Jodan Waza

Don’t try this at home... (cont. from blog)

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:27:10 -0800

Over the last six months I have been working on my striking speed. I’ve been able to develop a very quick debana men, but I’ve also been feeling some strain in my left shoulder, right at the bottom of the deltoid muscle. This has had me worrying about damage to the rotator cuff. Of course, it all leads back to this problem with my flapping left hand.

What looks like my hand being completely open and useless, is actually the beginning of an overspeed attack. While it appears that my hand is open and not holding the shinai at all, the tsuka is actually gripped between my thumb and the main joint of my index finger.

From here I push the shinai forward in a straight line along its axis, almost like I’m throwing it. About half way through this motion I close my hand strongly, starting with the ring and pinky fingers. This begins the rotation of the shinai. At the end of my extension, I snap downward slightly and stop the forward motion of the tsuka. This abrupt stop combined with the rotation of the shinai creates an acceleration of the shinai at the tip. The whole package creates a very fast, snappy strike. But at what cost? After practicing with it for a while, I found out…

Keeping my hand open and only gripping with the thumb and side of the first finger takes any tension away from my arms. Problem number one… no tension, no seme.

Having no tension in my arm and trying to go from zero to sixty in 0 seconds, the sudden stop at the end of the extension, and the impact from the strike, all lead to a great deal of pull to the area at the base of my deltoid. Problem number two… no tension, danger to the tendons.

Problem 2.5… look stupid in front of every Sensei in the building.

Going back over the technique with my hand closed properly and using proper tenouchi, there was a certain amount of ambient tension in my forearm and bicep, as well as my shoulder that was not there before. This allowed me to have better seme, and the transfer of tension from one muscle group to another protected my tendons from sudden shock.

Overall, I lost some speed in the strike, but I think this will be more than made up in better seme and a superior finish to the strike.

So, what lessons should you take away from this?

First, if you are experiencing pain from a source other than an impact provided by an opponent you are probably doing something wrong. Go back to basics, and if you can, video tape yourself so you can see what’s going. If you don’t have that capability, ask others at your dojo to watch you and see if they can pick out the problem.

Second, do what your Sensei tells you and don’t try to make up weird shit. After practicing for so long trying to speed up my strike, it’s going to take me quite a bit of un-learning to get rid of this habit. But I’ll work hard and get it in the long run.

Short People...

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:15:24 -0700

Being over six feet tall, I get to fight a lot of people who are shorter than I am. I’ve noticed that with some people (especially where the height difference is significant) I have an easier time hitting men than I do with others. In fact, I am able to hit men almost at will with these people. At keiko this week I was able to identify what makes this possible. It may seem obvious, but I had not thought to take notice and observe this phenomenon in the past (I was just happy to be hitting men).
The difference is in the position of the opponent’s shinai tip relative to the top of their head. It’s something I can see from my point of view, but I’m not sure that those who are shorter than me are aware of it. If, from my point of view, the opponent’s shinai tip is below the plane of their head, I can get my left hand past or above their shinai tip fast enough that they cannot mount an effective defense against men.
On the other hand, those kenshi that keep their shinai tip above their head relative to my plane of vision were able to defend against my katate men strike far more often. This, however, leaves their kote vulnerable.
This led to more observations… I started looking at the shinai position relative to the men on taller opponents as well. Sure enough, the same rule applies. If you can see their men as being above the shinai tip, then men is a high percentage target. If their men appears below their shinai tip, the percentage drops sharply.
So, how do you take advantage of this? First, observe it for yourself. See if my observations are consistent with your experiences in fighting a variety of opponents. Next, get your opponent’s shinai tip lower.
One way to accomplish this might be to lower your own kamae slightly. Bring it down a little and see if their tip follows to cover your kote. If it does, watch for opening and hit men quickly.
Another way is to work on the kote. If you strike at the kote several times, they may forget about defending the men, and bring their tip down to defend the kote. Watch for the opportunity!
Be cautious with those kenshi who play with their tip up or down, but keep moving it. They may be craftier than you think. They could be playing with timing or maai. If they catch you in their timing, they might be able hit you while you are adjusting, or use nuki waza against you.
So, what does this mean for you chudan players? Be aware of your shinai tip. Keep it low and hold very still. There’s nothing jodan players like better than an open target.

