Protective Arts

FLOW SEQUENCE

Update: create flow with neurostimulation – Radiolab 9-Volt Nirvana

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of flow is a good short-hand for what we should experience in moments of optimal performance. Moving-zen where the self dissolves. Aikido as an art aspires to the demonstration of effortless power – a visual presentation of flow. Resist teaching to the goal rather than to the logic of the necessary effects, otherwise empty choreography will result. This is a grave danger. First and foremost this is, and should remain, a martial art. Flow results from function and expert execution. Flow is not a goal per se but the consequence of dedicated practice.

How to enter the flow state
Open Culture

However, in order to experience a fluid continuity – a progression of discrete iterations presented sequentially – we will explore the basic numerical progression of Aikido’s kihon: Ikkyo through yonkyo (#1 to #4). The very prosaic numbering implies a sequence, each technique is the back up plan for the other in a logical chain.

Ikkyo to Nikkyo (#1 to #2)

First technique – ikkyo – is a primary move and has been discussed in earlier posts. But as a reminder, it is first and foremost an interception. The emphasis on the interception needs be the triceps brachii and humerus. Because the triceps are used primarily for extension of the elbow, controlling the joint above the elbow is the key to locking the upper body and controlling a long weapon. However, the second hand must maintain contact at the wrist (and often it is the wrist-to-wrist contact that appears primary to beginners), but the contact is required because the biceps facilitate elbow contraction – allowing uke to escape ikkyo. Wing Chun practitioners may recognize this as a lap sao exercise.[1]

As uke retracts from the wrist-to-wrist contact, nage needs follow the action and keep contact. Resist the idea of maintaining ikkyo by grasping uke’s hand or forearm – this is a flow exercise and uke is feeding nage the sensory information to follow and inform the action. By maintaining connection, nage will take nikkyo. Often nikkyo is demonstrated by nage ‘rolling’ his wrist around uke’s hand. This is a beginner’s error.

Nikkyo Wrong Shoulder.JPG — Note the positional relationship – it isn’t “kihon” [2]

When uke attempts to escape ikkyo, nage should slide his forearm toward uke while maintaining contact then with the back of the thumb acting as the trap (not a fook sao but rather silat #3) to capture uke’s thumb and then execute nikkyo. Nage’s arm pistons along the center line to execute the trap. Please note the hand controlling the humerus has never left uke’s triceps.

Nikkyo to Sankyo (#2 to #3)

Before nage can perfect the nikkyo lock – uke slides his thumb down nage’s chest to escape. Again, nage must forget the original goal of nikkyo and smoothly transition hands to snatch uke’s fleeing hand. This necessitates nage taking the hand that was controlling uke’s triceps, acting as the bracing hand in nikkyo, to then become the new control hand for sankyo.

Old ankyo — Sankyo used to be a set up for atemi – not an end to itself

Sankyo detail.jpg — don’t leave fingers extended

Sankyo is a helical spiral. Starting with the small bones, nage must compress the fingers/metacarpal bones, then corkscrew them to lock the wrist, and once the hand/wrist lock is perfected, control the forearm bones to the elbow. Once the elbow is controlled then the shoulder and body can be controlled. It must be done sequentially because any failure to lock uke’s range of motion will allow a counter. As a training exercise by keeping your index finger extended it will show the direction your blade should flow – first bill sao to the eyes, then a quick rotation down to sever the femoral artery. If you are not properly targeting anatomy you aren’t doing a martial art. I would suggest however, that the proper lock in sankyo is a skeletal lock and not just a wrist lock – the original set up appears to have been a set up for a more devastating atemi (photo above) but then was debased into a wrist lock that may be painful to the uninitiated, but would not be a ‘master play’ since it will fail to immobilize the opponent’s full range of motion.

Trained opponents will flow the elbow as a counter to this type of partial impingement. But when done properly, the helical lock will allow nage to control uke’s entire body and then by focusing on using uke’s elbow as a sword to cut down as if severing the leg in a fluid motion. Without the full body lock this sankyo is impossible to execute. In the photo below note that nage is ready to use uke’s arm as a sword – in this instance one-handed. Practice this! A swordsman will have the hand strength necessary to execute this technique – do not allow other’s to judge you by their own dismal standards and abilities. Should you need to, grasp uke with both hands as if in hasso and cut.

Sankyo to Yonkyo (#3 to #4)

However, the flow sequence presumes uke drops his elbow before nage can perfect the lock. So, as uke drops the elbow and breaks nage’s grasp, once again nage must forget his original goal but continue to maintain contact with uke’s forearm in order to transition his hands to the yonkyo position.

