Shuto uke Kokutsu dachi bunkai help

[goedikey]

Hello,

 

I am green belt shotokan and am questionning the shuto/kokutsu advancing block. There is something missing in the way I do this move because it is very lame. In fact, most people ive seen doing it in either kata or kihon dont seem to have it properly. yeah it looks fast but theres am spirit missing.

 

I wonder if there isnt a hidden attack application that I am not aware of with this move.

 

Like the mighty gendai barai, once I learned that it was also an attack and the pulling hand could be used to pull an arm, the feel was completely different, Only then, I could coordinate and use my torso muscles and hip rotation and back leg for a very powerful attack.

 

I want to know about the same things in shuto uke kokutsu dachi because I am wasting my energy making it look good without proper spirit.

 

My finding so far for it is :

 

counter rotation of waist/ back leg during forward advance gives power

 

hitting with side of body first give shuto more power

 

pulling hand used for grabbing brings power to shuto

 

proper alighment of palm to ears and falling energy gives power

 

Any help appreciated !

[cathal]

Not sure if you're with JKA-WF or not, but with us we don't place the palm to our ears anymore. It was determined the shoulders are raised to far, and just getting it to your shoulder rather than the ear was sufficient for power/greater speed.

 

I find that flexing your Latissimus Dorsi on the landing of the blow/block will provide much more power and stability (as with the Upper/Rising Block). You can strengthen this muscle using isometrics or weights, or practice with a teammate by facing your partner and both doing the block against one another for 10-15 seconds and working that up to 60 second intervals.

[Red Triangle student]

The key is to have your body square when you are travelling and then to twist onto a 45 degree when you land. The move should be treated as if you are blocking somebody.

[EvilTed]

Not sure how you would use shuto to attack in Kokutso Dachi unless in a counter?

 

In our style all blocks are both offensive and defensive.

 

As you have found with gedan bari - shuto makes a very effective weapon to strike or push the collar bone area.

 

Osu!

 

ET

[cathal]

Shuto is also effective as a strike ot the jaw. In fact when you do the bunkai fo Heian Shodan and Heian Nidan, etc. you notice that on the second shuto you're striking in the collar bone or neck region depending upon the height of the attacker.

[goedikey]

Thanks everyone for your replies !

 

Its been somewhat helpful for my reflections...

 

 

Shuto is also effective as a strike ot the jaw. In fact when you do the bunkai fo Heian Shodan and Heian Nidan, etc. you notice that on the second shuto you're striking in the collar bone or neck region depending upon the height of the attacker.

 

No, I didnt realize this. Thats the kind of info I am looking for..

 

Is the hikite as important as in other moves ? Why am I in backstance ?

[cathal]

Yes in a way, you can be grabbing their forward arm and brining them closer, so that your strike will land. You are in backstance still because it is a very stable stance for the hikite in this sense, and the counterattack is also strong.

[telsun]

It is most refreshing to see someone questioning the way that techniques are performed. It is with this kind of questioning that you will gain a depth of understanding rather just a superficial movement.

 

Cathal you are right to say about the lats, I would just like to elaborate by saying that your shoulders have to be down to access them.

 

I do not do Shotokan but did do it for a number of years. I always liked Shuto uke, it feels good doing it. Anyway having studied Goju for a fair few years now I can look back on my Shotokan years with a different insight.

 

I fail to see how moving your body away from a technique can actually make it stronger. For a technique to be strong it requires the body weight to be behind it. I have experimented with this and found that by starting the hips open as I raise my hand and then closing them as I strike I can generate much more power.

 

The hand upto the ear was probably an exagerated move to aid teaching. From the shoulder or chest is more than adequate. Some may say that it is to protect the head from a strike, etc, but this is quite fanciful. All it will do is cushion the blow of a strike, although that strike may still knock you out!!

 

Good question as to why it is generally performed in kokutsu dachi. This is off the cuff and completely made up, but give it a try and let me know......

 

Get a partner to punch chudan with his right hand. Block his punch with your right (this is the hand being withdrawn ready for the strike, so pull back to you ear/ chest, whatever, blocking on the way) as you do so strike to the throat with a nukite strike with your left hand (the position you're in now should resemble the mid point of shuto uke). As you pull your left hand back grab your opponents lapel and pull him in towards you, using back stance will aid your pulling power. As you pull him in strike with your right in the normal shuto method (use the knife hand or forearm). Post here so I know if it works

 

Also someone once told me that techniques were sometimes practiced looking the wrong way so that spies would not know their training methods. With this in mind try this........

 

Get your opponent to grab your shoulder from behind (say your left shoulder). Reach up with your right hand and grab his wrist, whilst extending your left hand forward (halfway point of shuto uke). Now all together drop in towards your opponent using back stance, extend your right arm forward and strike with your left elbow. Post here so I know if it works

 

Both the above examples make good use of the reverse hip movement.

 

Just a few ideas. Like I say I stopped training Shotokan a long time ago and as far as I know these applications would not be taught in a Shotokan class, though I could be wrong

 

Oh to make it look nice; relax and tense on the end

[cathal]

I have done this already with my Sensei, these are both effective techniques and we've used the latter technique in a demonstration a while back.

 

Well, I've moved into Sanchin-dachi from this while performing a counter and been able to retain my balance and effectiveness. But in my previous post I didn't mean to "move away from" back stance, sorry for the confusion.

[telsun]

I have done this already with my Sensei, these are both effective techniques and we've used the latter technique in a demonstration a while back.

 

It does work then Goes to show that our chosen styles do not seperate us......unless we let them