Seisan in Rory's "Facing Violence"

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mhosea
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Seisan in Rory's "Facing Violence"

Post by mhosea »

It's been a little too quiet around here, so I just thought I'd share something I noticed when reading "Facing Violence" by Rory Miller. This will be nothing new to Bill and to a lot of folks around here, but I thought it was pretty cool to see it just pop out at me in Rory's book.

First on page 108, figure 4-013, the possible follow up from the Dracula's Cape move looks a lot like the position one is in after the jump-back in Seisan. This makes even more sense when you consider that the jump-back, I'm told, did not used to be a jump back. The position seems odd at a distance from your attacker, but here we see that it is a perfectly natural thing as an in-fighting move. But it gets even better. Rory goes on to describe the spearhead entry and a possible follow-up in figure 4-019, where we see a similar position again.
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CANDANeh
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Re: Seisan in Rory's "Facing Violence"

Post by CANDANeh »

In Rory`s seminar at summerfest I discovered just how much he likes to infight. Since I can no longer do the jump back I also have given thought/practice to
The position seems odd at a distance from your attacker, but here we see that it is a perfectly natural thing as an in-fighting move.
Tossing in the idea that the left arm sweeping down redirects a knee strike, grab etc...Raised knee being simply a knee strike and the right arm numerous redirects. No need really to jump back or "up" to apply nice intight applications. And agreed that the "jump ahead" opens a whole new world when considering "Dracula`s cape".
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Bill Glasheen
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Re: Seisan in Rory's "Facing Violence"

Post by Bill Glasheen »

Mike

Check out this photo at the 2004 Uechi camp. That's Bruce Witherel who was standing by me in Rory's class.

Image

Yea, it's Uechi. This was Rory's "What I do to enter the space of a bad guy" class. He showed us three techniques, and they were all very, very familiar.

Rory didn't know squat about our style before he gave this seminar. But Bruce and I were standing by each other in the class, and looking wide-eyed at each other whenever he showed a technique. This isn't the first time that an outsider revealed something about MY style without knowing a thing about it.

Check out these two pictures, and see if you can find the Uechi kata where it comes from. Then see if you can figure out how it works. (HINT: It answers the question about the jump-back)

Image

Image

- Bill
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mhosea
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Re: Seisan in Rory's "Facing Violence"

Post by mhosea »

Well, of course Seisan has the spearhead explicitly. In Seichin we have the follow-up move after shomen hajiki, and Master Toyama used this technique instead of torano kamai in his rendition of Sanseiryu. I'm having a little trouble sorting out the footwork. A step back can be pulling the opponent off-balance and into the knee while pulling down. However, seems like I want to spearhead leading with the same arm and same hand, and if I do that, I don't want to step back. Start manipulating with the right and then switch hands on the way back and down? I need a training partner just now!
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Bill Glasheen
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Re: Seisan in Rory's "Facing Violence"

Post by Bill Glasheen »

Contrary to popular opinion from the peanut gallery, there IS stepping back in Uechi kata. It happens in several places. However... Generally when I see someone stepping back, I'm looking for an OFFENSIVE technique, or at least a defensive technique that - like a good ukemi roll - sets one up in a superior position. For instance in many situations you're stepping back, you have someone holding on to you. By doing so, you fully extend their gripping arm, making it possible to execute an elbow hyperextension technique.

The second PAIR of photographs were one of the three techniques Rory taught to enter. Just like setting up for the seisan jump... Generally when you're rubbing or hitting your own body in a kata, the interpretation is hitting someone else. Entering in this scenario involves rubbing the radial bone in a shearing motion against the side of the neck. When done right you unbalance the person. Serendipitously you're rubbing the carotid sinus, which *MAY* cause their blood pressure to drop a bit. (Poison on the end of the spear, so to speak.) If you enter in this manner and the dragon's tail of your front foot gets behind their front foot, then lifting means dumping them and the second leg lift sets you up to stomp on them. Give it a try; you'll eventually figure it out.

Another avenue once you're in there is to perform a shoken sukuiage uke around their neck. Without going into a lot of detail, this is Rory's instinct. He comes from the jiujitsu world. Contact to him is a opportunity to choke and/or subdue. On the job as a prison guard, it's less the former and more the latter.

- Bill
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