The Way of Least Resistance

Introduction The title of this post is, of course, a misnomer: there are many martial arts that preserve the deflections that I call "haiwan nagashi uke" and "ashibo kake uke". There are even more martial artists who use them unconsciously or unknowingly. However in traditional karate these are techniques that appear to be disappearing - at least in the kata. That they should do so is sad, because they are genuinely effective deflections; one might even say that they are essential elements of a civilian defence arsenal. Haiwan nagashi uke What is the haiwan nagashi uke? As I discussed in my previous post " Blending blocks ", haiwan nagashi uke is a rising block where the body is turned so that the deflection is carried past the head. It is unique in basic techniques because it is invariably accompanied by a " simultaneous " movement with the other hand; either a strike or another (usually low) block. The advantage of haiwan nagashi uke ove...