The way to handle a knife attack depends on the ma-ai and position.
A simple, but important point is that the one holding the knife has an extended arm. This effects the ma-ai. Also, not surprisingly, one has to be aware of the cutting edge of the weapon.
Tanto dori are kata, that means that the forms as they are, are not designed as selfdefense techniques. The principles that are used in these kata, should be ingrained in ones movement thus withdrawn from the kata and then they can be used for selfdefense.
"important is that your body escape from the knife"
Below I have described the 7 original omote techniques listed in 1939 KarateDo Taikan. However, some techniques are not exactly as the original from 1939. Images of Ohtsuka sensei below are from this book.
This is another tanto dori I picked up somewhere along the way
hiki otoshi dori 引き落し捕り
Position: Ai-hanmi. Ukemi 1:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi (forward)
- Technique: tsuki jodan (feint with saya) Torimi 1:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi (backward in neko ashi)
- Technique: avoid the tsuki and tilt the upperbody Ukemi 2:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi (forward)
- Technique: tsuki chudan Torimi 2:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi (backward and slide sideways)
- Technique: soto harai uke
- Technique: tsukamite + atemi
- Technique: tsukamihiji (see image)
- Technique: maegeri
- Technique: kote nage
ude garami dori 腕 絡み捕り
Position: Ai-hanmi. Ukemi 1:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi (forward)
- Technique: jodan uchi Torimi 1:
- Body movement: tsugi ashi (forward, slightly off seichusen
- Technique: jodan uke (not nagashi, this is pressing) Actually not really uke, rather uchi.
- Technique 2: atemi Torimi 2:
- Body movement: hiki mae ashi (switch legs)
- Technique: ude garami (see image)
kote nage dori 小手投げ捕り
Position: Ai-hanmi. Ukemi 1:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi (forward)
- Technique: jodan uchi Torimi 1:
- Body movement: move the left and the right foot off seichusen and twist the body to the right, tilt the upperbody
- Technique 1: otoshi tsukami uke
- Technique 2: gyakuzuki
- Technique 3: maegeri
- Technique 4: kote gaeshi
- Technique 5: hiji gatame (see image)
- Technique 6: shuto uchi
zu dori 頭捕り
Position: Ai-hanmi. Ukemi 1:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi (forward)
- Technique: jodan uchi Torimi 1:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi, take a step backward and within the step, slide to the side.
- Technique 1: uraken uchi
- Technique 2: tobikomizuki
- Technique 3: zudori (see image)
- Technique 4: mawashi hizageri (check your position)
- Technique 5: kekomi
- Technique 6: ushiro hiki otoshi nage
eri nage dori 頭捕り
Position: Ai-hanmi. Ukemi 1:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi
- Technique: yokomen uchi Torimi 1:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi (using neko ashi, like hiki otoshi dori) Ukemi 2:
- Body movement: tsugi ashi
- Technique: ura yokomen uchi Torimi 2:
- Body movement: tenko ashi (switch of feet)
- Technique 1: osae uchi (see image)
- Technique 2: gyakuzuki
- Technique 3: tsukami eri (grip collar)
- Technique 4: kekomi
- Technique 5: ushiro hiki otoshi
hiki tate dori 頭捕り
Position: Ai-hanmi. Ukemi 1:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi (forward)
- Technique: tsuki chudan Torimi 1:
- Body movement: move the left and the right foot off seichusen and twist the body to the right, have the feeling of junzuki no tsukkomi in the upperbody
- Technique 1: osae uchi (shuto or fist) (see image below)
- Technique 2: enpi (see image above)
- Technique 3: kuzushi (stand up)
- Technique 4: hiji gatame
unga dori 頭捕り
Position: Ai-hanmi. Ukemi 1:
- Body movement: ayumi ashi
- Technique: yokomen uchi Torimi 1:
- Body movement: drop the body instantly
- Technique 1: mawashigeri
- Technique 2: nakadaka ipponken
- Technique 3: teisho
- Technique 4: morote teisho age
Ishikawa sensei demonstrated 2 days in a row
at the Budogala in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1984..
KUMITE 組手
Position: Ai-hanmi.
Position: Ai-hanmi.
Position: Ai-hanmi.
Position: Ai-hanmi.
Position: Ai-hanmi.
