Heian Nidan

[Shorin Ryu Sensei]

mrprecision said:

First 3 moves.

Opponent attacks with right hand towards head. Block and catch with right hand, left arm strikes his elbow joint bending it. Opponent's arm is folded and left hand grabs elbow.

I now recognise this move from a travel program on TV a few months ago, there were some guys demonstrating Kung Fu I guess on the Great Wall of China.

The yondan equivalent has me stumped at the moment. All I can see is hand waving, there doesn't seem to be any leverage. Will think on it.

Shotokan's Hean Nidan is my Pinan Shodan. They are similar, but different in many ways. For instance, Shotokan's version has the first movement where you turn your body to an angle to face your attacker somewhat, where we don't. The actual movement can be about a dozen different applications (or more) against a left or right handed head attack or high grab (choke). The entire movement aon each side of the first few movments of the kata can be anything from a block/punch combo, armbar, pressure point strike, simple block or just a strike. The 2nd movement (typically a low block type movement) can be (SURPRIS!) low block against a kick with a punch to the top of the kickers foot (yes we do that sort of thing...hurts like hell!) and a leg bar, side of the knee attack, etc. Then the same technique is repeated on the opposite side of the body (right side). All of this (the way we do it anyway) is done from the same stance with weight balanced 50/50 over the feet. No shifting of the shoulders is done until you get to the 5th movement where you kick the person attacking from behind you.

Anyway, that's what we do.