Chinto and Aikido 5

Returning once again to the Aikido Irimi Nage (referenced in my previous posts) as an Exterior line of Execution for Chinto (Nagamine pictures 23 to 26) , the Fluffy One (Kevin) discussed that the initial movement with the right arm and the left side of the neck (or face) being struck simultaneously might well be "because the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body and vice-versa and application of these movements toally confuses the brain..". Of this I'm sure he makes a sound case.

In fact last night we worked on just the opening as a takedown/knockout alone, without stepping forward and through with the right foot. Most interesting was how the initial movement, stepping forward with the left foot, both hands held in front of the body, used the right arm as a wedge to drive the opponents punch
off the center and upwards. That resulting redirection of their force made it easier to apply the double descending strike to the neck and the arm and unseat the opponent with greater ease.

Memories of Aikido II

As I recollect the training I experienced with Tris Sutrisno, I do not recall working this irimi-nage. It's one I picked up from the Aikido texts and had no trouble incorporating into my practice on occasion. Then the light went off, you know the one which tells you how can you keep ignoring the obvious in front of your face. There's a specific reason it wasn't shown by Tris, because he practiced a version of it his entire life. In fact it was one of the Tjimande basic drills his father began him with at age 4 (although it was many years
later before he learnt that it wasn't just an exercise).

The Tjimande version is done with full sweeping hip and hand motions first a sweeping clockwise circle as the left foot steps forward and toe in, followed with a sweeping counter-clockwise circle as the right foot steps forward and toe out. The angle that the planes of shearing force generated by the arms is a little different from the Aikido irimi-nage, but essentially it's the same movement. In the Tjimande version the person punches and you either take their head off, knock them out on their feet or project or drop them as you wish (depending on the angle of entry the technique makes into the attaacker), with the option of the 2nd sweeping motion if the first one dosen't do the job, or you strategically wish to place the attacker in a different position. [There's a lesson here on the use of the technique in Chinto too.]

[Technical shortcoming. I frequently compartmentalize the training I've received and it often takes earthquakes before I can see the similarity between the different practices. In fact that's what began this entire process in the first place, a 20 year log dropping on my head.]

Now this got my over active mind thinking. Here's Chinto where I'm seeing the way Aikido can be found through it. Then looking at this one section I've found a Baguazhang equivalent from my studies. Now I see the Tjimande parallels. Not content to stop, I've started going through my Yang Tai Chi Chaun and do believe I can make a case for the Yang or Wu section of Brush Knee and Press as being
the equivalent of the same movement potential.

My personal rule of thumb is whenever I see such a convergence of arts in a technique, it probably is worth taking a close look at.