Hi,
interesting thread.
The Professor taught Tapi-Tapi in a very systematical manner here in Germany.
He started off with right to right and only at the 2nd or 3dr seminar he starded to teach the left to right. Taking that into account, it is of course nonsense, that only the right hand is driving, as you call it. We call it leading or dominating.
It is of course nice for practice, that you change the driver during the drill, at least for getting both into the exercise, but I disagree, that it really is the idea of the Tapi-Tapi. Just to back this up: Did anybody see, that somebody ever tried or even took the lead of Remy during the Tapi-Tapi? He was always very much in control during the drill. Everybody who ever did it with him knows. I think for him it was about how to control the opponent. If you agree on that, it does not make sense, that you change the driver during the drill, because you are being controlled then.
So we try to execute the techniquews in a way, that you don´t give your partner the chance to take the lead, i.e. we try to dominate him, so he can only follow.
I try to give the following picture: When you are leading, you lead your partner into a room. When you disarm him or make a takedown, so that the Tapi cannot be continued, the room has no doors. But you want the drill to continue, so you give him one possiblility, how he can react to your moove. You open ONE door for him to get out of the room. If there is only one door, you know, which room is the next. This means, that you know which technique he will use as a counter and there you have him in the next room, where you will give him again only one sensible possible answer to your technique.
When you give him many possiblities, i.e. different doors to get to another room, he can choose which one he will take. Then it is much more difficult if not impossible, to keep up the domination.
This of course is the aim and there are other possibilities to practice the Tapi-Tapi, but that is our premium goal.
For anybody who is interested: I have produced a video about the Tapi-Tapi.
Over 90 minutes only Tapi-Tapi, whith many techniques right to right and left to right. I am sure, very interesting and informing for all serious Modern Arnis practitioners who are interested in the Tapi-Tapi.
I can deliver it in german and english, PAL (European TV System) as well as in in NTSC (amercan TV system), so vou can watch and understand it, wherever you live.
If you are interested, just go to my homepage:
http://www.abanico.de
then to the english pages and then click on the Modern Arnis button at the left side. There you can read more about the Tapi-Tapi video, see the cover and all the other Modern Arnis videos I have produced.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me either here through the forum or at
datu@modern-arnis.de
Best regards from Germany
Datu Dieter Knüttel