It’s been a couple weeks since my last post; some side-projects have been taking up my writing time. I will go into more detail on these other projects in a later post. Nevertheless, training continues. I have been taking on teaching responsibilities for some adult and children’s aikido classes as well as continuing Hakko-Denshin Ryu and Brazilian Jujitsu. This past Monday, I took my green-belt test in Hakko-Denshin Ryu. This would be the equivalent of a 2nd-kyu, two steps from shodan.
Hakko-Denshin Ryu Aiki-Jyujitsu has very few techniques when compared to an art such as Aikido. The ways to apply these techniques are limitless, however, and the structure for testing in Aiki-Jyujitsu emphasizes a student’s understanding of the transition and application of the “waza” or basic techniques. The testing structure for Hakko-Denshin Ryu is very well thought out. The yellow belt test consists in simply demonstrating the 21 shodan waza. The green belt test, which I recently passed, takes this one step further. In addition to demonstrating the 21 basic techniques, one must also show “Henka” or variations. The henka consist in a more “real-world” demonstration of the basic waza. An attack is chosen and, by the application of various techniques, one must control their attacker and finish by pinning, throwing or otherwise demonstrating the desired principle.
In this post, I am going to go through the green belt test by showing both “waza” (technique) and the henka (variation) that demonstrates how the waza might be applied. The green belt test is especially difficult because the person testing must show five-seven henka for each basic, shodan principle… considering that there are seven principles, these ad up to 35-49 required henka. The person testing calls out an attack, telling his Uke how to grab or strike. In this manner, the person testing has some control over the set-up and execution of the techniques. In more advanced testing, this small control is removed and an attacker can decide to attack in any way. I would like to give a special thanks to my Uke—Mike—who was testing for his yellow belt at the same time. He put up with a lot of abuse and some painful pins. He is a good sport and never complains.
Principles, Waza and Henka
1-- Hakkodori (escape)
The first principle is escape, finding any way to get free of an attacker.
Waza: HakkoZema
Henka: Various ways to escape
Things to note: regarding the waza, important things to keep in mind with hakko-zema is to keep elbows low and in-line with hips. Driving through your legs, elbows and hands makes this a much stronger push than just trying to use the shoulders. The henka shows several basic escapes, the goal being to simply free one’s self from a choke or grab.
2-- Atemi (strikes)
Seated Waza: Atemi
Standing Waza: Tachi Ate
I have only posted the two waza variations here. A henka for atemi, striking, can be any variation that finishes with a strike to the head, neck or body. Important to note here: with the standing strike, we have our feet firmly planted and twist at the hips to free one hand. The strike then goes across the side of the neck, rolling across the thick nerve bundle (tankei) which runs down from the ear.
3-- Te Kagame (hand mirror)
Waza: Te-Kagame
Henka: Variation from a roundhouse (tataku) strike
Te kagame (hand mirror) has its name from the initial hand position seen in the waza. You bring your own hand up, palm to your face, as though you were looking in an imaginary mirror. Te-kagame techniques are any in which you hold your opponent’s hand with three fingers on the meat of their thumb. In the henka, I step into a roundhouse strike and then trap uke’s arm to my chest. The pin is simply squeezing uke’s hand toward my chest while twisting the hand, thus grinding the bones of the hand and wrist together painfully.
4-- Osae Dori (straight-arm pinning art)
Waza: Uchikomi Dori
Henka: Variations on a straight-arm pin
Osae dori is a basic, straight-arm pin in which you press uke’s hand toward the elbow. In the waza, you can see a very direct circular twisting of the attacking arm to the floor. The final, standing pin involves rolling the foot over uke’s hand between the thumb and fingers, twisting the hand to the floor. The strange pose is not my attempt to look cool, but rather a precaution for keeping the balance. The henka shows a couple ways to reach a straight arm pin.
5-- Nage (throwing)
Waza: Hiki-Nage
Henka: Variations on Nage
This waza shows hiki-nage, a pulling throw. The idea is to use the rotating of the hips and pulling of the front arm to unbalance Uke. Again, waza is a demonstration of an idea: in this case, how to take balance. The henka shows two variations on throwing an opponent.
