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Wastelander
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Compound Movements and Cutting Lines

Hello everyone,

This article isn't exactly about bunkai, per se, but it discusses some old Toudi concepts that are illustrated in the kata that can be easily missed. Hopefully someone finds it useful!

http://www.karateobsession.com/2015/05/compound-movements-cutting-lines....

Iain Abernethy
Iain Abernethy's picture

Cool article! Thanks for sharing Noah!

Chikara Andrew
Chikara Andrew's picture

Very interesting article, I think the part about both pushing and twisting in a lock is often overlooked. The same with striking, particularly when trying to get students out of the mindset of just oi tsuki and gyaku tsuki.

With regards to the Yama Tsuki however, try as I might I have never found a way to make this effective as shown in the diagrams. Perhaps it is the way my hips are trained that I cannot connect effectively with both hands at the same time, the lower hand is nothign better than a push.

I have found this movement to make an excellent throw however, highlighted towards the end of Niseishi where it appears as a follow up technique to a failed neck throw. 

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

Chikara Andrew wrote:

Very interesting article, I think the part about both pushing and twisting in a lock is often overlooked. The same with striking, particularly when trying to get students out of the mindset of just oi tsuki and gyaku tsuki.

With regards to the Yama Tsuki however, try as I might I have never found a way to make this effective as shown in the diagrams. Perhaps it is the way my hips are trained that I cannot connect effectively with both hands at the same time, the lower hand is nothign better than a push.

I have found this movement to make an excellent throw however, highlighted towards the end of Niseishi where it appears as a follow up technique to a failed neck throw. 

My example of yama-tsuki is really only looking at one arm at a time, not both. If someone throws a punch toward your head, then the high hand of yama-tsuki can deflect it as you strike. If someone throws a punch toward your body, the low hand of yama-tsuki can deflect it as you strike, like this.

It's important to remember that "double" movements in kata can be separated in this way. That said, I tend to use the high hand of yama-tsuki for the deflection/strike, and the low hand as a trap, rather than a strike. That makes it much easier to select a body mechanic for power generation. It also works quite well as an entry into a throw.

Chikara Andrew
Chikara Andrew's picture

Interesting, I'm not sure the low-high example shown here would work, distance being the main problem. Although I can see how this could work high-low covering a swing to the head and then grabbing low, as you said, in preparation for a throw.

Wastelander
Wastelander's picture

Chikara Andrew wrote:

Interesting, I'm not sure the low-high example shown here would work, distance being the main problem. Although I can see how this could work high-low covering a swing to the head and then grabbing low, as you said, in preparation for a throw.

The demonstration is certainly a choppy, formalized one, against unrealistic attacks, but that isn't so important. The techniques work--I've used them in sparring and self defense scenario drills with resisting opponents. They just have to be trained appropriately :)