Hikibana Waza vs Debana Waza

[shmur]

Seems like there is a very subtle different here, that I'm not sure I understand yet.

Hikibana Waza is supposed to be when you strike your opponent at the split second they are off balance during an attacking on you.

Debana Waza is also an attack on an opponent when they are about to attack you, but seems to rely more on the fact that they are too intently focused on their impending attack, rather than on an actual physical imbalance that occurs when they attack you.

It would seem that a debana waza might not always occur (your opponent might be able to attack without becoming too intently focused, or at least focusing quickly enough that you might not be able to react), but if it does occur it would always occur before a Hikibana waza. Hikibana waza seems more like taking advantage of a physiological response, something that might be more difficult for your opponent to control.

Thoughts?

[Jonathan Anderson]

As I understand it:

Hikibana is indeed striking an opponent when they are physically off balance. This can be due to lost footing - possibly from tripping over one's hakama, or due to poor ashi sabaki. Personally (and I could well be wrong about this), I would lump the opponent dropping their sword, or falling down into this category. Unless the rules on such things have changed in recent years, you are allowed to strike an opponent that has fallen or dropped their sword, but it must be instantaneous. Not like "Oh, lookit that... they fell down... hey, free shot!" Your sword must almost be following them down. Same for a dropped weapon. If it has completely settled on the ground before you are striking, it's wrong... ideally, your strike should land before their weapon touches the floor. As another example, "off balance" need not be restricted to just one's feet, or maintaining their center of balance over them. One's sword can become off balance as well, and such a moment could be taken advantage of as well. Imagine an opponent attempting Hiki Waza on you from Tai-Atari, and either striking too close (disrupting their sword), missing altogether, or not using proper Zanshin and Seme following the strike. In these situations, it's entirely possible that while their posture is well balanced, their sword may not be. As a final example, consider Ipponme.

Debana waza, on the other hand is more about detecting your opponent's mental focus. If you don't go in for the notion of "feeling" your opponent's intentions (I do, but your mileage may vary), you can learn to read a person's body language, and that will tell you if they are actively focusing on performing one action or another. If your opponent is properly detached mentally and relaxed, then odds are Debana won't be viable to you against them. If you really want a good insight into the idea behind focusing too much on one action or another, and the dangers inherent in such a thing, go here:
www.daikonforge.com/downloads/TheUnfetteredMind.pdf
This is a short, but very insightful and thorough treatise on the subject. Something else to consider with regard to Debana Waza is not to fall into the trap of trying so hard to "read" your opponent's intentions in case they become too focused on one action or another, that you become too focused on trying to catch them too focused, and they end up catching you too focused... cross-eyed yet? ;D Really, you can think about this along the same lines as the difference between executing Men Uchi, vice Men Tai-Atari: All strikes should be done with the feeling of "Uchi." You should never go into an attack expecting to end up in Tsuba Zerai - it happens as a result of your opponent not moving aside, not as a result of your thoughts or desires. All strikes should be "Uchi." Similarly, when you fight, don't concentrate overly on your opponent. You should be aware of them, to be certain, and if you catch them focusing too hard, then like Tsuba Zerai, take advantage of the situation to do something a little different. Just don't go looking for it, necessarily.

Thoughts? Questions?