6-- Niho Nage (two direction throw)
Waza: Hamani Handachi: Yoko Katate Osae Dori
Henka: Variations on Niho-Nage
Do not let the name confuse you: this waza (Yoko Katate Osae Dori) is in fact a niho-nage pin. Strictly speaking “Osae Dori” simply means pinning art; although earlier I refer to it as a straight-arm pin for clarity. Niho-nage is any pin or throw which twists uke’s hand to the shoulder or bends his fingers backward toward the elbow. The henka shows both variations. In the first, uke’s hand is twisted to the shoulder and I pull his hand away from the neck, putting pressure on the elbow. In later variations, I bend the fingers.
7-- Otoshi (drop)
Waza: Ushiro Zeme Otoshi
Henka: Body Fulcrum Otoshi
Henka: Two More Variations
The difference between otoshi and nage—both forms of throwing—is the use of a fulcrum. Otoshi is any throw that uses a fulcrum to take uke’s balance. For the waza, it is necessary to drops one’s hips below an attackers center of gravity. You “load” Uke onto your hips. In the first henka, as Uke comes in to choke, I secure his arms and drop to the floor, creating a fulcrum from my body. In the second video, it dawned on me that the Judo “ogoshi” (major hip throw) also qualifies.
Though I passed my green belt test, I discovered that I need some work on the henka. It’s tough to “think on your feet” and learning the smooth transitions from one pin to another is something that can only be learned through repeated practice. What is encredible about Hakko Denshin Ryu, however, is the fact that you *can* easily transition from any technique to any other. As I have often stated before, this blog is not necessarily intended to teach—though if something can be learned, that is great—but I hope this gives an idea of the way in which waza (a basic demonstration of technique) can be applied to more realistic applications.
AS we often say, “there is no oops in Hakko Denshin Ryu” there is never a wrong move… just keep ahold and make Uke suffer! (thanks Uke!)
Showing posts with label jujitsu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jujitsu. Show all posts
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Souke Michael Lamonica
On August fifth, 1997, the Kokodo-Renmei (an umbrella organization for jujitsu consisting in hakko-Ryu shihans from around the world). Appointed three directors to carry on the art of Jujitsu as taught by Souke Ryuho Okuyama (1901-1987. In a gesture of unity and respect for their teacher’s memory, the North/South American and European directors agreed to call their styles Hakko Denshin-Ryu or The Heart of the Eighth Light. This past weekend, the North/South American director, Souke Michael Lamonica, visited Grand Rapids to give a shiatsu basic qualification seminar. In my next post I will concentrate on a detailed description of basic shiatsu as well as how it applies to the practice of jujitsu. First, however, I would like to dedicate a post to the story of Souke Lamonica.
I honestly find myself lacking the words adequate to describe Souke Michael Lamonica. I have met some amazing sensei throughout my travels, in both the U.S. and Japan, and Souke Lamonica deserves recognition as being among the best. Humble, humorous and, above all, an expert in the art of aiki-jujitsu, Souke Lamonica has had a life well worthy of a biography. I strive here to share some small part of his character and active life in the martial arts.
Michael Lamonica began training in the martial arts while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in the late 1950s. Beginning with Chinese Kempo and Judo, Lamonica soon met James Benko—the then head of U.S. Hakko-Ryu jujitsu—and quickly discovered the value of Jujitsu as a form of self defense. While working as a police officer in Akron Ohio, Lamonica was shot in the face. Because the gun had been knocked slightly askew at the moment of firing, the bullet entered his cheek, ricocheted off the bone, and exited through his temple. His assailant then put the gun to Lamonica’s forehead, intending that a second shot would not miss. Lamonica, however, used a variation of the jujitsu technique known as “Kanoha” to disarm and secure his attacker. Holding his attacker fast, Lamonica then marched his would-be murderer to a nearby phone where he could call for police backup.
Incredibly, Souke Lamonica returned to work after only two days of rest. As he told me jokingly, “What bothered me most was that my uniform was ruined—it was covered in blood. You see, at the time, we had to buy our own uniforms on the force.”
It was at this time that Lamonica dedicated his life to the study of Hakko-Ryu Jujitsu. It was jujitsu, after all, that saved his life. In 1975 Lamonica traveled for the first time to Japan, where he trained with the Tokyo riot police. The following year he returned and again the year after. It was in Japan where Lamonica became a trusted friend of the founder of Hakko-ryu, Shodai Ryuho Okuyama. Lamonica became the highest ranked non-oriental practitioner of Hakko-Ryu and eventually received menkyo-kaiden (literally: license and initiation, meaning a person has received the qualification of having been initiated into the deepest secrets of an art). Menkyo-kaiden is a very old, very traditional practice from before the time of “dan” rankings. The menkyo-kaiden comes in the form of hand scrolls that are passed from a master to his most trusted students.
