Names of cuts and blocks?

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[John Ruhl]

To help myself learn bokken kata, I'm trying to write down the sequence of movements made by the two partners. It would be much easier if I had names for the various cuts and blocks! I've found the names of the "ready positions" (gamae), but don't know names for strikes other than shomen and yokomen (eg strike to waist, or wrists, etc), or blocks.

I'm laid up for a few weeks with an injury, so can't go quiz my sensei or sempai.

Can anyone point me to a list of these, or help by writing a few down here?

thanks,

John Ruhl

[senshincenter]

Different groups have different names for the same stuff. What weapons style are you practicing?

dmv

[John Ruhl]

David -

I'm in an ASU affiliated dojo. For my own immediate purposes (writing things down) I'd be happy with any set of names, but you're right, in the long run I need to learn the names used by ASU.

thanks,
-John

[John Matsushima]

Well, there is the "watershed" block. (High overhead block)

[senshincenter]

Hi John,

Well, maybe some ASU folks can chime in and offer a little help. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to myself, as I'm not familiar with the forms themselves. Sorry.

dmv

[senshincenter]

Oh - the other thing - the best thing actually - and something I can totally recommend - purchase George Ledyard's DVD on the series. That will not only save a whole lot of time, but it will give you tons of information to work on and with.

my opinion,
dmv

[John Ruhl]

Well, there is the "watershed" block. (High overhead block)

Thanks! I haven't heard it called that, but I'm pretty sure I know which block you mean, since the name is so illustrative! (For any ASU folks reading this and willing to correct me... for Kata #2, this would be the name of the first block the defender does... if I'm right in matching "watershed" to the movement I think it is.)

-John Ruhl

[John Ruhl]

Oh - the other thing - the best thing actually - and something I can totally recommend - purchase George Ledyard's DVD on the series. That will not only save a whole lot of time, but it will give you tons of information to work on and with.

my opinion,
dmv

David -

Thanks for the recommendation, those sound like a great set. Right now I'm making notes so I can try and do some visualization while I'm laid up, but don't expect to get much more out of this than memorization of the big steps.

I think that having words for this stuff will help me remember them in the longer run. For instance, the defender movments in ASU kata #2 goes (I think), "waki gamae, watershed, left-yokomen, right-yokomen-to-win"... well, the last isn't really a yokomen but I don't know the name for it. :)

I'll put Ledyard sensei's DVD's higher up on my "aikido wish list"...

-John

[Dirk Hanss]

I think that having words for this stuff will help me remember them in the longer run. For instance, the defender movments in ASU kata #2 goes (I think), "waki gamae, watershed, left-yokomen, right-yokomen-to-win"... well, the last isn't really a yokomen but I don't know the name for it. :)
John,
my understanding is, you're right, it is not really a yokomen and it is even not really "to-win". I am not affiliated with ASU, but we do the same kumitachi. Saotome says in his DVD the final control is just a defined end of the kumi-tachi as we cannot continue it forever. But it is neither a win by killing, nor the partner's surrender, even if it looks fairly as if.
And the technique starts like a yokomen, but then pushes the other sword aside by twisting the sword and hitting with the side of the foremost third and then moves foreward to lead into the final control, which is clode to a tsuki, but is not aimed to kill, but only to stop the partner.

Unfortunately, I do not have the names, so yokomen-to-win or yokomen-to-finish would be appropriate names to recall the technique, as it seems to be the standard finish in Saotome sensei's kumitachi.

Best regards

Dirk

[John Ruhl]

John,
my understanding is, you're right, it is not really a yokomen and it is even not really "to-win". I am not affiliated with ASU, but we do the same kumitachi. Saotome says in his DVD the final control is just a defined end of the kumi-tachi as we cannot continue it forever. But it is neither a win by killing, nor the partner's surrender, even if it looks fairly as if.
And the technique starts like a yokomen, but then pushes the other sword aside by twisting the sword and hitting with the side of the foremost third and then moves foreward to lead into the final control, which is clode to a tsuki, but is not aimed to kill, but only to stop the partner.

Unfortunately, I do not have the names, so yokomen-to-win or yokomen-to-finish would be appropriate names to recall the technique, as it seems to be the standard finish in Saotome sensei's kumitachi.

Best regards

Dirk

Dirk -

Interesting point on the ending; since we end with one partner opening and "surrendering" I had taken this to mean a "win" for the other partner. It is of course only a kata, so the notion of "winning" doesn't fit well.

I like your description of the final cut; unless I get a real name for that I will call it "yokomen-tsuki", which rolls off the tongue quite well. :)

thanks,

John