Foot Fist Way

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Kwang-Gae & The Heaven Hand, Part 4

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Guillotine Choke

The first move in the form is to switch into closed ready stance B after splitting your hands. If the ready positions had no applications, this would be nonsensical, but lucky for us they do. Closed ready stance B can make a guillotine choke, for instance. We use this application after blocking a haymaker with the heaven hand, as shown in the right gif (two examples).

The form doesn't give you any follow up. You can continue to choke out your opponent or, if you are throw savvy, attempt to throw them.

Bent elbow crank

The upset punches in Kwang-Gae are also in slow motion, indicating body manipulation. After defending with the heaven hand, overhook your opponent's haymaker as they retract, getting the bent elbow and cranking it upwards with the upset punch. This nasty shoulder lock is called maki hiji in jujitsu. It was used a couple years back in the UFC by Jon Jones. You can use the second upset punch as a strike, as shown in the below image.

Application for heaven hand followed by two upset punches. Source: imineo, catch jutsu

Notice how the elbow crank forces the opponent to bend over backwards. To take them to the ground, perform a sweep or push back on their face with your palm.

Grasp head, guide back

The next set is:

Double step forward into palm hooking block
Step and slide backwards into low section knifehand guarding block

Suppose you attempt the elbow crank but your opponent straightens their arm, or they pull you in, or you overhook their shoulder instead. Use the double step forward to force them to bend over, and then strike/grasp the back of their head with the palm hooking block. Finally, use the step and slide backwards into low section guarding block as a quick throw, guiding their head backwards. See the footnote for another interpretation of this set. (ftn. 1)

Pass arm, two handed push

Source: anthrodan

Something else I thought of: if you don't wish to harm your opponent, you can use stepping back into low guarding block to pass the opponent's arm after defending with the heaven hand. Then use stepping forwards into cat stance guarding block as a two handed push (see right gif) to disengage.

Side kicks, shoulder lock takedown

The second time you perform the two side kicks, your hands are oriented differently. This suggests there may be an application that begins, rather than ends, with them.

After blocking with the heaven hand, use the low side kick (pressing kick) to kick in the opponent's knee. If they defend by turning in their leg, follow with the middle side kick to their ribs while grasping their arm. You then use the inward strike with front hand coming into chest to fold the opponent's arm back, granting you a shoulder lock. From here, pull your opponent to the ground. Note that the Hapkidoin in the example below doesn't need to kick before doing the takedown, although he does strike the opponent's side with his elbow.

Sources: imineo, expert village

Final Thoughts

That concludes Kwang-Gae. This isn't the only way to interpret the pattern, but it is a way to link all the applications together. Although the sets are all against the same attack, the locks and takedowns provided can be used in a number of situations. What a form does is teach you various ways you can control an opponent. It's unlikely you will ever use a set as literally provided in a form, due to an opponent's unpredictable reactions, but the more techniques you know the more versatile your fighting style becomes.

Po-Eun also begins with the heaven hand, but not the splitting hands. Furthermore, from my analysis Po-Eun seems to be more of a grappling form. The heaven hand can also be used as a head push, so that might be what's going on.

Footnotes

1) There is another application for this set I rather like: against a single lapel grab, you can grab under the opponent's sleeve (upset punch), pull it in while striking their jaw (palm hooking block), and then guide them down to the ground (step back into low guarding block). The double step can be used to get off the opponent's line of fire and strengthen the force of the hooking block. You can also use the shape of the palm to dig into the opponent's throat, although this isn't strictly necessary. Taekwondoin Colin Wee applies the same application against a wrist grab.

