Vortex Throw

 

In this so-called sacrifice throw, similar to the Judo technique, the
practitioner falls backward to throw the opponent far to the rear. Also, although other Vortex Throws are typically executed by grabbing the enemy's lapels, the Hazuki Style Vortex Throw is executed by executing a hold on the inner joints of both the enemy's arms and pinning them under the practitioner's arms. Thus it is impossible for the enemy to assume a defensive position to lessen the shock caused by the throw. Depending on the reflexes of the practitioner, it is also possible to deliver a decisive blow after executing the throw. The more aggressive the enemy's attack, the more effective the throw.

Move Origins

The Vortex Throw comes from the throw tomoe nage (巴投), or circle throw. Tomoe nage is an old throw originating from jiujitsu. It is one of the original 40 throws codified by judo founder Jigoro Kano and remains a popular throw in modern competition.

Natsumi Tsunoda, queen of tomoe nage, hitting her signature move in judo competition

"Hazuki Style" Vortex Throw

Throws that prevent the opponent from lessening the shock of the throw (i.e. breakfalling) aren't used much in the sports-focused and litigation-happy martial arts of today, but were more common in the older arts like classical jiujitsu that prioritized battlefield effectiveness. Versions of tomoe nage can be found in historic European wrestling traditions that are quite similar to the move description.

A tomoe nage found in the medieval German fencing manual by Hans Talhoffer
(Talhoffer Fechtbuch MS_Thott.290.2º)

A tomoe nage found in Italian fencing master Achille Marozzo's manual "Opera Nova" as a defense against a dagger attack

Decisive Blow

The full version of the Vortex Throw with the extra inputs has Ryo roll onto of his opponent after the throw and landing on them with a knee drop.

The practical application is that it lands the user of the throw in a dominant position on the ground, enabling further control, strikes, or submissions.

World No-Gi BJJ/ADCC bronze medalist Lachlan Giles demonstrating a tomoe-nage style sweep

Attempting to damage the opponent with the knee drop, while being more in-line with Ryo's fighting style, is a less reliable method of following-through with the Vortex Throw. However, I have seen 2 instances of fights being ended with grounded knee drops in (admittedly low level) MMA recently.

Side Reaper Kick

 

This is a low kick aimed at the outside of an opponent's knee and delivered decisively. Because the practitioner kicks whilst lightly bending the upper body to the rear, this kick is devised to be effective with very little motion. Because of the distinctive kicking motion, this move is also called the Pendulum Kick. The area targeted by the kick is not directly vulnerable to a fatal blow, but when one of a person's legs can no longer be used, continued combat becomes effectively impossible.

Move Origins

The Side Reaper Kick is the classic low kick seen in many martial arts such as traditional/full-contact karate, muay thai, and many others. True to the description, kicking an opponent's legs is a very effective tactic in combat and many professional fights have been stopped due to leg kicks.

The knee being the target of choice for the Side Reaper Kick makes it a very high-risk, high reward maneuver. A low kick hitting the side of the knee from the outside can easily shear tendons and ligaments. For example, Nong-O stopped Liam Harrison in their rematch with a well-timed low kick to the side of the knee, causing Harrison to tear his ACL, MCL, and meniscus.

Nong-O vs Liam Harrison 2, ONE on Amazon Prime Muay Thai

However, it's also a double-edged sword. If the opponent performs a "check" by moving their leg into the path of the kick, it creates a bone-on-bone collision that often leads to the kicker injuring their leg on contact. No one knows this phenomenon better than former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who's been on both the giving and receiving end of a leg break from a checked leg kick.

Top: Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman 2

Bottom: Chris Weidman vs Uriah Hall

Big Wheel

 

In general, in the ancient martial arts, step by step teaching methods are

employed and the master moves his pupils from one stage to the next after

carefully observing their character and ability. Even though styles may

be quite similar, instruction in the oral tradition can result in one learning

the more powerful and dangerous aspects or secrets of a move. In the Hazuki

Style, these are called the Innermost Secrets and are not usually imparted to

young people such as Ryo, but because Ryo was to be the next generation master

of the style, his father Iwao made an exception and taught a few to Ryo.

The Big Wheel is a powerful variation of the Elbow Slam. Whereas the Elbow

Slam is executed from close quarters, the Big Wheel is aimed at the opponent's

collarbone, with a diagonal blow struck after the practitioner closes in. The

move does not involve a simple swinging of the arms, but is executed with a

headlong dash as though the entire body were rotating forward, which gives

devastating results.

Move Origins

The Big Wheel has its origins in the Kyokushin style of karate. Kyokushin karatekas frequently make use of this punch due to the ruleset forbidding punches to the head. Not only can this punch break the opponent's collarbone, it also gives a similar opening to head-body combinations in other martial arts by drawing attention upwards and leaving the lower body vulnerable.

