TOMAHAWK

James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales (1823-1841) is a five-part series comprised of The Deerslayer, The Last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder, The Pioneers, and The Praire. (Mark Twain has a nicely acerbic essay on Cooper’s literary offenses.) In the Last of the Mohicans (1992) movie, Col. Munro’s younger daughter Alice, grows weary on the escortedContinue reading “TOMAHAWK”

BAGUA OPENING HANDS

For some time now, I have incorporated a basic hand and body exercise into my “warm up” sequence from Bagua Zhang – “opening hands” (see 3:36 for a reminder). The Bagua movement in isolation may seem awkward at first. I present it as a global body movement adding trunk and hip rotation and done oneContinue reading “BAGUA OPENING HANDS”

RYOTEDORI KOKYU NAGE

Suwariwaza ryotedori kokyuho as a means to establish correct tension, indexing and lines of force. Correct tension. Uke must approach nage with the intention of controlling nage’s arms with force from high to low and nage will receive with equal counter force from low to high. The resulting tension is the starting point, the axis of theContinue reading “RYOTEDORI KOKYU NAGE”