Michael Lamonica served for twenty-one years on the Akron Police Force. He then served another fifteen years as chief of police nearer to his home in Fairlawn. Over the course of his career, Lamonica has trained with both the FBI and CIA as well as teaching an accredited personal defense course with his wife, Chris, at Akron University.
I have rarely met a Sensei who could so captivate his students. As we watched Souke casually disable our Sensei, Matt Pinard, it was encredible to see how little effort is needed when Jujitsu is practiced correctly. After the seminar, I asked Souke if I might film a short video with him. In this clip:
Souke Lamonica demonstrating seated Mune Osaidori
Pay attention to the short and small movements that create such powerful techniques. I asked Souke to demonstrate a seated technique because, especially when seated, the small movements become most readily apparent. This technique—Mune Osaidori—is part of the “shodan waza” or first degree techniques. Though this situation might not occur in a real-world situation, waza are designed to emphasize specific aspects of jujitsu. In the following clip, I am now performing the same seated waza to Souke. My apologies for the background noise—these videos were taken at the conclusion of our three-day shiatsu seminar—it is not so necessary to hear what is being said. At the end of this clip, Souke’s wife, Chris, assists me on the hand positioning for the pin. As with most techniques in Jujitsu, the pin is made stronger by a pushing and pulling movement. While I push against Souke’s knuckles—effectively bending his hand toward his own arm—I am also using my little finger on his palm to pull outward.
I honestly find myself lacking the words adequate to describe Souke Michael Lamonica. I have met some amazing sensei throughout my travels, in both the U.S. and Japan, and Souke Lamonica deserves recognition as being among the best. Humble, humorous and, above all, an expert in the art of aiki-jujitsu, Souke Lamonica has had a life well worthy of a biography. I strive here to share some small part of his character and active life in the martial arts.
Michael Lamonica began training in the martial arts while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in the late 1950s. Beginning with Chinese Kempo and Judo, Lamonica soon met James Benko—the then head of U.S. Hakko-Ryu jujitsu—and quickly discovered the value of Jujitsu as a form of self defense. While working as a police officer in Akron Ohio, Lamonica was shot in the face. Because the gun had been knocked slightly askew at the moment of firing, the bullet entered his cheek, ricocheted off the bone, and exited through his temple. His assailant then put the gun to Lamonica’s forehead, intending that a second shot would not miss. Lamonica, however, used a variation of the jujitsu technique known as “Kanoha” to disarm and secure his attacker. Holding his attacker fast, Lamonica then marched his would-be murderer to a nearby phone where he could call for police backup.
Incredibly, Souke Lamonica returned to work after only two days of rest. As he told me jokingly, “What bothered me most was that my uniform was ruined—it was covered in blood. You see, at the time, we had to buy our own uniforms on the force.”
It was at this time that Lamonica dedicated his life to the study of Hakko-Ryu Jujitsu. It was jujitsu, after all, that saved his life. In 1975 Lamonica traveled for the first time to Japan, where he trained with the Tokyo riot police. The following year he returned and again the year after. It was in Japan where Lamonica became a trusted friend of the founder of Hakko-ryu, Shodai Ryuho Okuyama. Lamonica became the highest ranked non-oriental practitioner of Hakko-Ryu and eventually received menkyo-kaiden (literally: license and initiation, meaning a person has received the qualification of having been initiated into the deepest secrets of an art). Menkyo-kaiden is a very old, very traditional practice from before the time of “dan” rankings. The menkyo-kaiden comes in the form of hand scrolls that are passed from a master to his most trusted students.
Michael Lamonica served for twenty-one years on the Akron Police Force. He then served another fifteen years as chief of police nearer to his home in Fairlawn. Over the course of his career, Lamonica has trained with both the FBI and CIA as well as teaching an accredited personal defense course with his wife, Chris, at Akron University.
