Body Shifting and the Crescent Step

[Bill Mattocks]

One of the first things we're taught in Isshin-Ryu is the crescent or 'half-moon' step. This is basic to all forward or backward movement in our basic exercises and all of our kata.

It is said that the crescent step confers several advantages.

First, when moving forward, it shields the groin.

Second, it prevents the up-and-down head bob that signals an opponent subconsciously that you are in motion. The step becomes a bit of a glide, which can be deceptive.

Third, it allows the feet to stay grounded. A person punched or kicked while in the act of stepping forward in the traditional manner would have one foot in the air and would be balanced slightly forward (we walk by lifting on foot and 'falling' forward slightly).

There are more esoteric reasons given which involve chi or ki flow and things of that nature, but I'm just dealing with the mechanical nature of the claimed advantages here.

Given that Isshin-Ryu is sometimes seen as a more-brutal and less-elegant looking form of karate, it does contain a lot of emphasis (subtle, but present) on circling motions, in blocks, punches, and even snap kicks. The crescent step is probably the most obvious circular motion in Isshin-Ryu.

So my questions are these. How common is the crescent step outside of Isshin-Ryu? Does your style practice it or anything like it? Do you see any advantages to it other than those mentioned, or do you see any disadvantages to it? I'm also interested in general comments about the crescent step in martial arts.

 

[Chris Parker]

Hey Bill,

I'm reading your description of a "crescent step" as one that brings your rear leg in towards your lead leg before continuing on to step past (moving inward first, then outward as it continues forward, creating a "crescent" shape on the ground), would that be correct?

If that is an accurate description, then yes, we in Ninjutsu use that as a basic form of footwork, primarily for balance and adaptability during the step itself. We do a lot of angling footwork, so if you were to simply step directly with your rear leg, you would be off balance during the entire step itself. It is also said to have it's origins in wearing armour, where you cannot afford to be off balance, as falling over in armour is not the safest thing to do.

I have encountered a number of names for it, including Suri Ashi (sliding step) and Sukui Ashi (scooping step), as well as a few others.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Hey Bill,

I'm reading your description of a "crescent step" as one that brings your rear leg in towards your lead leg before continuing on to step past (moving inward first, then outward as it continues forward, creating a "crescent" shape on the ground), would that be correct?

Yes, that's correct.

If that is an accurate description, then yes, we in Ninjutsu use that as a basic form of footwork, primarily for balance and adaptability during the step itself. We do a lot of angling footwork, so if you were to simply step directly with your rear leg, you would be off balance during the entire step itself. It is also said to have it's origins in wearing armour, where you cannot afford to be off balance, as falling over in armour is not the safest thing to do.

I have encountered a number of names for it, including Suri Ashi (sliding step) and Sukui Ashi (scooping step), as well as a few others.

My sensei has at times referred to the crescent step as 'hangetsu', although I realize that's the name of a kata that other karate styles use.

I have been thinking a lot about this basic step; it's literally the first thing we're taught. We are not made to do a particular type of crescent; we typically have narrower stances than say Shotokan, and the inward crescent can be so slight as to be nearly invisible on some practitioners. Like a basic fighting stance (kamae), each is individual; all that matters is that it is there.

It seems to me that after two years of work, the crescent step is slowly becoming natural to me in the dojo; it seemed very alien at first. I was also thinking that it *might* help to generate power, since the slight inward crescent step turns the body ever so slightly, which means it turns the hips slightly too. Supposing a simple reverse punch, a step with the right foot would turn the body slightly to the left and then back again as the step completed; this in turn would have you already moving the hips to the right as you began the punch with the left fist. Any thoughts on that, or am I imagining things?

I have thought about the adaptability of the crescent step to uneven terrain, like you would find outside the dojo. I wonder about taking a crescent step and tripping, if the foot was kept close to the ground. Any thoughts there?

Thanks!

 

[Tez3]

Hey Bill,

I'm reading your description of a "crescent step" as one that brings your rear leg in towards your lead leg before continuing on to step past (moving inward first, then outward as it continues forward, creating a "crescent" shape on the ground), would that be correct?

