An Evolution of Technique Study

Another interesting discussion from the past - 1995

 

Recently I've been researching and studying some varieties of  technique, very similar to some of the aikido studies I've undergone, and working them with my students, in turn I discover some  very interesting parallels to some of our kata.

As I learnt Aikido technique, it was in the form a fixed series of  drills against punching attacks, readily usable against grabs as  well. This small series of techniques are taught beginning at green  belt, not to make my students aikido-ka, but rather to give them a  basic vocabulary in grabs and projections. The basic concept with  skill in a very formal setting, eventually if they find themselves in  the right space at the right time, those skills can be another option  for them to use.

The technique I'm going to discuss is a simple release for a grab to your chest. In this case the attacker with their right hand grabs  the left side of your gi on your chest, while you're standing in parallel stance.

You're response is:
1. Take your left hand and grab their hand.
2. Rotate their grabbed hand counter-clockwise, as they're still holding you.
3. Step forward with your right foot (actually your foot pointing inward across their center line, and press your right forearm down across their arm, just below their elbow. [This isn't a strike.]
4. Pivot counter-clockwise on the balls of both your feet, keeping hold on their turned wrist, and press downward with your right forearm as you rotate.
5. This rotates your opponent down to the ground.

A nice, simple effective grab counter drill. Structurally related to aikido's kote gseshi, outer wrist turn, and most likely one of its thousands of variations.

After everyone worked it successfully I began to show how this could be applied against a driving strike (or grab).

So the attacker steps with their right and strikes with their right hand (or grabs with it)

You're response is:
1. Step inward with your right foot and parry across (inward) with your right open hand.
2. Roll the right hand down counter-clockwise, spiraling their arm around with your hand.
3. As their arm rolls around, their wrist/hand rolls into your  left hand.
4. [This is where I vary from using this for the normal outer wrist turn.]
5. Your left hand rolls their wrist over counter-clockwise, as you place your right forearm across below the crease of their elbow.
6. Pivot counter-clockwise on the balls of both your feet, keeping hold on their turned wrist, and press downward with your right forearm as you rotate.
7. This rotates your opponent down to the ground.

A simple variation. Where the standard kote gaeshi would have both hands grabbing the attackers wrist for the throw, and that pulls their center to their wrist for the takedown, in this case the arm across their forearm pulls their center to that location. In fact you could use a knife hand on their wrist, below their grabbed hand for a different shift of their center. In any case the rotation pulls their center towards you making the throw/takedown much easier.

But the really interesting aspect of this, when you lay your forearm across their arm, when you rotate your foot, you begin to take advantage of part of Kusanku kata's opening. You rotate your feet 90 degrees, chamber your left hand (which is holding their turned wrist), and your right punch becomes the sliding of your right forearm across their arm for the takedown power.

In fact, this is also the way the Annaku Kata we use opens. The same shift of the hips and feet, to make the turn, the one hand chambering and the other striking.

So working an Aikido technique can draw on Kusanku or Annaku to assist in the execution, too.

The major factors of course 1) rotation of their wrist counter-clockwise and 2) the rotation of your center counter-clockwise, too.

Where in the basic kata you're striking, there is a significant parallel to the locking/takedown too.

Pleasantly,

Victor

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I am very familiar with this technique, and have a question. How do you deal with movement on the part of the attacker during this technique?

Between pulling the hand away, shifting in too close, or even just wrapping his other hand around your neck and taking you with him as you throw him,I've found it very difficult to perform this move without including a very significant stunning move to neutralize any reaction from the attacker. This tends to come either before step 1 or as part of step 3 as follows:

0. Strike the attack to stun them.

or,

3A. As you step in, use your shoulder and torso to slam into the attackers body, throwing them off balance and stunning them.

I also have come to prefer using the technique as a breaking throw as opposed to just a rolling throw. Its hard to practice this of course, but I find it a better focus for the technique. For this, instead of turning the attackers wrist down, you move forward and behind him at a 45* angle, while keeping his wrist at about the middle of your chest. This twists up his entire arm, and will dislocate various parts before the movement and pain unbalances him, throwing him to the ground.


Sam Weiss
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Hi Sam,

Well you've addressed the classical Usheiba. In his pre-WWII texts he  first nailed the swell old guy and then executed the technique.  This fits my basic philosophy, the lock/takedown should follow the initial strike/parry/bock which is done as hard as possible.

On Saturday we were working just on basic technique execution, a starting skill development. But in the long run the movement is useful when you fit into the right space, hopefully precluding their trying to stop you.

You've mentioned an interesting approach using the shoulder strike  (shades of Tai Chi Chaun). You can also step atop their foot as you  perform your movement. Think what that does to their takedown.

Victor

 
Hi Again Sam,

After last nights work and some additional thought I’d like to return to your question, “. How do you deal with movement on the part of the attacker during this technique? “

I’d first like to begin with Usheiba’s concept of “ATEMI”.  At one level this could be considered a vital point strike, but it’s not necessarily the hardest strike you can deliver. If it was you wouldn’t be following with the lock/projection. Instead it’s a strike to shock, a stop hit to create an opening.

In the technique I was discussing if the person is striking with their right and you shift to roll their arm with your right counter-clockwise into your left, before you use your right to press down into their arm, the right can deliver an ‘atemi’ strike into their middle right chest area. It doesn’t take much of a hit to take the starch out of their sails, and then  you can use your full kusanku ability to drop them with the wrist turn/punch effect.

BTW, striking into the right chest area while they’re trying to strike with their right, is a very open area. Harrill Sensei showed this on my first meeting with him and I feel because the individual’s focus is on their strike they’re very open to counter-attack underneath their arm I that side of the body (personal opinion).

But there are several other layers of ‘Atemi’ available. You could use your right spear hand for a light spear thrust into their neck to control their mind. Or you can flick your fingers towards their eyes, and take advantage of their ‘flinch factor’ to enter the aikido takedown.

While those are fine stop hit options, having trained with Tris Sutrisno, I’m more than aware of his abilities to sell a technique without using that either. Part of the difference is incredible movement dynamics, but part of the answer is the different way he enters the attack and controls them during the opening.

So after working the Atemi options, I began to work on the opening. All attacks create open zones to enter them, that is the essence of counter–attack.   What I began to notice was the manner in which I rolled their arm into my left hand can vary. If I spin them flat the opponent does have a chance to counter me. But if I spiral them, their arm is rolling across their body making it very, very difficult to allow their other hand to counter, and then the speed of entry from the left hand grab and the application of the right hand.

Then you can step in with your right, shortening the time of your response, or you can step back with your left as you do the technique, opening more distance for their potential counter to cross.

As you see just trying to look a the options for one technique creates many layers.

But, the manner in which Kusanku inserts itself in the ending of the technique makes a great deal of difference. In my experience, the aikido version would normally be softer in flow throughout. But with the choice to utilize Kusanku’s power in the technique, you can dramatically change the speed in which they’re downed, too.

Pleasantly,

Victor

 

Once I demonstrated the spiraling version of the takedown.  The 50 black belts in that class asked to experiernce themselves. I took on attacker after attacker and when I was finished  there were 50 black belts on the floor.

Of course I was a bit spin dizzy from doing that, but I did my best not to let that show.