Contact/Power - Examples

Contact / Power
I have heard and felt many types of contact and different types of power
I was wondering if you have come across any other types of contact/power usage.

Contact
Sticking contact - Tori seams to sticks to uke while performing a technique
i.e Wing Chun sticky hands, tai chi push hands
Containment - Tori contains uke between two points of contact while performing technique.
i.e. Holding uke and pressing like a Accordion
The 'brush off - Tori catches uke for a split second and sends uke on their way.
i.e. Skimming the surface of uke
Piercing Contact - Like Yah from Daito Ryu, (which means arrow). e.g. Tsuki with bokken.
Deflective/Union Contact -- Meeting uke contact and redirecting it.

There is other type of contact I have felt but remembering brings tears to my eyes!

Power
Heavy Hand - Tori uses heavy hand to drop uke
Soft Projection - Kokyu throw which uke feels very little from tori in the throw
Hard Projection - Kokyu throw which uke feels the hardness of tori throw

Contact
No Contact - Ki Timing

Power
No Touch Technique - Ki Extension

eek!

Thanks Ted, Forgot that one

So the next question is, if we know what contact/power
is being used how do we train it?

Mr. Kelly,

I hate to state the obvious, but here goes... find someone that can do it and learn from them and then practice, practice, practice. Don't Quit and Don't Die. It's simple.

Well Chuck, I could do that and spend the rest of my lifetime
learning it and maybe never getting there, or I could
learn some simply exercises that teach these principals.

I believe that simply exercise are the best way to learn and I am sure this is how to learn these types of contact/power

So does anybody know any good exercises to develop contact/power?

Put all the concentration you have into every moment of every movement of every technique you practice. Never do a technique "for the 100th/1000th" time but always for the first time. Your brain should be more tired than your body at the end of practice.

It may sound trite, but training better with a partner and in class is worth alot and quite possibly more than doing some exercises outside of class that may or may not be being done correctly and may or may not help.

If you do want to do something outside of class I would suggest visualization to work on and feel the memory of the different type of contact you mention.

I've only heard the word "contact" used in reference to nage using the center to "contact" uke, and vis-versa in every technique. It hasn't ever been something esoteric, just a matter of intention and commitment to your attack/counter. Is this the same thing ya'll are referring to?

Although ‘center to center' contact is the overall goal, you need to have different types of contact to achieve this, Soft/Hard etc. Contact comes from union the joining of the forces from uke to tori and tori to uke.

So does anybody know any good exercises to develop contact/power?

the best advice you got is above - visualize. you got the comment on being in the moment and using your brain; also excellent advice.

use your heart: how do you feel? how does uke feel?

know yourself so well, that you become aware of uke as though you shared the same body.
i have heard others tell, and myself experienced 'losing' the knowledge of attack ending and
technique beginning. i really think this is the goal, and what the masters mean by 'connection'.

i don't think it's esoteric. i think it's life uncloaked.

billybob

OK, I will give a couple of examples of a contact drills that I have come
across.

Take a Jo stand it up vertically one end on the floor and then let in lean against your forearm, move around the Jo keeping contact against your forearm, swap arms keeping the contact so the Jo is always leaning into yourself learn to change directions but keeping the contact.


Second one. You will need a golf ball, (not the new ones with different cores, they are to light to begin with, use an older heavier type). Place the golf ball on your arm and feel your skin underneath the golf ball. Now try to move the ball without it falling of your arm, you will start to feel a sticking energy to keep the ball attached.

Anybody else got some drills.