Why it's important to teach techniques from the standpoint of stance

Ai-Yotsu

When I teach standing techniques, I always demonstrate them from the standpoint of ai-yotsu and kenka-yotsu. This is important because the mechanics of techniques done from each stance are often very different.

When traditional techniques are taught, they are often taught from a square stance scenario, which is totally unrealistic. This is one of the key reasons beginners have great difficulty pulling off techniques they learn. Because they learned those techniques from a square stance and in randori, nobody adopts a square stance. It's usually kenka-yotsu but occasionally ai-yotsu.

So, if you want to get some techniques to work for you, you'd do well to learn how to do those techniques from both the kenka-yotsu and ai-yotsu situation.

When it comes to newaza, there's no ai-yotsu or kenka-yotsu but there are still different scenarios you have to prepare for. Take the turtle position. You can teach your players how to do a certain technique on an opponent in the turtle position. But once you start attacking your opponent, they will react. You have to have answers for every likely reaction.

For example, what can you do if uke decides to flatten out onto his stomach? What can you do if uke tries to stand up? What if he turns away from you? What if he turns towards you. You have to prepare for all these scenarios. And when I teach a specific technique, let's say a turnover, I usually try to teach how to respond to a number of different, likely responses by uke.