Tai Sabaki

[Hart]

so when practicing evasion techniques, do you simply hop out of the way or side-step?

[vashogun]

Well just as there are many hand techniques and many foot techniques there are many different tai sabaki techniques. There are many ways to practice. Some of it is just bobbing and weaving like in boxing and sometimes it's more of a side step. I remember one instance of being taught how to step out of a punch and pull the target in position for a strike to the kidney. You kind of try all of them. The ones that work for you will stick and be the ones you use, not so different from techniques.

I mean, you will practice your hardest to learn a spinning back kick in class but if you don't feel confident about it yet your likely not going to use it in a combative situation, or even in sparing thats at all competitive and not just meant to experiment with new things. It works the same way with Tai Sabaki

[bushido_man96]

generally it is to avoid being hit AND placing us in a posative position to hit or whatever (often same time) whilst reducing the attackers options for their 2nd attack.

I agree with your explanation here. That is how I prefer to set it up. When we practice it, it is usually with a side step or some other footwork involved. We try to make the footwork controlled, so that we can stay within distance to deliver a follow-up attack.

[Fish]

Tai sabaki means "hip evasion" or something like that. It's an integral part of Wado Ryu. We use it offensively: for example, Nagasha Tsuki punch, which involves lunging forward with a forward punch, but twisting the hip (and thus the rest o the body) just before punching so that the body ends up sideways on to the opponent at the moment of impact. The idea is that the opponent punches straight forward, but you evade the punch by twisting sideways, and at the same time punch him.

[vashogun]

I like that technique. In Isshinryu that was not stressed as much as some other things we learned in Tai Sabaki but it is very Krav Maga esque.

[Zanshin]

Although I think we are all talking about the same thing, strictly speaking "Tai-Sabiki" means "body shift" or, in the case being described, to move your "chu-sen" (the centre line of your body) away from your opponent’s attack.

It’s not quite the same as a hip twist or a dodge to avoid an attack as it does not have the same "intent".

Whilst it can be used as a movement away from an attack it should be more accurately used as a simultaneous "take" and "receive" movement (sen-no-sen).

IE. Attacker moves forward to hit you in face, at same time, you also move your body weight into an attack but equally, take your body out of the opponents line of attack.

The combined affect is landing a technique with good timing with your weight behind it (and your opponents).

This is a classic Budo principle of using an opponents force against them

Easy to talk about but in reality very difficult to do.

[strangepair03]

IE. Attacker moves forward to hit you in face, at same time, you also move your body weight into an attack but equally, take your body out of the opponents line of attack.

Right, I was trying to think of a good way to put this.....Tai Sabaki is not just side to side or backward (heaven forbid) movement. It is more important to move off the center line and INTO your oppponent so you can begin immediate destruction.

[Fish]

That's precisely the concept I was trying to convey.

[Zanshin]

Tai-sabaki is also used to generate additional power, by adding further inertia into the technique, such as dropping or falling into a move for example.

[Zanshin]

Although thinking about it, dropping is more specifically "Tai-Otoshi"

Both create inertia however.