View Single Post
Old 10-03-2007, 03:04 AM   #8
happysod
Dojo: Kiburn, London, UK
Location: London
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 899
United Kingdom
Offline
Re: No suwariwaza techniques at Nippon Kan

Quote:
should we do away with suwariwaza techniques
Oh please yes - OK, I admit suwariwaza practice can have benefits, but I've never been convinced that the benefits outweigh their deficits for most students or that it is the best way to teach hip movement and balance.

Yes, it's one way to isolate an area which is hard to make distinct while standing, but my experience is that its not only normally taught quite poorly, but all the sinking, moving from one point etc. etc. go out the window as most students concentrate on not moving like a duck and ignoring the strange burning sensation from their knees and tops of their toes.

We've probably all had the double-jointed sensei from hell with kneecaps the size and hardness of bowling balls to whom kneeling and doing suwariwaza all day is just a brisk walk but seriously, can anyone who has done a lot of suwariwaza truely say they learned more from that than a normal stand-up session?

I also found the article very interesting that suwariwaza was used to "level the playing field" with larger students, smacks a bit of the "lava and glass" argument used against BJJ.

Quote:
What about, for example, kaiten nage?
disagree -even with kaiten nage you can normally accept the fall easier with a standard breakfall rather than a rolling breakfall. I have to agree with the article in that I would normally have to co-operate in taking a rolling breakfall - which I do cos they're fun. [waits eagerly for the obligatory "if sensei x got hold of you you'd have to roll as (s)he throws people 10 feet at least, with just their little finger"]
  Reply With Quote