Kata Mawashi Uke

Taikyoku mawashi uke, thats the fellow and yes the block is the last move in Sanchin. Also appears in Tensho I believe. It also sounds as if the explanation of the 4 blocks is not so far off as I thought. (In a basic sort of way).
Still having trouble visualizing the other apps. being given although I can kind of see a throw in there somewhere.
It must be really subtle in Heian Godan though, I can't see that one at all.
Perhaps Oldman could do a sketch on it. His cartoon of Tekki shodan I thought was cracking.

as long as you don't think those four blocks are simultaneous! lol like I was joking about the 4-arm alien.

Taikyoku mawashi uke was created by Gogen Yamaguchi as training kata for beginners, one out of a set of 5 kata with 2 versions per kata. The others are Taikyoku jodan - chudan - gedan - kake uke.
They are only practised in his organization, nowadays 2 orghanizations run by his 2 sons.

The mawashi uke or tora guchi is a very important technique in Naha-te. For Goju ryu, it is present in almost all kata Miyagi left (except gekisai-dai ichi, shishoshin, seiunchin, sanseru).
Possible applications are trapping/locking/breaking/throwing/pushing/pulling/striking/grasping... and it is a close-range technique either moving linear or moving circular. For beginners it is a very dificult technique to grasp but even for more advanced it is not easy to use in free fighting.
Classical application is the trapping of the 2 attacks (one jodan and one chudan) putting the arms in a lock hold but more vicious is the continued grasping of the testicles eye-gouche or the finger thrust into the prostate and throath (just below larinx) or base of the neck(sideways).

What is very important (in view of Naha-te) are in my opinion 3 things :
* the variety of application of the technique in a double hand action will improve on single hand movements and will learn the value of the supporting hand. It will improve your fighting skill as you learn to use both hands in fighting.
* Sticky hand training, learning how to push/pull, spit/ swallow, ... when necesary, it is one of the ultimate hard/soft techniques. Greatest asset is redirecting your opponents energy into your advantage.
* Historic, the end pose of mawashi uke resembles a lot a hand gesture of the Buddha. I think that is why it is used a lot at the end of a kata. I have heard it has to do with promoting a peacefull mind but do not remember the details. Anyone know more about this geasture in Bhouddism ?

Alone with the other comments mawashi-uke is a continued concept of the not so obvious as in the wraping of most movements in the kata at the begining they only appear to b preparation for a defensive move, when in reality the entire move is a strike with a check/block the hand moving away is the striking hand and the hand coming back is the checking hand and what was once a block now a strike or block and the strong obvious strike or block/strike is now the power move.

The Mashi-uke is closest obvious example of were this can be seen, it offense and defense within its entire motion. It is deflecting,blocking, checking, trapping, locking, tearing, poking, clawing, palming or grasping, or reverse of this. Pending how it is used or interpetted. It is the essence of Fukine's White Tiger/Crane/Monk/5 ancestor boxing or soft style Ju in Goju.

Describe this technique? I'll leave that to someone with more time on their hands. Briefly though, it's a circular "block" performed with both hands that travel through 540 degrees.

Ironfoot,

I am only familiar with it through Kyokushin and Ashihara karate which do it differently. I have also seen it performed in Goju.

The translated name would be "roundhouse" block or "windmill" parry.

The starting positions that I have seen are variously similar to having one arm presented as a finished soto-uke or uichi-uke while the other hand is either beneath the elbow, or in some cases above the blocking hand's shoulder.

The soto-uke/ uichi-uke hand moves around toward the body side in a circular fashion going downward as if doing a hooking geidanburai, while the other hand moves upward cicularly as if doing a motion similar to a jodan-uke. These hands are rotating in the same direction and end up in a mirror image of the starting position, but now on the other side.

I hope this sort of helps.

-B

The version of this block that my club practices, each hand travels 540.
Starting position; Upper hand pushed out level with armpit, palm facing out with elbow close to body pointing to floor.
Lower hand pushed out from hip, palm facing out with forearm parallel to floor and elbow tucked into body.
Movement; Upper hand sweeps out and down performing gedan uke. Lower hand sweeps out and up performing soto uke.
The hands continue their circular motion crossing back to back in the centre of the body. Original upper hand now sweeps up again to perform uchi uke. Original lower hand sweeps down to perform gedan barai. OUH now sweeps down to hip, OLH sweeps up to armpit and push hands out to a reversed starting position.
We have practiced a shorter version of this block where it appears in certain kata.
Maybe Mr. Miyagi had something after all???
(eyes car looking a bit grubby)

Not that this is really important - If I imagined what you described...that is 270 per hand.

here is a clear video (I not sure why mr lyons demonstrates it this badly in the video though, I've seen him demonstrate much better...a few technical mistakes - shoulders coming way up being the most obvious):
http://www.all-karate.com/vt_tora_guchi.php

watch one hand. trace a line. each hand goes 3/4 of a circle. stopping at the strike.

Ironfoot-
Its essentially the "wa uke" set of circular blocks/thrusts one performs at the end of Isshinryu's Sanchin.

Tried to look at the vid but after hours of trying to download software to view it, I am told that my comp doesn't have enough memory. (whatever that means)
If you look at one hand though, say the upper hand, it travels a full circle and then down to the hip.( In the version we practice.)
Ok, maybe not quite 540 but certainly 360, plus another say, 90? = 450.
As I have said though, I have used a shorter version in kata
where the hands only travel 270.

PS the karate kid comment had me rolling about

At the moment Buddha became enlightened he touched the earth to witness his enlightenment, he touched the sky to show the connection between heaven and earth, and he spun the wheel to show the circle of life.

Below is a link to an image (big) of the heaven and earth posture of Buddha.
http://buten.net/max/My2001/penang/html/10BurmeseTempleBuddhaHands.html

cheers & happy traning,
Dana

"What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?"

Dana

Welcome!

Please don't be a "stranger."

I love Mawashi! Of course, I am simple.
Part of the attraction to Goju...all the circular stuff.

This is a simple block that can be used in complex ways, it is the most obvious (once explained) to the concept that Karate is both Offensive and defensive or as I like to call it counter offensives.

This move at green belt was explained to me as a blocking striking movement. Deflect a head strike and slapping the grion (supposeitly Miyagi's favor move). Or the opposite deflecting a chest/grion strike or kick, palming the nose or chin.

As you progress it becomes block the low kick strike the eyes, trap the rhk and chop the neck, push away take down.
To deflect the high punch, strike eyes and grion or lower abdomen all the way to trapping two arm elbow over elbow arm break/throw, one of the predominate throw &lock in Praying Mantis kung-fu and others Chinese systems. Just to name a few applications.

What some see as just a pretty block or a confused motion, has multiple purposes. And is a prime early example of what Tode jujits is all about.

it's also great for stand up grappling! (I'm thinking Uechi version)

Howdy back cxt. Always good to see familiar folks.


Also - there is a strike with the outside of the forearm/hand at the end of the wauke. Very nicely applied in combination with taisabaki to the outside line.

To everyone contributing to this thread,
This is fantastic stuff, I'm lapping it up.
Keep it coming.

aaah, my favourite block of all this was introduced to me through the Tensho kata. i won't bother repeating all its uses here as thats been done enough, but we learnt one application in class where your opponent is hanging onto the front of your gi. don't know the exact name, but you manage to get them into a rather painful arm lock O.o ...don't know if thats any use to this thread, but oh well