Things to Remember...

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:48:36 -0700

Recently a friend let me know that he had decided to start practicing jodan. I was very happy for him, as I believe he will be successful with this kamae. I started thinking of all the things I was told when I started with jodan. Here are a few pieces of advice for anyone starting out in jodan.
• Until others get used to the idea that you are going to be fighting in jodan, be polite and ask permission to use it, especially when practicing with higher ranking sempai, or if you are not at your own dojo. Also be careful and don’t use this kamae on children or very new beginners. Once you have established yourself as a jodan player, you should be ok to use it openly.
• It may be tempting to try a lot of different waza from jodan. In the beginning, just stick to men. Yes, people will learn to block it, but you need to learn to overcome that. Kote, and other waza take a great deal of technique and control. If you do it poorly, it can be very painful to your partners and before long people will not want to keiko with you.
• There are a lot of modifications that can be made to the hands in jodan-no-kamae to improve power, speed, etc. Resist the urge initially and stick to the basic… you already know how to do it if you’ve been uchidachi in ipponme from the Nihon Kendo Kata.
• A great way to condition yourself for moving in jodan is to continue practicing all your regular chudan waza (especially during kihon) but with your feet reversed. Remember, footwork comes first, and jodan is no exception. Remember the blisters you used to get on your left foot… expect them on your right foot.
• Suburi can be useful in loosening up your shoulders and strengthening your arm, but for jodan players there is a complication. To avoid wrist injuries, a large portion of the energy we would put into one armed suburi is taken up with slowing the shinai down. You can supplement suburi training with a hitting dummy. This gives you something to aim at and hit, and allows you to work on tenouchi as well. This is especially helpful in learning kote.
• One piece of advice that is given to many people starting in jodan is to “look down” upon your opponent… see them as smaller, and weaker than you are. This is meant to fire your confidence. If you are tall though, avoid actually looking down on your opponent. Keep your back straight and your posture tall but stable. Looking down too much can cause you to slouch, lean forward, and reach out too much with the arms when you strike. Just like in chudan, you must attack with the whole body and drive your hips in.
• Seme is incredibly important in jodan. If you can’t inspire doubt, fear or confusion they will not believe your kamae is a threat. Understanding seme thoroughly from chudan and knowing how to create opportunities will help your jodan greatly. Remember, your jodan needs to have “teeth” or it will not be successful.
• Video can be a key component to any training and jodan is no exception. If you own a video camera, or can borrow one, set it up on a tripod or get someone to help and film a practice session. A third person view can help you identify issues that you normally would not be able to see. Also, watch as many videos of other jodan kenshi. There are plenty to be found on places like YouTube.
• Once you start practicing jodan, many people will offer you advice, instruction and their opinions. This will come in both positive and negative formats. Jodan is a very personal journey and not everyone does it exactly the same. Take all the advice you can get, try all of it in earnest, and take what works for you. Remember, this is YOUR kendo. In the end only you are responsible for the outcome.

Good luck Dave, and anyone else making their first steps on this path!

