to “tie” up the opponent and/or strangle him/her.

Before the seminar started Paul showed some of his artwork and artwork of Hatsumi sensei. After the seminar he did some calligraphy for everyone that wanted one. For me he drew the kanji 寿 (ことぶき – long life, longevity). (I’ll have to double check if that is the exact kanji he used.)

Thanks Paul for the artwork and the training. I would definitely attend another training session with him.

がんばってください！

Kihon – 04/12/2009

Dave came down again and he went over much of the same stuff from last weekend which was stuff from the last seminar.

がんばってくだし！

Sunday – 04/05/2009

Dave came down and taught this session. He covered stuff from a variety of sources, most of which I was familiar with. A new guy named Tim was there for his first lesson. I hope he returns because he is as tall, if not slightly taller than Richard. We covered mostly stuff from the recent seminar with Chris Carbonaro. The focus here was moving in shizen and staying within a small bubble of space around the uke while always covering and attacking from where the opponent cannot see.

The weather could not have been more perfect and I look forward to next weekend.

がんばってくだし！

Karasukage Dojo – 03/26/2009

This was Jim’s last class before returning to Japan until around August for another visit. A lot has happened since this class so this post probably won’t be detailed or complete. I do remember that the focus was on Koto Ryu and everything we did was a continuation of the previous classes. The key points are: creating a connection between uke and tori; establishing correct distance from the start; and maintaining proper kamae throughout the movement. A few of the things we did follow.

First we did a few exercises that reinforced moving in the Koto Ryu fashion (i.e. shallow angles with relation to the attack; inline or at right angles with opponent). One was just ura gyaku from a grab and I believe another was just practicing uke nagashi. We also did one where the uke attacked with two punches and the tori received the first on to the inside and then stepped back with hoko no kamae for the second attack. Then the tori shifted and kicked the groin followed by an ura shutoken. Another technique had the uke doing a lapel grab and punch to the face. The tori covered and stepped back into kamae maintaining the correct line and struck the attacking arm upward and away toward the uke’s weak line. We also did one Koto Ryu kata, Yokotoh, as follows. The uke does a double lapel grab. The tori strikes the uke’s head away to the left or right, depending on which hand is used, while kicking the groin with the same side foot. To maintain the Koto Ryu feel the  tori pivots while doing this. Maintain pressure on the uke’s spine with the hand you used to strike as you step forward with the other foot and then strike upward at a 45 degree angle as you assume kamae.

I think that was it for the techinques we did before Jim showed a little bit of what to expect in the future. He then talked about the importance of creating your own densho and talked about how he approaches writing in his notebook. He emphasized capturing the feeling in your notes moreso than the physical steps involved in the techniques. That is something I should adopt in my writing.

がんばってくだし！

Karasukage Dojo – 03/24/2009

Focus shifted onto Koto Ryu with Jim discussing the kamae and distance associated with this ryu. The kamae is bladed and the movement is focused on affecting the skeletal structure of the opponent. And if I remember correctly the distance between you and the opponent is greater when doing techniques with this ryu’s feeling.

The first thing we worked on was facing off with the opponent and getting the distance correct. We gave an opening and when the opponent punched we just adjusted our kamae back to the starting position. This slight movement was enough to deflect the attack while consuming the space with our lead hand. We continued this by moving back and to the inside placing our lead hand against the forearm of the attacking arm while lowering our kamae. If done correctly we would be pulling the opponent slightly over their lead foot. The angles here were important. You had to keep the opponent on the line of his natural direction and you had to move into a position that was clear of any additional attacks. After working on that for a bit the follow up was a yoko aruki with an omote shutoken to the neck/face.

Next, we worked on a similar technique. The opponent does a lapel grab and a punch. As usual, first we practiced letting the opponent grab then we adjusted our distance as they grabbed. When the punch comes drop back inline with the opponent’s feet putting their weight onto the front foot, receive the attack by knocking it away then shift outward putting the opponent’s weight onto both feet. When you shift apply pressure against the elbow with your forearm or hand. You want to move such that the opponent’s spine is perpendicular to their feet and their weight is even and leaning forward. From there it didn’t matter.

After that we worked on some muto dori the same way as before. This time the focus was on placing your hand on the opponent’s lead hand and pushing it down and forward slightly. Once the opponent moved to cut again his kamae could be broken.

