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Footwork (soku waza in Japanese) is concerned with shifting, stepping, leaping, jumping, and turning into stances. The essence of footwork is linear and rotational movement.

• Linear body movement primarily involves shifting the weight.
• Linear foot movement primarily involves the stepping with a foot.
• Horizontal movement with both feet involves leaping.
• Vertical movement with both feet involves jumping.
• Rotational movement primarily involves turning, changing the orientation of the feet, the body, and the head. tornamento (n) or tornare (v) in Fiore Italian. Volta in Italian. Volte in French. Turns are usually described in the degree of facing or the degree of hip turning.

A distinction needs to be made between individual footwork and the footwork used when moving multiple people in parade/formation.

Footwork that actually involves handwork, flipping, etc. will not be covered here.

The following examples assume a person is in a right foot forward stance unless otherwise noted.

• No step footwork. Volta stabile (stable/steady turn) in Fiore Italian.
  • All sorts of rotation and body shifting can be done while keeping the feet in place.
    • Rotation without shift.
    • Rotation with shift.
    • Variations of pivoting on ball of foot or heel.
• One foot stepping footwork.
  • "Passing Step". "Pace". "Stride". Deai ashi in Japanese. Passamento (n) or passare (v) in Fiore Italian. One foot passes the other. One foot passes well past the other like in regular walking.
    • Passing step forward. A kind of mezza volta = half turn by Fiore dei Liberi. Left foot passes right foot into a left foot forward stance. The hip usually turns 90 degrees.
    • Passing step backward. A kind of mezza volta = half turn by Fiore dei Liberi. Right foot passes left foot into a left foot forward stance. The hip usually turns 90 degrees.
    • Passing step turns. These are usually classified as tutta volta = full turn by Fiore dei Liberi.
      • Passing steps with facing turns of 180 degrees. EGs:
        • Passing step forward while turning facing rear. Left foot passes right foot on the left side, traverses right while continuing forward and turning clockwise to face the old rear.
        • Reverse passing step forward while turning facing rear. Turn counter clockwise while shifting forward, then left foot passes right foot on the new left side, and continues towards the new rear. Think spinning kick and landing facing backwards. This is frequently done with a leftward adjust of the right foot first.
        • Reverse passing step forward while turning facing forward. Turn counter clockwise while shifting forward, then left foot passes right foot on the new left side, and continues towards the new rear. Think spinning kick and landing facing forwards.  This is frequently done with a leftward adjust of the right foot first.
        • Passing step forward but then sling shot and continue stepping towards the old rear. A 270 degree turn with the hip but a 180 degree turn in facing. Left foot comes along side right foot, turn clockwise to face rear, and continues with left foot towards the new forward.
      • Other passing step turns. There are many variations and variables.
  • "Adjusting Step". "Half Pace". "Half Step". ashi in Japanese. Does not pass other foot.
    • Adjusting steps forward.
      • Adjusting step forward with the front foot. mae ashi or kizami (with same hand technique) in Japanese. The right foot moves forward.
      • Adjusting step forward with the rear foot. ura ashi in Japanese. The left foot moves forward.
    • Adjusting steps backward.
      • Adjusting step backward with the rear foot. The left foot moves backward.
      • Adjusting step backward with the front foot. The right foot moves backward.
    • Adjusting steps in other directions without turns. There are many variations and variables.
    • Adjusting step turns.
      • Adjusting steps with facing turns of 90 degrees.
        • Adjusting step turn facing left. Weight transfers to right foot, then adjusting step with the left foot to the left.
        • Adjusting step turn facing right. Weight transfers to left foot, then adjusting step with the right foot to the right.
      • Adjusting steps with facing turns of 180 degrees. Turn roughly in place to end up facing what was once your rear.
        • Adjusting step with rear foot while turning facing rear. mawate in Japanese. A kind of mezza volta = half turn by Fiore dei Liberi. Weight transfers to the right foot, then adjusting step with the left foot moving laterally across the center line while turning to face the rear. Primarily offensive.
        • Adjusting step front foot while turning facing rear. Weight transfers to the left foot, then adjusting step with the right foot moving laterally across the center line while turning to face the rear. Primarily defensive.
      • Adjusting steps with facing turn of 270 degree.
        • Adjusting step turn facing right the long way. Weight transfers to the right foot, then left foot adjust to near the right foot, then continues with an adjusting step to the old right from behind (not in front) of the left foot.
      • Other adjusting step turns. There are many variations and variables.
• Leaping and jumping. There are many variations and variables.
  • Leaps focus on horizontal movement.
    • Okuri ashi in Japanese is a leaping forward adjust, then an adjust forward with the rear foot that brings the rear foot by the other foot.
  • Jumps focus on vertical movement.
    • Many jumps involve folding the legs in for various reasons such as shrinking the target, protecting targets, and controlling momentum.
• Combinations.
  • Gathering Steps. suri ashi in Japanese. Two adjusting steps with the lead foot first. If done very quickly and low, like a slide, then it is yori ashi in Japanese.
    • Gathering steps forward. acressimento (n) or acressire (v) for "increase" in Fiore Italian. "Advance" in modern fencing. Adjusting step forward with the right foot, then adjusting step forward with the left foot.
    • Gathering steps backward. discressimento (n) or discressire (v) for "decrease" in Fiore Italian. "Retreat" in modern fencing. Adjusting step backwards with the left foot, then adjusting step backward with the right foot.
    • Gathering steps in other directions. There are many variations and variables.
      • The gathering step is the default not only for front and back (N & S), but for nearly all other directions including traversing (E & W), sloping forward (NE & NW), and sloping backward (SE & SW).
  • Shuffling steps. tsugi ashi in Japanese. Two adjusting steps with the lag foot first.
    • Shuffling steps forward. Adjusting step forward with the left foot, then adjusting step forward with the right foot.
    • Shuffling steps backward. Adjusting step backward with the right foot, then adjusting step backward with the left foot.
    • Shuffling steps in other directions.  There are many variations and variables.
  • Switching step in place. kawashi in Japanese. Switch which foot is forward. Kawashi is usually done with a quick little jump. This maintains distance while switching feet. This is commonly used in Muay thai kicks or to changing position when grappling (EG: Side control to mount).
  • Compassing steps. Small adjusting steps while turning so you maintain distance with your opponent and maintain facing your opponent.

