[2.2.0] Section-2 Kaishaku: Counter to a Reverse or Power Hand Punch

[Source:] Isshin-ryu Black-belt [Video]

[Rating:] Basic

Part-1 Attacker: Steps Forward and Reverse Punches

• Attacker steps forward.
• Reverse punch or power hand punch off back leg. (RH)

Part-2 Defender: Blocks, Traps, and Counter Punches

• Middle Block with the left-hand. (LH)
• Grab the attacker’s arm with your blocking arm and pull him forward and down.

Note: This demonstrates why we chamber the hand is chambered hand on the hip or obi.

• Reverse punch to the Attacker’s solar plexus when the trunk is open. (RH)

Information: This is done when the attacker’s punch in on the same side as the block that was delivered, so if the attacker punches with his/her left hand and you block with you right, and counterattack when the attacker’s centerline is open.

Alternate Bunkai:

Part-2 Defender: Blocks, Traps, and Strikes Elbow Joint

• Middle Block with the left-hand. (LH)
• Grab the attacker’s arm with your blocking arm and pull him forward and down. (LH)
• Twist the attacker’s arm until the elbow is pointing upwards
• Drive your forearm above the attacker’s elbow joint while pulling backwards on his/her wrist. (RH)

Note: This is an example of the flexibility of the rear-hand.

Rule: The hand is returned to the obi because it has something in it. You can be pulling an attacker to break his/her balance or you can be pulling the opponent into the punch, spear-finger, elbow, or block.

Theory: If the attacker’s trunk is closed or if the attacker punches with his/her opposite hand and you block with your right hand. The attacker’s forearm closes the attacker’s centerline. This exposes the attacker’s elbow, so you can break the elbow by executing what looks like a punch, but the strike is with your forearm just above the elbow joint. The punch saws across the joint.  [Hyperextension of Elbow]

Theory: The oddest technique in karate is the chambering of the non-punching hand to the obi. What could this technique mean? Did the past karate masters not know to cover their face while punching? Is it a good idea to drop your guard when punching? The answer is no! I don’t believe my predecessors would fight like this either. The conclusion must be that it is part of a greater technique. Understand that punches thrown in kata are not always punches, so don’t dismiss the chambered hand as an anomaly. When a hand is chambered in most cases it is to hold or to pull an attacker.  When the hand is chambered in the execution of a rising block, ask yourself is it for looks or is the defender pulling the attacker’s obi [Series belt]? Are you moving the attacker from range one into range two where your next move is a choke, joint lock, or strike? It’s the duality of the technique that is lost today. We get focused on doing one thing at a time, yet in interpretation two techniques can be launched simultaneously or executed in rapid succession. The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. For example, a rising block can be a strike to the throat with a forearm while controlling the opponent’s arm with the rear-chambered hand. When studying application always try to uncover what both hands are supposed to be doing. One hand rarely hangs out in space when performing a specific task, so why would it during the performance of a self-defense technique in kata. The mysteries of kata make the study of forms a lifetime exercise.

[End Series]