Clubbers anonymous

[hyouriittai]

Yo. I just got back from my first practice at the Obukan dojo. Everyone there was cool, and the sensei were great.

Well one of the instructors told me that I use alot of my right arm power. This is something I've been aware of, but I've never been able to work it off -- maybe because I don't know how. I was wondering, what are some exercises that I can do to focus more on eliminating that right-arm-dominance, and start striking correctly?

[I'm sure there was a thread on this in the past, but I didn't know what to search for. "Right hand" and "left hand" just pull way too much stuff up. If you just wanna refer me to an old thread, that be great. Thanks!]

[Khabbi]

when at home , do suburi ( right spelled ? ) with only your left hand , keep the right at the hip . Just do that now and then , and when at prac just think about your left hand alot, u can even do the one handed in exercises , i dont think anybody would mind that much , u could ask your sensei .

ahhh well


Khabbi

[Charlie]

Agreed. When we do suburi at practice, for every drill (Jogei suburi, sairu suburi, etc.) we do at least ten one handed. Also, try doing a few waza one handed during kihon practice. If you have an opportunity to do some men, do some left-hand only.

[Shazzanzzz]

First of all, stop using my avatar, hehe.

Try gripping tighter with your left hand than your right hand for now, so you can use your left hand more easier when doing 2 hand suburi. Another way is to just use your right index finger to grip the shinai instead of the whole right hand.

Power shouldn't come from your left arm either, but from your left wrist.

[hyouriittai]

First of all, stop using my avatar, hehe.

Try gripping tighter with your left hand than your right hand for now, so you can use your left hand more easier when doing 2 hand suburi. Another way is to just use your right index finger to grip the shinai instead of the whole right hand.

Power shouldn't come from your left arm either, but from your left wrist.

Alright, I'll definitely try these during suburi and kihon.

I would change the avatar, Shazz, but the "Edit Avatar" deal is gone for some reason.

[Kingofmyrrh]

Try gripping tighter with your left hand than your right hand for now, so you can use your left hand more easier when doing 2 hand suburi. Another way is to just use your right index finger to grip the shinai instead of the whole right hand.


I hate to disagree, but from my experience gripping with the right index finger is the quickest way to amplify the problem. I`ve never heard anyone suggest anything along those lines, everyone always talks about gripping with the little finger and the next one in from that (is that the ring finger? Need to get back to england I`m forgetting my own language!). The little finger connects through to the muscles on the underside of your arm (下筋 ) which are the correct muscles to use when striking, whereas the index finger connects to the biceps etc on the top side (上筋 ) which is the cause of most people`s `chopping`.
Here`s an exercise I like. Remember, it`s not perfect suburi, but to help you gain the feeling of the right hand. Just take your normal stance and then remove your right hand from the tsuka. If you then tap the underside of the tsuka with your right hand at the same place you just removed it from, you should here the bamboo clacking together, no? Well, replace your right hand, but have it so loose that there`s a gap between the tsuka and your thumb. The left hand, as ever, hold firmly with the little finger, the little finget almost off the end of the tsuka (半がけ ). Relax the shoulders! Now do normal suburi. On the upswing, the right hand is not used, but on the way down at the last moment punch the right hand forward (still maintaining that loose grip). As well as achieving a nice long reach, as you stop your right hand (at the moment of impact with your opponents head, were there to be one in front of you) and the loosely held tsuka also comes to a stop within it, you should hear that clack noise which you earlier created by hitting the tsuka. If you can`t hear that noise, then you`re probably strangling the shinai too tight. Also, there`s no need to try and swing rapidly at first. Just make a big leisurely swing and concentrate on creating speed at the last moment with the punching motion. Because your grip with the right hand is loose, you are also forced to provide the small amount of power required to swing the shinai with the left hand, as the right hand doesn`t have a firm hold. When you can produce the clack sound 100% of the time, then just grip ever so slightly firmly with the little finger of the right hand and you`ll get a bit more control, but without returning to bad form, and you don`t have to listen to that annpying noise anymore. That`s how I got rid of my right-hand problem (well, it`s got a bit better at least...)

[Charlie]

Kingofmyrhh beat me to it, I, too, have to disagree with Shazzanazz.

Try gripping tighter with your left hand than your right hand for now, so you can use your left hand more easier when doing 2 hand suburi.

This might lead to more problems. I think the grip on the sword should be looser until moment of impact, so not sure this would help.

Another way is to just use your right index finger to grip the shinai instead of the whole right hand.

I think this would compound the problem, too. You're trying to relax that hand, and remember the gripping is done with the pinky, ring finger and thumb, while the remaining two fingers are gentler.

Power shouldn't come from your left arm either, but from your left wrist.

New to me. The arm is used, not the wrist, I think, althoug the wrist plays a role in the tenouchi action at the end of the swing. Power really comes, I think, from the back leg, hips and guts (literally!).

No, I think one-armed suburi and one-armed waza will help better.

[Neil Gendzwill]

As always, please consult your sensei. For many of the problems people inquire about here, there is no instant fix. If you're hitting right-handed, practice some more. I recommend another 5 years or so, it will go away. One-handed suburi help somewhat, but really you just need to practice the two-handed ones and think about using your left hand more.

[hyouriittai]

Thanks for all the replies, folks.