Thursday, July 30, 2009

Short & Sweet



Well, maybe not that sweet. But fun!

My technique is a little rough but you get the idea. It's about 100 degrees out and we're practicing on the lawn in front of the Dojo.
I learned this chain of techniques from John Clodig, student of Don Angier and successor to the Yanagi-Ryu Aikijitsu system. He told us that if we could learn this pattern we would understand many aspects of the Aiki system.
I'm sure Pat at Mokuren Dojo and Sensei Strange will have a few suggestions. I think I could use more spiral energy and centrifugal force, but I'm also trying to take it easy on my training partner in the intense heat and without mats.

14 comments:

rah00ligan said...

We've trained similar sequences, and it seems to me that your movements for the kote gaeshi are very big and force dependent instead of soft and more internal feeling of the technique. In the transition from ikkyo to kote gaeshi, if instead of keeping the "aggressor's" arm straight, you allow it to bend and focus in making a tiny circle counterclockwise with their wrist, you will find your kotegaeshi doesn't feel as stiff. (hope that made sense - I know it isn't easy to _talk_ martial arts) Long time reader, love the blog. Please keep it up! I look forward to hopefully training/drinking beer/storytelling with you someday in the future.

Dojo Rat said...

Thanks RS;
I was looking at the arm being straight also. I think it had to do with proximity to opponent. More distance between us?
Video sure helps!

Patrick Parker said...

Hey! That's not a bad start at all. here's some points to play with and consider:

at 0:01, the strike to the face. if you do it like that (sorta roundhouse) when you move slow then it might tend to turn into a bitch slap or a wild roundhouse when you go fast. try a straight palm-jab under the chin and see what kind of mileage you get out of it.

Instead of staying inside his reach between techniques, see what happens if you take an easy step or two backwards until you hit the end of his arm - then move into the next technique. This applies between any two techniques.

something else that is fun for practice in a drill like this - try juggling your grips back and forth from hand to hand as you change positions. this leaves one hand free to do whatever atemi is appropriate - so the feel of the drill becomes grip-hit-switch-hit-switch-hit-switch-hit...

at 0:05 that is called wakigatame in aiki and judo. you want to keep moving your feet so that you are pointing your center at his arm instead of twisting him around you.

Again - not a bad start at all.

I definitely feel sorry for you poor Seattle and Portland guys who are languishing under 100 degree heat this week. that's my kind of weather but down here we're used to it and know its coming and arm ourselves with swimming pools and air conditioners. Siestas and beers help too.

Dojo Rat said...

Thanks Pat;
It would be great if you made a video of this as you would demonstrate it, is that possible?

Patrick Parker said...

i agree that'd be great - i'll see about it - i've been on video hiatus - sorta on stike until my wife buys me a new camera.

rah00ligan said...

Perhaps it does... as my sensei always says... doesn't matter the distance. matters the feel. watch how their body moves during an ideal kote gaeshi, and try and replicate that while moving.. wherever you have to be.

Dan Prager said...

Nice demo.

I really like the idea of practicing techniques first in isolation with a model entry (not yet as a response to an attack), then as a response to an attack, then extending the sequence so that you respond to the attack with technique A and then flow into technique B and onto technique C and so on, where A, B or C can finish the job.

Erik the Strange said...

I can shoot some video sometime soon. In the Tomiki system I would say you started off with a garuma motion (wheel), moved into waki gatame (side hold down) then finished with a kote gaeshi (wrist turn)

Nice chain of techniques! Looks good.

Some of the small things I see is the use of your muscles in your upper body being used to control your partner. Because of muscles being used you can see a few little posture breaks happening in your stance.

My suggestion is to run through this and relax as much as possible. Remember you are not doing these techniques to him, the techniques are a reaction to your spatial and movement relationship. Figure out how to drill the pieces without using your arms...remember that belt drill I had?

Do not control your partner, simply break balance and channel his reactions.

Relax relax relax.


Good stuff, nice seeing you twist people up.

Dojo Rat said...

Thanks Dan and Strange.
We'll keep working on it!

nick lowry said...

Nice work -- we do lots of this sort of renzoku waza at my place as a precursor to toshu randori so Pat invited me to comment--following up on what Pat and Strange are pointing too -- try keeping your feet and center of gravity in constant motion (small steps shuffing around) --- no stopping to change direction unless uke forces a change (vector naturally) --relax your arm and shoulder process completely (techniques hit them with your center--hazumi) -- work primarily at arms length and let the grips transition at the point where a grip naturally fails (natural feed back system for timing) -- finally no need to rush to put them down -- down will become inevitiable with the proper application of sensitivity and movement -- all round sweet stuff

Dojo Rat said...

Arms length and relaxing arms and shoulders-- thanks!

Wim Demeere said...

Hey John,

I just saw a link to this on Pat's page and he asked for some feedback. So in that spirit:
The footwork seems a bit too "light". Perhaps make it a bit more rooted?
The transition between the end of the arm bar and the wrist take down seems disconnected. It "looked" like the uke could have gotten out of it.

Just my 2 cents. I'm no big joint lock specialist so please take them with a grain of salt.
And kudos for putting your stuff out there!

Have a great weekend,

Wim

Erik the Strange said...

How freaking sweet is this? A Tai Chi guy in Washington getting feedback from people, a lot of them high ranked from all over the country. Special props to Dojo Rat for being open to teachings of people he has never met.

This is the cutting edge of technology, martial arts and social networking. Bravo to everyone in the blog community. This is a very special thing.

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