Court Control

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:53:52 -0700

Obviously, when the Shushin calls “Hajime” your full attention should be on your opponent. There are several factors, however, that need to be addressed in terms of controlling the match effectively from a jodan point of view. Time, the structure of the court, and the four other people in the court with you can play crucial roles in determining your victory. Since a dominating spirit, aggression, and control are all hallmarks of playing jodan, you must use these elements to your advantage or risk having them used against you.
Time
Don’t rush your match. Three or four minutes can seem like a lifetime on the court, but avoid the urge to mow your opponent down immediately, unless the proper opportunity presents itself. This is a particularly difficult issue for me as I want to be in and out of that court in less than 30 seconds. Study your opponent carefully, learn what he’s up to, and above all do your best to frustrate and intimidate. Remember, there’s plenty of time to score in encho, and you only need one point once you’re there. If you go into the match thinking about scoring in encho, you will be less likely to be disturbed once time is up. This can lead your opponent to making mistakes and giving you the opportunity for ippon. A couple of well placed honsoku along the way can mean a quick victory.
Structure of the court
I was told early on in my pursuit of jodan that it is necessary to get our points where ever we can. Hitting men is great, but if you can pick up a couple of honsoku against your opponent, either with jogai or some other infraction, those points are just as good.
One strategy often employed by chudan players when fighting against jodan is to circle to the right (your left) in an attempt to keep moving and get closer to your left kote. Many chudan players will become fixated on this strategy and continue to do it to their own detriment. If I draw someone who uses this method right off the bat, I like to take two quick steps to my left, forcing them further to their right. I then stop and pivot to the left as they continue to advance. This forces the opponent into a narrow “corridor” with their back to the court boundary. This gives me the opportunity to attack quickly and possibly force a jogai.
If possible, trap your opponent in the corners of the court. This will distract them as they will need to pay attention to the lines on either side of them. There is of course the old saying that there is nothing more dangerous than a trapped opponent… Your opponent will necessarily try to escape from the corner. If you give them no other opportunity they will have to attack, giving you the perfect chance to use debana waza.
Both of these methods of keeping your opponent close to the line gives you the opportunity to force jogai, but they also reduce your opponent’s ability to use hiki-waza (the kryptonite of jodan players) against you. If you need a quick rule of thumb… try to keep the center “x” of the court at your back.
Remember also, if you do force jogai on your opponent, they will be thinking very hard about not doing it again when they receive honsoku. This is a very effective time to move in quickly and strike a point, or use kiri-otoshi to knock the shinai from their hands.

The other people in the room
You and your opponent are not the only people involved in your match. There are three key people that you should know well by now… a Shushin, and two Fukushin, also known as the shimpan. The shimpan do their best to be impartial and to call points accurately, but sometimes they need your help.
Jodan katate waza are often fast and hard to see, especially kote waza. If possible, maneuver your opponent so that the two fukushin are positioned on your left side. This gives you the opportunity to have two shimpan view your kote waza, and can mean the difference between one or two flags being raised.
Due to the way most chudan players block and avoid jodan men strikes, it is best to have the majority of the shimpan positioned on your right if you think you’re more likely to hit men. This way your strike can be seen more clearly.
This is true for chudan players as well. If you’re good at debana kote, you try to get the fukushin on your left so it’s more easily seen. The same logic can be used from the other point of view for jodan… if you have a very fast opponent that is determined to take your left kote, try to keep only one shimpan on that side, and strike debana men if you can.

These strategies are fully supported in Musashi’s Book of Five Rings as well. Pay particular attention to the sections on “Knowing the Times”, and “Depending on the Place”.
It will not always be possible to control all of these elements and they should not take up your immediate attention during the match. However, these can be very useful tools and you should practice them as often as possible. The next time you’re in a match, look for opportunities to use them.

Learn Your Hiki Waza!

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:16:22 -0700

The worst place to find yourself, as a jodan player, is not in jodan. When we are in kamae, we have control, we have power, we have advantage. Chudan players will do everything they can to remove this advantage. This is why tsuba-zeriai is so dangerous for us. An experienced or especially crafty chudan player will attempt to catch you with a hiki waza, or in transition from tsuba-zeriai to jodan. This is our greatest moment of weakness.
To help alleviate this issue, you must learn hiki waza. Learn it not only so you can use it before your opponent does, and perhaps catch an unexpected point, but also so that you can see the signs in your opponent that they are about to use one of these waza.
There is more to learning hiki waza than I can possibly present here, and to be honest, I’m not particularly good at it either. There is nothing more crucial to learning this waza than the help of your sensei or sempai, so make sure to ask someone for help.
All kenshi should keep their attention focused when in a match. For jodan players it is even more crucial. We don’t get a chance to rest. Our best chance to refocus is to create doubt in the opponent and make them back off. If anything the transition times before, during and after tsuba zeriai are the points where we need to focus the most and thwart any attack that comes.
I have heard several sensei mention, “If you get hit with a hiki waza, it’s your fault. Your lack of attention is what makes hiki waza possible.” For jodan players, if you get hit with hiki waza, you threw your match away. Consider how it feels to a chudan player when they lose a point through jogai. This is the equivalent for jodan player to lose by hiki waza.