I believe that was it.

がんばってくだし！

Kihon – 03/22/2009

Sunday’s weather could not be more perfect. Not surprisingly though only Richard came out to train.

We started out with ukemi and warm up exercises on our own.  After that we practiced some muto dori with the points that Jim had discussed last week. Richard wasn’t comfortable with the idea of leaning forward. I don’t know if it was because he’s so much taller than me (6′ 3″　vs 5′ 10″) or something else. Whatever it was he wasn’t into baiting the opponent by leaning forward the way I showed. When he found his sweet spot he was still within range of the kissaki (tip of katana) after straighting his spine upwards. When Jim showed it he was just barely out of range. Perhaps I was showing it incorrectly. After that we worked on some more muto dori but with free attacks and responses. Next, we worked on the last omote gyaku that Jim showed. First it was nice and slow then nice and free. After that was my personal favorite, randori.

がんばってくだし！

Karasukage – 03/19/2009

Because of the weather (rain) we arrived about 15 or 20 minutes late. When I stepped into the dojo Jim was going over the basic punch because, not surprisingly, many people within the Bujinkan can’t attack properly. He showed the differences between a Gyokko Ryu tsuki and a Koto Ryu tsuki. With Koto Ryu the attack and the kamae are linear and flat (no surprise there). Your body flips from one side to the other when the punch is thrown. With Gyokko Ryu the attack is curved or rounded (that was new to me but it makes sense). If there were a hook punch in the Bujinkan, this would be it. With both, you extend forward only about half an inch. By time I put my tabi on and everything else Jim had moved onto something else.

If I remember correctly, that something else was oni kudaki, musha dori, omote gyaku and ura gyaku. I believe Jim had Doug demonstrate each before going into the lesson. The way Jim showed oni kudaki and musha dori was the way I usually do it and the ura gyaku was slightly different. For that reason I won’t go into much detail about them. The ura gyaku he showed had a large sweeping motion that I don’t usually do. As you peel the hand away, step and raise the hand up in a semi-circle. Keep the arm straight and between you and the uke, forming a perpendicular line. You can place your hand against the back of the elbow for further control. A slight variation on ura gyaku, which I believe he described as the Gyokko Ryu way, was to treat the lock as omote gyaku. What I mean by that is once you’ve got the uke’s wrist treat it like omote gyaku. This is how you get a “throw” with ura gyaku. That is the way I remember Joe Rae doing it.

The new thing for me was the way omote gyaku was shown. To me, this way of performing omote gyaku was the ura version of last week’s omote gyaku. As before, when the opponent begins to attack you should be moving. So, as the grab is coming begin to move in a cirular motion to the inside. This will load the uke’s weight onto their lead foot and begin to turn them, if they track you. From there, grab omote gyaku and rotate around the wrist as you twist. Pretty straight forward actually. Note though, you need to have the uke’s weight shifted evenly between his feet. That means your position needs to be directly opposite the uke’s with his arm extended between you. When you apply the lock the rotation travels from the hand through the wrist up the arm and into the spine. As usual in taijutsu, the spine is the goal.

がんばってください！

Karasukage Dojo – 03/12/2009

Last night I met up with Doug and Michelle to carpool over for Jim’s class. We talked about all sorts of jazz on the way and it made the trip a memorable experience rather than just another two hour drive. Thanks guys.

We arrived about 15 minutes behind and Jim was in the middle of the opening shizen muto dori exercise. Doug and I cycled in with Andrew, Johnathan and Marcus while Michelle was getting ready. With this sword evasion exercise Jim spoke about setting up the proper distance by feeling were the sweet spot was. We did this by moving between standing too close and standing too far and eventually settling into a spot where the sword would come down just in front of you. This spot was actually just out of range of the sword. Now, what makes that spot sweet is you angle your torso forward just enough so the sword would split your head open. The weight on the feet is even and just slightly forward on the toes with your torso bent at the hips and angled toward the opponent (back straight of course). The opponent is doing daijodan shomengiri and at the moment he commits the cut step forward and to the left turing your body slightly and covering the lead hand of the opponent with your lead hand. Your body should end up fairly close to the tsuba of the sword. After that Michelle came into the dojo and Jim sat us down to discuss the night’s focus.

