Quote:
Matthew Gano wrote:
I'm not 100% sure I understand what you're getting at...how is hand form any less important than elbow, spine, etc. form? It's important whenever the hand is used, which to some extent is always, isn't it?
Sensei Barrish has mentioned the Tora no Kuchi (tiger's mouth) shape of the hand used in Japanese archery as being a useful shape to consider. The shape as I understand it has the ulna and radius stacked vertically...basically imagine the feeling of drawing a tight bow (which is oriented vertically), the hand holding the bow is the Tora no Kuchi hand. That hand is quite relaxed because the back hand holds the bow into the palm by drawing on the string. The feeling is that the thumb and fingers kind of roll around the shaft of the bow and it's similar to the shape your hand would probably take if you tried to grab someone's adam's apple.
I have seen him describe this shape a lot when describing how to raise the tegatana for shomen uchi. My sense of it is that it helps creates a very powerfully vertical shape to the hand and forearm portion of the posture and that it's this quality Sensei Barrish is focusing on, but I'm guessing.
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I agree, it is a very interesting shape to consider. What is interesting is to consider how it might be created apart from trying to use the muscles of the upper and lower arm to force the bones into such a relative position
It's also a very good point to note the similarity of Japanese archery here. You could as well consider the movement with the "jo" from an overhead block to a "cocked" position for a chudan-tsuki (straight thrust). Yes, in the former there is tension whereas in the latter there is pressure, but the movements have an important similarity in the mechanism of how the body is held and the parts moved.