Ben Sensei showed us one way to perform tsuki yonkyo recently. This is not a test version (see the bottom of this post for this) but a variation.

We always have to be aware that Uke may lunge or pull back his punch making it very hard to consistently capture Uke‘s wrist; so we don’t even try.

Here, we still slide off the line of attack, but with our forward arm we cut down on top of Uke‘s elbow using our shuto and then our forearm using a slicing motion toward his hara. If he pulls back or not, this has the effect of jamming Uke‘s arm into his body and taking his balance a bit in the action.

Next, Ben Sensei recommends atemi to the face with the rear hand so as not to injure but to distract. Then cut down Uke‘s chest to his captured arm, down his arm to his wrist all the while keeping contact with him. While cutting down extend his captured arm outward and away from him and toward you, but not directly in a path to hit you. It should be easier to transition to a solid yonkyo hold. Tori can then raise Uke‘s arm and cut down as in proper yonkyo (ura or omote).

Just for a comparison, here is a video I found on YouTube of the similar technique.

The tori in this video slides outside but does not change his hanmi, cuts down on the incoming tsuki from the outside with his shuto, captures the wrist of Uke from below, then raises Uke‘s arm to the outside then back inside into the yonkyo position, then cuts down for omote.

His ura starts the same, but a tenkan to the back is performed for the final dosa.

However, throughout the entire clip it looks as if Uke can pull back and regroup for another attack. Ben Sensei focuses on immobilizing the striking arm at the elbow.

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The test version involves stepping back when the tsuki is coming and capturing it with the back hand, transitioning to ikkyo, then changing to yonkyo.

Update: 2010.07.28 – It has been three months since this post, and from practice my preferred tsuki yokyo is to do irimi parry with my closest shuto at Uke‘s elbow. If he pulls back then I can move with him. If he leaves his arm out this will work too. My back hand then takes hold of Uke‘s tsuki wrist with my palm against his inner wrist. Finally, I can take Uke‘s arm back and up and continue into yokyo omote or ura. This is halfway between Ben Sensei’s variation and the gentleman’s in the YouTube video just above.