I have rarely met a Sensei who could so captivate his students. As we watched Souke casually disable our Sensei, Matt Pinard, it was encredible to see how little effort is needed when Jujitsu is practiced correctly. After the seminar, I asked Souke if I might film a short video with him. In this clip:
Souke Lamonica demonstrating seated Mune Osaidori
Pay attention to the short and small movements that create such powerful techniques. I asked Souke to demonstrate a seated technique because, especially when seated, the small movements become most readily apparent. This technique—Mune Osaidori—is part of the “shodan waza” or first degree techniques. Though this situation might not occur in a real-world situation, waza are designed to emphasize specific aspects of jujitsu. In the following clip, I am now performing the same seated waza to Souke. My apologies for the background noise—these videos were taken at the conclusion of our three-day shiatsu seminar—it is not so necessary to hear what is being said. At the end of this clip, Souke’s wife, Chris, assists me on the hand positioning for the pin. As with most techniques in Jujitsu, the pin is made stronger by a pushing and pulling movement. While I push against Souke’s knuckles—effectively bending his hand toward his own arm—I am also using my little finger on his palm to pull outward.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Kokodo Jujitsu
Of the three martial arts I primarily practice—Aikido, Judo and Jujitsu—jujitsu is by far the most practical. Jujitsu, even at the most basic level, consists in simple movements that result in tight wrist and elbow locks. Some of the more advanced techniques can become excruciatingly painful, but, unlike other martial arts, techniques in jujitsu rely increasingly on relaxation for their greatest effectiveness.
This past weekend I traveled four hours from Katsuura, in Chiba, through Tokyo and finally to Omiya in Saitama to the dojo and clinic of Soke Yasuhiro Irie. Irie Sensei is the founder of Kokodo Jujitsu and practices acupuncture, bone setting, moxa and shiatsu as well as jujitsu at his clinic.
Irie Sensei trained under the founder of hakko-ryu jujitsu, Soke Ryuho Okuyama, and received the title of jodai in 1977. This is an old Japanese term which means “castle value” and is given to only the most proficient and trustworthy students. Irie Sensei became head instructor at the Hakko-Ryu honbu dojo (head dojo) where he continued teaching until 1993. In 1995, he founded the Kokodo Jujitsu at his bone setting clinic in Omiya.
When I walked into Soke Yasuhiro Irie’s dojo on Saturday, I was greeted warmly by Irie Sensei himself. He asked me how long I had been training in Hakkodenshinryu jujitsu; saying, “Is your Sensei OK with you training here?”
I replied, “Yes, of course, my sensei in America asked me to please find you and train as much as I could.”
“Good,” Irie Sensei said, “Because once you become a member of my dojo you are a member for life. This is like a mafia!” He then proceeded to laugh very hard and finally explain, “That is a bad joke, but you will always be a member of our dojo.”
AS I changed into my dogi, I was given a pair of tabi to wear. Tabi are a type of booty--or sock--that has a separate pocket for your four smaller toes and one for your big toe, like mittens for your feet. Sensei explained, “There are three reasons we wear tabi: first, to keep the dojo clean; second, to protect our feet; third, because tabi are slippery. If you learn to do a technique wearing these slippery tabi, then it will be that much easier to do a technique if you are attacked on the street. Someone on the street isn’t going to stop and wait for you to take off your shoes before they attack. Fourth…. Is there a forth reason? I guess there are only three reasons we wear tabi.”
Sensei asked me to demonstrate some of the techniques I had studied in the United States. The twenty-one black belt techniques (Soudan waza) are similar in form and intent with only a few slight name differences. What is referred to as “te-kagame” (hand mirror) in Hakkodenshinryu jujitsu is referred to as “kotogaishi” in Kokodo jujitsu. Where Kokodo jujitsu differs from Hakkodenshinryu jujitsu is where many of the martial arts differ from Japan to the United States: the amount of force used.
I am by no means an expert in Hakkodenshinryu jujitsu. I have practiced for a short time and, although my sensei was very impressed with the speed at which I picked up the techniques, I will be the first to admit I am a mere beginner. This being said, I found it interesting that Kokodo jujitsu relied much less on pain than did the Hakkodenshinryu style. Te-kagame—or kotogaishi, for example, involved driving an opponent’s elbow into their own stomach while applying a tight wrist lock in Hakkodenshinryu jujitsu. In Kokodo jujitsu, however, the lock is equally disabling but there is very little pain. There were many other interesting differences in the application of wrist locks and especially in the emphasis on movements from the hip; something Americans seem to struggle with. I will save some of these discussions for later posts, but one thing wanted to report was on Irie Sensei’s explanation for how one uses the middle, ring and pinky fingers to grip. The pinky finger, Sensei explained, is connected with the heart. Gripping with the pinky finger will increase the strength of the heart. The pointer finger, however, is much weaker. Sensei explained that gripping with the pointer finger, which is directly connected with the bowels, will lead to heavy bowels and slow movements.