If that is an accurate description, then yes, we in Ninjutsu use that as a basic form of footwork, primarily for balance and adaptability during the step itself. We do a lot of angling footwork, so if you were to simply step directly with your rear leg, you would be off balance during the entire step itself. It is also said to have it's origins in wearing armour, where you cannot afford to be off balance, as falling over in armour is not the safest thing to do.

I have encountered a number of names for it, including Suri Ashi (sliding step) and Sukui Ashi (scooping step), as well as a few others.

If it's as Chris described it's common in Wado too, we knew it as Gyakuzuki. It's seen in the kata Pinan Shodan as well as others. It can be a difficult movement to make at first, it seems 'wrong' but once learnt and put with kicks and punches it's fine. I've never seen it used in sparring however..

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I've never seen it used in sparring however..

I *thought* I had never seen it used in sparring until I mentioned it in my dojo. In fact, I thought that the advanced black belts had largely abandoned it. However, once I asked, it was pointed out to me that the very experienced students take a much shallower crescent step - so slight as to be nearly invisible to the eye if you're not looking for it. But in our black belts, at least, it's there. I began to see it clearly when I noticed how our advanced black belts seem to 'glide' instead of 'step' forward when punching or stepping into a block, etc. That gliding movement is a very slight crescent, but you have to be at the right angle to see that it does curve slightly.

My crescent step is exaggerated by comparison. I suppose it will become less pronounced in time. It certainly did seem 'wrong' at first to me, but we use it for nearly every forward or backward stepping movement.

 

[Chris Parker]

Hey Bill,

Yeah, in our "stealth" methods a very similar (but much slower and far more controlled) step is used to "feel" the ground, stopping you from tripping over anything, or making untoward noise. Bigger, higher-lifting steps leave you open to the possibility of placing your foot on something unexpected, which could be loose, or at a distance (height) that you don't expect, leaving you vulnerable to slipping or tripping. The idea is that by keeping your foot close to the ground you can feel and avoid anything likely to trip you up.

Tez, not to question you, but are you sure about that name (okay, maybe question a little bit....). Gyakuzuki translates as reverse (gyaku) thrust/punch (zuki/tsuki), are you sure it isn't the term given to a punch within the kata which happens to apply this footwork? A Gyakuzuki is typically a stepping punch with your rear hand, so the footwork would make sense there....

 

[rlobrecht]

I was also thinking that it *might* help to generate power, since the slight inward crescent step turns the body ever so slightly, which means it turns the hips slightly too. Supposing a simple reverse punch, a step with the right foot would turn the body slightly to the left and then back again as the step completed; this in turn would have you already moving the hips to the right as you began the punch with the left fist.

Our Sabumnim teaches the same movement, with this as an explanation. For the kids, he calls the movement a banana step, or banana movement.

 

[Haakon]

The Song Moo Kwan Tae Kwon do I first learned in the 80's stepped like that, and from looking at the videos they have today they still teach it. I don't recall it ever being called a crescent or half-moon step, but we definitely moved by bringing the back foot in towards the lead foot, then back out, keeping the head level and always in balance, never falling into the step.

 

[Tez3]

Hey Bill,

Yeah, in our "stealth" methods a very similar (but much slower and far more controlled) step is used to "feel" the ground, stopping you from tripping over anything, or making untoward noise. Bigger, higher-lifting steps leave you open to the possibility of placing your foot on something unexpected, which could be loose, or at a distance (height) that you don't expect, leaving you vulnerable to slipping or tripping. The idea is that by keeping your foot close to the ground you can feel and avoid anything likely to trip you up.

Tez, not to question you, but are you sure about that name (okay, maybe question a little bit....). Gyakuzuki translates as reverse (gyaku) thrust/punch (zuki/tsuki), are you sure it isn't the term given to a punch within the kata which happens to apply this footwork? A Gyakuzuki is typically a stepping punch with your rear hand, so the footwork would make sense there....

