Mae Shuto Mawashi Uke bunkai

[Martin H]

Ok. This block is basically fantastic. It has hundreds (ok maybe not hundreds, but a lot) of applications. It is occasionally described as a simultaneous block from a low and high straight punch. This is pretty ridiculous -to start with for the fact that noone ever would do such a punch in real life, and they sure would not freeze in mid punch allowing you to do the block.
I will give a few (maybe dividing it up over a few posts) applications. feel free to add more.

Application 1.
Situation. Bad guy has caught the front of your jacket with both hands (and may be pressing you up against a wall. Maybe he has you in a nwckwrestling position with his hands a bit lose, maybe he has his hands on your shoulders.

start by taking your right/arm hand and slap the down over his arms, this basically traps his arms. If you want you may hit his face with the open hand while moving your arm over his. A more informal version of sanchin dachi works fine for stability, and the step can be seen as a "sweep" -if only to get him to lose balance, not to outright fall. Stepping up into nekoachi dachi or kokoktsu dachi works if you think of it as adding a knee kick.

next the left arm elbow goes up and over his arm, and then down between his hands -inside your right hand. You re now in the classic starting position for Mae shuto mawashi uke (Note: this picture should be reversed for the example)

now you press down your left elbow breaks the guys grip on you, while your right hand goes up and slap him (or strike him shuto) on the face, neck or throat (wherever you can hit. it is mostly distraction, but if you can hurt him -do it).

you are now right hand up to his head, left hand down pressing his arm (his right). With your right hand, hook his neck or grab his hair then continue the circular movement pressing/pulling him down.
With your left arm, go between his arm and his body, continue the circular movement upwards. If you can, sabaki to your left.

Once your left arm is as high as it goes, and your right arm (and his head) as low.Step in close and then push him away.
After that you can follow up as you please, or run. The fight is not over until you are out of harms way -either by him being unconscious or you are safely away from him

[Martin H]

Application 2.
This is a more competition friendly application. Not allowed in knockdown, but Ive seen it in dojo sparring. Most of you probably know it.

From a guard position. Standard kumite kamae.
The opponent kicks a front kick (left leg for this example). You slip/sabaki to his outside, slightly in towards him. Your left arm blocks delfect his kick and then slip inder the leg, completing the circle by lifting it. Your right arm does its circular motion by going in, catching his arm or shoulder pulling it down. Then you push both away for a nice throw. For added effect to a small sweep of his support leg with your right foot.

The application done vs a mawashi geri is just the same, but instead of stepping to the outside, you step inside, and close (to escape the power in the kick). Basically the same move but the example should be a right mawashi geri. Reverse directions for kicks from the other side.

[Martin H]

application 3
This one starts with you pushing your left hand into his face, your tumb into his eye during clinch. This wont end the fight, as many thinks, but it WILL cause him to try to remove he hand.
The logical way for him to do this is by using his right hand and grabbing your left wrist.

Now you use your right hand to break the grip, completing the circle by grabbing his hand. Your left pulls down, and after being freed, completes the circle by going up and around, catching his elbow. but instead of leaving the left harm in the top position, you continue the cirular movement down. preferably turning to his outside to your left (his right).
You are now in a position called Ude Osae in jujutsu/aikido, where it tends to be the basic arm pin technique.

The tumb in the eye routine is just a way to set him up, but it really works anytime you get him to hold his hands high (hold, not punch) -he may be grabbing you hair or whatever.
The problem with this move is that it is not easy to grab his hand when your system are filled with adrenaline and the fine manipulation in your hands is shot.

[ksan]

Great stuff martin, am all writing it down for future analysis

Osu

[Shokei Marcsui]

I always imagined myself throwing out a huge "HADOKEN!" when performing this in sanchin kata.

[Martin H]

application 4
Similar to application 1.
the BG (bad guy) holds you with both hands (lapel hold, hand chokes or even a bad neck wrestling position) but his hands are wide with space in between.

Start by slapping your right hand down on his left arm -you may grab it and pull it out, your left goes straight up, in between his arms, striking his cheek/face with a open palm. You are now in the standard "start" position for the block.
Your left arm now starts it downward circle inside the right, grabbing the BG´s right arm on the way (it should be pinned under your right arm). The right hand goes up like in application 1, and hit him with shuto in the throat or neck, followed by grabbing/hooking (I prefer hooking, less fine manipulation skill involved) his head. Unlike in application 1 you sabaki (as best as you can) to the right (BGs left). The result should be that you force him to fall backward. especially if you do something to his left leg -sweep, knee strike whatever.

[ksan]

Originally Posted by Shokei Marcsui

I always imagined myself throwing out a huge "HADOKEN!" when performing this in sanchin kata.

[orisha66]

Originally Posted by ksan

I think we all do , and the shoryuken on the pinan godan uppercut and jump

[Shokei Marcsui]

Glad to see you changed your avatar KSan.

*** enough of the forum hi-jacking back to more hadoken.. err i mean.. Mae Shuto Mawashi Uchi Bunkai.

[ksan]

Originally Posted by Shokei Marcsui

Glad to see you changed your avatar KSan.

*** enough of the forum hi-jacking back to more hadoken.. err i mean.. Mae Shuto Mawashi Uchi Bunkai.

[kakatootoshi]

Dear Martin H,
I am afraid you have not changed the title back to "mawashi uke" (you did that in the first paragraph).

OSU!

[Martin H]

Originally Posted by kakatootoshi

Dear Martin H,
I am afraid you have not changed the title back to "mawashi uke" (you did that in the first paragraph).

OSU!

never noticed it. thanks.

[Nix]

Interesting stuff. I need to analyze it and test it on a partner, but I'm going to experiment with it.

In Ashihara, this is one of the very few "traditional" techniques, which use is not immediatly plain to see. It may be considered a remnant of the roots in traditional karate, but the reason it has not been removed (only modified) is because it has a practical use that is central in Ashihara.

Application 5:
Opponent kicks right leg mae geri. Block with soto uke, while simultanously moving into forward and to the left (position 3). Grab opponents right arm (just over the elbow joint), and place your left arm in his neck - shuto can be used here. This is the start of mawashi uke. Rotate clockwise while pulling his elbow up and pushing his head down - since you have complete control of him, you can knee him in the gut/face. This will eventually result in maki komi nage (forward throw). If you don't let go of his right arm, he will hopefully end lying on his side, facing away from you. Keep control of the arm with your left hand, and stand over him in a kiba dachi, pushing your left knee down in his neck.

See the below video. You may not see it, but the mawashi uke appears in several parts of the kata to control the opponent. It's easiest to see at the very end, when that good-looking guy is thrown on the cobbles. Maybe I'll find a better example later on.

YouTube - Kumite no kata sono yon - Ashihara...

Osu!