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During ushiro ryote dori sankyo throw exercises last night, I realized that I'm 'falling' incorrectly when thrown via my left arm/hand. When thrown from my right arm, I properly flip my body up and over nage and properly roll on my right arm.
However, when thrown from my left arm, I find that I panic at the last moment and roll on my right arm after being thrown. Very interesting. I should pactice this side slowly and figure our why I have this odd fear when being thrown from the left side.
Shihonage Irimi
- switch feet (front foot back; back foot front) without pulling back with your hands
- slide forward with front foot and bring uke's wrist to your (more or less) natural hand grip; the slide starts the contortion in uke's stance
- step forward with the back foot; this really contorts the uke's position
- pivot and turn to face the uke's back (perpendicular if possible)
The last two steps of the shihonage irimi movement are the most important. Pay attention to where the foot lands as this will determine the end position relative to the uke.
Ryote Dori Nikkyo
- gyaku hanmi (can be ai)
- bring front foot back and step sideways (it's easier to get uke off balance if they are teetered to the side than leaning to their front due to the hanmi stance)
- don't pull back with hands/arms; they stay in front of nage and "bring" the uke off balance with them
- begin nikkyo grip and follow with ikkyo movement; remember to step forward or slide forward
- drop nikkyo arm followed by controlling other hand/arm on uke's elbow
- finish w/ either irimi or tenkas as initiated by foot movement
When performing tenkan movement, continue downward motion until uke meets the floor; DO NOT PULL UKE HORIZONTALLY AROUND YOU - movement is down, down, down with the tenkan turn.
(Don't you just love capitalization for emphasis.)
Finally, after a year and a half, I took my 6th kyu test - and passed. I brought my dvd camcorder and taped my test. Not surprisingly, the video tape allows me to see my actions, techniquest, etc., more objectively. Here's what I saw in the video that needs work:
- Bokken kumitachi 1 & 2 - better control of strikes and blocks
- Ikkyo - It seems I 'stall' at the top of the ikkyo movement; the drop is not altogether smooth
- Shihonage - my irimi vs. tenkan are messy and tend to resemble each other's footwork
We had class last night and I'm already working on improvements to the above based on my kyu test. I fully recommend videotaping yourself. It's a fantastic way to actually see the wierd things you are doing that your instructor has been getting you to correct in past lessons.
I've been practicing with a bokken for roughly a year now and have never used a tsuba.
Our dojo is preparing for kyu tests this Saturday, which will include the bokken kumitachi. During practice yesterday, our sensei said to bring our tsuba. Since I've never practiced with a tsuba before, I'm apprehensive in that it may affect my grip during the test - especially when the test is only 4 days away.
Oh well, I better take out the tsuba, put it on the bokken and practice. Hopefully, it will have minimal impact.
On a lesser note, I'm curious as to the correct pronounciation of "tsuba" and "tsuki" for that matter. I need to remember to ask my Japanese friend, Mayumi.
I was hoping our instructor would go through a mock test prior to our actual scheduled test. No better way to practice the test than in a test situation.
Although I have practiced the techniques and am able to do each one (and their variations - tenkan, irimi, pins, etc.), I was surprised at being caught off guard when the sensei shouts out the next technique to be performed. For example, sense said to perform shomen uchi irimi nage. My brain must have locked up because I couldn't remember all of a sudden what those words meant.
After what seemed several agonizing seconds and a gutteral, questioning "Huh? Please repeat that again?" to the sensei, I finally remember what that combination of words meant. I then went happily on my way and performed the technique and its variants.
I think I need more practice in the language and being able to associte meaning and actions more readily.
As noted earlier, I'm getting ready for a 6th kyu test and, last night, practiced kokyu ho/doza at our dojo. I was surprised and saddened to find out that I'm having problems with this movement.
Tips - as nage, relax and prepare by being in a forward-leaning seiza position. When thrusting arms, project past the uke's body from the shoulder area. Remember to move hands into a 'holding a jug' position so that uke's shoulders raise.
01-27-2005 12:48 PM 