Koto Ryu Taihenjustu
Movement Skills (Taihenjutsu)
#1 Forward Roll (Zenpo Kaiten)
The defender squats low and places his hands on the ground so that the fingers point outwards. The defender tucks his chin down, pushes off with both feet and rolls over both of his shoulder blades. The defender keeps his knees in tight so that he can come up onto the balls of both feet. The defender then stands up and assumes kamae. Zenpo Kaiten is very similar to an American somersault. This can be performed with both hands, one hand, or no hands.
Diagonal Front Roll (Naname Zenpo Kaiten): The defender starts with his right leg forward and places his hands on the ground. The fingers of the right hand should point back toward his left foot if the defender wishes to roll straight forward. By changing the angle of the back of the palm, the defender changes the angle in which he plans to roll. The defender pushes off with both feet and rolls diagonally from his right shoulder to his left hip. To do this, the defender must stay tucked in a tight ball and move as though he is trying to grab his left foot. As the defender comes out of the roll, he lands on one knee while remaining on the balls of his feet. From there, the defender stands up and assumes kamae. For a more advanced version, the defender lands on the balls of both feet without one knee touching the ground. By coming up on both feet, the defender is able to stand faster and smoother. The defender should practice this by using two hands, one hand, and eventually no hands at all.
Thrusting Roll (Tsuki Kaiten): This roll is used for rolling under things and is practiced with a straw covered beam held at thigh height. The defender starts in Surrounding Stance (Hoko no Kamae) and kicks the beam. He then drops to one knee and rolls forward under the beam (it is called a tsuki here because the defender is exploiting an opening and then rolling). When doing the roll, it is important to keep the knees in close so the legs will not hit the beam.
Two-Person Roll (Futari Kaiten): This is used for rolling off the top of a downed opponent. To begin with, the defender needs to be on top of a defeated opponent and in position to roll. The defender pushes off with his feet and goes into a diagonal front roll (Naname Zenpo Kaiten). The important thing is for the defender to create as much distance between himself and the opponent as possible. Futari kaiten is useful when an unexpected second opponent has appeared and the defender needs to disengage with his first opponent quickly.
Jumping Roll (Hicho Kaiten): This is nearly identical to Naname Zenpo Kaiten except that this roll is meant for distance. Therefore, the defender begins by reaching out, leaping as far as he can, and quickly tucking into a tight ball. Afterwards, the defender stands up and assumes kamae as usual. This roll allows the defender to clear a large amount of space, but is not totally silent. In Koto Ryu, hicho kaiten is practiced with a straw covered beam held at thigh height and there are two basic drills:
- The defender covertly kicks (Kakushi Geri) the beam and then does a high jumping roll (Hicho Kaiten) over the beam. To clear the beam, the defender should jump up high, bend over the beam while in the air, and, as his front hands touch the ground, swing the feet up into the air. Finally, the defender would tuck into a ball and roll over his shoulder as normal, coming up onto one knee and the balls of the feet. As soon as he has finished, the defender throws shuriken at the beam.
- The defender covertly kicks (Kakushi Geri) the beam and does a high jumping roll (Hicho Kaiten) over the beam. The defender turns around and does another high jumping roll (Hicho Kaiten) back over the beam. The defender finishes in a low stance.
#2 Sideways Roll (Sokuho Kaiten)
The defender begins in Flat Number-One Stance (Hira Ichimonji no Kamae) while facing an opponent who is in front of him. He then squats down, forms a circular shape with his arms, lowers his body to the right or left, and goes into a roll in that direction so that he rolls perpendicular to the opponent. The roll is almost directly across the shoulder blades, and the defender should have a feeling of being in a ball while rolling. During the roll, the defender should keep his eyes fixed on the opponent and his knees in tight to his chest. The defender comes out of the roll on the balls of both feet, stands up, and assumes Hira Ichimonji no Kamae. The defender should practice this by using two hands, one hand, and eventually no hands at all.
