A New Look At Ganseki

By Wade Goodner -- 6th Dan Bujinkan Raiken Dojo Jonesboro, Georgia USA

Many people see Ganseki Nage as the most difficult of all the Kihon Happo techniques. I believe that the reason for this is that most think of it as only a nage waza. Yes, I know the name of the kihon waza is "ganseki nage" but if we think of it as a body controlling waza instead of forcing it to be a throw, the technique and variations will come easier to beginner and advanced students alike.

There are four basic ganseki "huge rock" techniques. These include: ganseki nage (throwing), otoshi (dropping), osae (controlling/holding) and ori (breaking). Many teachers simply focus on the nage waza at the expense of these others. I feel that by simply training on the body controlling taihenjutsu as well as training with all the variations will better give students a feel for ganseki.

The basic point of the kihon happo torite goho no kata is to control the opponent's entire body with one part of his. Ganseki is no different:

By moving under the opponent's arm and lifting it up with our own through proper taihenjutsu (body movement) we are able to adjust and control the opponent as we see fit. From the ganseki position a myriad of variations are literally one step away. For example, once in the ganseki position yoko aruki across the front of the opponent to throw him.

Or, kick out his far knee and step on the kaku to hold (osae) his body while controlling the upper body half with the elbow bar.

Or, place your front leg so as to straighten his leg and lock the knee. Pivot in the opposite direction to break (ori) the leg and arm and throw (nage).

Or, step out of the ganseki position to enter muso dori.

These are just a few examples. With this way of training I feel that ganseki will come easier to us all and we will begin to better see the relationship of this technique to the other kihon happo.

Simply stop thinking of the movement as a "nage waza" and focus on the footwork and the taihenjutsu. The more advanced aspects of this kihon will come out in time. I would advise thinking on all the kihon happo in this way. Omotegyaku and uragyaku are not wrist techniques. It is a way to control the opponent completely using one part of his body. The same is true with musha dori and the ganseki kihon waza.

For further information and video information on this concept I would recommend Hatsumi-sensei's Kihon Happo video or Pedro Fleitas Gonzalez's video with Sensei on the Kihon Happo Torite Goho no Kata. Both videos are available at www.ninjutsu.com. Contact the Bujinkan Raiken Dojo for information on English translations of these videos since they are both in Japanese.