My Top 10 Applications for Nami-Gaeshi

[bushido_man96]

Nice video, Wastelander. Thanks for sharing those. Some nice applications there.

[guird]

the foot sweeps and steps make more sense to me than the knees and the kicks. The movement you demonstrated at the start did not show the mechanics of a kick or knee. I also liked the block to a low kick application, not enough dojos recognise this application and its importance. Though I would have used it against an inside leg kick rather than outside. I used to try to use a similar movement to avoid outside leg kicks and got knocked off balance one too many times.

good video, thanks for the contribution. I'm definitely going to see if I can work some more foot sweeps into my game. I might use your video to help.

[Wastelander]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! Of course, only so much can be shown in a video, so a lot of details and nuances will be missed. I'm glad it's helpful, though!

guird - In our style, a lot of applications are implied, and the knees and kicks here are examples of this. Those applications are most definitely historical applications for nami-gaeshi, but the mechanics are slightly different than the movement in kata. For this reason, the movement in kata can actually be done differently depending on the application.

[DaveB]

What about learning where your centre of mass is and therefore being able to move around it or suspend it with the minimum of movement - thus allowing a more immediate counter.

As I understand it, this is what nami gaeshi implies in most classical forms of Japanese budo.

K.

The only problem with this is that the kata are Chinese, not Japaneseand the OOkinawans studied them under Chinese teachers.

With the possible exception of taichi I don't think I've ever heard similar technique explanations in CMA.

That said, I totally agree that solo performance of kata is about concrete training, be it speed, flow, technique or balance.

Another consideration when you look at the context of the movement is winding up for a powerful body shift to the side, thus adding power to the associated hand techniques but holding your stance so you don't over-commit your weight and leave yourself open.

[Kusotare]

What about learning where your centre of mass is and therefore being able to move around it or suspend it with the minimum of movement - thus allowing a more immediate counter.

As I understand it, this is what nami gaeshi implies in most classical forms of Japanese budo.

K.

The only problem with this is that the kata are Chinese, not Japaneseand the OOkinawans studied them under Chinese teachers.

With the possible exception of taichi I don't think I've ever heard similar technique explanations in CMA.

I'm no expert in CMA but as I understand it, a big chunk of traditional Japanese systems (or at least the techniques found within them), were heavily influenced by Chinese martial arts.

Nami-geashi may be a Japanese word / phrase but the principle is in no way unique to Japanese martial systems.

In essence its about training ones core strength.

K.

[sensei8]

...we teach our students that the primary basic concepts it helps develop are tanden and gamaku. Once they have developed those to some degree, then we combine them with developing the next concept, tenshin (body positioning/movement).

To my way of thinking, these are the absolute reasons why this kata was described by Otsuka sensei as - "very deep"!

Great to try to find applications like this and, I mean no disrespect when I say this - but don't overlook the core reasons to practice the Kata in solo form.

Kata is kata - fighting is fighting.

K.

Yes, absolutely... Great response, K.

I concur, all the way around!!