Kake Uke, Karate’s glue, this is the sticking and adhesion concept of the art. Stick means to contact, adhesion means to join with the attack. Follow is moving with the opponents direction of attack whilst redirecting his force to neutralise or cause lose of his balance. The counter strike on the opponent is anywhere you feel a gap. The punch kick part of the art is very important to the finishing techniques but one can only really strike when one is at the correct distance. If you can hit him he also can hit you, therefore controlling the opponent becomes an art in itself. This requires a certain type of training not based on fitness or aerobic training session, even though these types of training at times have their place in the Dojo. Controlling, naturalisation and balance breaking including redirecting whilst reading the intent through contact takes time. If you want to throw your opponent you have to unbalance him first or strike him or maybe mislead him to name a couple. Training just the techniques are not enough to perform then well, one has to develop the art of feel to be able to execute them well. Kake is the old way of developing these skills and it’s strategy is not based on Kumite, modern day sparring training but on self-defence strategy. Tensho strategy is Kake Uke but it’s also can be it’s striking and locking art whilst developing strong rooting. There are a number of set Kake Uke drills but through training and developing the ebb and flow of these set drills will enable the student to feel and expand and encompass the full extent of its concepts thus flow into freestyle. Every time I perform Tensho Kata I’m amazed at its depth and knowledge that can be passed on by its study and practice. Through practice one comes to understand it’s meaning and usage.
