::The grab flies out of nowhere, shaking you around furiously. Just like in training you reach up and cover the offending hand. You shift your body to the outside and start to apply omote gyaku, just as both of your hands are pushing his hand out for the throw he steps around and punches you in the eye.....::

"No, that won't happen, I know how to zone my body to be out of reach even if he does step around....."

::The grab flies out of nowhere, shaking you around furiously. Just like in training you reach up and cover the offending hand. You shift your body to the outside and start to apply omote gyaku, just as both of your hands are pushing his hand out for the throw he steps around and punches at you finding you just out of reach. You smile at your good fortune just as the kick crushes your leg.....::

"Well, I could just slide my leg out of the way. It's not like I wouldn't see it coming...."

::The grab flies out of nowhere, shaking you around furiously. Just like in training you reach up and cover the offending hand. You shift your body to the outside and start to apply omote gyaku, just as both of your hands are pushing his hand out for the throw he steps around and punches at you finding you just out of reach. You smile at your good fortune just as the kick flies out at your leg. You deftly slide it back out of harms way. You brain analyzes your position, you are now standing directly in front of the attacker holding his hand with both of yours and he sure looks angry...::

"Are you trying to tell me omote gyaku is useless?!?!?"

No, I'm not. Omote gyaku is a very important concept to learn, but a dangerous one to rely on unless you apply some other concepts along with it.

We are all aware of the concept of a "Safe Zone." An area we create with Tai Sabaki that keeps us away from the attacker's other weapons. These "Safe Zones" only last a split second for the most part though. With both of your hands tied up a split second probably won't be enough to save you. So what do you do? Well, I can't show you through a medium such as this. All I can do is give you some ideas to play with in your training.

What is the primary joint we control with omote gyaku? The wrist. Don't stop there, try and control a few more joints. Once you control a few joints, the opponent's mobility is slowed considerably. This in turn lengthens the life-span of the "Safe Zone" you created, which should now give you the time necessary to do the throw without getting punched! Now, what joints am I talking about? Primarily the elbow and closest knee. These can be controlled in a variety of ways. Simply pivoting your body around your spine should push the uke's closest knee away from you, putting a stall in any kicking or stepping attempt for a second. Pushing the hand back towards the uke's body should control the elbow quite nicely, making it hard for him to bring the other shoulder around also.

Those were two suggestions for you to try in training. The point behind this is to make you think about what you are doing and see the options available. Experiment with different ways of moving and see how those motions affect the opponent. But remember, you can always just let the lock go and kick him in the knee.

Jeff Mueller is the Head Instructor at the Bujinkan Musha no Tomodachi Dojo in Bowie, Maryland. He has been training in Ninpo Taijutsu since 1988 and has traveled to Japan to train with Hatsumi Sensei and the other Shihan. He may be contacted via e-mail at: JeffM777@aol.com.