Japan Karate Federation

Review all techniques up to this point. Be sure to reinforce small points, wrist twist, no twist, direction of Bo, etc. Perform line drills. Review Ryobu-Kai Combinations 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 . Review Shushi No Kon Sho .

Students should work at being able to perform all combinations fluently. Students should be able to perform Shushi No Kon Sho without noticable pause.

Weapon Awareness

When striking overhead, the bo must stop at head height.
When striking overhead to the collar bone, thats where the bo should stop.
When striking to one side of the body, (or head, or leg) or the other, the bo must stop at the point of impact.
When executing a thrusting technique, either forward or rearward, the tip of the bo should be directed toward the center line of your opponent.

Gyaku Gedan-Uchi (low strike) (Gedan-Soto-Uchi) Transition into this from Uchi-Otoshi.

Hold Bo with Jun-Nigiri, left hand uppermost. For best results assume a right Gyaku Zenkutsu Dachi.
Position the lower section of the Bo near your right foot.
Use it in an outside to inside movement, striking to the outside of your opponent's leading right knee.

Compare these two techniques with Osae-Uke (pinning manuever). The description of the techniques are almost identical. One says pin (or press, Osae lit. press), the other says strike. So when does an Uke become an Uchi?

Uke Wa Kime Nari
The Block Becomes The Decisive Technique

According to its use the block can become a strong attack. Along with advancing the leg and posture, the important point is decisiveness. Sometimes, there will be a fine line between whether a given technique is considered a block or a strike.
Are these two techniques (Osae-Uke, Gedan-Uchi) limited to being executed from Gyaku Zenkutsu Dachi? In Shushi No Kon, we see these techniques executed from Kokutsu Dachi and from Zenkutsu Dachi. In Shuji we see one of these techniques executing from Neko Ashi Dachi.

	Yoko-Uke (Uchi-Uke - Inside Block) Grasp your Bo with Jun-Nigiri, right hand uppermost. Assume right Zenkutsu Dachi. Deflect the attack by moving the upper section of your bo in an outward to inward direction (that is, from right to left).
	replace picture Uchi-Uke
	Now lets examine Yoko-Uke (Soto and Uchi). Are these techniques truely blocks? Or are they dis-arming techniques? Or are they actually considered strikes? In Shushi No Kon Sho (Sensei Demuras version) we see Yoko-Uke Soto performed in a large dramatic fashion that very well could be a dis-arming tactic. The same type of movement will be seen in other kata as well. By executing these techniques with lively wrist snap, we could interpret them as strikes. Imagine if you were to strike your opponents wrist, rather than his bo, with either of these techniques. Do you think there would be an anatomical reaction to let loose of his weapon?
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