Tuite, Widely Claimed, But Rarely Realized

  Although there are a few that use the term correctly (“Tuite”), The majority of martial arts practitioner's do not. More often than anyone should have to point out, they are (actually) referring to Tori Te, or Tui Di and just don't know enough about the subject to distinguish between the three.

   

  After having conducted a search of the internet on the subject, I was appalled at the extensive misrepresentation of the words. It was as if no one had ever heard of a Japanese/English dictionary!

    

  Torite (“tor-ee-tay”) is the Japanese pronunciation of the “kanji” that are used (for all 3 of the pronunciations). Tuidi (“twee-dee”) is the Okinawan pronunciation of the same kanji. Tuite (“tuwee-tay”) was the pronunciation that Taika began utilizing for his American student's (read elsewhere for why).

    

  Because of this linguistic confusion, many practitioner's (of numerous styles/systems) are under the assumption, that they are practicing the same techniques as were taught by Taika (Oyata) in his system of RyuTe^®. This assumption would be incorrect.

   

  More often than not, those individual's are practicing some form of ju-jutsu and/or Aikido wrist applications. Though often being similar in appearance, these techniques are (in fact) performed differently. 

   

 On numerous occasions (in times past, during the 80's, early 90's), a large number of individual's attended a few of Taika's seminars (which he conducted at a multitude of locations and times during that time period).

    

  It was during those seminars, that Taika demonstrated his version of the techniques that he had named “Tui-te”. Though often (initially) appearing to be similar to techniques taught within other systems, his were performed differently. Often these would only amount to a minor change of angle, or pressure, but those changes made the techniques far more difficult to utilize counter-techniques upon them.

      

  Those (often subtle) differences are most notable within the most basic forms of the kihon technique. For those who attended Taika's seminars (during the 80's/90's), and had “learned” those techniques there, the minor differences were not (always) shown (or at least “pointed-out”, LOL).

    

  When observing the videos of those individual's attempting these techniques (on the internet), it's easy to see what they're doing incorrectly (though they often don't realize that they're doing them wrong themselves!). It is entirely possible to obtain a "functional/usable" response, yet be performing the technique incorrectly (which can obviously be confusing, LOL)

     
 Though being bad enough (that they perform the techniques incorrectly), they further compound those incorrect motions to "create"(?) subsequent "techniques" based upon those incorrect assumptions (derived through their own mistaken applications).
  
  Having began my own studies in a different system(from RyuTe^®), I too was originally shown/taught many of those techniques differently. Those differences could easily of been ignored or not even noticed (by those seminar attendee's) when Taika was demonstrating his techniques to them. Only though prolonged practice within Taika's system (RyuTe^®) would one become aware of those subtle differences. 

    

  After having had numerous years of practicing those techniques myself, have I now become sufficiently comfortable with them to make any claims of modest competency with their performance.

     

  What's commonly observed (through viewing their internet video clips), are those "seminar" student's muscling the techniques to cause their versions of the techniques to function at all.
   
  My associate and myself have committed a major portion of our own study towards the further development of our knowledge (and abilities) regarding the performance of (Taika's) Tuite techniques.

     

  That study has led us to the development of our 6 Basic Tuite Principles. The understanding of those principles would assist (any of) those individual's to identify their (obvious) mistakes at technique application.

      

  In regards to how those techniques are being taught, many are still utilizing a older (and frankly, ..."Taika's") methodology that gives the impression that he promoted a "hard and fast" application of those techniques regarding their practice (ending with a simplistic "release" to simulate "realism" and to reduce any serious injury).
   
  Although Taika (usually) demonstrated his techniques using this method, he had always endorsed "Slow and Soft" for their practice. Unfortunately, this isn't nearly as impressive for demonstrations (which is why/how people,..including past instructor's, came to believe that they had to be practiced quickly). 
   
 To be honest, Taika's techniques can be performed quite "sloppily", and will still achieve their intended function (to varying degrees). Which is very fortunate for the majority of students who haven't experienced the slow-speed training (which is far more difficult).
     
  At this time my associate and myself are in the process of writing a training text in regards to the execution of Taika's tuite techniques (for our own student's use, and/or possibly other RyuTe^® assoc. students if an interest were to be demonstrated). Though not encompassing the remainder of the RyuTe^® system, it should be obvious that it (Tuite) is clearly an integral piece of Taika's system.