We warmed up with ukemi and taihenjutsu including: zenpo kaiten, koho kaiten, sokuho kaiten, zenpo kaeru kaiten, koho kaeru kaiten, oten, and mute oten.
Then we did the 骨指基本三法 kosshi kihon sanpō.
I began class with 片胸捕 katamune dori from the 初伝表型 shoden omote gata of 高木揚心流 Takagi Yoshin Ryū. The control in this form starts when the opponent grabs. You use the cover that is taught for Takagi Yoshin Ryū to quickly pressure with 子殺 ko goroshi. This moment breaks the grip but also turns the arm over.
When our other hand starts for ura we raise our own elbow to guard. The way Hatsumi Sensei described it was that “with the elbow, you take his 気負い kioi” or his will to fight. It is hard to imagine destroying someone’s fighting spirit with an elbow, but the way Soke holds the kukan with it does just that.
Next we did another 片胸捕 katamune dori from the 中伝之捌型 chuden no sabaki gata of Takagi Yoshin Ryū. In this form you trap your opponent as soon as he attempts 組み打ち kumiuchi. When he reaches, you draw him out.
In the moment he grabs, you look for 姿勢 shisei and 態勢 taisei. These are the words I learned from Senou Sensei when doing this kata. They reflect his attitude, posture, readiness, or the overall approach of his attack.
Every opponent will attack differently. Hatsumi Sensei compared it to fishing. If you catch a big fish, you play him differently than a small fish.
So if the opponent puts much more tension into the mune grab than the sode grab, maybe you counter on the lighter hand. This leads to a natural ura oni kudaki.
But Senou Sensei reminded us not to force this technique. He said to apply the “image” of oni kudaki When you do it this way, you don’t trap yourself into doing any technique. You may or may not take it, but you are free.
Of Note: Money Pit