#3 Backwards Roll (Koho Kaiten)
Beginning in a Natural Posture (Shizen no Kamae), the defender steps back diagonally with one of his feet similar to assuming a really deep stance with the feet at a forty-five degree angle from each other. The defender squats down, shifting his weight to the rear so that the weight of the front foot shifts to the heel of the front foot. The defender lowers himself to the floor without using his hands and rolls back, swinging his right leg over his left shoulder or his left leg over his right shoulder. As the defender's front foot points straight up in the air, he pulls his knees suddenly into his chest to help add extra momentum to the roll. The defender rolls all the way over onto his feet and stands up. When executing the roll, the defender's eyes should remain fixed on the opponent's eyes the entire time. Finally, for purposes of safety, the defender tilts his head slightly to the side to prevent rolling directly over the top of his head. So, if the defender were to roll backwards over his right shoulder, he would tilt his head slightly to the left and swing his left leg over his right shoulder as he rolls back.
#4 Front Flip (Zenpo Tenkai)
The defender does a front handspring by placing both hands on the floor, pushing off with his feet into a hand stand, flipping over into a back-bend, and swinging his torso up into a natural stance (Shizen no Kamae). The defender should practice this by using two hands, one hand, and eventually no hands at all, in other words a front flip.
#5 Back Flip (Koho Tenkai)
The defender bends over backwards into a back-bend, placing both hands on the ground. The defender pushes off with his feet, flips over, and stands up. When done with two hands and one hand this is simply a back-handspring. When done with no hands, this is a back flip.
#6 Side Flip (Sokuho Tenkai)/ Big Wheel (Oten)
The defender does a cartwheel/ round-off with both hands or one hand. This can also be done as a side flip with no hands.
#7 Horizontal Flow (Yoko Nagare)
The defender lowers his body weight and swings his right leg to the left side of his body. The defender uses this motion to smoothly lower himself down and roll across the back of his shoulders from the right shoulder to the to the left. The defender lands on his feet to the right of his starting point and stands up. This is similar to the next roll, Standing Flow (Tate Nagare), except for the direction.
Side Break-fall (Yoko Ukemi): The defender lowers his body weight and swings his right leg to the left side of his body. The defender uses this motion to drop down and roll slightly on his side to take the impact away from the ukemi.
Horizontal Flow Variation (Yoko Nagare Henka): The defender lowers his body weight and swings his right leg to the left side of his body. The defender uses his left leg to lower his body so that he drops straight down to the ground. The defender forms a diamond shape with his thumbs and index fingers and takes the impact of dropping down with his forearms held at forty-five degree angles. The defender's upper body will be similar to a Forward Break-Fall (Zenpo Ukemi) and his lower body will be similar to Side Break-fall (Yoko Ukemi). The defender straightens his left arm as he swings it back to the left until his shoulder will go no further. While this happens, the defender lays back somewhat to the right and swings his right leg up toward his left shoulder. The defender roll over his shoulder similar to Backwards Roll (Koho Kaiten). The defender lands on his feet and immediately stands up into kamae.
#8 Standing Flow (Tate Nagare)
The defender raises his right leg and lowers himself down with the other leg. The right leg kind of moves with a feeling of sliding out to the front. Just as his butt touches the ground, the defender rolls backwards, swinging his right leg toward the left side of his neck. When the defender is upside down, he braces the ground with both his hands and tucks both of his legs in tightly to carry himself the rest of the way through the roll. At the end of the roll, the defender's knees briefly touch the ground and the defender uses his hand to push himself up onto his feet. The defender stands up and assumes Kamae. This is similar to Backwards Roll (Koho Kaiten).
Tate Nagare Henka: The defender should also practice this roll with out using his hands. This is difficult and takes much practice. To perform the roll one handed, the defender raises his left arm above his head in a similar manner to Kosei no Kamae from Kukishinden Ryu and swings his right leg toward the left side of his neck. As the defender rolls upside down, he uses his left forearm to hold himself up and tucks his legs into his chest. Instead of allowing the knees to touch the ground, the defender uses his forearm as a support so he can come straight up onto the balls of his feet.
