Twenty-four

Stillness in motion is the core of my practice. I seek to move while remaining where I am in order to present a target that isn't there but elsewhere when the attack arrives. That is the essence of evasion.

Moving from a standstill is far more difficult than changing direction. The weight of an immobile body tends to sink to the feet and must be redistributed before motion can begin. A body in motion can change direction with relative ease.

When practicing I always keep moving. Having thrown my partner, I make it a point to continue moving while he gathers himself for another attack. In this way I'm never caught flat-footed. Strangely, it's not necessary that I keep my feet moving for this to work. Any part of my body will do. I find that as long as I'm moving something, my weight will remain off my feet and concentrated at my center. This enables me to move easily in any direction without time-wasting weight redistribution prior to moving.

Being constantly on the move also presents uke with a more difficult target to hit or grab. I am always presenting uke with little openings that appear and then go away and I try to keep my tempo varied and non-rhythmical. My motion, while smooth and flowing, is peppered with sudden changes in direction and/or speed.

To get used to this type of moving I rely heavily on the bokken and jo staff. I devise short combinations of strikes and blocks that employ changes of direction and varying speeds. I vary the tempo within the exercise at different points and then change when the tempo varies the next time through. All the while I move, strike and block from my center and allow some of myself to flow into the weapon thereby blurring the distinction between me and it.