I don’t remember everything that he said but focus has shifted a bit from distance and timing and onto proper kamae; its role in controlling space; its role in creating openings for the opponent to attack or to prevent attack; its role in safely positioning yourself and probably some other things. He outlined what makes the kamae proper: even weight distribution between the feet, knees over toes, hips in, back straight, head up, and relaxed. This applies to pretty much all kamae for Gyokko Ryu. He also spoke about the spiral movement of this ryu. He also talked about the goshin no kata and its practice to develop proper kamae, attacks and movement in general. Then we demonstrated what we would be practicing.

The technique was just a lapel grab with a punch to the face. The response was to cover, receive to the inside with uke nagashi, omote shutoken to the temple as you move forward and to the outside then apply omote gyaku.

The first time through we allowed the uke to go ahead and grab before moving. When the attack comes drop back into kamae and uke nagashi. Jim detailed exactly where you should be positioned so the uke cannot easily follow up with another attack, regardless of whether they stepped forward with the punch or not. He emphasized loading the opponent’s weight onto their feet depending on how the attack was performed. He also emphasized elongating the arm when the shutoken is performed properly. At this stage the lock is already in place and is just a matter of moving with the spiral in mind. Also at this stage the distance between the opponent’s wrist and spine needs to be maintained. If it is then there will be no slack in the lock and the whole arm will be bound up. He talked about the lock being an attack of the spin and not the wrist and if done properly you’ll see the effect in the opponent’s back. He did it to me several times and it was an omote gyaku that I hadn’t felt before or at least in a long time. He would drop me directly on my left or right lung, depending on which wrist he had. I have pretty good ukemi and I could do nothing but absorb the impact of the ground. He also showed some way to move if the opponent’s arm does not stretch out but rather bends. For that you can pivot around to the back of the opponent while continuing with the wrist lock. Throughout the night he kept referring to moving in three dimentional space and that’s where the sprial movement comes in. So, not only are you moving around the opponent’s spine you’re bending it with the rotation of the wrist and downward movement of the wrist. All of this may seem like elementary omote gyaku but it’s been a while for me so it’s like relearning it.

The second time around we were moving just as the opponent was grabbing. Everything else was pretty much the same with the uke nagashi now being optional or being applied to the head instead of the arm. This initial movement set up the rest of the technique.

We finished class off with a short look at the ura gyaku version. We didn’t get to practice this much but all the same rules applied. The only change was forgoing the uke nagashi to the arm and going straight for the head then a shot to the spleen or ribs, depending on which side of the body you were attacking, followed by the lock.

He wrapped up the night by reiterating the points of the evening before bowing out. Good stuff.

がんばってください！

Edit:

Something else we did that I forgot was the same technique with a sword. With the sword held in your belt and your hand on the end of the handle, strike the incoming arm and step as before. Strike the side of the head as before with your hand still holding the end of the handle or use the tsuka. Apply the gyaku and draw the sword as they are falling.

Karasukage Dojo – 03/10/2009

One of my old instructors, Jim King, is visiting from Japan and teaching the next several classes at the Karasukage Dojo. A few practictioners from the Shima Dojo and myself attended his first class last night. It was great to see him again and to train with him and Joe together at the Karasukage Dojo. It’s been about four years since that happened last and to me it was like a reunion. I’ll attempt to attend each class he teaches while he’s in town and I’ll make an effort to visit the Karasukage Dojo more often after he’s returned to Japan.

So, what did we cover? The focus of the night was timing and distancing: feeling the timing and controlling the timing; and controlling the distance with kamae. Making the attacker attack on your terms and then controlling the rhythm of the confrontation were the main points I remember. This material, for me, is difficult to learn without proper practice and guidance from an instructor. The uke and tori must be honest with one another too in terms of moving, attacking and defending dynamically. Among other things, Jim talked about how important it is for each of us to communicate when training.

Some of the exercises we did to explore this topic follows. The first few exercises were receiving a single punch from the inside. With both people in kamae the tori was supposed to initiate the attack by giving the uke an opening. Since I’m not very good my opening was quite obvious but if you could make it subtle then you were on the right track. The tori would then respond at the moment the attack was committed and therefore disrupt the rhythm. If you respond too soon the attack may not actually come or may change. If you respond too late then you may not be able to move into a safe place. Jim talked about moving into a safe place as being your first priority. This goes back to establishing proper distance at the begining with your kamae.