Source: One minute bunkai

Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oC8X2T0smo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL1D72Fueu4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE2nafaPCZI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy4hrfnaUqE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l11drAi51HA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVG0FWe6RjI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYRy4AXQci0

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Kwang-Gae & The Heaven Hand, Part 3

Previous Posts:
Part 1
Part 2

Spearhand to face, smash onto knee

Sources: imineo, one minute bunkai

The high spearhand thrust (what my club calls an "unsupported spearfinger") has three odd features in Kwang-Gae:

It's performed in slow motion
The footwork is the slipping of the front foot (i.e. pull it in before stepping back out again)
It's performed in low stance rather than a normal front stance

Slow motion movements in forms indicate body manipulation. As shown in the combined gif on the left, we can use the spearhand after the heaven hand sort of like a slap: pressing out on our opponent's face while pulling in their arm with our reaction hand. We may also use the slipping footwork to get behind the opponent's leg, and then use the low stance to press out on the back of your opponent's knee. From here, you can pull the opponent downward for a takedown.

However, in both cases the next movement in the form is lifting our back leg. So if we want to get nasty, we can smash the back of our opponent's head on our knee as we take them down.

Sources: imineo, one minute bunkai

Grab ears, pull down

A different follow-up after the palm heel to to step forward and grab your opponent's ears from behind their head. Grabbing ears (or just the head) is a common interpretation of the twin vertical face punch. You can use the "stomp" to press down on the back of your opponent's knee as you grab their head.

Source: Practical Kata Bunkai (Note: perspective is mirrored)

However, if you are unable to stomp their knee, instead perform a knee strike to the spine, and then unceremoniously pull their head to floor by the ears as you land into the double upset punch. You can see pictures of this application by Iain Abernethy to the right, who is analyizing a similar set in from the kata Gojushiho.

Kick out leg, turn and lift

Turning 180-degrees into a knifehand guarding block usually indicates a head crank. But I don't think that's what's going on here, because we step back into the guarding block after turning around. Furthermore, the set ends with a high punch. Why?

To resolve this, first apply the double upset punch to grab and control your opponent. Front kick the opponent's cross-side leg, aiming for their inner thigh, with the goal of knocking back their leg.

Land, turn, and step back into knifehand guarding block per the form. Your front forearm presses out on the opponent's neck, but your back hand goes for the leg you just kicked back. Grab the leg (by the opponent's pants if they are wearing away) and lift it upwards as you walk forward into the high punch, grabbing and pulling your opponent's head down with the reaction hand. This makes a crude but simple takedown.

Sources: Practical Kata Bunkai, One Minute Bunkai

In part 4 I will backtrack to the beginning of the form and post some final thoughts.

View Part 4 here

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE2nafaPCZI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynE0eX2jpXc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qptCOuL0IEQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWJlooO_4jQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdAAB2QXEsI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfwBR7g0c6E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hul42qQnTEE

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Kwang-Gae & The Heaven Hand, Part 2

In my previous post, I suggested you could interpret the first third or so of Kwang-Gae as four different follow ups from the heaven hand defense. (fnt. 1) By "heaven hand defense", I mean using the tool to block a haymaker, and then splitting your hands to strike the opponent's neck.

It turns out you can do this for the whole form. So for the next three posts I will be covering these follow up techniques. Even if you don't agree with this interpretation of Kwang-Gae, it may get you to see some of the sets in a new light.

Additional strikes, puter kepala takedown

After striking the opponent's neck with the hands splitting, you can follow through with an inward strike followed by a downward hammerfist, for three strikes in total. As you strike, you want to get the opponent's head to lean downwards, so it's important to utilize the pulling hand in both cases.

Sources: Courtney White, Yin Style Bagua

Puter kepala takedown
Source: Courtney White

If smashing the back of their head with a hammerfist wasn't enough, we then use the next two moves -- the two palm pressing blocks -- as a takedown. This is shown on the gif on the right: it involves twisting up the opponent's arm while pushing their head down and in. You then continue moving your arms in a circular motion, forcing your opponent's body is to twist and tumble. In Silat this is called puter kepala.

