How to practice body movement - Tai sabaki?

[Andy_S]

Chris:

RE:

SNIP If a guy throws a simple jab, cross, hook combo, for instance, footwork alone won't get you out of danger completely, even if you had the superhuman speed to match his hand speed with your footwork. SNIP

No, but as we are talking 'tai sabaki' not blocking, I will add that you CAN defend against a jab-cross-hook by simply bobbing and weaving.

But I broadly agree with all your points. Footwork, of course, has as many offensive uses as defensive, given that fighting is all about position and angle....well, in an ideal world, at least.

[Muad'dib]

It's simply impossible to step far enough offline to avoid a strike faster than an opponent can place that strike if the strike originates inside the single-step distance,

I just wanted to mention something. Tai Sabaki is not a "technique" to be practiced, it is a strategy, a methodology. It is much along the lines of how boxers use stepping to control the ring, or line themselves up for the punches. Proper tai sabaki can be used to defend against strikes by staying out of the single step distance until the point that you are ready to attack yourself. Otherwise, I agree with the statement above.

BTW, the correct/direct translation of tai sabaki is "body manipulation," and this would encompass bobbing and weaving, stepping, rolls, trick openings, etc.

[WVMark]

As I noted previously, read this thread:
http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15054
Sagawa's taisabaki really isn't just about weaving, bobbing, stepping, etc. He's talking about body manipulation of the internal body skills. It's also the reason high level kendo people were learning taisabaki from Ueshiba. It wasn't about their physical movement or footwork (ashi sabaki to kendo people) at all. They could have learned turning, angles, etc from any jujutsu school. They were learning internal body manipulation skills from Ueshiba. It's what Sagawa is hinting at, too. Why do you think he starts with "Everyone is simply practicing the Tai Sabaka in shape only."

[AllanF]

thanks Mark that makes more sense to me now.

[Muad'dib]

I think I will land on the other side of the line in that thread. I do not believe that tai sabaki as I have experienced it has any relation to internal skill as I have experience that either.

[johnwang]

SNIP If a guy throws a simple jab, cross, hook combo, for instance, footwork alone won't get you out of danger completely, even if you had the superhuman speed to match his hand speed with your footwork. SNIP

Agree! It's better not to give your opponent the distance that he wants. If you keep moving back, you may just give him the distance that he likes and he will keep hitting you. If you fight against a TKD guy, he likes to keep in kicking range and he won't like to be in punching range. If you fight against a boxer, he likes to keep in punching range and he won't like to be in clinching range. If you are a grappler, the clinching range may be to your best advantage. So when your opponent strikes, it may be better for you to move in instead of for you to move back.

[edededed]

I'd recommend Park Bok-nam's bagua book. It has some excellent stepping drills, which are rather more advanced than the above.

Yim Hon-suk, a very good master, privately taught me this system. From a santi stance:
No 1 was a half step forward.
No 2 was a half step back.
No 3 was a full step forward.
No 4 was a ful step back.
No 5 was a back swivel step.
No 6 was a half circle step, and it went on - there were 16 in all. He'd have me drilling up and down the gym, calling out 1! 2! 5! 6! etc, so you had to react as well as do the step - this was mindful, not mindless drilling, good training for instinctive movement. Then you would to them against an opponents attack, and then you would add these into the circle walking.

This was the best footwork method I have ever come across. Once you get good at this, you can zip around like a pinball. I have been concentratnig on Taiji for the last decade, though...but it was a very good method. Yim took some film of me when I was at my peak...I wouldn't mind seeing that again!

Yup - baguazhang specializes in stepping methods, so to speak, it's very good stuff.

Waterway: "Kihon Dosa" just means "basic movements."