Next, we put this timing concept into a simple technique. Uke throws a punch to the face and the tori receives to the inside with uke nagashi then moving in with an urate shutoken to the face or neck with the same hand. From there it really didn’t matter and would sometimes depend on how the uke responded. The point was to be one or two steps ahead of the uke by controlling the rhythm and the way the uke attacks. Later we expaned on this with two punch attacks and responding with ichimonji and jumonji movements, and from a lapel grab.

In between the taijutsu we did a short bit of sword work. The uke attacks with daijodan shomengiri. The tori starts in chuudan no kamae and raises the tip of the sword up to the uke’s face at just the right moment while moving off the line of attack. Needless to say the principle of timing applied here.

I believe that was it. Jim made a lot of points about what to practice and how to practice and I believe I got the main one or two here.

がんばってください！

Kihon Shibu – 02/15/2009

Richard and I started out with some simple ukemi before moving onto simple standing and laying exercises. We started standing then laid down on our backs, then side, the stomach all without using our hands. Then we did it with our arms resting on a stick resting on our shoulders. After that we did some stick attack and sword attack evasions. We also did an exercise where one person would try to lock the other’s legs or trip them with the stick and the other person simply avoided it by moving their feet/legs. I believe that was it for the stick.

Next we used a training knife and did an exercise on light touch and movement. This exercise had one person attempting to cut or stab the body while the other person placed a hand on the forearm and used it to move out of the way of the attacks. The next one was just taking turns poking each other with the knife point while the person being poked keeping their eyes shut. When you got poked you let your body move out of the way. The point of these exercises was to develop a level of sensitivity while remaining relaxed and calm.

After that I think we pretty much jumped into randori. Since we had the knife out we started with a few knife hold-up situations (eg. the knife is held to your neck). Next was a situation where the knife is drawn. At this point Shane arrived and we continued with the knife for a few more minutes. After that was randori with no weapons.

Good stuff. My shoulders are a bit tight and could use a massage. Maybe after dinner I’ll run out to the car, grab a hanbo and work myself over. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

がんばってください！

Kihon Shibu – 02/08/2009

Tim, Richard and I took advantage of the beautiful weather Sunday to get down and dirty in the park. We didn’t do any techniques but instead focused on movement through a bunch of exercises. We warmed up with some simple ukemi before starting the session. Most of the exercises were moving around punches and moving when being punched, or kicked. We also did a couple of movements with a stick. Again, moving around it and with it when struck. For the last thirty minutes or so we did some randori. First we did two on one with the second attacker coming in only when signaled by the first attacker. After that we toned it down with one-on-one randori.

The focus of the day and for all my training these days is to stay relaxed, to breathe and to release tension.

がんばってください！

Shima Dojo – 01/29/2009

Too much time has passed since this class so this post may not be detailed or complete.

Let’s see…

We started class with a few line drills. The first was solo sokuhou kaiten and then again with a partner. Next was a two punch drill that had us receive an attack, shift in with a punch followed by a cross punch. I believe that was it.

The first technique was from a tsuki to the head. Receive to the inside striking the attack upward followed by an ura shuto with the other hand. That may have been the only thing we did for the first half of the class.

The second half of the class we went over these shime waza (chokes): hon jime, gyaku jime, itami jime and do jime.

We ended class with a quick round of intention sensing.

がんばってください！

Shima Dojo – 01/22/2009

Doug started class with two line drills. First was uke nagashi followed by a reverse uke nagashi then stepping through with an ura shutoken. This was similar to ka no kata except for the middle part. Moving my arm in the reverse motion of a regular uke nagashi had the strangest feeling to it. In my nearly ten years (eek!) of taijutsu I’ve never done that movement before. Later, within context of a technique, it made sense but practicing it as a drill was just bizarre. The second drill was stepping off at an angle, kicking high then low with the lead foot, cross stepping, then stepping through with an ura shutoken. This was similar to hicho no kata.

The first technique utilized the movement from the first drill. The uke attacks with a tsuki to the head, receive to the inside then rotate your arm in the opposite direction as you shift in. This sets you up for ganseki nage but we didn’t do it. Instead, ura shutoken with the lead hand.

Next, we worked on the second drill. The attack was the same as before. This time step back to the outside, kick to the body with the lead foot then kick the knee and ride leg to the ground as you ura shutoken with the lead hand.

