Breaking the mold in Tenkan

From Morihei Ueshiba's Budo:

Precautions for Training (often translated as Rules for Practice)

5.  In daily training, begin with basic movements to strengthen the body without overexertion.  Spend the first ten minutes warming up and there will be no fear of injury, even for old people.  Enjoy yourself in training and strive to comprehend it's true purpose.

Often I come across something recommending Katate Dori Tenkan as that beginning practice.  One thing I remember from Sensei was being shown a very specific way of doing Tenkan, then practicing that way for months, then he would show something very similar but fundamentally different in some way.  Would we be slightly in front, slightly behind, wrapping Uke around us, or still able to face Uke and strike during the movement?

When I go to a seminar, one of the biggest barriers to learning certain techniques is Tenkan practice.  This is a very important exercise, but the solo 180 degree version seems to drive home an exact variation.  This seems to be more of a Tohei lineage practice, but it is common and pervasive.  Then, the mat gets crowded and we fit so much better together to do exact 180 degree Tenkan practice.  There are philosophical ideas like, "See the world from Uke's point of view."

Whether Tenkan is about Redirecting, or Leading, or Blending for a student the movement is about manipulating a relationship with someone else.  How fast, or how forcefully, or how high, or how long is Uke's arm, or what vector Uke moves in can change what Tenkan actually should look like.  If we don't reach 180 or go much further, I sometimes hear criticism of Uke.  Maybe Nage is right where they belong though.

I'm just throwing out a few videos as examples.  Of course 180 should be practiced, but in the "Getting off the Crack" theme (this is another exercise I was often asked to find a crack in the mat to follow).  I started to play with differing circles.  An Ikeda Shihan student showed me to do Tenkan to 135 degrees, and this works very well for Kotegaeshi leads for me.  Morote Dori Iriminage Chudan works much better for me if I open to 90 degrees - really, coming directly from the side is the weakest angle for Uke's stance.  I love so many of the 270 degree projection turns.  One visiting teacher loves to do Shihonage Ura with a 450 degree opening.  When I watch YouTube of any of the greats, 180 seems to have specific utility.

I just enjoyed giving myself permission to go a little less or a little further - back to something similar to Four Corners.  I was surprised to find that some movements got more effective.  I have videos here of shallow movements, but of course there are many examples out there of people turning much more than 180.

Yamada Sensei doing a 90 degree Irimi Tenkan

Yamada Sensei doing a 45 degree Tenkan opening to Katate Dori Nikyo