Don’t lose sight of basics: Sokumen Iriminage

Before this filming we started the class with some ukemi to warm up with then moved onto Tai No Henko 1. We focused primarily on ensuring that there was a dynamic movement forward. Using the mat lines we marked our starting point with the front foot and then checked again how far that foot moves forward through the Tai No henko 1 movement. We also emphasised the heel contact with the mat to ensure stability as we power through the final 3rd of the movement.

At this point in the class, the students had just been training katate aya mochi sokumen iriminage. This is a nice easy entrance to technique that more or less mirrors the tai no henko 1 movement.  It’s important to understand why we have certain movements in the kata and within sokumen iriminage this difference between katate mochi and katate aya mochi is a good example.

Katate aya mochi sokumen iriminage

Katate aya mochi begins with more space between shite & uke and so doesn’t require the twist action of katate mochi. Katate aya mochi doesn’t appear in the formal Yoshinkan Aikido grading syllabus but I find it to be a good technique to introduce beginners to falling as it is less complicated. It also serves as a good starting point to teaching sokumen iriminage within a more dynamic environment such as jiyu waza.

Katate mochi sokumen iriminage

Katate mochi begins with push forward of the front foot and hip shift. If done correctly this will allow shite to break out or go around a strong gripping attack.

It’s also important to remember that the technique of sokumen iriminage is a hip throw i.e with the body. Lots of students get caught up trying to add or substitute power by using their arms. The arms should just be relaxed.

Final point, I often see students confusing or mixing these two forms. It seems that as the katate mochi form is embedded in the syllabus and appears fairly early, students default back to this form. But the katate mochi form for sokumen iriminage is detrimental to the technique if uke is not blocking shite’s body movement. Think shomen uchi, yokomen uchi, ganmen tsuki attacks, the push forward of front foot and twist only delays the hip entry and increases likelihood of getting hit. Don’t lose sight of basics but remember their purpose.