This requires deft hand control and a fluid connection – uke must feel free to move so nage must hold firmly but, as was described to me, like holding a bird in your hands – you cannot let it go, but you do not want to crush it either. In the flow exercise we are exploring the contact is primary, but to execute the technique one needs to hit either the radial nerve (nerve impingement – pain control) or the flexor tendons (muscle control). Depending on the opponent’s size, strength, pain threshold, etc., nage must be adaptive in which manner yonkyo should be executed. But the terminal pin is typically done as shown below.

Note that the position will lead to a belly down position and uke could pull his arm back toward his own center – thereby starting the sequence over: nage can counter the escape with ikkyo. And thus the sequence begins anew.

Do not mistake this as a kaeshiwaza or henkawaza training – primarily it is a flow exercise to keep nage and uke connected. It is a sensitivity drill which should also teaches reference points – to allow both uke and nage sense when kaeshi– or henka-waza is possible. For that too implies an ouroboros regenerative cycle: kaeshi forces henka leading to kaeshi …

[I did not demonstrate in class, but one could also move from yonkyo to gokyo and gokyo to rokyo and then rokyo back to ikkyo.]

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[1] For Wing Chun terminology see >here< which is also copied below to ensure that the content is available

Bil Sao

From a front stance, Bil Sao (finger thrusting arm) thrusts straight out from your center. Bil Sao in application is applied directly out of your center or central-line and is used for filling space, creating an angle of deflection, attacking, or simultaneous deflection and attack.

Bong Sao

Bong Sao (raised elbow arm) from a front stance. Open your fist and move the palm, facing up, into the center. Stop when your wrist is in your center-line, then raise the elbow up to the level of the shoulder; the palm and forearm will rotate out. This hand position creates an angle of deflection and can be used to fill upper and middle zones. In addition, bong sao is an intricate part of the kan sao and quan sao positions.

Fook Sao

Fook Sao (hooking hand arm) extends from the center with the hand curled down and the fingertips together, similar to a bird’s beak. Focus more on your elbow moving in toward the center than on your hand going out. With the position of the wrist and the forearm, Fook Sao creates a tunnel for redirection and deflection.

Fut Sao

Fut Sao (outward palm arm) sweeps directly out from the center of the body. The nature of fut sao is to rise outward and upward. To show complete range of movement of the fut sao hand position, we are going to start with the tan sao position. Fut sao can also be applied to the side, as seen in the 4th section of the sil lum tao. This use of the fut sao is for deflection and attack.

Gum Sao

Gum Sao (jamming arm) is a strike-like jamming motion applied at an angle, which is great for stopping rising attacks like kicks and upper cuts. The work area of the hand is the side of the palm.

Huen Sao

Open your hand and rotate your palm in a circular motion inward at the wrist, completing a circle. In our forms, huen sao (circling hand arm) rotates inward. This rotation of the wrist can move your positioning to the inside out or the outside in. In application, the key is to keep contact with the limb that you are moving around and keeping the rotation in your central-line.

Jut Sao

Jut Sao (snapping arm) is performed with the hand extended out in the center-line. The fingers are pointed downward, with the folded thumb knuckle pointing up. The wrist then snaps down. This is not a physical move. It is a Qi strike or deflection. When practicing, picture your hand as a puppet with someone tugging down on your string. In application, this is a simple movement done in a small range up and down or side to side.

Kan Sao

This hand position is a combination of tan sao (high) and fut sao (low). Tan sao should rise out and fut sao should sweep out of the center simultaneously. This combination can be used to fill space in multiple zones. In addition, pak sao can be used in substitution for tan sao in the high position.

Lan Sao

In a front stance, the arm moves inward. The wrist will stop in the center. Remember that the arm does not form a complete 90º angle so that the hand position does not collapse. Lan sao, as in all Wing Chun hand positions, has multiple uses. The Wing Chun practitioner fills space and creates an angle of deflection that in addition can be used as a stripping motion.

Lop Sao

This is not a grab. It is a thumbless contact grip used to feel and redirect movement. The elbow should remain relaxed and down.

Pak Sao

Pak Sao comes directly out of the center of the body. It is used to fill space and create an angle of deflection. In practice exercises, the contact point is on the side of the palm, below the little finger. In application, the contact may vary from the side of the palm to the lower mid-point of the lateral side of the forearm.

Quan Sao

This hand position is a combination of tan sao (high) and bong sao (low). This combination can be used to fill space in multiple zones. In addition, pak sao can be used in substitution for tan sao in the high position.

Tan Sao

From your side, open your palm and move it up and out of your center as if it is moving on an invisible track up a mountain. Your elbow should be a fist-and-a-half away from the body. Placing your fist on your chest and extending your thumb will give you this representation.

