Training Jedi Knight Types Lesson 5 Spear Hand - Part III

By Stephen Cheney

PART II - ANCIENT EXERCISE

THE KATA STRETCH:

1. Standing with your (RIGHT) leg back and so left leg is forward, hold your LEFT forearm high horizontally across your forehead, ready to block or strike high (also keeps the sun out of the eyes if need be).
2. Your other (RIGHT) forearm is chambered at your hip, horizontally. Its hand is flat with palm uppermost, or held in the triangular shape like a spear head.
3. SEE THE ENEMY and as the enemy comes in range: Breathe in, and as you breathe out pull your upper arm down to chamber it at your left hip as you long step (slide) forward with your (RIGHT) foot, thrusting forward your (RIGHT) spear hand, press its forearm against your side ribs, then launch suddenly deep into the enemy’s body as you pull back with your newly hipped left arm.
4. Stretch your body and arm, when it is fully extended twist the point, your palm up becomes palm down and extract the hand spear taking it back to your hip, returning to your previous position. Your hip is your centre: it goes out, it comes back.
5. Your cloak-holding (LEFT) forearm goes back up and across your forehead, hiding you from danger. You appear and disappear from the sight of the enemy. Move your position, like a sniper, as your last position became known.
6. Now swap the rolls of your arms: your (RIGHT) spear hand places the spear in your other (LEFT) hand, and your (RIGHT) hand takes the cloak over its forearm then up to the forehead. You repeat the attack using the other arm: Now RIGHT arm cloaks/ guards and LEFT arm strikes.
7. Repeat as desired.

This pantomime is just a pattern to stretch the body and arms in coordination.

When thrusting forward think and do so using your hip. When retracting, retract your hip and your arm will follow back naturally. Hip forward, hip back: it is the piston’s driver.

THE APPLICATION OF THIS KATA IN COMBAT

ARMPIT STRIKE TO A PUNCH/GRAB.

Simple waza and actions are economical and best in a fight: fewer parts to join together: so less time to complete and less that can go wrong.

It is a common guard position in a fight to have one hand forward and the other more to its rear to protect the body.

In order to damage you, an Aggressor must:

1. Get close.
2. Extend a limb away from his body.
3. To hit a target.

This requires certain certainties:

1. That you stay in range.
2. That the Aggressor’s limb can reach you without being parried.
3. That the target does not move from its original position.

A limb can rarely both defend and attack at the same time (though this is done in advanced arts).

A limb held back can conduct defence and block. But if it is instead sent out to attack it always leaves behind some exposed targets, exposed to a counter-attack. The army that leaves the castle or defensive position to attack leaves that castle/ position so much more undefended.

Therefore You Defence is

1. You parry the incoming arm on its outside with the palm of your hand, using either your forward or your rear hand, as convenient. Parrying by itself does not guarantee safety.
2. You must always move your body (such moving is called Tai Sabaki in Japanese). A moving target is hardest to hit. Boxers, highly skilled stay in front of their opponent (rules) and get hit often.You move by slide stepping to the OUTSIDE of the incoming limb, but not away, follow the limb to end up near his shoulder.
3. After parrying, from your new position you can see that his limb is extended: so cannot block. His armpit is exposed where before it was covered. You should be close enough to touch his armpit with a bent arm.
4. Thrust your spear hand’s point deep into the armpit. Straighten your arm fully swivel your hand when it contacts to drill in. The direction of your drive should be towards the centre line of his body.
5. Quickly retract your hand and keep moving to get behind him while he is reacting to the damage to his arm socket’s nerves. From behind you can kick (a Side Kick) into the rear of his knee and leave. Or there are various methods from this advantageous position for use in pulling him back to fall on the ground.

Parrying

If your Left hand is forward and parries: you slap his Right arm across to your Right and, when you step in with your Left leg and moving your head to your Left, Strike upward into the arm pit with your Right spear hand.

If your Right hand is to the rear in the guard and parries: it will be parrying his Left arm across to your Left and, when you step in with your Right leg and moving your head to your Right, Strike upward into the arm pit with your Left spear hand. One hand parries and the other hand strikes.

To Attack, an enemy must leave some target on themselves exposed to a counterattack. The defender must re-position him or her self in order to take advantage and get in position close enough to attack that exposed target on their enemy.

PART IV - THE PARRY

(Image: Armpit Jab[Ed] - Quora via Google Images)

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