Footwork (ashi sabaki in Japanese) and handwork (te sabaki in Japanse) are sometimes worked separately but eventually both must be blended in with "bodywork", i.e. you move the whole body in harmony. Furthermore bodywork must be integrated with tactics too. (And tactics needs to be integrated into ..., and so on and so forth.)

• Irimi = "entering the body" in Japanese martial arts is foot work that enters into an opposing attack, usually straight in or at an angle but often ending up facing the opponent. In contrast, tenkan in Japanese martial arts is footwork that steps away or does a 180 degree turn from an opposing attack, and tenshin in Japanese martial arts are sloping retreats.
• Triangle stepping. Triangle stepping involves moving offline and then adjusting facing during your opponent's attack. Triangle stepping is similar but distinct from the shuffling step drills for sloping forward (NE & NW, female triangle stepping) and sloping backwards (SE & SW, male triangle stepping) that is common in Filipino Martial Arts (FMA).
• Fiore dei Liberi recommends four basic steps with an attack. The pattern is roughly a "chicken foot" with three claws forward and one back.
  • Forward straight.
  • Forward sloping left.
  • Forward sloping right.
  • Backward straight.

As an example, here footwork notes from an older version of US Army Field Manual FM 3-06.11 (Combined Arms Operations in Urban Terrain):

Movement Techniques. Soldiers must practice moving with their weapons up until they no longer look at the ground but concentrate on their sectors of responsibility. Soldiers must avoid stumbling over their own feet. The low ready method is the best method to use when moving or turning. To execute a left turn the soldier places his firing foot forward, shifts all his weight to the firing foot, and pivots, bringing the nonfiring foot forward to complete the turn. To turn to the right the firing foot is to the rear, the weight is evenly distributed between the feet, and the body pivots on both feet. To turn to the rear, the firing foot is forward, the weight is placed on the firing foot and the body pivots similar to the drill "rear march."

2007-10-15 23:45:26Z