Crib-collection

[JL.]

Gassho!

It is always hard to explain a technique online. But what can be rather easily conveyed through words alone are cribs / mnemonic hooks. And I for one usually find those highly helpful.
Therefore this thread is dedicated to collecting all those little helpers, especially for beginning students, but it certainly shouldn't stop there.

I'll go first with my favourite technique:

• Me uchi is like shaking water from one's hands. I. e. relaxed fingers and wrists; quick shake-out and pull-back of the hand.

Kesshu,
______ Jan.

[Kari MakiKuutti]

If you relax your fingers totally you might (easily?) poke the opponent in the eye with a finger.
To avoid this some control is needed, I believe -> there is a form to me uchi in addition to the relaxation.

[JL.]

Gassho!

Hmm, on first thought I'd say that's more a question of Ma-ai (distance) than relaxation: I aim to strike far enough that it's not the tip of the finger that hits the face but all of the first (maybe even second) limb of the finger.
Anyway, I'd suggest that if this requires more discussion we have it moved to another thread and, if deemed necessary, ask one of the moderators to put an adequate addendum into my first post.

Kesshu,
______ Jan.

[luar]

Uwa Uke is showing your opponent your armpit.

[luar]

[*]Me uchi is like shaking water from one's hands. I. e. relaxed fingers and wrists; quick shake-out and pull-back of the hand.[/list]

As the men's room at work is always out of towels, I pretty much do this already

[JL.]

Gassho!

From Raul-san, just to make the thread easier to browse:

• Uwa Uke is showing your opponent your armpit.

I really like this one! The only hitch I see is, that it doesn't say anything about turning the hand in to block with the muscle.

Kesshu,
______ Jan.

[luar]

Gassho!

From Raul-san, just to make the thread easier to browse:

• Uwa Uke is showing your opponent your armpit.

I really like this one! The only hitch I see is, that it doesn't say anything about turning the hand in to block with the muscle.

I'm sure the smell alone will be enough to take out your opponent

[Ewok]

BTW, in what way is Kiri nuki like picking up a phone? Yori nuki we usually explain as picking dust/... from one's own shoulder.

My bad, I think it was soto-uke which was like picking up a phone

[JL.]

Gassho!

My bad, I think it was soto-uke which was like picking up a phone

I think, that was in another thread and now I have the choice between Kiri, Yori, and Soto uke for the phone – but I think the last one makes the most sense, so here goes (and some more):

• Soto uke is like picking up a phone.
  .
• Uchi uke is like making a window frame which one's looking through. I. e. right angles between upper arm, lower arm, and hand.

Kesshu,
______ Jan.

[Ewok]

Ah, thats the other one. Uchi-uke is like pushing a sliding door open (the Japanese way..).

I'll find where I saw these and post it in here. It might have been the Shorinji magazine.

[satsukikorin]

I'm not sure I like soto-uke being like picking up a phone in that it would suggest that your fist stops near your ear. That wouldn't let you protect your whole head. On the other hand, if it's just mnemonics we're talking about, maybe it works.

In our branch (and maybe elsewhere) uchi-uke sometimes is described as "pizza and a beer" (as in carrying said items on a tray above a crowd).

[Tripitaka of AA]

The problem with "cribs and mnemonic hooks" is that they are something else.

Uwa Uke is not showing your armpit, not asking the teacher to be excused, nor a midget reaching for the light-switch... or any other pretty visual cue to aid memory. Uwa-uke is Uwa-uke, and what you need to think of when you hear the words is... an Uwa-uke. If you always associate the words with some other action, then you will run the risk of adding your own flavour of that other action, instead of doing the movement that the words imply. I don't answer the telephone like other people, I don't fry eggs with open hand or punch with a key in my hand.

But as you guys are all actively training... and I'm not... I'll just go away now

[luar]

The problem with "cribs and mnemonic hooks" is that they are something else.

Uwa Uke is not showing your armpit, not asking the teacher to be excused, nor a midget reaching for the light-switch... or any other pretty visual cue to aid memory. Uwa-uke is Uwa-uke, and what you need to think of when you hear the words is... an Uwa-uke. If you always associate the words with some other action, then you will run the risk of adding your own flavour of that other action, instead of doing the movement that the words imply. I don't answer the telephone like other people, I don't fry eggs with open hand or punch with a key in my hand.

But as you guys are all actively training... and I'm not... I'll just go away now

Metaphors and analogies have always been nothing more than visual tools and exercises. They are natural ways of learning and can never be 100% accurate. Once the technique has been internalized, such references disappear (i.e. Su Ha Ri).

For most people, learning a martial art is an intimidating and/or intimidating process. There is a lot to digest here and its not hard for a student to become completed "blocked" in their learning.

The main reason I came up with the idea for Uwa Uke was because the most common mistake I've seen (and gone through myself) is simply raising the arm without twisting the body when you are in a Kaisoku. For a learning student, you are asking them to be conscious of synchronizing more than one movement. I like to think that my analogy "accidently" gets you to combine several movements into one.

[Ewok]

Most of these work real well with 10 year old children

[luar]

I was just thinking but what is the literal english translation for Kiri Gote/Nuki?