Excuse me! Could you attack me correctly please.

We have been spending quite a lot of time on Ippon kumite and kata bunkai recently. Basically we have been learning a lot of 'set pieces' to defend against a range of different strikes and kicks. I find many of these difficult to learn (or remember) but I am gradually acquiring a few favourites; these are generally ones that are not too fiddly or technical to apply.

I prefer techniques that involve evading the strike, grabbing the attacker, unbalancing them and pulling them down with a sweep of some kind. These techniques are quick to apply, don't require too much precision in where or how you grab and get the attacker down quickly so you can run away. I don't like defences that involve putting locks on, have lots of separate moves to execute and require a great deal of precision in where and how you put your hands and feet. I find that a lot of these moves require you to have a compliant and patient attacker!

But that's the other problem isn't it? In order to deliver the set defense you need the set attack. A defense against an oi zuki won't work as well if the attacker throws you a gyaku zuki - he'll have the wrong foot forward and you won't be able to sweep his leg the way you'd rehearsed. But that doesn't mean that these set defences have no value. I figured that they must have value or we wouldn't be taught them! I suppose after lots of practice they become internalised and you can execute them without thinking too much - this must make you quicker and more responsive in an attack. If you have a sufficient range of techniques in your repetoire, hopefully your brain will instinctively select the appropriate one to deal with the type of attack you are facing.

Sensei has two strategies for helping us to deal with attacks using these set defenses. Sometimes he gets us to deal with defending against a range of attackers who attack with the same type of strike/kick/grab and we respond with the same defense technique. We do this by lining up in pairs, executing the attack/defense and then moving one partner to the right. So we do the same thing on multiple partners. This is great for working out how to apply a technique to people of different sizes and strengths (and for working out who you like to work with and who you don't).

The other strategy is to learn maybe three defenses against three different attacks and then get the attacker to randomly deliver the attacks so that you have to respond with the appropriate defense. This quickens up your reaction time - in theory! In practice I often stand there thinking, now how did this one go again? But I am sure that, like with all things, practice will make perfect. In the mean time please remember to attack me correctly!




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