Today we free fell
through the flotsam and jetsam of my training days with a series of technique
studies.
Mike Cassidy and I
worked on quicker execution of our Silat Pisu for knife, trying to move
beyond beginner technique.
Began the group workout with basic forearm smashing
drills.
Elbow Strikes
[from a Goju friend mid 1990’s] (sure I know we’re mostly not working the
elbow, just using the arm as a bent surface for striking, but the simple use of
the term works).
Progressively built this drill.
1.
RFF Right horizontal inward elbow strike then right
horizontal outward elbow strike.
2.
RFF Right horizontal inward elbow strike then right
horizontal outward elbow strike then right horizontal inward elbow strike .
3.
RFF Right horizontal inward elbow strike then right
horizontal outward elbow strike then right horizontal inward elbow strike, then
right descending elbow strike.
4.
RFF Right horizontal inward elbow strike then right
horizontal outward elbow strike then right horizontal inward elbow strike, then
right descending elbow strike, then left inward elbow strike.
5.
RFF Right horizontal inward elbow strike then right
horizontal outward elbow strike then right horizontal inward elbow strike, then
right descending elbow strike, then left inward elbow strike, concluding with
right inward horizontal elbow strike.
These drills were practiced starting with the right side and then
starting with the left side. Their value being the ability to instantly
call them up if a close attack falls on you unexpectedly. This makes good subsidiary training to
SunNuSu’s elbow strikes.
Mantis strike (Tai Tong Long
- Northern Mantis from the late 1990’s)
Attacker - RFF Right Strike
Defender - LFF as right hand drapes over attackers arm,
inflowing and drawing them forward motion.
Once you have done so, rotate your torso 90 degrees clockwise and
perform a right rising elbow strike that might fracture their arm or hyper
extend it. The right hand does not grab, instead flows over their arm and pulls
them foward hyper-extending their arm while doing so
This use of the draping right mantis
hand is identical to what aikido does to deflect and re-direct an attack. It is
critical not to grab with the right, which tends to immobilize that arm.
We then discussed the interior
versus exterior line of defense, or attack and some of the advantages of each.
We also covered how the last
technique would be done on the interior line, using the elbow strike into the
face. This is very similar to one way I
utilize Seiunchin’s vertical elbow strike too.
Lock and projection (goshin jutsu zen
budo kai from about 1981)
Attacker - RFF Right Strike
Defender - LFF Right leopard strike
flows directly under the attackers arm into their armpit, After the strike, step Right then left behind the
attacker (your left is past their left foot) and place your right arm under
their left armpit, and your open hand points to the sky. Step behind your left
with your right foot, and then spin clockwise, you are spinning your opponent when
you feel their balance going, as you spin gently press your left hand down,
this completes the throw/takedown.
Interception (Sutrisno Aikido from
the early-mid 1980’s)
Attacker - RFF Right Strike
Defender - RFF deeply with a right
spear hand press into their throat. (effect drives the attacker off their feet),
The reaction to expected unpleasantness (pain) makes the opponent throw
themselves. This is not a spear hand strike But
the mechanics are similar. It’s a spear hand flow.
For practice we used the RFF Right
palm strike to the upper chest (which has the same result, just takes more
pressure)
Aikido flow drill (Tom
Chan from about 1995)
We were working the first two of an
8 count aikido flow drill.
Taking our partners right arm and
flowing from outer wrist turn to inside wrist turn (ni kyu) and back again, The
outer wrist turn normally projects the attacker 90 degrees to the left, we then
explored how this can be used as a meikyo lock/projection for more pain. The
inside wrist turn moves the opponent to the right, but by stepping back, it
hyper-extends their arm and draws them
forward to drive their face into the ground.
Step through drill 1 (Sutrisno
Shotokan from the late 1980’s)
Attacker - RFF Right Strike
Defender - LFF with a double rising left strike to the
arm, RFF (between your left and their right leg) as
you move under there arm after moving under their arm You rotate
counter-clockwise and your right grabs their arm to swing their arm down. Then your right arm swings up clockwise to
press down against the outside of their neck, while the left grabs their arm, and both arms rotate
clockwise in a rotary throw. This
movement combines the double block/strike at the end of Seisan kata’s first row
with the flower from the Opening section of Lung Le
Kuen (Supple Dragon - pai lum).
Step through drill 2 (Sutrisno
Shotokan)
Attacker - RFF Right Strike
Defender - LFF with a double rising left strike to the
arm. RFF (between your left and their right leg) as
you move under there arm, Your rotate
counter-clockwise and your right arm grabs their arm and swings it down, You
continue to rotate till you face the rear, then maintaining hold on the arm,
you step forward To slingshot them to the rear from the arm compression
lock.
Aikido placement drill (Sutrisno Aikido outer wrist turn from about 1982)
Attacker - RFF Right Strike
Defender - LFF (exterior) then RFB
to turn 90 clockwise to the right, as your left hand flows over the attack your right hand then comes up
under their wrist. Depending on how you step, you use the outer wrist turn to
place the attacker on the floor anyplace
you choose.
A practical demonstration - *it can’t happen here*
-Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
Towards the end,
while several of the senior students and I were discussing some fine points one
of our newer members (with a great deal of experience) was running a very good
roundhouse spinning jumping crescent kick combination. Other newer members were
just backing away (Proving a natural response isn’t a bad idea). This gave me an opening for an interesting
practical demonstration.
I asked him to attack
me that way, and told all of them the most important thing was to be committed
to your response, not go half way.
So he began his high
roundhouse kick, while I lunged in with my right and thrust a flow spear hand
to his throat. Watching his body throw itself to the floor and then roll back
into the wall trying to get away was interesting.
I then showed how the
palm strike they were practicing earlier gave the same effect, and even showed
a variation of palm striking using a more subtle momentum in the strike was
another force multiplier.
Just a normal Saturday, slicing and dicing, grabbing,
projecting and throwing, striking and twisting each other. Focusing on old sharing to allow others to
see some of what I have seen.
Additional technical
discussion. I was explaining how the Chito-ryu
Seisan (from Dr.
Chitose)
was so similar to Isshinryu’s, in pattern and technique. In that one of the people Dr. Chitose studied
with was Kyan Chotoku, that is not surprising.
One interesting
difference, where we step and side block, double strike, kick and strike, their
approach is a variation.
Chito-ryu’s Seisan goes.
- Right foot back to left front stance
and left side block
- Right face punch
- Drop into horse stance with a left
middle strike
- Shift back to left front stance with
the right front kick
- Conclude with a right middle strike.
Not terribly
different, but suggests the difference was from a different attack and modified
to fit that attack.
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