2024-10-21

Tonight I was invited to be a guest instructor at my old dojo in Bloomington, IL. Everyone seemed to enjoy Saturday’s Wankan bunkai session with Sensei Hartter, so after the “compulsory round” of kihon, I spent the second half of class giving them a few ideas on how to apply a few moves from the Heian kata. The time went quickly, but we were able to touch on the following:

• Heian Shodan, move 4
  We applied this as an escape from a same-side wrist grab (as usual), but following with a tripping throw rather than a hammer-fist strike.
• Heian Nidan, moves 1-3
  We used this as the response to a flurry of “haymaker” punches, ending with a tripping throw.
• Heian Yondan, moves 1-3
  We used this to respond to the same initial “haymaker” punch, but ending with a wrist lock and throw.