Muchimidi

[Wastelander]

This Okinawan martial concept can be translated as "sticky hands," "heavy hands," or "springy hands," depending on the context, which makes it a little difficult to pin down for those who aren't familiar, but it's based of of mochi--a pounded rice foodstuff that is somehow all three things at once. I'm curious as to how many of you incorporate muchimidi into your training, and how you do it?

If you practice muchimidi, do you use any specific drills, exercises, or training tools? Is it just part of your kata application? I'd love to know!

To give some examples from my own training:

Solo drills using a kakiya/kakete-biki -

Muchimidi as part of a lock flow drill -

Partner drills based on kihon -

[aurik]

We don't practice it by itself, but we are taught the concept in conjunction with other drills. For example, one of our kotekitae drills involves stepping back as the opponent performs a chest-level seiken-tsuki. We step back with a chudan barai uke with the same-side hand, we then reach under the arm to do a circular block, and then the same side hand performs a shuto-uchi on the partner's forearm. When we do this drill, we are expected to remain in contact with our opponent as we transfer the partner's arm between hands.

Likewise, as we become advanced students, when we do two-person drills, we're expected to maintain contact with our partner and use that contact to respond to their actions. For example, the first attack in the drill is a seiken-tsuki, which the defender blocks with a wa-uke. The defender will then respond with a sokuto-geri (side kick). As the defender begins to disengage in order to deliver the sokuto-geri, the attacker is supposed to sense that, and slide-step back to perform a gedan-barai-uke to defend against that kick. The drill continues along these lines, with each partner responding as they sense their partner moving to the next segment.

[Zaine]

It's something that I have been thinking a lot about recently, especially in terms of Bunkai. I watched a tiktok of yours talking about Muchimidi in Naihanchi and it got me thinking about all the ways in which bunkai from other kata employ the concept.

[sensei8]

If you practice muchimidi, do you use any specific drills, exercises, or training tools? Is it just part of your kata application? I'd love to know!

This concept is dear and close to the heart of any Okinawan Karate styles. Having said that, it's not Okinawan Karate specific because Goju and Shorin as well train their versions of muchimidi.

Within Shindokan, and our devotion to grappling and close combat as our staple of getting behind our opponent at every possible opportunity. Muchimidi is vitally important to any Shindoan practitioner as for the reasons I've just mentioned.

The videos you've shared, Noah, and I thank you for them, are very familiar drills for us in Shindokan. We train in muchimidi but not just for Kata applications, but for any core training because every part of the body is used effectively at one time or another.

Trapping IS how we get behind our opponent and one of our most favorite drills is our two-man belt wrap drill. If you've ever seen a Jackie Chan movie, then how he would tie up his opponents limbs is exactly what we drill in. then we drop the belt and duplicate said movements. It's a slow buildup and then it explodes. is about how I can describe muchimidi, at least that's how we approach it.

We don't want to lose contact with our opponent, inasmuch, we don't want to create much empty space between me and my opponent. Hard to get behind my opponent if empty space isn't controlled, otherwise, I might as well not even try to get behind.

[DarthPenguin]

We don't practice it but reading your post has made me think how useful it would be. It immediately reminds me of how you feel your opponent when grappling and how that is so important. Often, you execute techniques based on feel rather than what you see and this strikes me as the same thing.

I think i need to look into it some more!

[KarateKen]

This is the first I have heard of it.

[Wastelander]

This is the first I have heard of it.

With this being your introduction, what do you think? Something you'd like to explore more, or not your cup of tea? Do you have questions about it?

[KarateKen]

This is the first I have heard of it.

With this being your introduction, what do you think? Something you'd like to explore more, or not your cup of tea? Do you have questions about it?

Looks like it has practical applications. Seems kind of interesting, based on what little I know I would likely enjoy trying it.

[Wastelander]

This is the first I have heard of it.

With this being your introduction, what do you think? Something you'd like to explore more, or not your cup of tea? Do you have questions about it?

Looks like it has practical applications. Seems kind of interesting, based on what little I know I would likely enjoy trying it.

I certainly encourage you to start playing with it, and I'd be curious to see how you feel as you develop that skill.