9 posts / 0 new
Last post
PASmith
PASmith's picture
Applied oi tsuki

At a recent UFC event it struck me that a fighter called Edson Barboza effectively used an oi tsuki/jun tsuki in a very similar manner to how Iain teaches it when applying kata. Namely throwing body weight into a punch and allowing the trailing leg to step through and "catch" you after the punch has landed. Rather than stepping and THEN punching.

Approximately at 1:18 of this video for example...

 

A popular fight analyst called Jack Slack commented on this in his latest podcast and how this was a good example of how a stepping punch can and should be used.

I always like to find cross overs between the bunkai world and the combat sport world as the combat sport world offers visible and tangible evidence of efficacy where, on occasion, the bunkai world does not. At least not in such a prominent way.

Zach Zinn
Zach Zinn's picture

 

Cool observation.

I think it's a timing thing more than anything else. My preferred way is to do what I think you are talking about - basically a long transitional reverse punch where the back leg trails through to the front. I do think there is a place for moving the forward leg and throwing something akin to a stiff jab too, though. I do the first part of Gekisai kata exactly using the first method though, punch -then foot follows. For "unattached" punching the hand moving first is important, in my opinion.

Zach Zinn
Zach Zinn's picture

Oh another thing, I have basically been taught oi-zuki in boxing...you only do it occasionally I think because you maintain your typical stance, but similar to the video the tactic is luring someone to move towards you at a range they think they are safe and then throwing it.

The gazelle punch is also basically the same sort of punch: To me, this is the same animal as oi-tsuki.

 

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

PASmith wrote:
At a recent UFC event it struck me that a fighter called Edson Barboza effectively used an oi tsuki/jun tsuki in a very similar manner to how Iain teaches it when applying kata. Namely throwing body weight into a punch and allowing the trailing leg to step through and "catch" you after the punch has landed. Rather than stepping and THEN punching.

Nice find! If he had used the left hand to palm / grip his opponent’s right hand to clear a path for the strike, then that would be a textbook oi-zuki. Whist the “hikite” is not employed (hand is kept up in a guard - which is entirely appropriate in that moment - but you see both fighters looking to employ their respective lead hands that way) all other elements are a great example of how oi-zuki is supposed to work from a technical standpoint. Tactically, in a self-pretection context, if the enemy moves back, but it is still not safe to flee, then we maintain the initiative my moving with the enemy and delivering a strike with full bodyweight behind it.

The “stance” is ultimately about the weight transfer and punching after the weight has transferred makes no sense. However, punching as the weight is moving (as we see in the clip) means that the strike will have lots of mass behind it. The stance is the end of the technique and we immediately move to the next relevant position. We don’t “freeze frame” as we may when breaking down the technique. Stances are transitory positions. This is clearly referenced in Funakoshi’s 20 precepts and Nakasone’s explanation of them, which Funakoshi endorsed.

“Beginners use stances; advanced students use natural postures.” – Gichin Funakoshi

“Karate has many stances; it also has none” – Genwa Nakasone

More on stances: https://iainabernethy.co.uk/article/my-stance-stances

Anyhow, that’s a skilled and effective example of an oi-zuki in a sporting context. Add in the active hiki-te and it would a textbook classical punch. Sadly, in much of karate today the punch is now taught with an inactive hand, with poor biomechanics, and out of context (combatively isolated and detached from the learning the process) i.e. “move, stop moving, hit, freeze”, as opposed to “move, hit while moving, move onto something else”.

All the best,

Iain

nielmag
nielmag's picture

Whats the name of the video of Edson Barbosa Oi Zuku?  Can't get it to play?

Zach Zinn
Zach Zinn's picture

nielmag wrote:

Whats the name of the video of Edson Barbosa Oi Zuku?  Can't get it to play?

I couldn't get to play either so I had to find a different one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtXXRsPtxnc

It happens at around :39.

Minus the hikite and contextual difference, it looks exactly like oi tsuki.

Marc
Marc's picture

Zach Zinn wrote:

I couldn't get to play either so I had to find a different one:

Thanks for posting the alternative link. It worked.

There are several Oi-Zuki-like techniques in the video.

Iain Abernethy wrote:

Tactically, in a self-pretection context, if the enemy moves back, but it is still not safe to flee, then we maintain the initiative my moving with the enemy and delivering a strike with full bodyweight behind it.

What you describe matches the literal meaning of "oi-zuki" (追い突き): The "oi" (追い) means "chase; drive away; follow; pursue; meanwhile". So the translation of "oi-zuki" would be something like "pursuit punch" or "chasing thrust punch".

In one of your Jion bunkai videos you show the difference between gyaku-zuki and oi-zuki. Where the oi-zuki is used if the preceding strike has forced the opponent away too far to be effectively reached by the gyaku-zuki (i.e. without lunging forward).

Take care

Marc

PASmith
PASmith's picture

I think BT sport videos might not play in non-UK regions? Anyway...it's Barboza vs Amirkhani.

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

PASmith wrote:
I think BT sport videos might not play in non-UK regions? Anyway...it's Barboza vs Amirkhani.

I think that’s what it is. All UK members can see it, so it must be a regional thing BT (British Telecom) has in place for the video.

All the best,

Iain