REFERENCE DRILLS

Class outline

Present from shomenuchi because it is more familiar to Aikidoists, but the class is just as easily presented from jodan tsuki (the line vs the point – all points are lines and lines are points).

When uke strikes, nage has precisely four means to address it:

1. Outside line forehand
2. Outside line backhand
3. Inside line forehand
4. Inside line backhand

Because I presented ude kimi nage as the responding technique, the required ashi-sabaki was irmi-tenkan for the outside line and ushiro-tenkan for the inside line.

Each presentation also required specific beats to effect the technique.

1. Outside line forehand (Shibata sensei) is a pak sao catch that feeds the backhand as the irimi-tenkan moves nage behind uke’s hip and shoulder – trapping uke’s elbow against nage’s torso which allows nage to do a forceful (fajin) hit to the elbow with the intercepting hand. (This is RvL, LvR)
2. Outside line backhand is the kihon presentation – cross arm intercept with a rolling cam to feed uke’s striking arm to nage’s waiting back hand which is already below uke’s elbow. (This is RvR, LvL)
3. Inside line forehand (modified biu sao) is more familiar as a yokomen interior blend. From shomen, nage will receive the R attack with L (or the L with the R) and use the back hand to immediately attack uke’s center (eye spear). Nage deploys the hands in unison – prayer entry – and then completes ushiro tenkan to redirect uke’s motion 90-degrees. (This is RvL, LvR)
4. Inside line backhand requires nage to torque his hips into the strike to get the backhand catch, feeding the waiting low line front hand for the fajin hit to the elbow when the uke’s body is 90 degrees to the original line of attack. (This is RvR, LvL)

All these responses are predicated on a mid-arm meet (at the elbow and humerus) – move the distance closer and nage should move up one body joint: elbow becomes neck (kubi shimi)- and move the distance farther and nage should take the more distal joint, uke’s hand (kote gaeshi).

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Photos by Russ Gorman