Tie Sao

Tie Sao extends out from the center of the body, around the level of your waist, and then rises up to the level of your nose. Your fingertips should be together, similar to the fook sao hand position. This is one of the few long bridging techniques in the Wing Chun system. Moving an extended arm such as gum sao to a raised arm position like tie sao would be an example of long bridging.

Tut Sao

Tut Sao works off of a contact point. By sliding down one’s arm, you will take the bridge right to the opponent.

Wu Sao

Wu Sao, or the rear hand, is the protecting or covering hand in attack or defense.

[2] I recall Chiba Sensei telling the story that O’Sensei changed his positional stance because a judoka once nearly swept his lead leg when doing nikkyo in this manner. New information informing technique and execution. This single photo serves to admonish the astute: the moment you think you know something coincides with the moment you cease to learn. Find out how to make it work – not why it won’t.

MAKIOTOSHI

George Orwell advised against using any metaphor you were used to seeing in print – so rather than ‘like moths to a flame,’ Orwell suggested, ‘like bluebottles to a dead cat.’ His contention was that reflexive writing betrays non-critical evaluation: Poor habits of thinking when critical and sober reflection is required.

So it is with any art. As we grow in experience, certain phrases, patterns and movements become automatic – reflexive. Sometimes this is the goal: we seek to ingrain a patterned response because it is faster than a deliberative one. The reminder I take from Orwell is that training for a proper reflexive response is dramatically different from training reflexively. Shoshin – beginner’s mind is an admonishment to question constantly, to not allow what you know to blind you to the possibility there is more there than you think.[1]

Makiotoshi 巻き落とし, meaning “twist down” is an essential concept – and once understood as a concept rather than as an isolated technique – its power will manifest.

In our dojo, the most obvious exemplar of makiotoshi is the jo technique wherein a yokomen strike is received in a cross block and then the jyo is snapped down. If you need a reminder >here< but the hand that needs attention is the back hand. The back hand drives the response and makes the conical entry that provides the energy for the technique.

Now repeat the same motion with bokken.

Then look at the empty hand presentation. Perform the action off the Okamoto-style stop-hit: stay on the line and receive uke’s strike. The back hand will receive like the bokken – while the front hand threatens uke’s trachea. This is a developmental exercise not a technical expression yet. We stop the strike only to develop the timing of the capture. The next step will be a makiotoshi snap of the back hand down to feed uke’s hand to the front hand at the low line: a set up for shihonage.

This is putting an energetic response into play. Rather than rely on kimusubi (i.e., the ushiro-tenkan absorbing action of yokomen-uchi shihonage) we are ‘snatching’ the attack to sharply feed the opponent’s hand to the low line where your free hand closes the trap and the hips drive the action. But it must start with the hand.

Just like with the jyo, bokken, whatever the weapon – the weapon must move first on the attack: weapon, hand, body, feet. The empty hand variant should match the weapon sequencing.

When confronting a blade held in reverse grip, the makiotoshi movement becomes a quick strip disarm.

At its essence, the base physiology, the movement is nothing more than turning a door-knob. It should be that ‘natural’ when you recognize that you have been training this motion since you were a toddler. You can parse it more, refine, it and study it (and you should) but in its essence makiotoshi is nothing more than rotating your forearm clockwise – initiating with the shyuto and terminating at your elbow. Change the plane – with elbow and forearm perpendicular to the earth or raise it parallel, the motion does not change, just the positional relationship.

Once you recognize the movement, then study the converse rotation. The counter clockwise rotation is the jodan uke (upward) and uchi uke block in karate.

Clockwise – inward – rotation is used to capture.[2]

Counter clockwise – outward – rotation is used to deflect.

Start to see the universal motions. They are universal because the human range of motion is delimited by physiology. These motions are ubiquitous, you just need to see them with a beginner’s mind. The patterns of motion can be as wondrous and common as diamonds falling like rain.

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[1] Chiba sensei explained shoshin:

The character sho means first or beginning. The character shin means mind, spirit or attitude. The two together have been translated as “beginner’s mind” and indicate the mind (spirit or attitude) of a complete beginner when starting Budo training. This is marked by modesty, meekness, sincerity, purity and a thirst to seek the path.

[2] If you need a traditional Aikido presentation watch O’Sensei >here< at about 3:52 and study how his hands move in the shin-kokyu exercise

JODAN TSUKI to USHIRO RYOTEDORI

Playing off the fencer’s lunge, we have moved back to jodan tsuki with the emphasis on the role of the attacker – using the straight blast effectively. An explosive attack is a pre-requisite to honest training. Repetition – correct form repeated until the attack is both accurate and powerful is our homework.

Thrust counter kick — There are other options of course….