After that we switched gears and did a little bit of sword work. We practiced cutting shomengiri and kesagiri and drawing shomengiri and dogiri. Next we partnered up and did a few techniques. Each attack was shomengiri. The first set the tori is daijodan no kamae. When the attack comes move to the left or right performing kote shomengiri. For the second set the tori is in gedan no kamae. When the attack comes step to the left or right and perform kote gyaku kesagiri. This one didn’t call for much effort and just putting the sword in place was enough.

Next we practiced a simple hip throw, seoi nage.

The last technique was from a lapel grab with a punch to the face. Cover and receive to the inside. With the same hand that did the uke nagashi grab the uke’s wrist and rotate it so the inside is facing up as you strike the elbow with your other hand stepping foward and switching kamae. You’ll be stepping in front of the opponent and throwing them.

Good stuff.

がんばってください！

Shima Dojo – 01/06/2009

First class of the year for me and it was quite cold. I got the blood flowing with some ukemi before class started. Doug started us off with the sanshin no kata followed with a short talk on Koto Ryu because apparently that is one focus in Japan. With that being said we worked on some Koto Ryu.

First he went over the various kamae, which in this school is referred to as kurai dori: migi seigan, hidari seigan , hira ichimonji, hoko, and bobi. Then we practiced the first kata shown in the Koto Ryu video for migi seigan, hidari seigan , and hira ichimonji. What we did was slightly different from what is shown in the video.

• Migi seigan - うけ attacks with a right kick. Receive to the outside with げだんうけ. Kick the groin with the rear leg immediately followed by a kick to the opponent’s rear leg using the same foot.
• Hidari seigan - うけ attacks with a right punch. Step to the left (outside) of the attack striking the ribs with a backfist of the left hand while covering with the right forearm. Use your right forearm to drive the opponent back as you step through and strike with an うらしゅとけん with the right hand to the ribs as they fall.
• Hira ichimonji - うけ attacks with a right punch. Rotate clockwise striking the face with your fingertips. Your forearm should automatically displace the incoming punch as you approach your target. We practiced starting off on either foot.

After that we did the first kata from the video. This one is called yokutou and interestingly the furigana used with the kanji was katakana instead of the usual hiragana. The opponent reaches for a lapel grab. Step back slightly as you cover the hand. With the other hand strike the neck with a ぼしけん and using the same side foot kick the groin at the same time. Use the hand that was covering to strike up to the chin as you step through. Grab the mouth as you do this.

We did a variation on one of the techniques where after the initial receive you struck the ear or behind the ear with your rear hand as you walked through. I believe it was a variation of the first technique but I could be mistaken.

がんばってください！

Shima Dojo – 12/30/2008

For the last class of the year I arrived a bit early to begin working on a couple of my new year’s resolutions. Those were: exercise more, stretch more and train more.

Class started with some administrative stuff. Doug talked about the direction of the Bujinkan for 2009 and handed out some certificates and membership cards. After that he announced that everyone would show a technique and he would show a variation. Here’s what everyone did.

Ed – From a right punch assume left side kamae striking the ribs with a left fudoken then apply musha dori with the left arm. Doug showed a variation where after the strike to the ribs bring the left hand up to the face and begin to bend the opponent’s back. Follow up with the right hand to take the balance. You can still capture musha dori with your left arm if you want.

Me – I showed the last technique from Sunday’s training. From a right punch step forward and to the left with the left foot while striking the face with the right hand. Yoko aruki behind the opponent, wrap your left arm around the neck and your right arm under and around the right shoulder. Open the opponent up before driving your right hand through the neck into the ground. Doug said that Joe had showed something similar last week so I think he showed two things that Joe showed. For the first one, after the cross step continue to rotate while holding onto the face with the left hand. Bend the head back and drive it into the ground. You can drop to your right knee and use the other knee as a landing pad for the opponent’s kidneys. For the second one, after the cross step you can pull the opponent down by grabbing the flesh at the base of the neck or jamming fingers into the area near the collar bone.

Mark – This was similar to the previous one. From a right punch step forward and to the left. With the left hand strike the lower back and with the right hand strike the face or chest simultaneously. This is a Ed Martin type of movement. I don’t recall Doug showing a variation on this.

