Ma-ai in Suwari Waza

Wow... Those are som escary foreign words in the title. What do they mean? Easy: "Distancing in seated forms." That's not so bad.

My class was recently drilling three common seated kata in class. A member of one group I practiced with asked our teacher the question "How far apart should the two people start?" It's an excellent question; his answer was: "Far enough." It was the kind of answer that can boil a beginner's blood. A white belt wants an answer. Actually, the white belt mind wants THE answer.

I kept my mouth shut during the class -- which is what lead to this blog. Because I have a very real opinion on the issue. However, I recognized the teacher's answer has wisdom too.

Ma-ai, or "critical distancing" is very important in any martial arts encounter, whether it is a prearranged kata, or spontaneous sparring. Distancing is disregarded at the martial artist's peril. In one sense, there is always a specific "critical distance" that allows Tori to counter Uke. And Tori should always be striving to control the critical distance. However, this isn't always possible. Tori will have to make do with the distance that is available as he shifts to a better position.

In the kata we were practicing, the two actors both start in Fudoza, a sort of "half-lotus" position in which the person sits on the left heel and folds the right leg so the right foot sits in the crook of the left knee. It is already an awkward position for Westerners, and often it presents plenty of challenges that overshadow finding distance in the kata. Uke moves first, stepping up onto his right foot and reaching out to grab Tori's lapel. A common issue is that the Tori feels crowded, and finds it hard to act in accordance with the remaining movements of the kata. In particular, there is an instruction to "lean back" as Uke grabs. Under most circumstances, Tori falls back.

Certainly, we could take the attitude that "Uke is Never Wrong." This is a perfectly valid position and should definitely be trained. However, when these little things crop up, I think it's important to play rather than discount instructions out of hand. So here's my hypotheosis...

Assumption: The suwari waza in question apparently originate in the Takagi Yoshin Ryu, which was used by samurai tasked with guarding a lord mostly inside enclosed spaces. Many of the seated kata seem to involve a typical scenario in which the lord and his men are greeting guests in a formal setting.

Now, if I'm a body guard, my job really should begin long before an actual attack. I would be very concerned with proper distancing and arrange my seating accordingly. I would probably not want to let someone sit so close as to simply reach out and touch me. I want them to have to make at least one good step. If I'm really in control, I would set the distance outside the arc of a slashing short sword.

With this in mind, I experimented with the distancing of the kata. I found that the two actors in the kata start a little further apart than normal. Uke was forced to make a good step forward to initiate the attack. This eliminated the problem of crowding. It also gave Tori both the distance and space to perform the proscribed response.

I also found that Uke naturall pulled Tori forward with the grab. It now made sense for Tori to lean back to maintain the required distance. Tori did not topple backward, because Uke's grab provided enough resistence to pull into a neutral position. Suddenly, those strange instructions made sense!

Am I right? I won't say that I am; it's just one perspective. But I think the process of exploring the questions is important.