Kotegaeshi annoys me. It's the kind of technique you might learn your first week on the mat and then not manage to get quite right for another ten years.
The majority of kotegaeshi that I experience are just not it. They're nage cranking on the wrist and uke throwing themselves over to avoid damage to their joint. With that there is always the feeling that if uke were a little bigger or a little less compliant then kotegaeshi would turn into a wrestling match.
Today I got to test a few thoughts working with a junior uke.
One: I don't think kotegaeshi is a twist the wrist technique. I think twisting only works with an advantage like strength or surprise or blunt trauma. Besides, the name literally means wrist return not wrist twist.
Two: Twisting the wrist doesn't really do much to the shoulder which is where the action is really at. A simple guiding of the hand with a light touch so that uke's fingers tip gently toward the shoulder seems to be enough to take the slack out of the arm and disrupt the shoulder's poise. Then whole body movement can tip uke to either the front or rear kuzushi points.
Of course, I am going to have to work on this a lot more. The only thing I know for sure is that most of my kotegaeshi are falling short of the aikido mark.
No comments:
Post a Comment