Kaze Uta Budo Kai Forum Archive

Karl asked me to type up my notes from tonight's ashi waza tour de force by Nick. Hopefully everyone else will offer their insights to my discombobulated memories.

All my notes, for simplicity, work from a right-handed point of of view. I also tend to leave out some things that are ingrained within me; I'll do my best to add them in here.

Throughout: In foot sweeps and some drawing motions, bring elbows to ribcage and turn wrists out as far as possible; feel pectorals/latissimus dorsi/trapezius all flex simultaneously. Grip on uke is irrelevant; do not think about affecting uke in a particular manner. In foot sweeps, elbow draw happens immediately before sweep is engaged.

Okuri ashi harai

• Close hip by placing left foot's toes immediately next to uke's, turning and pointing them in the direction you wish to take uke, if possible. Saw Nick turning approximately 240°.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• Take NATURAL drawing step to right, committing with center; opens hip.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• Keeping normal pace, follow uke's advancing right foot through uke's center; closes hip[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]

Ko soto gari (I guess this could be de ashi harai, too.... they've always seemed very similar to me, especially when performed as in class tonight.)

• As uke is advancing, maintain cadance[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• Open hip by placing right foot behind left foot as uke takes step with left foot.
  
  
  
  • NB: Body does not follow hip immediately here; shoulders remain normal, etc.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  [/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• Allow uke to advance right foot past, follow and sweep with left foot as hips close.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]

O soto gari

• Uke has strong arms and is withholding right leg from tori's o soto gari.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• Tori takes strong goblet step back, opening hip, with left leg to create line from 1. Uke's withheld right foot 2. Uke's left foot 3. Tori's right, advanced, foot 4. left foot which has just stepped back.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• Engage elbow draw as tori moves center back. Hips close.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• Uke's right foot is available for o soto gari; Tristan was ending up with o soto guruma.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]

Hiza guruma/sasae or harai tsurikomi ashi

• Uke is bent over and strong, avoiding sweep by pressing arms out. Tori matches posture.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• Using center, correct to proper posture in burst with center, draw up slack at top of movement with trapezius/lats.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• During movement, place right foot out in normal foot stop position to throw[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]

Against strong upper body uke, fleet feet

• Elicit strong push from uke through a draw with arms, pushing slowly, etc.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• Release one grip entirely, let the arm die.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• Maintain strong control on other arm, rotate toward it in tight circle.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]
  
• Seoi nage, harai goshi, etc. etc. etc.[/*:m:ktpr6xkt]

Small notes:
1. Was not curling and engaging big toe in sweeps for some reason tonight; likely due to running into uke's ankle first few sweeps and worried about injury

Thanks Bryan, I had no idea that your documentation was going to be so comprehensive.

You requested insights that others may have had from the class. Here are mine:

Okuri ashi harai (retreating): Nick was stressing for tori to close his hip as much as their range of motion allowed for the first step. I noticed that when I was initially trying to sweep from this position, I was allowing the torque of this closed hip to rotate my center, and it caused my sweep to take the path of an arc. This energy needs to be committed in a straight line to realize full power.

Ko soto gari (retreating): When opening the hip with the preparatory step, we were instructed to start by taking a normal step backwards, and only opening the hip at the last moment. This helps to with tori's goal of keeping the upper body neutral, thus preventing a defensive reaction from uke.

Also, regarding the situation where uke is bent over and strong, avoiding sweep by pressing arms out and tori matches posture: The drawing action that tori makes to pull uke is initiated by an explosive extension of the hips, and this energy is transmitted to uke using an isometrically contracted core in conjunction with "rope arms". For me, this is an athletically challenging maneuver, however I was having a lot of fun with it because it felt like the body mechanics are incredibly similar to my favorite weight exercise - power cleans (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TlbDQUWs0s). The "rope arms" part of this exercise is something I'm still trying to perfect, and I've been doing this exercise for a few years now.

Those are all good points that I should have written down. I think Damon and Nick recorded some of these same things yesterday, so we may see them soon in video form.

Another note on okuri ashi harai that finally got driven into my head last night: it's not about the feet. It's not about the feet. It's not about the feet. When I started thinking about uke's center beginning to move, and pushing mine through uke's center as his moves, it popped. It helps to open up that leading foot to allow the hips to open. of course. I'm just moving my center through uke's; how I get it there is where the details come in. Things worked differently when I started thinking about it that way instead of focusing on my foot sweeping his feet.

Ignore me, go to the source: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=1805