Note that you are rotating your opponent's head and arm in a circle, so for this application the two palm pressing blocks should be performed continuously and with arms crossing in between the blocks, similar to how the Bagua-ist performs the motions below.

Sequential palm pressing blocks in Bagua. Notice how the arms cross in between blocks.
Source: Yin Style Bagua.

Arm Pass and Head Twist

Now we'll begin with the second palm pressing block. After blocking with the heaven hand, overhook your opponent's head (upward moving palm) and push down their arm (downward moving palm). Grab their jaw and twist out their head while passing their arm as you step backwards into backfist side strike, twisting your opponent's whole body and forcing them to fall over. Hapkidoin Alain Burrese demonstrates this technique in this video.

Source: Your Warrior's Edge

Strike Head, Shoulder Lock

Next we start with the backfist side strike after the heaven hand. After striking the neck, knee strike your opponent (lifting the leg) while pulling them downwards, then follow with the backfist side strike to their head. Depending on positioning, you might strike with your forearm or even downward with your elbow; the stomp emphasizes putting your body weight into the strike.

Next, twist their arm behind their back with your back hand as you shift into the double forearm block, creating a shoulder lock. Your front arm maintains pressure on the back of their head. From this position you can safely escort your opponent, strike the back of their head, or do a takedown.

Sources: Self Defense Tips and Tricks, Close Quarters Taekwondo, Samir Seif

(Bottom right image): Taekwondo Grappling Techniques

What if your opponent grabs your leg with their free arm before you apply the lock? We can grab their arm and use the next move in the form -- double stepping backwards into reverse low block -- to pull out their arm while lifting their other arm with your front arm. Doing this may end up flipping your opponent.

Continue to Part 3

Footnotes
1) The origin of this idea was that I noticed Kushanku, the kata that Kwang-Gae is partly based on, uses the low knifehand front block and the cat stance guarding blocks at the start of the form, directly after the heaven hand.

Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIhNucVI4C0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk3WipJCwHQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAKQ8KpcazA
http://bmsi.ru/doc/d5acaab9-0b14-4826-ad00-de89c34d135a/print
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OddNosOP-T8
Taekwondo Grappling Techniques by Tony Kemerly and Scott Synder

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Yul-Gok: Some Applications

Palm Hooking Block

Yul-Gok is a peculiar form. I was once told it was based on Heian Yondan, but the similarity is only superficial: Yul-Gok borrows some movements from the kata, but the sets are all different. Yul-Gok also introduces the "palm hooking block", which according to Stuart Anslow is not a shotokan karate technique. Instead, this post by Sanko Lewis claims it's based on a Taekkyeon block. (fnt. 1)

In this post I'll discuss four sets from the pattern and my preferred applications.

Irimi nage (moves 28-29/30-31)

Irimi nage vs a jab-cross. Source: AikiBushi

This set (knifehand twin outer-forearm block followed by supported spearfinger) does not appear in any karate kata that I've seen. But it does appear in another martial art: aikido. (fnt. 2) Unlike karate, we perform our twin outer-forearm block with a cross-arm chamber. This can be used either as a defense against a jab-cross (as in the left gif), or as a parry-pass against a single attack (see image below).

For the jab-cross version, the front hand deflects an opponent's jab outwards, and then the rising block (back hand) comes up and deflects their cross inwards. The effect of this is to turn your opponent's body slightly sideways, which allows you to place your front hand on the small of their back (supporting hand) as you move forward and hook their head with the spearhand "strike". This throw is known as irimi nage ("entering throw") in Aikido. It helps if you come from a club that performs the spearhand at a downward angle, as my club does, but apparently this isn't the official version.

The other use of the cross-arm chamber is as a parry-pass against a single attack. This is shown in the image below. The ultimate effect should be the same: turn the opponent slightly and get access to their back.

