Before I begin this is definitely not
the answer for every type of attack. More a discussion about first steps, with
much more to follow. Yet everyone must begin somewhere.
Consider how much useless talk
involves decrying kata applications against useless standard attacks (not
realistic). Ignoring the reality that such standard attacks are but the tool to
begin instruction with. Critically necessary, but to be moved past, when the
basic skils have been acquired. And more advanced attacking patterns to become
the next step in skill acquisition.
I seem to
eventually recall most of what I have seen, and oft times much later put it
into context. These events occurred over many years before I realized they were
interrelated.
1Today
I recalled my third trip to visit Tristan Sutrisno and much of what he showed
that day. (Most of which were always one time lessons, so remember of it
becomes vapor-ware.
That
would be in 1980 in a room in an apartment building that was his dojo. What he
was explaining was that most people attack automatically ‘knowing where you are
standing’, that means the focus of their attack is known to them from where
they saw you standing.
He
was showing a simple defense I had never seen before. Facing a stepping
punching attack, he just swayed slightly back, the punch did not connect and he
readily struck back.
A
little later when facing another stepping punching attack he shifted slightly
to face the left (across the punch) then his left open hand flowed up to
descend atop the striking punch. While that ocurred his right ascending top of
the wrist strike hit into the wrist of the attacking punch. The descending palm
strike and the ascending bent wrist struck simultaneously into the attackers
wrist causing it to bend (leaving it powerless. Then his top right bent wrist
struck into the side of the attackers ribs, causing him to bend forward from
that strike. That was followed by the
right hand grabbing the flesh of the attackers right side to twist him forward with a counter-clockwise
motion to then allow the left fist to strike into the back of his head.
At the time I
just saw two techniques which worked, I did not understand what was behind
them. I kept them for myself, I did not teach them.
On
my first visit to Tristan I observed his students doing their aikido drill for
karate-ka. I observed 12 of them, After that I practiced them for life (that
was all the instruction I received) they were taught at green belt and brown
belt level for his students.
I
time I came to realize they were using evasion to move away from the attack,
and then used aikido to maneuver the attacker as one worked the spaces an
attack offered by the attack (to either side of the attack). Only at black belt
would they learn their most unique bunkai which often used the principles of
those aikido drills.
2About
1980 Ernest Rothrock shared with me his black belt students manual. I saw the
descriptions what he called his Ghost Techniques. I worked out how to do them from his
descriptions. I did not realize the similarity to what Tristan had showed. I
taught them to my black belts, and had fun with the first two with the kids on
Haloween.
3Around
1989 I attended a clinic Sherman Harrill was doing in Rhode Island one
Saturday. For
one study when the attacker was stepping in and striking, he responded by just
stepping back with the left foot, causing the attackers strike to fall short.
Then simply by releasing his knees, he was able to strike into the opponent
without stepping forward.
At that time I
did not realize all of them were using similar operating principles.
Also about 1989
I had made friends with Joe Swift several years before and at that time he
convinced me to allow him to purchase several reprints of 1930’s Japanese
books, Of course they were in Japanese (which I did not read), He considered
them priceless (though the purchase price for me was about $100.00 each.
One was Mutsu’s 1933
- ‘Karate Kempo’ and the other Nakasone’s 1938 - ‘Karate Do Taiken’. I could not read
them but the pictures made much sense to me.
Kaarte Do Taiken
has later been translated into English by Mario McKenna.
Karate Kempo was
planned to be translated by Joe, that is still to occur but Joe took pity on me and did translate the initial section
showing uses of karate techniques for evasion, (pleases see the appropriate
blog entry below.
Now I have found
it normally takes me at least 5 years (and often more) to realize the relevance
of material within the book. In this case it was many years more.
But I just
realized that each of the examples I have described (and quite a bit more) All
worked around the principles of subtle evasion.
And at times
knowing something takes some time.
Mutso’s Karate
Kempo contains much about use of evasion for karate.
https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/2021/10/become-ghost.html
On Ernest
Rothrocks Ghost Techniques
https://isshin-concentration.blogspot.com/search?q=ghost+techniques
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