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B Bates
B Bates's picture
Bassai Dai - Reinforced low blocks

Hi All,

I thought I'd share with you my interpritation of the reinforced low blocks found in bassai dai. It makes a lot more sense to me than the nonsense I was taught years ago re blocking a groin kick (kiba dachi wouldn't be the best stance for this anyway ;-)

Cheers

Brian

Heath White
Heath White's picture

I like this a lot!  I believe the late Richard Poage had an application that was similar to this.  I taught a version of it today, actually.  

B Bates
B Bates's picture

Thanks Heath. Noah had mentioned this on a group where I had shared it. This sent me down a Waza Wednesday rabbit hole (which isn't a bad thing ;-)  ) and yes it's very similar. 

 

Another good option I found for this section of kata was from Iain, which fits the Wado version where the arms go more to the side rather than down as per shotokan.

 

Cheers

Brian

Andrew Sheldon-...
Andrew Sheldon-Thomson's picture

I have an alternative explaination for this move which is to lock the two arms against each other.  If you start in a grapple with hands on your opponents biceps (or one head and bicep)  the opponent trying to push you (extending their arms).  Push out (think arm extention - this straightens opponents arm), kick their leg or hip out to destablise them, then keeping your hand on the bicep let your elbow come under their arm (a bit like a slide by) and use your elbow to redirect the arm over the top as you step over.   As you do this your other and slides down your partners arm and extends it back to your hip.   Gedan bari 1 - pull up and hug both arms,  Gedan bari 2 pull one arm accross keeping it tight, Gedan bari 3 snaps the back of the arms agains each other.   

This version is esentially an elaborate arm lock / break.  I will probably have to shoot a video to fully explain it as explaining it text is much harder.

The key though is to think of the elbow movement as a a redirect of the other persons arm and this sets you up in position to use the gedan bari as a lock.