Michelle – From a right punch, left punch, right kick series receive to the inside of each punch and to the outside of the kick with a kick (keri kaeshi). Strike the kidneys with two boshiken. Doug’s variation included a kick to the back of the knee after the keri kaeshi and a second kick to either the groin or kidneys.

Dave – He wanted to go over a version of omote gyaku so Doug walked him through it. From a left side lapel grab step back to the left into kamae. Pivot around your right foot as you apply omote gyaku. Doug’s variation included striking the face from below with your right hand as if in reaction to being grabbed while covering the opponent’s hand with your left hand. Reach over with your right arm to begin ura musha dori as you step with your left foot into hira no kamae. From there push down against the head to compress the spine and take the balance.

Larry – Holding a hanbo like a cane the opponent grabs the same side lapel. Use the same side foot that is holding the hanbo to kick the end of it up as you rotate it over the opponent’s wrist with your hand. Reach under your own wrist to grasp the hanbo on the other side of the opponent’s wrist. Control from there. I don’t think Doug showed anything for this one.

That was it. I think this format of class should be done at the end of every month. Happy New Year.

がんばってください！

Kihon Shibu – 12/28/2008

Daryl was in town for the holiday and scheduled a little session last night at Mark’s place. It was good to see Daryl and Mark again, both of which I hadn’t seen since August or later. Daryl showed some of the stuff he picked up from his trip to Japan in August. He also reviewed some of the stretching exercises that he showed last time I saw him which was some time before August. These exercises were from a Kacem seminar held in Toronto back in February I believe. I’m not going to cover the exercises but I’ll try my best to recall and describe the techniques he showed.

For most of these both start in shizen no kamae.

1. The first one was basically musha dori from a punch. When the attack comes mirror the kamae. From a right hand punch step back with the left foot. Use your left forearm to hook the arm into the lock as you step into left side kamae. He also showed it with the right arm ending up in an ura musha dori.
2. This one was probably the most complex. The attacker throws a right punch. You turn and shift to the right stepping with your right foot. Shift back into kamae so that the back of your left shoulder touches the attacker’s arm, pull your right foot in next to your left so that you’re in line with the attacker’s arm. Daryl mentioned  rotating your shoulders so that the back of your right shoulder touches the attacker’s arm/hand. At this point you can reach over with your right hand to hang onto the opponent’s hand/fingers. This particular part was awkward and I’m sure we were all doing it wrong. All at the same time your left arm should be covering. In particular your left elbow should maintain contact with the opponent. From here step forward toward the opponent with your left foot driving your left elbow into the opponent’s armpit/shoulder/upper chest area. You should be stepping to the outside of the opponent’s right leg. Apply a boshiken to the inside of the thigh. Bring your right foot up to your left foot, also to the outside of the opponent’s foot. Use your right foot to push the opponent’s right foot to the right out from underneath him.
3. Next he showed different ways to finish the first technique. Instead of pulling/pushing the opponent’s right foot out you could bend your knees and lock out the opponent’s knee. You could also reposition your right foot to the inside of the opponent’s leg by applying pressure with your knee then lifting your foot up and over the opponent’s leg, pivoting around your knee. From here rotate and drop to your left knee to throw the opponent over. To throw you’ll need to control the arms in some fashion, so as you’re maneuvering hang onto one or both of the arms.
4. I think this is what happened next. From a right punch step forward with the left foot into hira no kamae. Shift your weight onto your left foot and twist/rotate toward the opponent ending up in yoko aruki. As you do that “cut” across the neck or face with your fingers with either a shutoken or shakoken. Kick the right knee/leg with your right foot, strike the extended arm with your right fist and step forward with your right foot driving your right knee into the opponent’s knee/leg.
5. From a right punch step back with your left foot into kamae. With the right foot kick the opponent’s right knee on the inside. Depending on the angle that you step back on the kick will vary. If you’re more in line with the attack the kick will be circular. This is what I was doing. If you’re at a wider angle the kick will be straighter. After the kick follow up by stepping on the opponent’s lower leg (below the knee) and drive it to the ground. Control the opponent as they fall.
6. From a right punch step forward and to the left with the left foot while striking the face or neck with a right handed shishitanken. Yoko aruki behind the opponent as you reach around the neck with your left hand. Place your left thumb behind the right ear and place your right forearm under the armpit and against the right shoulder. You want to open up the opponent by pulling these two points apart. Place your right hand using the same fist as above against the base of the neck and drive the opponent straight to the ground dropping to your right knee.
7. From kumiuchi step to the right while rotating your left forearm to be on top and to the inside of the opponent’s right arm and raising the opponent’s left arm and placing your forehead against the opponent’s shoulder. Bring your left foot to your right, rotate to your left while placing your right hand against the back of the opponent’s left shoulder. Also bring your left hand up to the same spot on the shoulder. Using kamae place your right foot on the opponent’s right foot. Shift your weight onto the right foot as you rotate and throw the opponent.

