The Challenge: 27.00-28.00

5:45 - 6:45.  I didn't make my bed :-(

Started with some kata and moved onto sabaki.  Worked mostly on Sabaki 2, the lateral step and pivot to musubi dachi.  Epiphany after epiphany, Zaha Sensei says...

I had been limiting the blocks that I do out of each sabaki.  There are no limits, only circumstances - I see that now.

<light bulb1> Uchi uke can be done with the inside hand in Okutsu.  You wouldn't move to the outside of the attacking hand but you would strike from the inside position and cover yourself from the second attack.  


<light bulb2> Jodan uke from Okutsu is basically Hen-Shu-Ho 8, which is the same motion and feel as Okutsu-Soto-Zuki.


Back to Sabaki 2.  In the high line (Jodan), you have 1) teisho-tsukami with the near hand (uchi-uke) and haishu-tsukami with the rear hand (soto-uke) while Juji-uke with both hands can transition to either of them.  The responses are obvious going forward or backwards from musubi, though they vary slightly whether you've taken inside or outside position.  


<light bulb3> But it is important to note that from either position a Soto-uke with the front hand or an uchi-uke with the rear hand would both cause you to push the attacking hand in the same direction your head is moving - I find this problematic. It definitely feels strange from the outside position. 


<light bulb4> However moving inside of Tori's feet with a near hand Soto-uke crosses the attacking hand which can be transitioned to nage.  I have to work with it more.


In the middle line (Chudan) you have a bunch of options depending on Tori's target.  With the near hand, Teisho-Osae and Uchi-Uke both attack the elbow and Tsukami attacks the wrist.  The rear hand can also take Tsukami form to support Uchi-uke and make a joint lock (kagi-zuki) but, alone...


<light bulb5> the rear hand takes on a Soto-uke motion like Haishu-tsukami in the high line.  Normally you would block with the near (uchi) hand and grasp with the far (soto) hand. 


<light bulb 6> However if you reverse this application, grasping first with haishu-tsukami, the uchi uke become a dangerous tate-empi to the elbow.   


<light bulb 7> The rear hand soto-uke on the inside should happen in time with a front arm elbow, pulling Tori into you.  With Uchi-uke, scooping down into the elbow hollow as you pull and twist is the typical way of downing Tori. 


<light bulb 9> However if you pull straight backwards it should cause Tori to take an additional step which can be used to apply a hip throw  (I think...)


Directing the strike low (Gedan) hadn't occured to me at all.  


<light bulb 7>However a near hand gedan barai, by moving the strike outside is the first part of the tora-kuchi-kamae aka the 'can-opener'.  


<light bulb 8> The rear hand gedan barai combined with a forward step and shiko zuki forms a naifaichin-nage that looks suspiciously like sayu-zuki!  


<light bulb 9> The rear hand gedan-sukui can fold the attacking arm like NiSeiShi bunkai 5 (which is basically tora-kuchi kamae).  


<light bulb 10> In the inside position, gedan-sukui from the near hand steps forward to nage.  


<light bulb 11> And from the rear hand like soto-uke, gedan-barai should happen in time with a front arm elbow, pulling Tori into you.


Lots to practice and think about.