Mark Hatmaker recently asked why the human animal so often places its dominant side to the rear whenever power, precision, or survival are at stake. His list was broad and historically informed: the boxer with his power hand back, the batter with his strong foot behind the plate, the quarterback and pitcher who coil theirContinue reading “STRONG SIDE BACK”
Category Archives: Reference Materials
WEAPONS INFORM MOVEMENT
In a prior article, I explained ikkyo and irimi-nage arise from the moment of contested weapon access—the effort to draw and the counter-effort to suppress. The last Saturday weapons class continued that line of thought, focusing more precisely on ikkyo and nikkyo as a means to draw the katana in a contested encounter. Protecting theContinue reading “WEAPONS INFORM MOVEMENT”
IPPON-KEN
Atemi (当て身) is often misconstrued as a generic term to mean a “strike” or “hit,” but it means “to strike the body” and with the implication that it is striking a specific target. Without any denigration of the sweet science – the pugilist art of Western boxing – which has incredible history and strategy, ultimately,Continue reading “IPPON-KEN”