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How to Practice the Fake Kick of 指拍 Shihaku

From Bujinkan Santa Monica by Michael

How to Practice the Fake Kick of 指拍 Shihaku
Real or fake kick?
The other night in my dojo we were practicing fake kicks during the kata 指拍 Shihaku. It is a challenge to practice a fake kick. Here I will give you a method to make your fakes seem real.

How do you trick someone into believing something that isn’t real? You act as if it is real. Or even better, make it real.

This is how I often explain kyojitsu to my students. 虚 kyo means fake, and 実 jitsu means reality. For kyojitsu to work it has to be both real and fake at the same time.

Shihaku has a kick that is kyojitsu. But remember kyojitsu only works if it can be either 虚 kyo or 実 jitsu. Too many people only practice the kyo part of kyojitsu. 

Their fake fails because no one would fall for it. So it must be real. Just not necessarily delivered.

This means that if the opponent doesn’t react to your fake, then make it real. And you kick him hard! If he’s not buying what you’re selling, then kick his ass with it.

So when does does the fake become real? Where does that change occur? Hatsumi Sensei demonstrated this on me when he called it 虚実皮膜 kyojitsu himaku.

The way I learned this kick from Hatsumi Sensei was quite interesting. He took it to that in between place of kyojitsu by making the kick 探り saguri geri. Here The kick becomes more of a searching, feeling out, or testing the waters.

But Soke is really probing the opponent’s state of mind. Will he fall for it? Think of a calm mind like the surface of a quiet lake. Then look for the ripples caused by your (fake) kick.

It is like dipping your toe into a pool to see if the water is cold. Is that a kick? The water surface may be broken and disturbed. Our opponent's kamae is also broken and disturbed this way by saguri geri.

I love this in practice because I can often make my opponents fall over without even hitting them. It is because I am striking their mind and spirit. If that fails for some reason, I have the backup of a real kick to the balls and a punch to the gut. I am happy with either outcome!

If you want more of these training tips from me, then please join my newsletter here: Rojodojo

Shugyou#02 KERI NI TAISUKU WAZA with MATS HJELM

From Budoshop by BUDOSHOP.SE

Shugyou02
54 minutes (H.264, 360p)
22 p manual, 658 Mb for $19.99
Available as download or DVD

Shugyou, in-depth training and study material. Including video and manual

The video is 54 minutes and the first section covers 20 Keri Waza (kicking techniques) from the Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu system.

The other section of this video covers 11 Keri ni taisuku waza counter techniques against kicking attacks from the Ten Ryaku no Maki.

The manual is in Swedish, the instructions on the DVD are in English! The Manual covers 20 basic kicking techniques, 11 counter techniques. The manual is 22 pages with 68 pictures.

Recorded in Stockholm, Sweden October 2003

Sample clip

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