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Teaching Tenkan as a Martial Technique
by Tom Koch
Author Tom Koch (left) demonstrates the entry phase of tenkan with John Foster. While considered by many to be only a turn, Koch says that the initial entry is itself a critical phase. (All photos are by Les Jones, Covershots, Inc., and used by the author's permission.)
Don't back up," Mr Kudo growled.
Yeah, right. I was a newly-minted second-kyu student facing Elmar Schmeisser, then a seasoned Shotokan karate shodan fresh from four intense years of university team practice. Elmar was built like Ichabod Crane, long and thin and almost as gangly.
His (to me) unstoppable front kick was typically accompanied by at least two well-aimed punches followed by a roundhouse or side kick. He was a monster, and so I back-pedaled as he came in for the kill.
"Tom!," Mr. Kudo warned again. "Don't back up. I tell you before."
Kick. Crunch. Opps! Ippon.
It was a small dojo, and I had run out of running room.
Easy for Mr. Kudo to insist that budo (martial ways) does not run but instead meets and embraces every attack, that even second-kyu level students must learn that retreat and avoidance mean defeat. At that time Kudo Noriyasu, my friend, teacher, and sometime tormentor, held more dan certificates than cards in a poker hand: sixth dan in Judo, fourth dan in kendo, third dan in Shugyokai karate (as well as ranking in Kyokoshinkai karate). There was also his enviable record as an amateur sumotori in Tokyo during his teenage years.
Second and probably final point: After a futile attempt at taking the initiative, Elmar actually laughed at my front kick, double punch combination!--I was quickly in trouble. A neat snapping backfist, side kick to roundhouse progression, and I was beginning to back-pedal, again. No choice. Elmar launched a front kick and I retreated a step into. . .Wham!
A terrific force swatted my backside, projecting me forward into Elmar's kick which knocked me back once more, breathless, into. . .Whack! --Another very sharp and painful strike on my rear end which sent me into Elmar's follow-up fist, and then down to the mat.
I looked up to see Mr. Kudo holding his favorite shinai (kendo bamboo stave), shaking his head sadly. That damn bamboo stick had been the instrument of my backside's pain. "I said . . don' back up," Mr. Kudo noted kindly. "Next time remember me, behind you."
As if that was not humiliation enough, after kumite (sparring) I had to sit, rather gingerly, in seiza (formal sitting position) as he explained to the class that withdrawal merely delayed defeat. Avoidance, the running away from aggression, he insisted, was both a strategic failure and a tactical mistake. Budo, the soul of Japan, was about not shirking but accepting an attack. Blocks and footwork that met aggression were the skills which would allow us all to meet force with equanimity.
After that, whenever I fought in club or a tournament, I never backed up. That one painful lesson from Mr. Kudo's shinai had made me ever more fearful of the unknown behind me than the obvious opponent before me. Against stronger opponents I aimed for ai-uchi, for mutual killing, the situation in which, having given up hope, one's only desire is to take the other person with you. That was a first step down the road to Mr. Kudo's lesson.
It was only years later than I began to understand what he really wanted me to learn was to advance and survive. Aikido calls it tenkan.
Whatever the attack, the general principle in most martial arts is the same. Avoid another's force. Then be so positioned as to be able to take control, preventing a continuation of the partner's aggression while preparing to meet the next attacker, wherever he or she may be. Basic karate strategy is to stop the attack through effective blocks, and then to strike a disabling and well-placed blow without getting hit in the interim. Zanshin, the finish, involves staying so balanced throughout this process that another attacker will not be able to knock you down.
Tactically, aikido first moves its practitioner to a position of control and safety, unbalancing rather than merely striking the partner (although strikes are there if needed), and keeping that attacker in a state of controlled off-balance until he or she is either subdued or dispatched. At the end, one must be able to address another attacker from any direction.
Strategy and tactics. Every martial art has them. In aikido, 60 to 70 percent of the kyu level techniques employ one or another maneuver growing out of the footwork called tenkan. Ura ("countering" or reverse) techniques--from ikkyo to yonkyo--are tenkan based. So are shihonage, kote-gaeshi and iriminage. Aikido without tenkan-based technique is like opera without music. If tenkan is not taught as a powerful entry avoiding the blow, and a means of off-balance and control, then aikido practice will be both empty and unrealistic.
Tenkan is a technique, a means of off-balancing and controlling another person. Unfortunately, it is typically relegated in the dojo to the category of "Oh, well, basic stuff" and "yeah, pretty"-style of movements. It is almost always taught as bad philosophy (". . .In life, just turn around the attack and you will retain your center,") or at best as a basic movement which students above fifth kyu are assumed to know and need not review.
Tenkan is more than a metaphor, or a solo dance. It is, in fact, two moves. First and foremost it is a means of advancing to an advantageous, protected position beside an attack. To be effective, it must place its user so close to his/her aite (partner) that aite is simultaneously controlled and at risk. It is, in short, what Mr. Kudo tried to teach me long, long ago. If it is an entry it is also, however, an off-balancing move whose characteristic sweeping footwork counters a second attack, continues the initial off-balancing process, and drops the partner in one or another manner.
In tenkan, nage finishes besides uke so that his body controls his partner's movements. If done correctly, uke's grip is naturally loosened and his control is lessened.
While it is characteristic of all forms of modern aikido, the entry is not unique to that martial system. Elmar Schmeisser, for example, discusses its general application in his book, Advanced Karate-Do (St. Louis Focus Publications, 1994). Nor is this surprising. After all, aikido is a synthetic system whose creator was highly skilled in traditional arts: yari (spear), sword, and Daito-ryu. But in its modern aikido variant, tenkan has been developed to a potentially high art, one whose points of entry and control can be generally understood by other martial artists, although its study remains largely an aikido preserve.Teaching a serviceable tenkan requires ongoing instruction, something people from fifth kyu into the dan grades practice in different ways, again and again. This can be done through a series of exercises which build from strategy to tactic to specific technique. A teaching program which distinguishes between entry and turning allows for better analysis of the relation between attack and defense, allowing for safe movement against continuing strikes with back fist and elbow.
Good tenkan practice is like Mr. Kudo's injunction: Don't back up. Find safety by meeting the attack.
At the Beaches Aikikai in Toronto, Canada, this is taught through a series of progressive exercises. All are done, first, as ki-no-nagare, as stepping moving techniques from gyaku hanmi (opposing half-facing stances). Both partners step toward each other from the same hanmi, right foot to right foot or left foot to left foot. Only later, as people become proficient, do students test their movement in static practice. Here, briefly, is the basic progression, described in an abbreviated fashion.
In this series, both practitioners begin in gyaku-hanmi, with their right (or left) foot forward at the same time. Ma-ai, the distance between them is wide, but more experienced practitioners may shorten it. Nage puts his hands behind his back. This is movement and timing practice, not specific technique.
Practice 1. As uke (the one who is going to be thrown) punches chudan-zuki (middle-level thrust punch), nage (the "thrower") steps directly into the line of the punch, allowing him or herself to be hit. In stepping, both knees come together, the body advances in a straight line. Before avoiding the strike, it's important to lose fear of it, and to know the direction from which it will come.
Practice 2. As uke punches, nage steps in the same way, stepping towards the punch. But at the last moment his forward foot lands just to the side of uke's, and the back foot slides off-line to a seven or five o'clock position. Nage is now positioned on an angle in towards uke, hand at wrist or elbow, near pressure points in those areas. His/her body is protected by the attacker's. The right hand is free and able to strike. In one variation this entry includes patting the cheek of uke. We call this "saying hello" in the entry, a friendly touch to disorient, control distance, and it could be a strike if needed.
This is a strategic placement, the "pre-turn" entry position. The bodies are close enough that uke's inside arm and foot are blocked. The natural pullback of the punching hand is anticipated, even welcomed.
Practice 3. Uke punches and then pulls back the punch, karate-style. As uke's fist retracts, nage simultaneously finishes the tenkan, keeping a hand in control at partner's elbow. Through the movement, nage's hand is outstretched in classic tenkan style, riding the partner's elbow, controlling his or her motion while being guided by it. It is the center of his turn, and of both practitioner's balance. The turn, in this variant, avoids and simultaneously controls the second strike.
Practice 4. As people become proficient with Practice 3, they discover that a deeper tenkan and correct body position (taisabaki) off-balances nage, allowing a throw to occur. In effect, the tenkan does the work. As ability increases, the ma-ai between partners is decreased, and the speed of punch and pullback gradually increased.
This practice gives students training in being attacked (practice 1), so they are not gun-shy. Further, it trains reflexes to place practitioners in a safe body position (in practice 2) so that the full turn (practice 3) can be used correctly where applicable. It follows martial arts' first injunction-don't get hit-while asserting control over what will almost certainly be a continuation of that original aggression (back fist or elbow strike, etc.). The whole body is safely placed, off the line on the entry and in a position which can control the balance of both practitioners.
None of this works if nage's entering foot is very far from uke's advance. None of this works if nage turns before uke's movement is completed. Tenkan fails if uke and nage's hips are separated by more than a few inches. As Mr. Kudo always said, control requires a direct engagement of the violence intended by a punch, kick, or thrust. Proximity and control allows one to survive and control the attack, and one's fear.Waka sensei, hombu aikido's current dojocho (head of training; Ueshiba Moriteru), personifies this type of power tenkan whenever he demonstrate morote kokyunage, a tenkan-based throw which is used against punches and grabs. As someone steps forward to grab his wrist, he enters, turning the back foot slightly to the side. Only when he is in a safe position beside the partner does he use the tenkan to complete his partner's off-balancing. From the tenkan position, he then steps inside, leg backwards, allowing his body position (not his arms) to complete the off-balance and, with a final weight shift, the throw.
Over the last 15 years , his technique has changed as entry and taisabaki came to dominate his movements, His ma-ai has gradually shortened, and his tenkan become an ever tighter, more definitive movement. As a result his "throw" completes but does not dominate his movement.
We practice this kokyu-age at Beaches Aikikai using a small rubber ball to give students a large reference point. When the object is to hold and keep one's "eye on the ball," they become less intent on "throwing," and more focused on the movement itself. In this exercise:
Practice 1. Nage holds a small beach ball. His hands on the ball are at three o'clock and nine o'clock, as if he was ready to do kokyudosa. In holding, the little finger is tightest, the other fingers are loose. Nage and uke are both in a right foot forward stance. uke advances as if to grab the ball. Nage enters correctly, body so close that elbows and perhaps hips are almost touching.
Practice 2. Nage then completes the tenkan, pivoting on his left foot, sweeping until his right foot is beside his partner's back foot. The beach ball is now directly over uke's hand. The hips are touching, The ball is just past uke's reach. Ideally, nage has slightly off-balanced uke with the turn, and with the thrust of his hips.
Practice 3. As uke reaches up for the ball, nage first shifts his weight back (the ball moving with his whole body) and then moves his front foot towards partner's back foot. The ball is the last thing to move, coming up and over both people's heads, nage's elbow and shoulder low enough to catch underneath uke's chin. This is, if we allow it to be, a powerful strike. Uke's jaw is at extreme risk from the elbow or shoulder. Nage's weight shift and step is the attack, the outside throw is icing on the cake.
Practice 4. After stepping and lifting the ball, nage turns 180 degrees, placing the ball back into its normal position, hands out, the classic tenkan ura finish. He/she is able to step forward (uke is down) into the next attack, or away from one coming from the rear.
Once familiar with this practice, people try the same technique against morote-tori or katate-tori attacks. The focus of this classic morote-tori kokyunage becomes, in this training, not an arm and shoulder throw, a pushing down of partner but an avoidance of the attack and an off-balancing of the opponent. The hands become merely antennae, the tenkan and its footwork the heart and focus of the whole.
Finally, this morote-tori kokyunage is practiced against tsuki (thrusts). In this the entry itself may be enough if uke's punch is sufficiently vigorous. A strong entry by uke and nage brings the attacker's chin under nage's shoulder even before the turn is completed. Neck and jaw injuries are a possibility here. Thus this practice is incorporated into specific ukemi (breakfall) classes where the ability to take more advanced breakfalls is emphasized.
Uke isn't static, of course. He/she wants to continue the attack, either by stepping around or by bringing the forward elbow back in a strike at nage's gut. Non-Japanese speakers usually define ukemi as forward or backward rolls-tumbling or falls. But more generally, it means the complex of body positioning which allows the "attacker" to seek his or her own balance and protect his or her own position during nage's counter. Throughout the movement, uke moves both to protect himself and to attack. So does nage.
Partnered tenkan practice offers everyone the ability to analyze the interaction between uke and nage at every stage. It allows us to learn as tori, from the inside out, and then as nage, from the outside in. Being uke is not a passive or mindless position. The speed of the attack determines the force of the throw. Thus both sides must continually be aware, be working, and be cognizant of both practitioners' abilities.
While usually practiced as a two-person technique, tenkan can also be practiced by larger groups. Using a ball rather than a fist helps beginners overcome their fear of being hit.
Using this type of graduated exercise is especially helpful when there are students of widely disparate abilities in a single class. Typically, more senior students become bored and frustrated with their junior's awkward movements. They either get sloppy or vicious, depending on their personality and level of frustration. Breaking down the technique into its component parts allows more senior students to focus on their ma-ai and timing, adopting ever shorter distances between themselves and their partner. They can challenge themselves while learning how to move in tight situations. Can the entry be sufficient? Will the tenkan off-balance? Where am I off-balanced? When is the partner off-balance?This type of training also allows beginners to better understand the logic of the movement and its martial origins, fundamentals most instructors ignore in modern training. Instructors and practitioners alike can see where a student's movement places him or her at risk. Pointing it out allows students to modify both their first movement, in response to the punch, and their second, inside movement for maximum safety and off-balancing. In this training ukemi becomes not just a dance or a flopping fall, but a means of reacting safely to unsafe positions.
Finally, this basic practice can be used in teaching taninzu-keiko, multiple person practice. Groups of three to five students surround one person. The attack is known (tsuki, yokomen uchi (side head strike) or shomen uchi (direct head strike). Nage enters and turns into the direction of the next attack. He or she then steps toward the next attacker, who must be attentive enough to respond with the appropriate attack. Step in and turn, step forward again.In this practice, the uke team works as hard as nage. All uke members must constantly position themselves so they are a step away from nage. All must be aware of each other's movements as well as nage's if they are to attack appropriately. In the highest level of this practice, of course, all attacks are welcomed. Still, tenkan is the only technique nage is allowed. And only when the practitioner's movement is unerring are throws allowed. By then, however they become a natural conclusion to the movement and positioning of the practice group.
This is a goal which takes years of practice to reach. But it is one which begins, with this technique, at early levels of training. Its end point is real defense by timing and entry and body positioning against real attacks, something few aikido instructors emphasize. Correct movement against powerful attacks is not intuitive. It requires systematic training.
As Mr. Kudo showed me so graphically years ago, it also means overcoming one's fear of getting hit, It means meeting the attack and disabling it by position. In karate, this comes from ai-uchi, from losing the fear of being hit, and then at higher levels avoiding the other's attack.
This is kihon, basic practice. But it is also bunkai, an analysis of the parts. The themes are both the strategy of martial arts and the general tactic of aikido practice. Don't get hit. Don't anticipate. Control the partner. Make his power and speed work through off-balancing and placing your body in control.
One can probably learn these lessons in the traditional way, by becoming an uchi-deshi (live-in student). Assuming one survives five to ten years of practice, these strategies and tactics will probably be transmitted automatically. Without that type of training, however, aikido requires a systematic form of instruction which overtly acknowledges the strategy of martial arts, and the tactics with which aikido can accomplish it. What we need to do, now, is to translate old lessons into modern practices so that aikido can be taught as an effective martial art as well as pleasant exercise.
About the Author
Tom Koch is a fourth dan in Hombu-style aikido. Twice vice-president of the Canadian Aikido Federation, he is chief instructor, Beaches Aikikai, Toronto, Canada. He also holds shodan level certificates in both Shotokan and Shukokai styles of karate.
Copyright ©Tengu Press and Wayne Muromoto. All rights reserved.
