(1808 posts)
Oct 28, 2008 10:52 pm
Kihon Tips: Tai-Atari
Tai-Atari:- In two-man kihon, we begin at distance. [/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- Maintain eye contact. Don't look at the bokken as you try to execute the kihon.[/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- Starting from hasso-no-kamae, Uke initiates the action by raising the bokken to strike. It is important that uke commit to landing his strike. This is a long distance to cover.[/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- As uke, we often try to be nice and actually don't aim at tori's head. Remember, the objective is to cut tori's head, not his right shoulder. [/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- Tori, starting from tsune-no-kamae, steps to a slight forward diagonal to his left. This is a small step, just enough to grab the end of the jo. It might be helpful to review tips on tsune-no-kamae from this previous lesson of the week.[/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- This piece courtesy of Henry Copeland: You should always move the foot first. Once your foot is in the air, lifting the jyo and stopping it will actually lengthen your step a little. The important thing is to get out of the way before the bokken reaches your head. Your hands can move considerably faster than your step. If you are having problems with stability, you may be lifting the jyo incorrectly. When the jyo comes up, you should be looking over the top of your right arm, not under it. Your right hand should be a little to the left of your left eye. There is no push outward or upward to stop the boken. The stopping effect is due to efficiently connecting of the boken to tori's center of mass.[/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- Tori should strive to use the last 1/4 to 1/3 of the jo. This creates a more efficient lever to work with.[/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- The jo should have a slight angle downward at tip, and be at approximately tori's forehead.[/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- Tori should squeeze his shoulder blades together.[/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- Once contact is made with the bokken, tori should push straight up to full extension. We often bail out of this pushing action which helps with breaking uke's balance.[/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- Make sure to keep pressure on uke. Don't let the tip of the jo swing back![/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- Uke should maintain unbendable arms for his safety as he escapes the push off, especially as we get to the trap position.[/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- When the jo reaches vertical, break uke's balance by pushing the bottom (left) hand at uke's stomach as if you are trying to punch him. Maintain unbendable arm -- if you collapse uke might fall forward into you.[/*:m:b0mzcisn]
- Push uke off as he steps back. The temptation is to push off too early.[/*:m:b0mzcisn]