Help needed with Age Uke

[Highler]

test

Edited October 20, 2005 by Highler

[AngelaG]

Hi,

 

I have been shown the upper block (jodan uke??) but can't really remember how to execute it properly.

 

Sensei showed me about a week or 2 ago but we're on holiday for xmas so i can't ask him and it's really bugging me.

 

From guard position (blocking with my left) i know it is like a circular block, a bit like gedan barai, but i can't remember how thw move starts. Does my left hand come down to my waist then across and up like a circle?? and when you withdraw the left i remember sensei bringing his right over and both arms seemed to cross each other.

 

I don't know if anyone can help with words or if i need shown again, but i've been shown so much it's difficult to remember every move perfectly.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Hiya

 

I am assuming you mean age uk. We do it so that the elbow meet in the middle (so that the arms are almost in a horizontal position halfway though). One arm pulls down to hikite (imagine a head or hand in there); the other hand shoots up and at the last minute the elbow flicks out so that the arm is at 45 degrees above the head. The flick means that you are using technique to execute the block rather than brute strength!

[Highler]

test

Edited October 20, 2005 by Highler

[AngelaG]

Thanks for the reply Angela,

 

Is the arm that pulls down to hikite (what is hikite??) the same one that executes the block? The way you described it sounds like the arm doesn't go right round in a circle but just down (other hand comes across as guard) then back up (arms meet on the way up) and flick the elbow out to block?? Would you not flick the elbow in the way so the arm goes out??

 

Cheers again

 

No the arm that pulls down to hikite is the one that is chambering at the hip. So it would be that one hand "pulls" whilst the other one "pushes".

 

The way we do it is that the hikite hand pulls downards to the hip whilst the age uke arm goes straight up and then flicks out. We do all techniques as two handed movements - one with a hikite whilst the other does the move. The hikite is seen to symbolise as grabbing a body part and pulling in, whilst the other arm strikes!

 

An example can be seen at the beginning Here

[Highler]

I've looked at all those videos, but you do it opposite hands from what i've been trying and i was hitting pause/play pause/play pause/play during it to try and get a slow motion look.

 

Thanks for the clip and i'll keep trying!

[cross]

Kev, im not sure where you got the idea that age uke was circular. Try and imagine punching straight up the center of your body and at the last moment punch out at an angle(the snap that AngelaG talks about.)

 

Some guidelines you should follow are:

 

1. the blocking arm should not be parallel to the ground, rather it needs to be angleing upwards so the fist is heigher than the elbow.(this means a technique coming down towards your head when blocked will slide off the arm rather than hit straight on.)

 

2. If your blocking with your left arm your arm should be positioned so that you are looking "through" the crook of your elbow with your left eye. Obviously this is what you want in kihon but in application it will vary.

[P.A.L]

1. the blocking arm should not be parallel to the ground, rather it needs to be angleing upwards so the fist is heigher than the elbow.(this means a technique coming down towards your head when blocked will slide off the arm rather than hit straight on.)

True but not the main reason, keeping forearm in a angle(like 45) compare to horizontal gives your block more upward power by engaging other series of muscles. You can apply some force with you other hand and see yourself and upward angle goes faster and stronger compare to horizontal forearm, I have seen it in some styles that two hands cross each other in close to 90 degree angle, bad technique.

 

Imagine you are already in right hand age uke, so your left is on your side, both hands come toward your chest and cross each other , your right would be inside and left which is gonna do the block is the outside one, both palm/fist toward your face, this is the start point rest of it was said before.

[KarateHamster]

AngelaG, where did you find that video? I think Kev was a bit confused because the blonde guy executing Age Uke first does something like a sucker punch then blocks. I have never seen Age Uke done this way.

 

Here's an example of Age Uke the way I learned it:

 

http://www.shitoryu.org/skills/blocks/age_uke.htm

 

Cheers

 

KH

[AngelaG]

AngelaG, where did you find that video? I think Kev was a bit confused because the blonde guy executing Age Uke first does something like a sucker punch then blocks. I have never seen Age Uke done this way.

 

Here's an example of Age Uke the way I learned it:

 

http://www.shitoryu.org/skills/blocks/age_uke.htm

 

Cheers

 

KH

The video is mine. The bloke doing the technique is not sucker punching, it's just that we place a lot of emphasis on the hikite hand and making it a 2 handed movement - so he is placing the hikite hand up first. This is how it would be done in line work because the other arm would already be up there from having done the previous age uke. In the application that hand is grabbing my arm and pulling back to hikite whilst the other "breaks" the arm - obviously if he just did the age uke without grabbing my arm all he would be doing is striking my arm up and making me annoyed without actually doing any effective technique.

 

It's done for the sake of form and to let people know that the uke techniques are 2 handed techniques. i.e. there are no pointless moves in training each hand has a job to do. We find that if we don't teach the technique like this people will march up and down the dojo doing "little drummer boy" impressions.

[KarateHamster]

Yes well in Heian Shodan kata the sort of application you mention can be seen. Age Uke - grab - Age Uke = broken bones... we were taught the technique in our dojo as well, just a bit differently. We were shown at least two other applications of Age Uke apart from the one already mentioned.

 

Cheers

 

KH