Choke to an Easy Win

We warmed up with some basic 鎖分銅 kusarifundō drills. I began with 片手振り katate furi, then I added 八文字振りhachimonji furi. I showed how to strike using the both the clockwise and counterclockwise spin against a knife attack.

I began class with 一摘締 itteki jime. In this kata, you are the aggressor. As the opponent responds, you leap around to apply 襟締 erijime. Then we crush his neck with our own head or chest as he falls.

This is a tricky entrance. Hatsumi Sensei said, “You must keep guarded. 安全第一 anzendaiichi (safety first). Then you push him away. If you just jump in, it’s very dangerous." One of the keys is pressing with your free hand. This turns the opponent’s shoulder while covering his other hand.

You control the opponent from the first contact. As he tries to escape, you bring his collar down. With every constriction of the collar, you reposition to control his movement.

Hatsumi Sensei continued to say, “I’m not just opening up, I also use (使え型 tsukae-gata) the jacket to check or hold his left arm. Then from here you can choke. This is the 順番 junban, the order of things.”

I showed a variety of chokes. Some use flesh grabs. Some are blood chokes, some are air chokes, and some are combos. We explored different grips to compress the neck, using the knuckles, the forearms, and even a 挟み捕りhasami dori which acts like a scissor vise.

I added some hidden weapons. Use a knife which is concealed in the initial grip. The opponent will never see it.

Next, I went back to the kusarifundō. Again hidden until it wraps the opponent during your leap. There is a subtle grip change that makes this effortless. In fact it is so subtle and hidden in the movement, I had to show it several times just so the students could see the change.

Of Note: bag of undies