Manipulations and Takedowns

Karate mainly focuses on developing inhuman striking power to quickly destroy the anatomical weaknesses of malicious attackers. However, the real world rarely has clearly-defined attacker and defender roles. Do not view these situations as the shades of grey existing between black and white -- realize that black and white are extreme shades of grey.

There often situations where action is required, but striking people is unjustified or immoral (e.g., teachers breaking up schoolyard fights). Likewise, you have a moral imperative to stop intoxicated, mentally ill, or suicidal people from harming themselves or others. Manipulations and takedowns can resolve situations that require action, but not violence; these are the techniques to use against the people you love. Within Goshin-Jutsu, all non-striking techniques are generically called aikijutsu. Please note that is a crime-of-convenience catch-all term; our art is not descended from Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu.

Goshin-Jutsu Karatedō is unique for its deviation from the karate standard approach of optimizing your strength and power, and directing it into an attacker. To understand how this differs, you must first come to understand the martial principle of jū, an approach to fighting which is as radically different as the mountains are from the sea.

For more information, we encourage you to cross-train in the arts of jūdō, aikidō, and jūjutsu / jui-jitsu.

Techniques

We will use the following manipulations and takedowns in our lessons. Do not attempt any of these unless you know how to breakfall.

• Leg sweep
• Wrist releases
• Arm lever (Ikkyō)
• Wristlock (Kote-gaeshi)
• Reverse wristlock (Nikkyō)
• Hip throw (Ō-goshi)
• Reap (Ōsoto-gari)
• Neck circle
• Shovel pin
• Hammerlock
• Tai-otoshi
• Belt throw
• Leg scissors
• Elbow breaks
• Irimi-nage
• Irimi hold
• Ippon seoi-nage
• Tomoe-nage
• Shihō-nage
• Heaven-and-Earth throw
• Big circle throw
• Cross strangle
• Rear naked strangle
• Harai-goshi

Takedown theory

Any successful takedown is a three-point process:

1. Destroying the opponent’s balance (Kuzushi): Stable, well-balanced opponents cannot be thrown. Try it; it will never work.
   
   [Video of trying to throw someone in a perfect front stance, and failing.]
   
   Even if you can do it, you’ll tire yourself out in the process. Kuzushi is the difference between martial arts and weightlifting; kuzushi is the gateway to effortless power.
   
   Someone who is well-balanced is, by definition, difficult to topple. This must change for you to succeed. You must rob your opponent of their stability. Due to the different weight distributions within men’s and women’s bodies, there is gender bias in setting up throws. Men are top-heavy -- especially those who have cultivated their upper body strength. It is easier for men to lose their balance, harder for them to recover it, and they will collapse quickly once it is gone. The opposite is true for women, who carry most of their weight upon their wide, child-bearing hips. Women thus have a naturally low center of gravity, so it is much easier for women to throw men, and harder for men to throw women. Just like Weebles, Daruma dolls, or the classic inflatable punching-clown, Mother Nature gifted her women with a degree of intrinsic stability.
   
   The most common way to off-balance opponents is to capitalize on their momentum -- pulling them as they push; or pushing them as they pull. No matter what the situation is, do not allow the opponent to stop moving. Takedowns are like pushing a wheelbarrow full of rocks up a hill -- if you stop, its take additional effort to get started again. Additionally, there are other ways to off-balance an opponent. For example:
   • Atemi. Not only can a fast strike stun an opponent long enough to set up a takedown -- it can off-balance them as well. Strikes to the groin or abdomen cause opponents to lurch forward; a strike to the face causes them to lean back.
   • Step or shift backwards as your opponent attacks, to trick them into overextending their technique.
   • Catch your opponent’s kick, then push or pull them aside.
   • If an opponent pushes you, parry their arms to the side, and they will fall forward.
     
     
2. Positioning (Tsukuri): All throws and takedowns are based upon using clever body positioning to gain leverage, amplifying your strength. This setup will take some time; ardent practice can minimize this setup time, but some delay will always remain. However, since the kuzushi leaves the opponent woefully off-balance, they are unable to respond with a meaningful attack or defense. (If they can, repeat Step 1.) You are relatively safe as long as your opponent is off-balance, so you can take the time you need to perform a quality setup. Sloppy setups only result in sloppy throws.
   
   
3. Throwing (Nage): The throw itself is the easiest part; there should be no effort or exertion in this step. If there is, then something went wrong in Steps 1 and/or 2. Once the opponent is off-balance, and you are in position, then opponent is ready to topple on their own; they only need a little push, tap, or twist to finish the job. The “throw” is merely providing the opponent with that last little push.
   
   Do not look at who you are throwing; look at where they will land. This allows you to concentrate on the technique's form -- and good form means good execution.

Drawbacks

While manipulations and takedowns offer a flexible threat response, they also have their drawbacks, which must be acknowledged:

• Manipulations and takedowns are technically complex moves. Because of their complicated setups, these techniques require lots of specialized practice before they can be successfully used to control, restrain, or incapacitate someone.
• Manipulations and takedowns capture your attention. Manipulations and takedowns are complex moves, and you must focus on them to succeed; this is effectively a form of fascination, which is one of the Four Poisons. To prevent this, remember that manipulations and takedowns should be incidental, if not accidental. Don’t walk into a situation with the intent of performing any one technique. Instead, capitalize on the first opportunity which presents itself.
• Manipulations and takedowns will not stop a truly malicious attacker. Manipulations imply compliance and submission, which is not possible from a truly malicious attacker. If they want to hurt you, they will -- unless you hurt them worse. Putting them down will not be enough; you must keep them down. This is why Goshin-Jutsu typically uses manipulations and takedowns as setups for brutal finishing moves, like stomp kicks.
• Manipulations and takedowns are still uses of force. While manipulations and takedowns can be used when striking is unjustified or immoral, their misuse still constitutes assault. It is immoral to restrain or bind a non-resisting person (e.g., someone who has willingly surrendered to authorities, or who has committed a purely administrative crime). Remember that manipulations and takedowns are likely to injure those without breakfalling skills.

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