Tenshin - footwork

Am I correct to say that "tenshin", when referring to the footwork, means stepping back? I am trying to come up with an accurate description for the term. It seems that this isn't practiced or talked about too much. Also, does anyone have any experience in doing tenshin while applying the ura version of a technique?

I'm not familiar with that term related to footwork...just the tenshin for tenshinage (am I even spelling that correctly?). In terms of stepping back for ura versions of waza, there are some shiho versions I've done that way that come to mind. Also stepping back at angles from front strikes (using blocks) then going into kotegaeshi ura. Interesting stuff.

Don't know if this is what you are looking for,
Best,
Ron

Yes, thank you Ron. I am thinking of the same sort of movement as you described. Another example is upon recieving a yokomen strike, the nage will step back into various angles and then proceeding into various techniques such as a shiho nage or tenbin nage. I 'm just trying to make sure I am matching the correct term to the movement. By the way, I believe it is tenchi nage not tenshin. Thanks for your input.

Hi John,

I believe that the term that you are looking for is, indeed, "tenshin":

転 = ten (~"to turn"; same "ten" as in "tenkan")
身 = shin (~"body"; same character as for "mi" as in "irimi")

And, from what I have seen taught, tenshin is basically a backwards "full step" (eg migi hanmi to hidari hanmi).

-- Jun

Ron Tisdale wrote: I'm not familiar with that term related to footwork...just the tenshin for tenshinage (am I even spelling that correctly?). Ron

Ron I think you meant Tenchi Nage, which means Heaven and Earth throw.

Tenshin is a movement where the nage steps back 45degrees away from the attack.

e.g. chudan tsuki (left ai-hanmi) nage steps back 45degrees on the right foot (tenshin) and is now off the line of attack but the tsuki is in front of him to do his technique. Maybe a bit hard to describe but better shown.

Hope that helped a little

Jason

[blush] ... I should know that! Thanks guys...never heard that called tenshin before!

Best,
Ron

Don't worry about it Ron, I went through a whole class calling Nikkyo Ikkyo, and my brand new student politely corrected me.....His Ukemi got real good in one night!!!! Just Kidding.

Jjo

In most places where I've been, they step forward for the tenchi nage. But I like the way Yamada Shihan does it by stepping backwards first to take Uke's balance and then step forward for the actual throw. That's the way I like to do it.

When I perform tenshin, I step forward with the back foot. However, I don't let the back foot step beyond the forward foot. So my body is still in the same place, just a couple of inches over to the side. Depending on the technique, I could still be looking directly foward from which I started or looking at an angle. So it's not that I'm stepping back, it's that I am changing from say left hanmi to right hanmi.

This Tenshin movement sounds a lot like what I've been taught as 'kaiten'. As in: when attacked there are three possible 'directions' of movement: irimi, (irimi-)tenkan and tenshin/kaiten.

Joep

Mike Braxton wrote: When I perform tenshin, I step forward with the back foot. However, I don't let the back foot step beyond the forward foot. So my body is still in the same place, just a couple of inches over to the side. Depending on the technique, I could still be looking directly foward from which I started or looking at an angle. So it's not that I'm stepping back, it's that I am changing from say left hanmi to right hanmi.

That's what I use as the basic practice form. In application, many variations come into play, but if you can develop the basic skill of changing from left to right hanmi (or vice versa) without the shoulders or hips rising, while remaining mindful of the difference between staying on the line or redefining the line, that's the nut of tenshin in my book.

FL