Counter Top and Box Koshinage Ukemi Exercises

Koshinage is a difficult technique to do well.  Usually, the feedback I had was that I was "too high" if I couldn't throw someone at all.  "Low enough" was not well defined, and while too low can still make for a good throw it affected my stability and my ability to move to sink past a point.  Dropping to hanmi handachi, mae sutemi or yoko sutemi are better choices if I end up that low to the ground.

When I was helping my wife get ready for her Sandan test, I came up with a few exercises that had me get a better sense of when I had someone underneath my center.  I had heard the phrase "Under Uke's Center" many times, but I never could clearly define it.  So, I wasn't able to help my wife get a good sense of what "proper hip placement" was.

In playing with these two exercises, I developed a much better sense of what is meant to be "Under My Center."  Then, I would take that into being Uke and I would make sure that the person I was practicing with got a good sense of what proper hip placement was by giving it to them.  With Nage experiencing proper hip placement, they were able to have a sense of how to refine their technique.  Otherwise, a good throw was an accident that happened all to infrequently and Nage could train for a long time without feeling good hip position.

The first exercise came out of some low level bouldering.  I am not a technical climber.  In trying to get up on a rock or over a fence, there is a point that what I identify as my center (two inches below my belly button) can be making contact with the surface, but my balance is still precarious and trying to fall backwards.  I spent some time at home with a counter top.

1.  If my legs hang down straight, this is a large portion of my body weight pulling me downwards.  I can't stretch my body out without falling backward.  For a person throwing me in this position, they are fighting my body weight wanting to go in the opposite direction they want to throw me in.
2.  If my legs are hanging straight, my legs anchor me in place.  A common bit of advice was to "extend more."  If my legs have anchored my body, Nage will have a huge amount of resistance if they try to extend my body further.

Both of these things mean koshinage will feel difficult.  Nage will probably get a sore shoulder and they may feel their balance is compromised as my body is moving with gravity against Nage.  To get my legs unachored, Nage needs to take a very aggressive and excessive twist which is harder on Nage's back and structure.

Nage will probably also need to use one arm against my legs to push my legs upwards.  I argue against practicing this as only simple Aikido koshinage allow for one arm to be free to be used in this manner.  O Goshi, Seoinage, Tenchinage and Ushiro Ryotekubidori styles all use both arms.  If the second arm is always rescuing a bad placement, you will never learn good hip placement and many koshinage variations will be beyond your ability.  Outside of practice in a real situation - do whatever you need to.

When I move forward just a few inches so that my thighs touch the counter, relaxing my legs doesn't pull me backward.  I can move my upper body in a number of different ways, and I won't fall backward.  I can pull myself forward very easily.  Now koshinage feels like much less force is involved.

The Counter Exercises

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After getting a very clear sense of when I was fully on the counter top, I started to use an ottoman that was the width of my hips.  This is the width of the surface that I am learning to fall over when taking ukemi.

Again, when my legs hang straight, I am falling backwards and Nage will have to fight harder to do the throw.  I am difficult to move, and the throw is much harder to do.

1.  When my hips are forward enough for my thighs to be making contact, then I can be pushed or pulled forward much more easily.
2.  When I am in a good hip position, when I relax my legs and try to lower them my thighs push on the Nage's hips and I am propelled forward and over.

The Box Exercise

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As Uke, when someone needed to use extra force just to achieve the throw, the fall was much more awkward.  When I was being thrown well, the fall was much easier to take.  Nage can pay more attention to how to make the throw safer and more comfortable for Uke when the load is correct.  Of course, when Uke is loaded well the fall can be made much more forceful as all the force and movement is working together in the same direction.  With a bad load, Nage is wasting a huge amount of effort that gravity is fighting.  Moving with gravity is always easier.

In other words, Uke needs to be willing to teach Nage what good hip placement feels like.  Otherwise, there is just years of happy accidents before Nage gets it right.  I have been told this is obvious, but the proof is in the practice - out of all the people I showed this to, when I watched their practice later maybe only one understood it.  Hopefully someone out there will get something out of this.


