GYAKU HANMI SHIHONAGE

This morning we covered gyaku hanmi katatedori shihonage.  The focus is on kihon presentation in order to ensure precision.

Gyaku hanmi (R/L or L/R) starts with a fixed contact point – the wrist grab.  Both players must have a forward energy toward each other’s center.  Because the logic of the wrist grab is a knife immobilization the contact must have tension created by diametrically opposing forces: nage is thrusting forward and uke is arresting the forward thrust.  Those opposing vectors create the axis of the encounter where the forces are neutralized.

From that point of tension – nage must move around the axis without moving it.  Nage’s first move is to zone to the outside perpendicular.  The footwork is: nage moves front foot to outside perpendicular and the back foot then comes to the fore at a 90-degree angle to the original encounter.

The hand release is a subtlety.  Nage’s original presentation of the hand is palm up – knuckles to the ground.  Immediately after the nage moves to the first position, nage rotates the grabbed hand to the perpendicular which creates a gap (releases uke’s grasp) affording nage the chance to shoot over and snatch uke’s pulse point.  Nage then must firmly control uke’s arm and rotate the elbow into a locked position which will start to control uke’s body.

From the arm lock, nage should drive forward so that nage enters with the legs which (because nage holds no tension in the shoulders) causes the arms to drive upward.  Nage can then lock his hands clasped around uke’s pulse to nage’s head.

The reason for this kihon presentation should be evident.  Locking uke’s hand against the head creates a brace point and a new axis to rotate around.  Nage has traversed the perpendicular in front of uke’s center.  Once nage has completed that forward step, the clean 180-degree pivot starts with the balls of the feet which powers the hips.  The arms must be held locked but in a neutral state – the hips, not the shoulders or arms, generate the force of the turn.

At the terminus of the pivot, nage increases the grasp, starting with the little fingers, specifically the bottom three, just like a sword.  The strength of the throw is created by the hands – not the shoulders.

Ura is a simpler line.  Starting with the same initial encounter, nage merely executes a tenkan and follows the same method to raise the hands, complete a pivot on the same line as the initial encounter – that is 180-degrees from the start.

In both instances nage’s challenge is to disturb as little as possible the initial grab until raising the arms.  Minimize the amount of somatic information uke receives until the throw is in process.