Sources: Rogue Warriors and Southern Minnesota Martial Arts

The Opening Set

An intercepting block.
Source: Fitness, Workout, & Exercise Videos

I was originally taught that the opening move of Yul-Gok was a slow punch. It turns out it's not a punch at all: it's "extending your fist horizontally". Furthermore, it isn't even centered like a punch is. What's going on?

One interpretation (from Sanko Lewis) is that it's an intercepting block in disguise, based on the logic that sets should begin with defensive techniques. The off-center location of the movement makes this feasible. Follow up with the two punches as strikes.

A second interpretation I like is that it represents your arm being grabbed and pulled. After having your arm pulled, you quickly pull back and strike the inside of the opponent's elbow (first middle punch). This lowers their head, allowing you to punch their jaw (second middle punch). The exact motions you use can be altered for practicality: you might hammerfist down on their inner elbow and uppercut their jaw, for example.

Elbow Roll Throw (Ending Set)

Turning into double forearm block as a throw.
Source: Dan Djurdjevic

Speaking of striking the elbow, one application for pivoting 270-degrees into double front block is a throw via rolling into the opponent's inner elbow. You can see Dan Djurdjevic show this in the right gif. In some arts this throw is called sumi otoshi (corner drop), although this is different than the Judo throw of the same name.

The front arm pulls the opponent's arm. The back arm rolls down into the opponent's elbow as you pull. We can use the previous move (rear foot X-stance backfist) as a strike. As you grab their arm (reaction hand), use the leap forward to ram into your opponent as you hit them with your forearm -- a backfist can be used if you have great accuracy, but as a ramming move, your forearm has a much higher likelihood of connecting. After you strike your opponent, quickly step out and rotate, performing the throw.

An alternative is to perform this as a proper shoulder throw (look it up!)

Palm Hooking Blocks

Finally we get to the palm hooking blocks. As stated above, the block is supposedly derived from taekkyeon. The motions are also reminiscent of "cloud hands" found in taijiquan (in fact, most taekkyeon hand motions may be based in taijiquan or a similar art). If you perform multiple palm hooking blocks continuously (rather than finishing one before starting the other), they do look like outward cloud hands, so a simple application for this set would be just deflecting a jab-cross outward before striking.

One application is use the first hooking block as a strike. The movement has a cross-arm chamber (although it usually isn't emphasized) similar to karate's shuto uke chamber, and Stuart Anslow in Ch'ang Hon Taekwon-do Hae Sul notes that the cupping shape of the palm makes it an ideal tool for striking the head. So we can use the reaction hand to parry an attack (chamber), before striking the opponent's head.

Source: Practical Kata Bunkai

What if your opponent blocks you? Use the second hooking block to grab and drag the opponent's hand, pulling it as you punch them. In the pattern's official instructions, the second hooking block and the punch are meant to be performed as one motion. This application is very similar to Iain Abernethy's knifehand block drill shown in the right gif. (Fun fact: in the 1965 version of Yul-Gok, the movement is a "knifehand hooking block".)

The form follows with a second lunge punch the second time you perform this set. You could grab the back of the opponent's shirt, then step behind them for a throw (reaction hand pulls, punching hand pushes). Another interpretation is to use the first "punch" to press onto the opponent's elbow after you grab their arm, putting them into an armbar. You then move forward into the second lunge punch to strike their head.

Application for Yul-Gok 18-21. Source for top row: Orjan Nilsen

Since this set has many other applications, I will post an addendum later with a more detailed discussion.

Footnotes

1) A couple other "blocks" that might not have a Shotokan basis are the nine-block and double arc hand block in Gae-Baek. I don't know all 26 Shotokan kata so I could be wrong, but these two blocks are usually associated with taekwondo. The nine-block is used in jujitsu as an arm break. The double arc hand is reminiscent of the body pushing in taijiquan.

