I’m sharing this with Bunkai Unlimited and Koshi People.
Spending the weekend with a
bad knee strain, I’ve been thinking on my research into the knee release this
past week. Apparently I’ve stumbled on
something which has been relatively undocumented. Such that those who address this haven’t been
going out of their way to let the rest of us in on it.
Not that I find this
surprising, for I believe most of the important areas of martial study are
undocumented for public consumption.
Frankly this is what I live for, to try and gain a new layer of
understanding gaining a little more depth into my art.
I’ve been discussing this on
my own discussion group, Bunkai Unlimited, and also with the Koshi-People Discussion
Group. I think it might be helpful to
summarize the content of this research to date.
First off I wish to state I’m
keeping this focused on the one aspect of the knee release. Frankly in all of these studies, there are
many other valuable items to consider and I expect we’ll continue to discuss
them as this study progresses, but I suggest them as spin off discussions at
this time. I also believe we may work up
a better set of terminology than knee release as we progress, be it Japanese or
something more descriptive in English, too.
Initilization of the Process
March 2001, Sherman Harrill at a clinic in Rhode Island, made some
general comments regarding use of the knees to generate power. He also
presented an interesting application for a section of kata Wansu.
In April when I was working
on that Bunkai, I discovered by applying a knee release, I was rotating myself
naturally into the technique without body shifting. I then shared my findings with the Bunkai
group.
Contributions
Rich Boyden discussed how an aikijutsu instructor demonstrated
knee relaxing punching for a relaxed effortless punch. He discussed how the knee release (“yurumu”)
action was also used to reverse a shiho nage, as well as how Oyata Sensei used
this motion to crank up a joint lock.
Rich also suggested similar technique Rich
Boyden discussed how an aikijutsu instructor demonstrated knee relaxing
punching for a relaxed effortless punch may be viewed in
Bob Orlando’s “Indonesian Fighting Fundamentials”
(Panther Video).
Hank Prohm, also suggested the knee release was being used as a
‘Force Multiplier’.
Another friend who practices
Daito Ryu and a related system of kenjutsu, suggests that they spend 90% of
their time working on this. That Wado Ryu’s founder Ostsuka
Hironori in his book ‘Wado-Ryu Karate’ show this as part of Pinan #1
when he says “Sink Your Weight”. He also suggested in
Daito Ryu they also use a unique body alignment with the sinking knees to
generate more shocking power in their strikes.
Joe Swift then threw out a translation of a book by Aragaki Kiyoshi “Okinawa Budo Karate No Gokui” where he based the book on the “Kuden” (oral
transmission) that he received on Okinwan Karate as a young man. He discussed “Ostsuka
Hironori in his book ‘Wado-Ryu Karate’ show this as part of Pinan #1
when he says “Sink Your Weight.
Wild Bill Johnson (from Koshi
People) made worthy suggestions about practicing slowly and safely, as the
counter and counter of counter potential can quickly drop your uke. He also suggested the term of the spiraling descending power is ‘uzimaki’, and the application of the knee release to
locks was ‘jugoku otoshi (drop to hell) where the lock is applied in conjunction with a
weight displacement and the power is applied right at point of broken balance.
George Donahue
(Kyoshi People) discussed the need
for correct alignment to avoid self injury, and increasing the force generated.
He also suggests watching Oshiro Toshihiro in
his “Uchanidi” video tapes.
My current research suggests
the following, too.
1.
I’ve
been long aware long term practice allows the body to naturally relax in a
technique, causing the center to drop and the power generated will
increase. Frankly I’m stunned it never
occurred to me that you can assist this development with the knee release, too.
2.
Ernie
Rothrock, teaching my students a very small piece of the Eagle Claw Principles
last year stressed dropping the knees when applying the eagle claw locks.
Unfortunately that went no further in my/our thinking at that time.
3.
The
use of knee release in our kata will be a further source of study as time
progresses.
4.
The
only documentation I seem to have found comes from Gozo Shioda’s “Total Aikido”, where he describes something like the
knee bending when generating a move forward.
Not necessarily the same as we’ve been discussing, but worthy of further
study.
5.
The
fact I haven’t found such documentation regarding Judo and Baguazhang, arts I
suspect as well as Aikido which must use this principal too, does not mean it
is not present. This is an area for further study.
6.
I
know this is present in my Tai Chi studies, too. I’ve been unable to locate
similar references in my tai chi library, but I’m still searching here
too. In fact, from open to close, the
knee release is present 100% of the time, and it is how tai chi movement
generates. Pushing Hands drills stress
this in correct power generation and neutralization practice.
Summation of Knee Release
Options for Study
My group then took these
suggestions and ran with it. A simple
synopsis would be we are further investigating:
1.
How
the knee release is used to generate more offensive power.
2.
How
the use of the knee release generates torso rotation to generate offensive
power.
3.
How
the use of the knee release generates torso rotation to generate defensive
placement.
4.
How
the use of the knee release becomes a force multiplier to crank up a lock or
takedown.
5.
How
the use of the knee release can counter strikes, locks and takedowns.
6.
How
the use of the knee release can counter counters.
One thing I have noticed,
finding my way through this body of material, its easy to become a kid loose in
a candy store. Especially in the
defensive counter and counter-counter knee release we’re most likely dropping
too far (perhaps 2 or 3 inches), having fun with this knowledge.
I surmise as we advance this
study, we will find a lesser drop will suffice, and allow us to move into our
follow-up faster.
We are beginning at looking
at an Aikido Linking Drill we use to
practice various Aikido locks, also as an Aikido countering exercise. We are working at softly applying and
countering these techniques, learning how to feel the correct drop for
countering application.
I expect as we progress we
will study kata Bunkai along with the potential of using the knee release as a
potential counter of same.
I find it interesting how
little has been written describing countering locks. Dr. Yang did some of this in
his Chin Na Instructors Manual, and there is an Aikido book describing Tomari Aikido (purple cover) which goes into
explicit countering of the techniques taught (perhaps consistent with Tomari’s
aikido free sparring). But as shown, the release of the knee does not appear to
be the principle they are using.
It seems to me we’re working
with a fundamental underlying principle of the arts.
A target (offensive or defensive) presents a sphere of
opportunity to move against. Any technique
is most effective perhaps on one plane that touches/intersects that
sphere.
Defensively if
you release the knees you drop yourself out of the attackers plane of
opportunity, making their efforts less effective.
Offensively to make the available plane work
for you, you need to 1) be quicker on the attack to effectuate your movement
before they can respond or 2) you need to be able to adjust yourself (through
your own counter knee release) to maintain that plane of opportunity as their
sphere changes location.
Now isn’t that a mouthful.
But, it might explain why
some Okinawan’s I’ve seen perform kata do so incredibly quickly. The issue is
the same with striking, and speed is of fundamental importance.
Sure I’m borrowing on the
concept of the Dynamic Sphere of
Westbrook and Ratti, but I believe this is a different manner than which
they use it.
The further I look the larger
this topic becomes. I look forward in
you joining the research and helping define this more fully in the future.
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