This week’s training focused on body movement or tai sabaki. This is a basic but fundamental part of training, consisting of simple moves like a dodge (yoke) or bob and weave (kagami). It has a number of uses that really falls into three categories: attack, defence and positioning. In attack, tai sabaki allows you to move off line of a potential counter attack and also put the weight of your body behind your punch or kick. In defence, it allows you to evade an attack with more speed and less effort. In positioning it allows you to either move completely out of the firing line or, more importantly, into a stronger position that your opponent so you can counter.

A simple example we practised was using a right dodge (migi yoke) against a jab (jun zuki) to get to your opponents back. In close quarter fighting, this gives you a huge upper hand and lends itself perfectly to an easy counter punch or takedown.

When practising tai sabaki in sparring you have to keep moving at all times, like boxers do, to minimise the chance of being hit. Remember if your body isn’t moving then your feet should be (using footwork or ashi sabaki). However, its difficult to do both. Most times I’ve been hit in competition is because I’ve got too tired and stopped moving enough.

The main thing is keep moving to break distance and, when the opportunity arises, unload a counter. If you get too close then shoulder barge your opponent away, use your feet to move out, or switch to grappling. Avoid tension by keeping relaxed at all times, explode powerfully on countering and then relax again. Move like water, hit like stone!