Ghost techniques annual training

 

A Ghost Moon on April 25,2054

With the world becoming more unstable and the chance of facing random attack more credible, perhaps is it time to suggest an older training I offered my students that should be considered.

One time when I initially began training with Ernest Rothrock he gave me a copy of his students Advanced training manual. Of course it contained many things I had never trained in. One of them was most interesting, it was called the Ghost Techniques, again something I had never heard of anywhere.

I asked Ernest about them. He explained they came from his training with Dennis Decker, his first instructor, and he was not sure where they came from. The manual was given to students when they passed the equivalent of his school's Black Belt test, it was to provide them a glimpse of what their training could become. He also mentioned that none of his students ever expressed an interest in the Ghost Techniques.

The descriptions were brief. But the idea entered my head and those techniques became a personal study for me.

I worked out what they could mean to me, further research led to other clues. From Dennis Decker's background they might have come to his grandfather's time in China. Likewise they might have come from a Nijiutsu group he once associated with. I did discover a book on Japanese sword technique that reportedly came from a Tengu (demon) who shared his sword techniques with a Japanese sword group. Among them were the Tengu Ashi or Demon Steps of evasion when fighting with a sword.

Regardless of their origin I felt they were a very serious study  for my adults. Then I simplified them a bit and developed a fun training  for the youth Halloween class. I only covered them once a year for fun with the youth. That did not mean I did not consider them a serious study.

I believe that in today's changing world they are still needed.

They were methods to elude an attacker. To move away from their attack, using the reality that many times they know where you are and attack without true focus, allowing you to not be there when the attack is delivered. Of course, using the Eye must See All Sides and the Ear must listen in All Directions is necessary too.

The Ghost Technique Training

Every year at Halloween we have some special training, based on very serious black belt studies.  It is how to disappear before an attacker. Not by magic, but based on the principle most attackers believe they know where you are, and because they know where you are, they aren’t really looking at you. So you move to where they are not looking and disappear before their eyes.

In ancient Japanese legends there are stories that Goblins taught these techniques to ancient warriors. They are called ‘Tengu Ashi’ which translates into ‘Goblin Steps’ or translated into more modern English “Ghost Techniques”.

While today Okinawa is part of Japan, not so in the distant past, yet part of karate is based on the same principles.

As I mentioned this is a very serious Black Belt study, but we are going to look at the first steps tonight.

Ghost Techniques or How Not To Be There.

For this practice each attack the attacker steps forward with their right foot and throws a right punch at your center line.

⦁    The first Ghost Technique involves stepping back from an attack.

Right foot steps back with a crescent step, avoiding the strike.

⦁    The second Ghost Technique involves side stepping from an attack.

Step to the left side with your left foot, Slide your right foot over and parry with your right hand sweeping right, your left hand held at your solar plexus.

Or

Step to the right side with your right foot. Slide your left foot over and parry with your left hand sweeping left, your right hand held at your solar plexus.

⦁    The third Ghost Technique involves stepping away with a surprise technique and walking away.

Step with the left foot ot 45 degrees left (away from the strike), spin counter-clockwise with your right foot, then walk away on the diagonal line.
Of course if there is time, you can practice doing this to the right, using mirror image of the first technique.

⦁    The final Ghost Technique involved stepping forward outside the attack, then stepping forward with the other foot and spinning so you are behind the attacker.
⦁    Then you can Moon Walk away from them, and avoid conflict.
⦁    Or if tightly done, end up behind them to counter their attack from the superior position.

Step forward with the left foot (as close to their strike as possible), then crescent step forward with your right foot (placing it behind their position), spin clockwise with your  left foot to end up behind their back.

This  can be done paired, to work on the movement and to work towards increasing speed, After the spin movement, both people slap hands together. It almost becomes a duel to see who can do it faster, Using the slap to strike their body instead of their hands where both are using the same speed.