Back Break-fall (Koho Ukemi): The defender raises his right leg and lowers himself down with the other leg. The right leg kind of moves with a feeling of sliding out to the front. Just as his butt touches the ground, the defender rolls backwards a little to dissipate the momentum. When doing the ukemi, the defender's hands should be up near the face for protection or else in a useful position. The hands should not be out to the side or stupidly slapping the ground.
Chu Gaeri: This is essentially a back roll (Koho Kaiten) done while throwing the opponent. However, it maintains a feel very similar to Standing Flow (Tate Nagare) in which the leg slides forward. When done with Chu Gaeri this often involves the leg sliding between the opponent's legs and the opponent being thrown with a sacrifice throw (Sutemi Nage).
#9 Forward Break-Fall (Zenpo Ukemi)
The defender falls forward. Before he hits the ground, the defender makes a triangle shape with his hands so that his palms face the ground. The defender's forearms should be at a forty-five degree angle, the same angle as the Japanese character for eight. When the defender lands, he takes the impact with his forearms, lowers his body toward the ground, and swings one foot up behind him to act as a counterweight. The defender's face turns to the right or left when he begins to fall to keep his face from smashing into the ground if something goes wrong. After the zenpo ukemi, the defender can stand up or go into a zenpo kaiten. The defender can perform zenpo ukemi while using only one hand as well.
#10 Forwards, Backwards, Left, Right, Up, and Down Jumping (Zenpo Sayu Joge Choyaku)/
Four-Ways Heaven and Earth Jump (Shiho Tenchi Tobi)
This includes practice for jumping in all directions. These are forward (Mae/ Zenpo), backwards (Ushiro/ Koho), left and right (Hidari to Migi/ Sayu/ Yoko), up (Ten/ Jyou), and down (Chi/ Ge). When jumping, it is important for the defender to practice jumping low and far instead of high, the exception being upward and downward jumps.
Forward and Backward Jumping (Zenpo Tobi): The defender begins in Natural Stance (Shizen no Kamae) and jumps forward or backwards as far as he can keeping both feet about shoulder-width apart the entire time. When starting in Number-One Stance (Ichimonji no Kamae), the defender jumps backwards by leaping into the air and bringing his lead leg toward his rear leg while in the air. When the lead leg comes near the rear leg, the defender swings his rear leg back away from the lead leg so that he lands in a fighting stance (Kamae). The defender jumps forwards by leaping into the air and bringing his rear leg toward his lead leg while in the air. When the rear leg comes near the lead leg, the defender swings his lead leg forward away from the rear leg so that he lands in a fighting stance (Kamae).
Left and Right Jumping (Sayu Tobi): The defender begins in Natural Stance (Shizen no Kamae). To jump right, the defender jumps up bringing his left leg near his right and swings his right leg to the right so that he lands with his feet about shoulder width apart. To jump left, the defender jumps up bringing his right leg near his left and swings his left leg to the left so that he lands with his feet about shoulder width apart.
Upward and Downward Jumping (Joge Tobi): To jump up, the defender jumps up as high as he can and brings his knees in toward his chest. The defender's feet cross with his right foot coming up toward the left hip and the rear foot coming up to the center of the butt. It should be as though the defender is trying to assume Unmovable Seated Postion (Fudoza no Kamae) while in the air. The downward jump involves very little upward movement. The defender does jump slightly but this is to bring his legs up into position. The defender brings one knee up toward his chest and brings the other leg under his butt so that he will land with one knee down and one knee up. The defender should land lightly and needs to ensure both feet are in 'live toe.' This means that the toes curl up so that the defender is on the ball of the foot. When the defender lands only three points should make contact with the ground: the ball of the left foot, the ball of the right foot, and one of the knees. The defender can practice both of these jumps by going from an upward jump and landing in a downward jump.
Circular Jumps (Maru Tobi) and Flying-Bird Jumps (Hicho Tobi): Common to both Koto Ryu and Gyokko Ryu are circular or flying jumps. The defender leaps in any direction as far as he can, bringing the lead leg around to the rear in a circular motion so that he is aligned with the opponent in a fighting stance.
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