Shower thoughts on daito ryu footwork

[O'Malley]

Hi peeps,

Lately, I've been thinking a bit about the two short videos below and I wanted to hear what you guys think. I have done those drills as a warmup in my aikido career but the concepts were never really discussed.

Some thoughts:

- the actual footwork is simplistic and would need to be complemented by actual mobility drills to be remotely applicable (in aikido this could be done through multiple attackers drills) and the "do not bend backwards" part is just common sense. The distance is also not appropriate for empty-handed striking. Ah also I don't like the rote rythm of the sword drill, which can develop bad habits;
- it may be good to deal with strong frontal attacks such as sumo charges, lunges and jump kicks:

- the most intriguing part to me is the discussion about body structure: upper body goes up, lower body goes down. This has several consequences: 1) one maintains balance; 2) it puts the whole bodyweight behind the step, which generates power; 3) it creates isometric tension within the body to help transfer power; 4) the shoulders follow the hips (and ideally the elbows should follow the knees, the hands should follow the feet);
- when he talks about "vanishing", I think he means that, by transporting and pivoting the hips while maintaining the "straight" structure mentioned above, one can quickly move and reduce the target area with less "lag" than with a normal step. I think it's interesting but I would need to test it more.

Does any of this make sense? Any thoughts based on your own experience?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

All 3 videos show the "wheeling step" that you move one foot, you then spin the other foot behind (or hop both feet at the same time) and move yourself out of your opponent's attacking path.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Hi peeps,

Lately, I've been thinking a bit about the two short videos below and I wanted to hear what you guys think. I have done those drills as a warmup in my aikido career but the concepts were never really discussed.

Some thoughts:

- the actual footwork is simplistic and would need to be complemented by actual mobility drills to be remotely applicable (in aikido this could be done through multiple attackers drills) and the "do not bend backwards" part is just common sense. The distance is also not appropriate for empty-handed striking. Ah also I don't like the rote rythm of the sword drill, which can develop bad habits;
- it may be good to deal with strong frontal attacks such as sumo charges, lunges and jump kicks:

- the most intriguing part to me is the discussion about body structure: upper body goes up, lower body goes down. This has several consequences: 1) one maintains balance; 2) it puts the whole bodyweight behind the step, which generates power; 3) it creates isometric tension within the body to help transfer power; 4) the shoulders follow the hips (and ideally the elbows should follow the knees, the hands should follow the feet);
- when he talks about "vanishing", I think he means that, by transporting and pivoting the hips while maintaining the "straight" structure mentioned above, one can quickly move and reduce the target area with less "lag" than with a normal step. I think it's interesting but I would need to test it more.

Does any of this make sense? Any thoughts based on your own experience?

It's a slip and roll, but I love the way the Japanese explain it in their own language. Like Miyagi said, "best defense: no be there".

This is one of the most personal maneuvers in MA, being able to control your body, which is why watching lightweights slip is totally different than watching heavyweights. The bigger they are, the harder it gets.

That's why seeing a sumo wrestler slip a shoot is something else. Remember the last time you had to suddenly move 400lbs to the side? Me neither.

 

[O'Malley]

All 3 videos show the "wheeling step" that you move one foot, you then spin the other foot behind (or hop both feet at the same time) and move yourself out of your opponent's attacking path.

Do you use it in shuai jiao? I'm curious as to how you'd apply it in sparring.

It's a slip and roll, but I love the way the Japanese explain it in their own language. Like Miyagi said, "best defense: no be there".

This is one of the most personal maneuvers in MA, being able to control your body, which is why watching lightweights slip is totally different than watching heavyweights. The bigger they are, the harder it gets.

That's why seeing a sumo wrestler slip a shoot is something else. Remember the last time you had to suddenly move 400lbs to the side? Me neither.

View attachment 29989

The goal is the same but I think there's some nuance though. The "roll" implies a torsion of the upper body to cover one's face behind the inner shoulder while the hips remain relatively static. The DR version in the original post is not based on torso rotation but on hip rotation, which the teacher argues reduces the target completely and immediately.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Do you use it in shuai jiao? I'm curious as to how you'd apply it in sparring.

In SC, you use the wheeling step to spin your opponent. When your opponent

- resists (doesn't spin with you), you attack his leg that's closer to you.
- yields (spins with you), you attack his forward stepping leg.