In the attached video, I combine two basic karate technique in a manner markedly different from the traditional. You may have seen chudan gyaku zuki used to attack the assailant's elbow in a prior article and video. Here we expand on that.
The arm bar is used to break down the opponent's structure, rendering him in a vulnerable position- weight over the toes, head and shoulders down. With my opponent in a disadvantageous position, I am able to snake my arm below my opponent's and grip the back of his neck. Take note that in the video, I do not wind my opponent's arm to expose the crook of his elbow. This was done to keep my partner's shoulder intact and avoid a certain rotator cuff tear.
It may occur to some of you that this application of enkei gyaku zuki is similar to that of manji uke- arm bar and shoulder lock. I would encourage that kind of thinking. Practice along this line and you are well on your way to making yours a better karate.
Jargon is the specialized language of a given field. It is understandable to insiders, usually. In the case of Karate, the movements in kata are like a specialized language. Unlike jargon, there is little common understanding within the karate community! Case in point, the Shuto Uke that appear in the kata Kanku Dai (Shotokan) and the Shuto Mawashi Uke in the Kyokushin version of Kanku. My buddy Christian opined that the Kyokushin Mawashi Uke was just some uppity flourish. Ha!
Attached is a video I made with Domingo and Kaz of Sugawara Dojo in Ridgefield, NJ. Here I demonstrate some applications of the two"blocks." Actually, the shuto uke in the video is not so much a block, as a check of my opponent's arm so that I may take his back.
The application for shuto mawashi uke is control. It is the gateway to many of the advanced applications found within karate self-defense technique (neck cranks, joint destruction, chokes, etc.)- no wonder that is appears so frequently in kata. Look closely, and you might see moves to break my opponent's floating ribs, hyperextend his elbow, gouge his eye while applying an elbow to his temple, knee his ribs, lock his neck, and unbalance him. That is quite a list of tasks. Luckily, we now recognize all of it as shuto mawashi uke.
I have a few more videos to add. Hopefully they will improve our common understanding and make yours a better karate.
In order to understand kata and apply the principles contained therein, one ought to be able to identify what exactly is being depicted in the kata. Simple, provided you accept that everything in kata is about fighting an opponent within arm's length, and in this instance that an adversary's straight arm is an invitation to break it. The cup and saucer pose found throughout kata is a popular and recurring "image" of this principle.
Traditionally, the cup and saucer pose is referred to as a chambering, ostensibly for a backfist and sidekick. Domingo, my partner in the video below, assures me that if I were to break his nose with a backfist, it might end the fight. Domingo is too kind. I spar knockdown karate with Domingo regularly. He's got more muscle and bone mass, and heaps more motivation. A backfist, I'm afraid, would only stoke the hellfire sure to follow such a foolish move.
In the video, I demonstrate an elbow attack from a clinch, such as I might find myself in if Domingo lands a glancing blow and I grab and hold, and a situation where Domingo is raining down punches and I cover-up. Of course, a lapel grab might also be a situation where an elbow attack might be warranted. The art is not memorizing an application for every scenario, but being able to apply the principle to any scenario.
Note too that a full understanding of the straight arm attack principle is recognizing that anything can act as the fulcrum over which the elbow is destroyed. Future installments are planned to demonstrate this principle. Stay tuned and make yours, a better karate.