Ah now I knew someone would say that lol, yes I'm aware it's a punch but as I said, it was known to us in Wado as Gyakuzuki. In Shingo Ohgami's book 'Introduction to Karate' you will find it on page 167 with pictures.
Here's how he describe the training method.

"1. From a Junzuki stance (left)
2. Sonobade Ippon Totte, Ichi, Move your front foot slightly and have left Gyakuzuki stance. Punch with your right at the same time.
3. One step forward with your right and punch with your left."

He goes on to say repeat several times, Mawatte, Gedan Barai and repeat , then Yame. Have Shizen Hontai. Naore.

It's probably a Wado thing, naming the stance for the punch.

 

[jks9199]

It's one of our fundamental steps. As noted above, it's got balance advantages, it allows you to change the step in progress, and it engages various muscles and body alignments. With more training, it becomes less obvious. (There's strong ties between Bando and Isshin-ryu, FYI.)

It also works well on uneven ground; you can adjust on the fly, so to speak, as you encounter some sort of obstruction. In a dojo or other clear floor, your foot barely leaves the ground in most stepping. I describe it as moving over a floor of ball bearings or slippery ice. But, when you move outside into the real world, your feet may have to move a bit higher, to clear small obstructions. The real key is to be in control of your feet, whatever the surface your on may be.

 

[chrispillertkd]

ITF Taekwon-Do uses a crescent step when moving from very nearly all stances. It is mostly used to to be able to use knee spring when moving without flexing the knee so much that it actually causes the leg muscles to tense (which would impede speed).

The only stance that does not use it is when you are in a rear-foot stance (that is, the dwitbal sogi, not the more common L-stance, or niunja sogi). When moving from a different stance into a rear-foot stance or from a rear-foot stance to another stance you do use a crescent step. When moving and staying in a rear-foot stance, however, you use an outward crescent stepping instead of the inward motion. This allows you to drop the bodies weight to get power even though the rear-foot stance is quite short in comparison to the L-stance or walking stance.

Pax,

Chris

 

[K-man]

Goju also has the step. We move forward, sanchin dachi. Reason for our use is as previously stated to avoid obstacles, especially in the dark, and also to position the foot behind an attacker's foot to facilitate a take down.

 

[dancingalone]

The circle step is prevalent in Okinawan Goju-ryu as well, one of the antecedent parents of Isshin-ryu. I have heard c-stepping, crescent stepping, sanchin walking, hourglass stepping all used to name the same thing. The stance is called sanchin dachi or sometimes hourglass stance.

It's a drill to to learn how to pull the legs tightly through the center line using the inner thigh muscles. This gives you the ability to move in a stable fashion off the front leg also, rather than just pushing off the rear leg as is commonly taught. In Goju, we also begin to learn to root and build stability structure by walking in this fashion, since it helps to teach you to hold in your gut and to roll in your center and down.

Keep in mind this is the drill. Higher level practitioners will eventually evolve to where their c-step movement is less noticeable, even imperceptible, but the usage and posture of the muscles and body frame is still correct. If you are doing this right, you should still be very stable even if someone catches you with one foot still off the ground. The best test to see if someone has really internalized this movement or not is to teach them Naihanchi, even if the kata is outside their style like it would be for a Goju-ryu person. Stand right in front of them as they perform Naihanchi and push slowly but firmly against their abdomen. If they're easy to move back, then they need to work more on their sanchin walking.

 

[Chris Parker]

Ah now I knew someone would say that lol, yes I'm aware it's a punch but as I said, it was known to us in Wado as Gyakuzuki. In Shingo Ohgami's book 'Introduction to Karate' you will find it on page 167 with pictures.
Here's how he describe the training method.

"1. From a Junzuki stance (left)
2. Sonobade Ippon Totte, Ichi, Move your front foot slightly and have left Gyakuzuki stance. Punch with your right at the same time.
3. One step forward with your right and punch with your left."

He goes on to say repeat several times, Mawatte, Gedan Barai and repeat , then Yame. Have Shizen Hontai. Naore.

It's probably a Wado thing, naming the stance for the punch.

Hey Tez,

The way I read that is that Gyakuzuki is used as a term for the stance itself, rather than the step. That would make sense to me, by the way. Doesn't change the details, or use, though!