2) Aiki-jujitsu was being taught in Korea at the time Yul-Gok was developed (it's what Hapkido is based on), and we know that early taekwondoin studied jujitsu, as locks appear in both The Encyclopedia of Taekwon-Do and General Choi's 1965 book Tae Kwon Do: The Art of Self-Defense. There is more evidence of an aiki-jujitsu influence in the 1st Dan pattern Gae-Baek.

Saturday, April 29, 2017

Kwang-Gae: The Knifehand Low Front Block

This post will be a couple applications for a move that's baffled me for some time: the closed-stance knifehand low front block (Moa So Sonkal Najunde Ap Makgi) at move 12 in Kwang-Gae. The movement is performed in a circular manner -- from head to groin -- with the knifehand hitting your opposite palm. Similar movements appear in kung-fu forms, taekkyeon , kukki-taekwondo (with a hammerfist), and of course karate.

The first application uses the set:

Cat stance high guarding block
Double step and turn 180-degrees into front stance upward palm block
Closed stance knifehand low front block

After defending against an attack, employ the primary grappling application of the guarding block: back arm wrapped around the opponent's arm and front forearm striking the opponent's neck. From here you can pull their arm (reaction hand) while cranking their head back and downwards (upward palm block) as you double step behind them and turn 180-degrees. Your palm continues upwards, cranking the opponent's head further and exposing the back of their neck. You then strike with the knifehand low front "block".

Source for leftmost image: mannymelgoza

In the form you practice the upward palm block on the other side before striking, so you strike with the right knifehand. But if you are holding the opponent's head with your right hand, then you would strike with the left.

The second set is:

Closed stance knifehand low front block
Combination low side kick (pressing kick), middle side kick to the side, keeping both hands low

Source: Karate Culture

I'm going to steal Karate Culture's application for the low circling hands: catching the opponent's head and pushing it downwards, perhaps using the other hand to press on the small of their back. Although they use this from outside the opponent's arms, I don't see why it can't be used from inside as well. From this position, simply kick out the back of both opponent's legs (the double side kick).

Application for Kwang-Gae 12-14. The two side kicks are aimed at the back of the opponent's legs.

Although these two applications may seem obvious in retrospect, it took me a long time to find something I was satisfied with. To me this is evidence that even if a section of a pattern seems mysterious or confusing, don't dismiss it outright: there might be something you're missing.

Putting it all together

One way to interpret the first four sets of Kwang-Gae is as various follow-ups from the Heaven Hand defensive position. After blocking a swinging attack, strike their neck (hands splitting). From here you can attempt a headlock (opening move); a bent elbow crank (circular upset punch), or one of the two sets described above.

Sources: Practical Kata Bunkai, Darren Selley, Catch Jutsu, mannymelgoza, karate culture

So rather than being a disparate set of techniques, the first third of Kwang-Gae can be viewed as an analysis of the Heaven Hand as a defensive tool.

Read more Kwang-Gae applications here.

Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMmnvtQsDlI

https://youtu.be/R02QC58RExo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNCYvmXlnOU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oC8X2T0smo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiAJr2l5Txg

Monday, April 3, 2017

Toi-Gye: What's with the W Blocks?

In the middle of the 7th ITF form, Toi-Gye, there's a baffling bit where you perform six W blocks (also called "Mountain Blocks") in a row. You perform two moving forward, then turn around and perform three, then turn around again and perform the sixth. The way the movements are performed -- lifting your leg and stamping -- is also unusual. You then return to the rest of the form as if nothing happened, but this strange performance of the same move multiple times in a row has left many pattern analyzers scratching their heads about Toi-Gye.

Blocking applications for the W blocks in Toi-Gye

One proposal is that the six W blocks are meant to be a strength exercise. Personally I don't buy this; Gen. Choi provides applications for the movement just like every other move in Toi-Gye (see right image), even if they are the boring block-strike ones. There's no indication that the moves are merely a strength exercise. Instead, I think that the meaning of the blocks become clearer once you break them down into sets.

