Headcount Thursday

I was stuck at work till 6 last night. I had very little time to get dressed and ready for class, but I just managed to slip in before everyone lined up. I was a bit tired and as I was rubbing my eyes as the sensei told me that my last post wasn’t up to scratch.

I humbly apologise to all those who found my last post a bit difficult to read, but I must say that it made me feel warm and fussy inside to know that some one cared about the standard of my work, but enough of that.

I wanted more push-ups and I got my way, we ended up doing 50 reps instead of 30. After we stretched we partnered up and I got one of the junior students to train with. I could see him cringing. We boxed against each other once before last year and since then he seemed a little reluctant to partner up with me. I took things slow with him and tried my best to put him at ease. We were doing various combinations starting first from a punch and then a shoulder shove. The combinations all translated ether into a swan-lock or a figure four on the arm the attacker used to perform the punch or shove.

It is a little difficult to capture the arm from a jab punch, but timing is key and once the arm is captured the backwards pull from your opponent will facilitate the reversal of the arm over the shoulder and into a takedown where once again a swan or figure four lock can be applied. For those of you who don’t know what a swan or figure four looks like:

The swan lock: This lock makes the hand bend backward over the shoulder once the elbow has been bent sufficiently. The open hand faces away from the face of your opponent and forms the head of the swan as your palm covers the hand to keep it in the lock position. The important thing is that there should be no gaps. You need to get real close against his side with his elbow trapped between your side and arm. With a bit of momentum and pressure the lock ends up in a backwards takedown. Footwork is important as you need to step through with the same foot as the hand applying the lock to facilitate the takedown.

The Figure four lock: This lock can be applied both to the outside and to the inside. It forms the basis of the figure four lock with most of the weapons in the higher levels as well and with its’ versatility I rate it as one of the most useful locks in the syllabus. Once the attackers arm is captured the reversal once again forms the basis of the lock. From the outside the bending of the elbow is facilitated with the other hand pushing down on the upper side of the elbow while the outer arm holds the wrist firmly so the attacker can’t escape, but again with him pulling back, you step past him with the same foot as the hand holding his wrist and grab the wrist of the hand holding his wrist with the hand you used to bend his elbow down, his own momentum will once again work against him and topple him to the ground with minimum effort on your part.

We varied the combinations and strategized about their effectiveness in the street. I wanted to spar a little bit and started shoving my partner around displaying some intent. I kept it light and tapped him in the face now and then spurring him on to attack me back. We rounded each other and moved back and forth attacking and defending and soon everyone was watching. The senseis started giving him tips and soon we were once again listening to their advice as they added their valuable experience to what we just did in our little display.

It was a good class and I felt good afterwards. We were still a small group with about 7 students and were told we would start with syllabus once the head count goes up a bit. It’s going to be a big year for all of us at NinjaSA and I look forward to seeing a lot of new faces and making new friends.

Embrace the shadows