I believe that was it. I had a good time hanging out and training with some friends I hadn’t seen in a while. We may start holding classes at Mark’s house for the rest of the winter. We’ll see.

がんばってください！

Shima Dojo – 12/4/2008

I didn’t have any problems getting to Doug’s this time and I used the extra time to practice some ukemi and kamae, and get some light stretching in. Doug started class with some solo sanshin no kata practice before we paired up and practiced it with some variation.

Doug talked about three methods of practicing the sanshin no kata. I don’t remember the exact Japanese terms but here is my definition of what the three ways to practice the sanshin no kata:

1. Practicing to master the individual steps. This is understanding what the movements are that make up the kata.
2. Practicing to master the timing. This is understanding how the movements fit together.
3. Practicing to master the flow. This is understanding how to apply the kata.

We only practiced the first four kata using methods one and two. Then we had a couple of scenarios for the third method. For each kata we practiced it in the normal fashion to emphasize method one. Then it was changed slightly by including a strike with the knee or foot as we stepped through with whatever strike was happening with the hand to emphasize method two.

Next, we did a technique that had elements of sui no kata and ka no kata. The opponent throws a hook-like punch to the head. Receive the attack to the inside in an informal fashion (i.e. don’t take an obvious kamae). Lightly attack the eye with the lead hand. Holding onto the opponent shift in and strike the inside of the knee/thigh with your knee. Strike with the appropriate shutoken. The rest of the taijutsu was similar. The next technique had two attacks. After that we had both people walk towards one another before the attack occurred. Then the attack was changed to a low punch to the stomach. For this we did a fu no kata movement. That was it for the taijutsu.

We then did a couple of the same sword techniques from the last class where you step forward to the left, cover with the right and apply omote gyaku or cover, strike the face, and then sweep the leg. I think the only thing different was when applying omote gyaku Doug showed you could press the opponent’s thumb against the tsuba (the sword’s hand guard) to aid in the technique.

The final technique I don’t recall doing the same way on Tuesday. For this one cover with the right right then step to the right in front of the opponent. With the cover you should be grabbing the forearm bones as you move. Control/remove the sword with your left hand.

がんばってください！

Shima Dojo – 12/2/2008

Because of an accident on the highway and the resulting traffic I was a bit late arriving at Doug’s. I don’t know what all I misssed but if I had to guess it was ichimonji no kata and maybe some stretching. Someone else was also late and the two of us jumped into hicho no kata together. After that Doug covered jumonji no kata, omote gyaku, omote gyaku tsuki, and ura gyaku just like he did at the last class I attended. After that we worked on four sword techniques.

Each of these begin the same. You’re in shizen no kamae. The attacker does diajodan shomen giri.

1. Step forward and to the left and cover the opponent’s hands with your left hand. With the left hand grab the tsuka (handle of the sword) and remove it from your opponent’s hands and/or reverse the blade against him using taijutsu.
2. Same as before except strike with a shukiken (elbow fist) to the face before removing the sword.
3. Same as before except cover with the right hand before striking the face with the right hand then sweep the right leg with your right leg like osoto otoshi.
4. Same as before except cover with the right hand and step to the right holding the wrist to aid in removing the sword.

がんばってください！

Guest Instructor – 11/23/2008

Dave is back in VA so I organized a training session with him at Doug’s dojo. We had a good turnout of people for a day in which most people don’t train. I on the other hand have only been training on Sundays lately.

Dave shared with us the things that stood out from his time in Colorado and his visit to Japan. We started off with a few sword techniques. Tachi sword to be specific. The main characteristic of the tachi is the curvature of the blade. The curve is greater than that of a katana and the overall length is often longer. I’ll try and recall the handful of techniques we did.

