Saturday Morning March 10, 2007

  

  

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.

 

1. Right foot back to left front stance and left side block
2. Right face punch
3. Drop into horse stance with a left middle strike
4. Shift back to left front stance with the right front kick
5. Conclude with a right middle strike.

 

Not terribly different, but suggests the difference was from a different attack and modified to fit that attack.