A closer look at entries and footwork...

I have been trying to focus on entries and footwork these past weeks. Only at this point, a la green belt, I've distinguished around 21 unique entries and foot work. Phew.

We got the hitch step, taisabaki, side step, tenkan, cross step (like in Taisabaki kata), step in, and even not stepping at all (as per conversation with Sensei Stephen). But then if you break them down further to figure out whether tori goes inside or outside of uke and where the off balance happens, that makes these entries / footwork seem even more unique.

For instance, I notice that sometimes we hitch step in a straight line to get close to uke. Other times (like sankyu) we hitch step away at a 45 degree angle to get an off balance. Sometimes hitch step toward tori's front or tori's rear at a 45 degree angle, inside or outside of uke.

I've been jotting notes like these, which have helped me organize the entries and foot work. It's a work in progress!