With all of these the uke attacked with daijodan shomen giri and the tori started in shizen no kamae. These techniques assume the use of traditional samurai armor.

1. When the attack comes step off to the right slightly and bring the tip of your sword (the kissaki) up to the opponent’s eye (one of a few places not protected). This can be a gentle stab or light cut across the eye/face. In the same motion bring your sword across and to the left placing the back of the blade (the mune) on top of the opponent’s blade. Rotate to your right swinging both swords to the right. The curvature of your sword aides in this movement by “hooking” the opponent’s blade. When the blades clear advance with your left foot covering with your left leg and left arm. At the same time use your right to stab the inside of the opponent’s right leg, inside of the right hip or the waist (areas where there may be openings in the armor).
2. Same as above except stab the inside of the rear leg. When the opponent goes down be sure to be behind him as you rotate your sword in your hand so that the blade is facing you and the opponent. With your left hand grab the mune and basically apply a headlock with the blade.
3. This one was the most complicated. When the attack comes drop back and to the left slightly into kamae while raising your sword to pull the opponent off slightly. Use the curvature of the blade again to swing the opponent’s blade to the right creating an opening to move in with your left foot. Cover with your left side again and raise your sword up so that the kissaki is pointed to the opponent’s face. Hold the mune with your left hand while your left elbow is pressed against the opponent. Drive the kissaki into the side of the opponenet’s face/head. Take your left hand off the blade and step forward with your right foot, switching your kamae so that your back is to the opponent’s back. At the same time flip/rotate the blade so that the kissaki is pointing to the right and the blade is against the opponent’s neck. (Imagine doing an upward cut from the right side to the left side. I don’t remember the name of that cut but ryusui comes to mind for some reason.) Be sure to push upward with the blade making the opponent stand on their toes. Push your back/butt against the opponent to get some distance as you rotate and cut to the nearest leg.
4. When the attack comes step forward and to the left slightly. Grab the mune with your left hand and  bring the sword straight up to the opponent’s neck. Use the curvature of the blade to ride up the body to the neck. You can also press down against the arm(s) first.

I believe that was it for the sword stuff. The remainder was taijutsu. The first thing we did was some material from Rob and the Zero Point Dojo. We practiced taking the opponent’s structure from kumiuchi using basic principles of redirection and multiple contact points. After that I think we pretty much did the torite kihon with some variations. Two things that stick out are the ura gyaku and omote gyaku techniques. With ura gyaku, if the opponent attempted to get away with ukemi you could drive the arm straight down. With omote gyaku the attack was a grab with a punch then a kick on the same side. The point here was where you take the lock. A lot of people like to move the lock away from the opponent. It is very effective to move it toward them. If you could time it with the opponent’s kick it was very effective.

I believe that was it. Everyone had a good time and it was nice to train with Dave again.

がんばってください！

Kihon Shibu – 11/16/2008

Richard was expecting a new guy to come by and start training so while we waited we worked on the kosshi sanpo gata the way that Doug has been showing it lately. After that we did a little bit of ukemi and stretching. When Chris, the new guy, arrived we took turn teaching some elemental movements. First, I showed some zenpou and koho kaiten. We practiced several combinations and variations from standing, kneeling and walking. After that we did the usual rolling under a stick held out to the side. Next was leaping over the stick and finally a tenchi tobi exercise where the stick is swung low then high.

After that Richard showed some basic solo kamae and punching exercises. After a few minutes of that, to make it more dynamic I went over the two person punching exercise we’ve done before. At this point Shane arrived and we paired up to work on this movement. This exercise has each person taking turns executing an attack (we only used hands and elbows this time) and receiving an attack. The idea is to get used to being hit, finding the best attack from your position, and of course receiving attacks while maintaining good posture. After a few minutes of that we switched gears and worked on taking the structure of our opponent apart. First, we stood in front of the opponent and just used our hands to break their structure and ultimately their balance. Then we started from a single hand wrist grab.

Next, Richard showed a line drill that practiced getting off the line of attack by moving to the inside. We practiced that for a few minutes against three punches. After that I showed a different movement that had us moving straight back mirroring the attacker’s kamae. At any point you could stop moving backward and allow the attacker to run into your fist but we did on the third attack. After that Richard wrapped up training by showing a way to take an arm-bar from a punch.

Chris said he enjoyed the training and intends on continuing it. Good for him.

がんばってください！