Set 1: Pull in fists to hip while turning 90-degrees, followed by a W block. A second W block is performed for symmetry
Set 2: Two W blocks, the same set from the karate kata "Jitte". A third W block is performed for symmetry.
Set 3: W block followed by "low pushing block" with left double forearm. This set has no symmetry.

In this post I'll provide applications to each of these three sets, as well as some other uses for the W blocks.

Set 1

Move 12 is performed in slow motion. In patterns a slow motion movement indicates manipulating an opponent's body or resistance, not that you would actually perform the move in slow motion. In this case, pulling both fists to your hips indicates that you are pulling in your opponent -- specifically with your left arm from the reverse punch position in move 11. You turn 90-degrees as you pull, which in a grappling situation will shift your opponent's weight sideways onto one of their legs. This also positions your elbows in line with your hips, like in the form. You then follow by using the W block as a throw, blocking their leg as you pull-push them sideways. Even the stamp is used -- albeit not straight downwards -- to push back the opponent's leg. In Judo this is called a "cross-body o soto gari", a common throw that is difficult to defend against since people have weak lateral balance. An example is shown in the gif below:

Source: Freestyle Judo

So to reiterate:

Pulling both fists to your hips represents pulling or "sucking in" your opponent while grappling them
Turning 90-degrees as you pull shifts their weight sideways
Use the stamping motion to knock back their heavy leg as you throw them with the push-pull motion of the W block

Set 2

This set comes from Jitte. The interpretation I prefer is against a grab and punch. For the first W block, control the opponent's grabbing arm while blocking their punch. Then move in and hammerfist their head with the front arm of the block. You then knee strike (lifting the leg), step behind them, and use the second W block to push and pull them over your leg to throw. An example by Craig Gray (Krav Maga) is shown below; you can find another example by Colin Wee (ITF Taekwondo) here.

Source: Craig Gray

Another use I commonly see for the first W block is to deflect a punch inward. You may then use the second W block as a throw.

Source: Didier Lupo

As for the stamping motion: you could literally stamp in the side or back of the opponent's knee. Your front forearm may be used to either create an armbar or hammerfist the back of your opponent's head.

Source: Beebhatsu R.G.

Set 3

9-7-2018: This interpretation is out of date. See a better one here.

Finally, we turn around again and perform the sixth W block, and then follow with what the Encyclopedia calls a "low pushing block" (najunde miro makgi). I know of a few options for this. The first is that after performing the W block as a simultaneous block and strike to the opponent's face, use your front hand to dig into your opponent's throat, and then forcefully push them to the ground.

The second option is a contingency throw in case our W block throw isn't working. We want to pull our opponent clockwise over our left leg, so to aid this we first step in with our right leg and pull-push them clockwise (setup for low pushing block). We then finish the throw by pushing their torso downward with the low pushing block, although you can feasible dig into their throat instead. Both options are shown in the image below.

Two applications for Toi-Gye 18-19. (Note that row 2 is mirrored).
Source for row 2: monsterprone

A third option for the low pushing block is a strike to the back of the opponent's head after using the W block to create an armbar.

Other Applications for W block

There are two other common applications I see for the W block. The first is a kick defense. You use the back forearm to underhook and the lift your opponent's leg, while stepping behind their standing leg and then pushing them over with your front forearm. One example is shown below:

Source: curranskarate's channel

Source: Fight Fast

The other common application is an arm break or armbar. This is, in fact, one of the first "alternate applications" I ever learned, taught to me by a taekwondoin who cross-trained in American Kenpo. After scouring the internet I finally found a video explaining the technique here. The short of it is that you use the motions of your back and front forearms to forcefully hyperextend your opponent's arm, detaching their bicep. You can find more info by Richard Conceicao (Kukkiwon Taekwondo) here. There is a Kukkiwon form "Keumgang" where you follow this move by turning 180-degrees into an inverted wedging block. This works well as a simple shoulder lock throw, as shown in the two gifs below: