Footwork, maai and movement

[rawnshah]

When it comes to footwork, our style tends to be more freeform after a certain level. At the beginning, students learn the katas step-by-step, by count, and with specific feet positions. For first time cutters (sankyus) start one step away from the target to cut. It takes a few years for most students before they get out of the habit of counting steps mentally, and move automatically.

As they progress, we add in more and more fluid movement. Eventually, the katas can have no limits on the footsteps to make up distance, and cutting targets never starts from nearby. There are still specific positions of the body and the feet that make a difference and are required, but all the steps around them are flexible to allow the student to adapt to the situation and environment.

Maai (distance between opponents) in field combat situations are highly variable, and not all involve even full strides, nor are they always in a straight line, and opponents aren’t cooperative. We learn the drills, katas, and other fixed forms at the beginning to understand what to do, but application requires adaptability to highly variable situations.

Once students reach black belt level, they start learning difficult stances, and try moving quickly, running, rotating, turning, and more. While they are moving so actively, they still need to be able to get into position. When they are at the point of performing the key strikes of the kata or tameshigiri, they need to try to get into the optimal position to make each strike.

The point is flexibility and fluidity: learning how to adapt to the situation but keeping in mind what works, and how to get to it.

[rawnshah]

This basically came up because when people see a particular pattern of feet movements for a kata or other form, without learning how this evolves into a more dynamic form, they can become fixed and therefore predictable.

As shihan has said before, the range of skills and ability shortens over time, and the style overall becomes weaker and more limited.

[rawnshah]

Let me give an example.

When a student first learns the blocking drills, they first learn how to move the sword into a position to block a particular strike, without heed to particular footsteps.

Then, they learn what body and feet positions work better for each block, but still moving only a step or two around the opponent.

Soon, we show them how to step intentionally to move into a position to counter-attack.

They can then learn how to move around the opponent, as part of the flow or outcome of the block.

Eventually, they learn to adapt how far or where they need to step, the obstacles, the terrain, location of other opponents, and other factors.

This becomes much more freeform even though the essence of blocking that they learned at the beginning is still there. The position of the feet and body matter at the point of impact on the block, but the movements vary significantly.