Most of class was spent on material we have covered previously (review) but now I hope the ranged attack of the foil will inform the practice. From the straight punch we do a cross check, slip inside, counter trap and the strike to the side of the attackers head with a 90-degree pivot to the line of approach. A 3-beat counter to the punch. You have seen this numerous times – it’s shomenuchi kokyunage. Because shomenuchi telegraphs intention more than tsuki, nage’s response to a thrust requires a crisper timing. So the presentation this morning was more staccato than connection.

From the kihon 3-beat direct kokyunage we played with beats.

In a 3-beat the pattern when uke attacks with the R, nage’s pattern is R intercept, exchange for L – L exerts control, then finishes with a R to uke’s neck. Add a beat – go to 4: uke attacks with R, nage intercepts R, exchanges L, R strikes uke’s inside elbow (where nage’s L was a moment before), then nage strikes uke’s neck L.

As a concept the more beats, the more time required. Therefore, nage’s movements must be crisp, linked, and properly targeting uke so as to not allow uke to regain the initiative.

Decrease the beats. A 2 beat exchange can be done several ways. The most common response in Aikido is similar to yokomen uchi kokyu nage direct. Uke attacks R, nage intercepts L and strikes R. A very straight forward response that requires responding in true time and with a subtle inside slip so that the nage’s lead hand can properly intercept the attacking fist. I also showed an elbow compression in a 2 beat response:

Aikido presumes the sword, so most of the attacks and responses have the primary point of articulation at the shoulder. Shorter ranged weapons allow for the more prominent use of the elbow.

Uke attacks R, nage intercepts R and while keeping connected at the distal part of the limb while the elbow flows over to uke’s elbow to collapse it allowing nage to strike with the L. This will resemble the 4-beat response but done with just 2-beats. It requires greater sensitivity, flow and tighter proximity.

We did not cover today, but it should be obvious, that other 2-beat variants are cross-block (RvR) then shoot straight under the low gate to a counter thrust.

Jodan tsuki countered by a standard cross-block leads to the general kihon response matrix: on the cross-body line – ikkyo through sankyo; inside to outside – kokyu nage direct; outside line – irimi nage, kaiten nage; complete the responses.

For the more advance play we added a pak sao feed with the front hand – this is a half beat feed to the cross hand.

Uke attacks jodan tsuki with the R – nage uses lead L to slap feed the attacking arm into nage’s R – this could be a power assist to drive to irimi nage direct, the front arm-trap & choke by selecting either the high or low gate.

After these parry-riposte plays of attack, block/blend, counter, we then moved to more complex – compound exchanges. One player initiates with a straight thrust – the responder then starts a cross block to execute a technique, which is defeated by the attacker pulling back to counter strike. Recall the concept of beats. If nage is executing a 3 or 4 beat response to uke’s one attack, nage must be moving at a multiple of uke’s quickness. Review the Types of Speed. As we allow for the possibility that uke could attack and if blocked then attack again. Uke will therefore re-chamber, so nage must learn to follow the attack back. As nage follows the initial jodan tsuki back, nage has closed to the shikaku. Uke’s back is now presented to nage, as is uke’s second arm – so grab it! Now the players are in ushiro-ryote-dori’s position. Uke is now in nage’s role.

Ushiro-ryote dori as typically presented is entirely devoid of martial content. The budo of Aikido is not on the surface and I rarely see it explicated in a sensible manner. Nage presenting an arm that floats in the air for uke to grasp. Balderdash and nonsense!

uraken (1) — Uraken – back knuckle strike

Keeping it real, if we keep to the kihon presentation – nage will initiate the action with a back knuckle (uraken) to the temple/neck which uke must intercept – and then does a press trap to enter to nage’s back in order to arrest both nage’s hands. The standard responses now ensue.

Or the more complex (compound) set up described earlier from the jodan tsuki. But keep in mind these are concepts to provide proper context to the ushiro attack. The grasp/attack could just as easily be ushiro ryokata, ushiro ryote dori, ushiro kubishimi, etc. The logic chain to get to the position is the focus. The responses from the ushiro relationship will be the next focus.

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The ushiro relationship is dramatically different from an eridori attack. As discussed here – ushiro is a secondary response (i.e., your first plan failed). A primary attack from the rear is eridori, which is a sentry removal technique.

The simple fact is: you never want anyone to get behind you. Your inattention is your demise.

An attack from the rear is a thuggee favorite (remember etymology) – with a garrotte

As a preview – the responses to eridori are far more explosive that any ushiro precisely because the eridori grasp is an imminent threat. Study the early presentation and look at the dramatic movement O’Sensei achieves from the intial to the terminal position. Do not allow adversaries to approach from the rear and if they do be decisive and immediate in your responses!