SHIHONAGE

The opening move of san no tachi begins with both players connecting their ken near the kissaki. Keeping the connection flat to flat, the initial move is to snappily turn uke’s blade off-line and cut the thumb while simultaneously sliding to the flank. Nage’s right hand started vertical (seigan no kamai) and now has turned nailsContinue reading “SHIHONAGE”

KEYS TO EFFECTIVE TRAINING

The keys to effective training – these are the ‘secrets’ of any art. The more I study and train, the easier it is to see connections where I once saw only differences: Moving beyond techniques to see concepts; to see connections among the arts. The metaphor of a ‘key’ is a powerful one – for meContinue reading “KEYS TO EFFECTIVE TRAINING”

LEVELS OF TRAINING

Traditional pedagogical transmission reinforces hierarchical structure: Shoden (初傳, beginning teachings) Chuden (中傳, intermediate) Okuden (奥傳, hidden or inner teachings) … and then there is Kuden – the secrets taught “mouth to ear.” This is a good way to ensure structured progression (kyu -> dan) and maintain social gradients (kohai -> sempai). Mass production and replicable standards isContinue reading “LEVELS OF TRAINING”