Chairs

[cathal]

Howdy-ho neighboureenos.

What do you think of using a chair in your classes? What do you use it for and what are your students using them for? For example when I was learning the sensei would show us a technique and the ask us for our own interpretations later on. So have you learned something from your students with the chair?

The other day I certainly did; I was teaching them to block and counter from a seated position and one of the students suggested using the chair to block the attack. We had an excellent discussion on how this could be done with different types of chairs.

I'll be glad to hear your thoughts.

[JusticeZero]

From my post here:

A folding chair - probably the most important piece of training gear I own

I have some ideas in mind, but I am curious as to what you use the folding chair for?

The primary thing that I use it for is as an easily portable intention focus. Without a designated target or partner to keep in range and center one's eyes on, it is easy to let one's focus wander into practising techniques aimed in a relatively random and unfocused manner. A chair is an excellent stand-in for a training partner in this regard. If you aren't looking at the top of the chair, you're doing something wrong!

Furthermore, it is just the right height that you can practice throwing kicks just over the top - the top of a folding chair on a standing person often approximates floating rib level and the level of the upper abdomen; the seat is around knee height.

The legs of the chair are shaped in a handy way to plant foot sweeps on; you can train not just the basic sweep positions, but also deeper hooking and entering techniques by hooking legs other than the closest one presented.

The chair is also a useful aid in stretching, or for things like pushups with raised feet.

One can tumble over or off of one to train breakfalling techniques.

Lastly, while not the most inspiring tool for this purpose, it can be used as a light unbalanced weight to practice lifting and manipulating far from one's center in the more exotic body positions when trying to develop familiarity.

Hope some of that helps!

[tallgeese]

I like using them from time to time for specific sd work.

Starting movements from being attacked in a chair is helpful. As is having one for drilling live weapons defenses. It's a good idea to get the feel for how to use one to fend off a knife wielder in practice so it's not a foreign in concept or practice if you ever need to.

Additionally, if you carry weapons, I'd get used to presenting from a chair. Both in regards to standing and presenting from seated. I stole this from my time on the range staff. We'd do drills from time to time presenting and shooting from a chair to simulate being caught in that situation when presented with a deadly force situation.

[Prostar]

They taught us to use a chair from my earliest days as a student. The instructor placed a chair close (too close for my thinking) to my foot. I was then supposed to do a side kick over it.

I only kicked the chair across the room a few times before I got the hang of bringing my knee up.

I also used chairs in a lesson entitled "Stuff". In that class I threw all kinds of stuff out onto the floor and told the sparring students that the world is full of stuff. How do you use it? They had a blast.

[bushido_man96]

They taught us to use a chair from my earliest days as a student. The instructor placed a chair close (too close for my thinking) to my foot. I was then supposed to do a side kick over it.

I only kicked the chair across the room a few times before I got the hang of bringing my knee up.

I've been on both ends of this one, as a student and an instructor. A very good drill for chambering and re-chambering.

[Montana]

Ah..the simple chair. Such a marvelous martial art weapon.

We have several folding chairs in our dojo that we use for various training situations. ie:

1. Defender sits in the chair and attacker comes from behind and tries to choke them. Defender grabs attackers arm and while still seated moves his feet back a bit and bends forward...it throws the attacker right over the defenders shoulder and on to his head..right in front of you for easy "mop up"...

2. As has been said before, blocking and striking with the feet, legs, arms and hands are also taught while seated.

3. We also will set 3-5 chairs around the sparring area and fight around them..teaching the usefullness of obsticals in your way and how to avoid them, and how to use them to your advantage.

4. Oh yeah, we also can use the chairs as a self-defense weapon for blocking, "jabbing", or as a distraction.