In the west we are taught that the middle, ring and pinky finger fall on a line with tendons in the lower arm and are, therefore, stronger. It was interesting to hear this alternative explanation for a man who practices so many eastern style of medicine.
Unfortunately, the four hour trip to Omiya makes for a long day, especially if I intend to return home in the evening. I don’t know how often I will be able to attend classes in Saitama, but I look forward to visiting Irie Sensei’s dojo again in the near future.
This past weekend I traveled four hours from Katsuura, in Chiba, through Tokyo and finally to Omiya in Saitama to the dojo and clinic of Soke Yasuhiro Irie. Irie Sensei is the founder of Kokodo Jujitsu and practices acupuncture, bone setting, moxa and shiatsu as well as jujitsu at his clinic.
Irie Sensei trained under the founder of hakko-ryu jujitsu, Soke Ryuho Okuyama, and received the title of jodai in 1977. This is an old Japanese term which means “castle value” and is given to only the most proficient and trustworthy students. Irie Sensei became head instructor at the Hakko-Ryu honbu dojo (head dojo) where he continued teaching until 1993. In 1995, he founded the Kokodo Jujitsu at his bone setting clinic in Omiya.
When I walked into Soke Yasuhiro Irie’s dojo on Saturday, I was greeted warmly by Irie Sensei himself. He asked me how long I had been training in Hakkodenshinryu jujitsu; saying, “Is your Sensei OK with you training here?”
I replied, “Yes, of course, my sensei in America asked me to please find you and train as much as I could.”
“Good,” Irie Sensei said, “Because once you become a member of my dojo you are a member for life. This is like a mafia!” He then proceeded to laugh very hard and finally explain, “That is a bad joke, but you will always be a member of our dojo.”
AS I changed into my dogi, I was given a pair of tabi to wear. Tabi are a type of booty--or sock--that has a separate pocket for your four smaller toes and one for your big toe, like mittens for your feet. Sensei explained, “There are three reasons we wear tabi: first, to keep the dojo clean; second, to protect our feet; third, because tabi are slippery. If you learn to do a technique wearing these slippery tabi, then it will be that much easier to do a technique if you are attacked on the street. Someone on the street isn’t going to stop and wait for you to take off your shoes before they attack. Fourth…. Is there a forth reason? I guess there are only three reasons we wear tabi.”
Sensei asked me to demonstrate some of the techniques I had studied in the United States. The twenty-one black belt techniques (Soudan waza) are similar in form and intent with only a few slight name differences. What is referred to as “te-kagame” (hand mirror) in Hakkodenshinryu jujitsu is referred to as “kotogaishi” in Kokodo jujitsu. Where Kokodo jujitsu differs from Hakkodenshinryu jujitsu is where many of the martial arts differ from Japan to the United States: the amount of force used.
I am by no means an expert in Hakkodenshinryu jujitsu. I have practiced for a short time and, although my sensei was very impressed with the speed at which I picked up the techniques, I will be the first to admit I am a mere beginner. This being said, I found it interesting that Kokodo jujitsu relied much less on pain than did the Hakkodenshinryu style. Te-kagame—or kotogaishi, for example, involved driving an opponent’s elbow into their own stomach while applying a tight wrist lock in Hakkodenshinryu jujitsu. In Kokodo jujitsu, however, the lock is equally disabling but there is very little pain. There were many other interesting differences in the application of wrist locks and especially in the emphasis on movements from the hip; something Americans seem to struggle with. I will save some of these discussions for later posts, but one thing wanted to report was on Irie Sensei’s explanation for how one uses the middle, ring and pinky fingers to grip. The pinky finger, Sensei explained, is connected with the heart. Gripping with the pinky finger will increase the strength of the heart. The pointer finger, however, is much weaker. Sensei explained that gripping with the pointer finger, which is directly connected with the bowels, will lead to heavy bowels and slow movements.
In the west we are taught that the middle, ring and pinky finger fall on a line with tendons in the lower arm and are, therefore, stronger. It was interesting to hear this alternative explanation for a man who practices so many eastern style of medicine.
Unfortunately, the four hour trip to Omiya makes for a long day, especially if I intend to return home in the evening. I don’t know how often I will be able to attend classes in Saitama, but I look forward to visiting Irie Sensei’s dojo again in the near future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)