Nine Modes for Working the Hands

What we did on Tuesday 10 July 2012

Formal kumite

Kata Shintai: Nine Modes.  My continuing analysis of Shinseido hand and arm movements has led me to recognise nine different ways we combine movements with both hands. I created a three dimensional exercise to show these modes.  The standard or root mode where the left hand mirrors what the right hand is doing (or vice versa) is carried out as follows:

1a	Circling around the longitudinal axis:  Left hand describes an anti-clockwise circle starting at the bottom and finishing on the right hand side of the circle (one and a quarter revolutions).	Circling around the longitudinal axis:  Right hand describes a clockwise circle starting at the bottom and finishing on the left hand side of the circle (one and a quarter revolutions).
1b	Circling around the vertical axis:  Left hand makes a horizontal flat circle going outwards (anti-clockwise as seen from above) all the way around and finishing at the front (one and a quarter revolutions).	Circling around the vertical axis:  Right hand makes a horizontal flat circle going outwards (clockwise as seen from above) all the way around and finishing at the front (one and a quarter revolutions).
1c	Circling around the lateral or transverse axis:  Left hand makes a longitudinal circle starting downwards, back, round and up, over the top forwards and all the way to the bottom (one and a quarter revolutions).	Circling around the lateral or transverse axis:  Right hand makes a longitudinal circle starting downwards, back, round and up, over the top forwards and all the way to the bottom (one and a quarter revolutions).

The subsequent modes, following the same sequence as the standard model, are:

2	Backwards	Going back the way you came for the standard model
3	In unison	Each hand reinforcing the action of the other as if one wrist were tied together with a short length or rope.
4	Reversed order	Reversed sequence for the standard model.  E.g. The same sequence but anti-clockwise instead of clockwise; backwards instead of forwards; inwards instead of outwards.
5	Contrary motion	Not the same as the mirrored version – but where the hands work exactly contrary to each other – so the left hand rotates backwards whilst the right hand rotates forwards on the lateral axis.
6	Following	One hand following the other on opposite sides of a circle
7	Contrary following	Contrary motion on opposite sides of a circle
8	Dual axes	Working two different t axes simultaneously: e.g. Left Anti-Clockwise - Right Outwards Left Inwards - Right Forwards Left Backwards - Right Clockwise Clearly there are many coordination challenging combinations to this model.
9	Random	A recognised option but not revealed in the kata

I hasten to point out that I am unconvinced of the practical self-defensive value of this kind of exercise.  It is more a part of what I am studying at the moment in terms of trajectory relationships, but the kata as a whole (this is just one part of it) has also thrown up some fascinating coordination challenges which form a fascinating subject for kinetic mediation.