The initial kick must be delivered in a particular way. It can be along different force vectors, but the quality of it must disarm. If it is a rising kick, you strike the point that causes the weight of the attacker’s sword to accelerate down and wrench it from his grip. When kicking across and away, the weight of the sword flops back against the wrists.
After you disarm, the attacker reaches for his kodachi. You must check his draw. but you don’t do this with the hand alone. You enter the space with your whole body so his draw is unable to occur.
You deliver a swift strike to kasumi. Then the opponent’s own elbow is used as a lever. This works in concert with an 大外刈 osoto gari to take him down.
When you manipulate the elbow this way, care must be taken not to draw the opponent’s kodachi for him. Drive it back into the hip rather then out. The alternative is to slip your hand down to control the tsuka. Many wonderful henka arise with the principles of juppo sessho and kaname from this point.
Hatsumi Sensei sometimes shows this kata using 反応汎溢の十字の構 hanno banetsu no juuji no kamae. So I explained how to use this form. Then I added a hanbo. The stick rises up to attack kote and disarm. Then, you simply place it on his drawing hand to check the kodachi. It can pivot from that point to lock his shoulder and throw.
But what do you do when you evade with a later timing then you’d prefer? Maybe the opponent was too quick, maybe you were too slow, or maybe he just surprised you.
I shared some methods to deal with the possibility that he draws the kodachi instead of you checking it. You occupy the dead spot of the weapon. This is where it naturally pivots so if he tries to pivot to cut, you just remain in this space and the blade cannot fold back on itself.
Next, I shared a henka that reaches under to control the tsuka of the kodachi. You press it back into the opponent’s 声 koe. Then you take the leg to bring him down on his face.
