The above video shows a practice session of the basic kobudo bo drill, Fuso Kumi Bo. I shot the first portion of this video last fall with my son in our backyard. It is easiest and safest to practice kobudo, especially with the Rokushaki Bo (6′ staff), outside where there is plenty of room. Outside you don’t have to worry about hitting walls, ceilings, or items in your home. Just be sure to practice safely, far away from anyone who may wander into your practice area.
In the first part of the video shows I am practicing the defending side of the drill with MJ. In the second part of the video I am demonstrating the attacking side of the drill with a student, Julie, who had recently learned the drill and was promoting.
Fuso Kumi Bo is a two person agreement drill featuring a series of moves from the basic bo form – Kata Fuso. It is useful to practice the moves from the kata in the two person drill in order to work on kamae (fighting posture) maai (distance), sen no sen (timing) and zanshin (awareness). It is also useful to periodically video your practice sessions in order to review your performance and continue to improve. As such, this video is intended as a work in progress snapshot in time rather than as a perfect example. There are a few minor glitches in the video that will be pointed out in the step-by-step breakdown with corrections in my next post.
The above video is a special bonus. It shows a performance of Fuso Kumi Bo in a free ranging freestyle approach, rather than the normal linear back and forth from the formal drill. This video was filmed in 2015 at the dojo where we train and teach, The Academy of Traditional Karate. MJ was 15 at the time and being promoted to Joshu Shoban (Jr. Black Belt) in kobudo. He performed Fuso Kumi Bo with his very talented fellow kobudo student Tommy Lee.
In my next blog post, I’ll present a step-by-step breakdown of this drill along with a one page reference sheet to help others who are learning and practicing the drill. Stay tuned!
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