Ironically, the biggest barrier I had to teaching some students good hip placement is that they expect koshinage to feel like hard work. They expect forceful resistance and they expect to need to use huge amounts of strength. Of course, with Iriminage, Shihonage or Ikkyo they would never think such huge amounts of force and strain were correct. The first big barrier seems to be to get a student to accept that koshinage can be a highly refined, precise and relaxed technique that relies on structure, timing and placement like any other Aikido movement.

Timing

I remember these three terms from years ago when I was studying Shotokan Karate - I didn't study long.  I remember the teacher was very much focused on timing as part of the relationship between the attackers.  It is common for me to hear about Ma-ai or the physical relationship distance between training partners, but the timing is not discussed as much.  We are a defensive art, and focused on self-development and peace.  So, we default to believing the timing of our technique is only done in a response to another's attack.

This is fair.  If I am focused on attacking, then trying to find the true peaceful solution to an issue is difficult.  My brain would be running in two different directions, and probably doing a poor job of either option.

Timing in response to an attack is Go No Sen.  The attacker has made a plan and initiated their attack and I am moving in response to this.  I am moving late.  The attack has already happened, and I am trying to not get hurt.  Usually Go No Sen is associated with retreating footwork and blocking, then counter attacking.  The movement is a 1-2.

I can shorten the time needed with practice, and I can develop my reflexes and find ways to move faster.  But, I am still starting late and my preceptions I think aren't fully engaged.  For me, if I wait until someone is swinging their Yokomenuchi or Shomenuchi at my head, then my block often feels like a hard impact and a clash of forces.  Tenshin and most Ura techniques work for this - the attack continues on, and I just get out of the way.  Irimi techniques are almost impossible.  A series of attacks from Uke is difficult to deal with - if my thinking is purely about receiving, then I am not thinking about getting to a better location or ma-ai.

Timing with the attack is Sen No Sen and something that feels a little bit more like Aikido to me.  This is not to be mistaken for Ai Uchi or mutual kill.  As soon as the attacker is moving, I am moving.  They intend to hit a target that is being relocated even as they are trying to hit it. 

I find I have a much softer blocking motion with this.  This can be a very cool, intimate practice with two people who are focused on this well timed relationship in motion.  "It's alot like dancing..."  (thank you Terry Dobson).  I am playing a much more active role in the timing with this mindset.  Irimi feels the same as tenkan - I'm just moving to the spot that I am lead to while leading Uke.  Defence and Counter Attack are one.  For people focused on peaceful interaction this can feel aggressive.  If you do not trust your partner, this level of intimacy feels unnerving.

A third type of timing that I was introduced to but had little occassion to practice was Sen Sen No Sen.  This is the timing I use in Irimi if I can.  It's the most difficult for me, but the most forgiving to practice.  I am in the lead.  I initiate.  The timing is not just starting first, it is launched in anticipation of an attack where the opponent is fully committed to their attack and thus psychologically beyond the point of no return.  Out of the Taiji Classics:  "I start second but finish first."  I see the subtle weight shift in my opponant, and I start moving. 

Against Shomenuchi, the arm is raising and I help it up.  The arm never gets a chance to start descending.  With Yokomenuchi, the arm is being raised and pulled back by my opponant, and then I am against their arm before they ever start to strike forward.  If my structure is right, I get inside Uke's balance before they can issue power.  I brace against the initiation of the attacking force, and then their attack force throws them off balance.  There is almost no impact on my arms.  Irimi is easy with this timing.  Thinking of this timing with tenkan or tenshin is difficult.

Sensei showed other applications of this timing:  I do Shomenuchi, and when Uke blocks I use their arm to apply my technique.  My movement elicits the movement of Uke - Uke is now moving in response to me.  Another way to use it is to attack the split second before Uke moves at all.  So, rather than catching the Shomenuchi while it is raising, Uke never gets a chance to raise their arm.  In my effort to be just slightly ahead of Uke's movement, I might startle them into freezing and I still move forward.

Sen Sen No Sen is very tricky and being able to read Uke well is a must.  This is the true difference between Sen Sen No Sen and just merely attacking first.  "My opponant is thinking of attacking me, but I am already behind him."  (O Sensei)  This became less of a part of modern Aikido because I think students come to our art with a spiritual template that doesn't allow for the idea of moving before the attack.