The 12 Day Tandoku Challenge is now in Day #10 at this writing, but between using my iPad to write the text and my Windows desktop to post the video I couldn't seem to get one coherant entry. Here we go again. How long can I write on something I know little about? Apparently I can go on for a good long while.
This is a personal theory I started to work on after I was unhappy with my Shodan Randori. I wanted an approach that helped my overall positioning in the room in relation to my training partners and I wanted to develop the Takemuso Aiki ideal of spontaneous creation of technique. Good positioning, timing and kuzushi all seemed to start with the first movement. This gave me better opporunties and a better platform to move from. I talk about this at the dojo, but I haven't posted anything before and thank you to Steve Kaufmann for his permission to do this.
One of the things I wrote about in response to seeing the Tandoku form before was about seeing 4 corners used. I have my own idea of the four corners, but I really took inspiration from the ushiro exercise of Shirata Sensei for the organization of the material. Kawahara Sensei was the driving force,
In the old CAF test requirements, at 5th Kyu we did:
Shomenuchi Ikkyo to Yonkyo Omote and Ura
Shomenuchi Shihonage Omote and Ura
Shomenuchi Kotegaeshi
Shomenuchi Iriminage
Other techniques were asked for, but essentially the Gokyu test was all the basics against Shomenuchi with accuracy. I am only referencing Shomenuchi for this entry.
For the Yonkyu test, we had to add:
Shomenuchi Gokyo
Shomenuchi Koshinage
At the Sankyu test, we got asked for three Kokyunage from Shomenuchi. There are a few implications here. One is that I believe Sensei wanted to communicate Kokyunage is the more advanced technique, instead of the Koshinage.
When the time came to do three Kokyunage, we did three different Tai Sabaki or body movement and placement. I started to see different corners.
Shomenuchi Iriminage, Kotegaeshi and Ura all moved forward and behind
Shomenuchi Ikkyo to Yonkyo Omote all moved forward and in front.
Shomenuchi Shihonage Omote leads outward and in front
Shomenuchi Shihonage Ura and Goyo lead outward and slightly behind
So, forward in front and behind, lead out in front and behind.
Kokyunage is is becoming a meaningless term. It applies to too much. It is far to vague. When I read Saito Sensei's Takemuso Aiki Kokyunage book, I see things called Kokyunage that I learned by another name. I have heard all techniques are kokyunages, and it might be true but I don't find this idea helpful to communicate, teach and distinguish different ideas. It also didn't seem to keep with what Kawahara Sensei was asking us to do.
I started to practice the most abbreviated, singular receiving movement made fully expansive and expressive. I saw this as an opportunity to break the established forms and just move with an intention to time, place and lead. The extended and complex kata distilled down and simplified to a split second of time and contact. I started to see when I didn't cause kuzushi right away. I started to see a myriad opportunities in the basic classical kata to finish the movement. This became my personal understanding of Kokyunage.
Each Kokyunage could also be represented by a single sword cut or a single movement with the Jo. One particularily challenging student years ago was just given a few madeup Jo kata with these few body movements to practice on her own, and she did well on her Gokyu test.
For my kohei who have been preparing for Ikkyu and Shodan tests, I like to encourage this idea. We get asked for any five techniques from a variety of attacks, and there certainly are more than five basics. For preparing for multiple attackers and freedom of movement, I like to practice different initial moments of contact. While I mention specific kata in the list above and we were asked to learn specific kata for Kawahara Sensei, really all of the basics can be done from any of the corners. The corners are also suggestions/guidelines and not an exhaustive list of possibilities. Neither is Tandoku I'm guessing.
Thank you Ross for taking Ukemi.
(After years of scribbling on napkins and practicing this on my own, I really wanted to be happier with the video. Good to see what I look like, and things to work on...)
This is a personal theory I started to work on after I was unhappy with my Shodan Randori. I wanted an approach that helped my overall positioning in the room in relation to my training partners and I wanted to develop the Takemuso Aiki ideal of spontaneous creation of technique. Good positioning, timing and kuzushi all seemed to start with the first movement. This gave me better opporunties and a better platform to move from. I talk about this at the dojo, but I haven't posted anything before and thank you to Steve Kaufmann for his permission to do this.
One of the things I wrote about in response to seeing the Tandoku form before was about seeing 4 corners used. I have my own idea of the four corners, but I really took inspiration from the ushiro exercise of Shirata Sensei for the organization of the material. Kawahara Sensei was the driving force,
In the old CAF test requirements, at 5th Kyu we did:
Shomenuchi Ikkyo to Yonkyo Omote and Ura
Shomenuchi Shihonage Omote and Ura
Shomenuchi Kotegaeshi
Shomenuchi Iriminage
Other techniques were asked for, but essentially the Gokyu test was all the basics against Shomenuchi with accuracy. I am only referencing Shomenuchi for this entry.
For the Yonkyu test, we had to add:
Shomenuchi Gokyo
Shomenuchi Koshinage
At the Sankyu test, we got asked for three Kokyunage from Shomenuchi. There are a few implications here. One is that I believe Sensei wanted to communicate Kokyunage is the more advanced technique, instead of the Koshinage.
When the time came to do three Kokyunage, we did three different Tai Sabaki or body movement and placement. I started to see different corners.
Shomenuchi Iriminage, Kotegaeshi and Ura all moved forward and behind
Shomenuchi Ikkyo to Yonkyo Omote all moved forward and in front.
Shomenuchi Shihonage Omote leads outward and in front
Shomenuchi Shihonage Ura and Goyo lead outward and slightly behind
So, forward in front and behind, lead out in front and behind.
Kokyunage is is becoming a meaningless term. It applies to too much. It is far to vague. When I read Saito Sensei's Takemuso Aiki Kokyunage book, I see things called Kokyunage that I learned by another name. I have heard all techniques are kokyunages, and it might be true but I don't find this idea helpful to communicate, teach and distinguish different ideas. It also didn't seem to keep with what Kawahara Sensei was asking us to do.
I started to practice the most abbreviated, singular receiving movement made fully expansive and expressive. I saw this as an opportunity to break the established forms and just move with an intention to time, place and lead. The extended and complex kata distilled down and simplified to a split second of time and contact. I started to see when I didn't cause kuzushi right away. I started to see a myriad opportunities in the basic classical kata to finish the movement. This became my personal understanding of Kokyunage.
Each Kokyunage could also be represented by a single sword cut or a single movement with the Jo. One particularily challenging student years ago was just given a few madeup Jo kata with these few body movements to practice on her own, and she did well on her Gokyu test.
For my kohei who have been preparing for Ikkyu and Shodan tests, I like to encourage this idea. We get asked for any five techniques from a variety of attacks, and there certainly are more than five basics. For preparing for multiple attackers and freedom of movement, I like to practice different initial moments of contact. While I mention specific kata in the list above and we were asked to learn specific kata for Kawahara Sensei, really all of the basics can be done from any of the corners. The corners are also suggestions/guidelines and not an exhaustive list of possibilities. Neither is Tandoku I'm guessing.
Thank you Ross for taking Ukemi.
(After years of scribbling on napkins and practicing this on my own, I really wanted to be happier with the video. Good to see what I look like, and things to work on...)
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