 

[seasoned]

It's one of our fundamental steps. As noted above, it's got balance advantages, it allows you to change the step in progress, and it engages various muscles and body alignments. With more training, it becomes less obvious. (There's strong ties between Bando and Isshin-ryu, FYI.)

It also works well on uneven ground; you can adjust on the fly, so to speak, as you encounter some sort of obstruction. In a dojo or other clear floor, your foot barely leaves the ground in most stepping. I describe it as moving over a floor of ball bearings or slippery ice. But, when you move outside into the real world, your feet may have to move a bit higher, to clear small obstructions. The real key is to be in control of your feet, whatever the surface your on may be.

Yes, it is taught early on as a means of controlling balance. Also, every step forward implies a kick even if you are not kicking, it is implied. Many movements in kata are exaggerated for the feeling of the move, only to become subtle in actual application.

 

[Stac3y]

We use it. One of our instructors describes it as the "walking through the living room when the lights are out" walk.

 

[chrispillertkd]

Many movements in kata are exaggerated for the feeling of the move, only to become subtle in actual application.

Not to contribute too much to thread drift but how I wish more people realized this (across styles, really).

Pax,

Chris

 

[Yondanchris]

in SKK (Shaolin Kenpo Karate) we use this movement a LOT, all of our forms and most of our combinations (Kempos)
and Defensive Maneuvers are comprised of Half-Moon stance changes. I agree that over time they become more "shallow" and less rigid and tend to flow with the technique.
Although this comes from many years and practice, just as you observed your Half-Moons being more pronounced they will become "polished" and
fluid. The more I study the history of Kenpo the more I find it has commonalities with Okinawan Karate.

My humble and Ignorant .02 cents,

Chris

I *thought* I had never seen it used in sparring until I mentioned it in my dojo. In fact, I thought that the advanced black belts had largely abandoned it. However, once I asked, it was pointed out to me that the very experienced students take a much shallower crescent step - so slight as to be nearly invisible to the eye if you're not looking for it. But in our black belts, at least, it's there. I began to see it clearly when I noticed how our advanced black belts seem to 'glide' instead of 'step' forward when punching or stepping into a block, etc. That gliding movement is a very slight crescent, but you have to be at the right angle to see that it does curve slightly.

My crescent step is exaggerated by comparison. I suppose it will become less pronounced in time. It certainly did seem 'wrong' at first to me, but we use it for nearly every forward or backward stepping movement.

 

[Tez3]

Hey Tez,

The way I read that is that Gyakuzuki is used as a term for the stance itself, rather than the step. That would make sense to me, by the way. Doesn't change the details, or use, though!

No it's the step too because there's no other word for the step lol, seriously we know it as Gyakazuki, the whole thing, stance, step and punch somtimes a kick too then the command is Kette Gyakazuki. This stance is only used with the punch off the back arm, not anything else. Wado has a large range of stances probably more than I've seen in any other style, it has three horse riding stances as well as stances I've seen in CMAs.

I've never used it in TSD or TKD, I suspect it may be a Japanese only thing.

 

[dancingalone]

I *thought* I had never seen it used in sparring until I mentioned it in my dojo. In fact, I thought that the advanced black belts had largely abandoned it. However, once I asked, it was pointed out to me that the very experienced students take a much shallower crescent step - so slight as to be nearly invisible to the eye if you're not looking for it. But in our black belts, at least, it's there. I began to see it clearly when I noticed how our advanced black belts seem to 'glide' instead of 'step' forward when punching or stepping into a block, etc. That gliding movement is a very slight crescent, but you have to be at the right angle to see that it does curve slightly.

My crescent step is exaggerated by comparison. I suppose it will become less pronounced in time. It certainly did seem 'wrong' at first to me, but we use it for nearly every forward or backward stepping movement.

This is probably fairly obvious information, but the tucked pelvic and abdominal positions eventually should stay with you with few exceptions no matter what stance you are in, even if you find yourself in a side stance. In my system, this is the key to being stable and strong.