Tenkan
(Extracted from Aikido-L)
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 11:50:26 -0500
From: Paul Schweer
Subject: Turn Tail
From what I'm perceiving of tenkan
there is an initial connection that
looks a lot like a miniature irimi,
which makes sense in light of some
explanations I've heard along the
lines of "there is no tenkan without
irimi" and "tenkan is what happens
when irimi fails". The connection
I'm seeing seems to require an
unbendable-arm approach, and
fails when nage allows the
connecting arm to collapse.
So, for tenkan, connect and turn.
Right?
But I've seen tenkan done with
nage's arm in full collapse, a
complete wet-noodle fold. I'm
assuming it's still connect and
turn, but what is the connector
in this case?
I'm remembering Chuck Clark Sensei
saying, "Connectors not effectors(sp?)."
So in the first case, where the arm
is "unbendable", I assume it's not
the arm causing the effect. But it
is the connection, isn't it? So in
the second case, with the arm not
connecting (Not that I can see.)
what is the connector?
Nage's center?
But what's really got me frazzled
is the middle ground, the distance
between full collapse and unbendable,
where I too often find myself stuck
and ineffective... unable to connect
or even turn well. Is it my execution
or understanding that's failing me?
Will I find one of the two extremes
by improving my timing or position?
Or is connection somehow possible
somewhere in the middle?
Paul Schweer
(Or should I just turn tail and run?)
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Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 09:24:24 -0800
From: Janet Rosen
Subject: Re: Turn Tail
Paul Schweer wrote:
> So, for tenkan, connect and turn.
> But I've seen tenkan done with
> nage's arm in full collapse, a
> complete wet-noodle fold. I'm
> assuming it's still connect and
> turn, but what is the connector
> in this case?
Depends....does it FEEL like a wet noodle, or does it only LOOK like one
because the arm is being held in a different position than you are used
to? If it feels like a wet noodle, well, there's no connection; nage can
tenkan but uke won't feel anything.
I work on making my arm softer and softer during tenkan exercises, so
that "energy" does not translate into "tension," and also on
experimenting with slightly different hand/arm angles and positions
depending on where I might want to lead uke after the tenkan.
> I'm remembering Chuck Clark Sensei
> saying, "Connectors not effectors(sp?)."
There has to be a connector somewhere, unless nage and uke have direct
center to center connection (which, um, may be highly gratifying in some
cases but probably NOT the aikido your dojo wants to see :-))and in the
case of wrist grab/tenkan, its via the arms.
> But what's really got me frazzled
> is the middle ground, the distance
> between full collapse and unbendable,
> where I too often find myself stuck
> and ineffective
Besides the Usual Stuff (TM) like breathe, let shoulders relax, etc.,
some things that various sempai suggested to me in the past that helped
were:
Play with the connection before you move. some dojo teach you to bend
your wrist at an extreme angle so your fingers curve back towards you,
and some to do more of a rotation. some dojo teach you to move in a
little, shorten the distance between you and uke and get uke's arm a
little looser before you move your hand.
janet
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Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 07:57:30 -0500
From: "Daniel C. Pokorny"
Subject: Re: Turn Tail
Paul,
You lucky dog! Now you know of Hooker sensei when he's really rockin. I
can only sit and wait and work on walking again. But soon my friend you'll
have to share him once again, so for now enjoy the ride and learn as much
as you can....
Stop thinking of your arm or legs or any other part. Invite uke in with
your arm extended then close your eyes and just feel the energy. Sometimes
hard and sometines soft, it really matters not. Trust in your center and
just move it around you, remember the stream and the rock....
-Mongo
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Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 10:35:45 -0800
From: Janet Rosen
Subject: Re: Turn Tail
Everything is always different based on where I am, where uke is, who
uke is, and what uke is doing.
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Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 20:51:17 -0400
From: Charles Yeomans
Subject: Re: Turn Tail
I'm pleased to say that I disagree with almost all of these
suggestions, the only exception being the one about moving in a
little.
In fact, I am becoming convinced that teaching tenkan to beginners
from the katatedori attack is a mistake which leads to a lot of
students developing hard-to-break bad habits. I think munetsuki is a
better attack for developing a solid tenkan movement.
In my experience, responding to a wrist or shoulder grab and push by
moving to the side (perhaps combined with atemi) as in the Yoshinkan
kihon waza is much more practical.
You can certainly learn to do tenkan using katatedori as the attack,
if uke knows how to attack correctly and precisely. A glance around
the mat at most seminars shows that such ukes are none too common.
And it's just too tempting for a lot of ukes to want to mess with
nage a bit. The result is that students eventually develop a bag of
tricks for dealing with these grabs, to the detriment of developing a
solid tenkan movement. A sure giveaway is to watch nage's elbow --
if it moves first, or pops out, then he's probably got the wrong idea.
IMHO, tenkan is about letting uke do more or less what he wants, and
possibly making him pay for it. So if uke is pushing straight in, all
nage needs to do is to turn properly. Nage's forearm will turn
naturally; there's no need to twist it -- indeed, some ukes won't let
you.
Of course, learning to turn properly takes some time -- and so does
describing it, and I'm supposed to have dinner on the table for the
wife upon her return from church. So I'll just say how one should
end up. First, you should have your weight strongly forward. Second,
your hips should be lower than when you started -- practicing tenkan
for a period without stopping should be hard work. And third, your
grabbed hand should return to vertical at the finish of the movement
when practicing katatedori tenkan.
Charles Yeomans
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Last updated on 13 Sep 2002