Roman Nesterenko using the Big Wheel in clinching range to setup combinations.

Fans of Street Fighter might also recognize this move as Ryu's Collarbone Breaker.

 

Oral Traditions and Secrets

Japanese schools of martial arts (ryūha) were very secretive in general to maintain the element of surprise in battle. They often reserved techniques and weapons training from the public eye during demonstrations. They even hid certain teachings from their own students and only taught them to the most senior students who had been with the school for years. All of this was done to prevent a student from a rival school acting as a double agent and learning their secrets. In the most extreme cases, these teachings were only taught to the inheritor of the ryūha, as Iwao did for Ryo in this case.

Overthrow

 

With this move, the practitioner takes the opponent's arm and lowers his own body while pulling and choking at the base of the opponent's neck, lifting him onto his back and throwing him.

Similar moves can be observed in other styles in Judo, but what distinguishes it in the Hazuki Style is that the opponent is not released during the throw. Because the opponent's neck is grasped with both hands and the throw is executed while choking, the opponent cannot assume a defensive posture and is flipped completely upside down when falling. In order to develop the muscles needed for the required grip, Ryo practiced by filling an earthen pot with sand and lifting it with only the tips of his fingers.

Move description/video courtesy of Suka Pass.

The Overthrow is the quintessential over-the-shoulder throw seen in various grappling arts and movies since motion pictures were invented. Judo is the most famous for its seoi nage (背負い投げ) shoulder throw and many variations of it are still regularly used in competition today.

Masashi Ebinuma (JPN) vs Antoine BOUCHARD (CAN) at the Budapest Grand Prix 2018

It is somewhat rare in modern MMA, but standing and drop versions do appear occassionally.

Former Olympic judoka Rick Hawn using a seoi nage in one of his MMA fights

Is Ryo gonna have to choke a bitch mad angel?

The description mentions choking the opponent with two hands while throwing them. There is a historical analogue in classical jiujitsu called ganseki nage or ganseki otoshi (boulder throw/boulder drop). A cross-armed double lapel grip on a gi or kimono is commonly used for strangling techniques in jiujitsu and judo. While these chokes are usually applied during newaza ground-fighting in the modern era, applying these chokes while standing was more common historically. Using this choking grip, the user can throw the user over their shoulder, either for the surprise factor or if the choke is being defended. The ganseki otoshi eventually morphed into the shoulder throw of today, but one can still find it listed as a "reference technique" in sources like Kyuzo Mifune "The Canon of Judo."

From "The Canon of Judo"
Top: the ganseki otoshi in action
Bottom: the cross arm grip used to strangle during newaza

Grip Training

Hojo undō (補助運動), or supplementary exercises, refers to traditional physical conditioning exercises done with and without weighted equipment. It is most commonly associated with Okinawan styles of karate. The earthen pots of sand that Ryo lifted are called nigiri gami and are common hojo undō tools.

From Michael Clarke's "The Art of Hojo Undo: Power Training for Traditional Karate"

Crescent Kick

In regular old-style Jujitsu, high kick moves were rarely used. In particular, kicking moves that come under the classification of roundhouse kicks were never used. This is because it is easy to lose one's balance when executing high kicks while dressed in a Japanese kimono. The characteristic feature of the Crescent Kick is that it is unleashed like an upward sword-stroke aimed at the opponent's head. Although this move wasn't used extensively because it was originally a move of last resort, Ryo favors it because of its effectiveness in street fights.

Abridged move description/video courtesy of Suka Pass.

The Crescent Kick is a roundhouse kick thrown at head level. The move is a staple in virtually every martial art that involves kicking. However, despite its ubiquity in martial arts today, high kicks were very rarely used in traditional Japanese martial arts. So how did high kicks become so common today?

Japanese high kick origins

High kicks were rare in Okinawan karate styles due to their self-defense focus. Any kick above the waist was considered risky not only due to the ease of losing one's balance (alluded to in the move description), but also because it exposed one's groin to strikes. High kicks were integrated into the art after karate had spread to Japan, but there is a surprising amount on competing theories on how this development occurred.

One popular theory is that they were developed by Gigō Funakoshi, son of Gichin Funakoshi (the founder of Shotokan karate). Gichin, considered the father of modern karate for popularizing it in Japan, initially studied Okinawan styles of karate and taught Shotokan with the same self-defense philosophy in mind. Gigō however took a heavier fighting-focused approach compared to his father's approach of predominantly kata and exercise. High roundhouse kicks were said to be one of the many techniques developed by Gigō through many sparring sessions and incorporated into the art. Some other speculation is that they The popularity of Shotokan spread these techniques to other karate styles and to Korean styles like Tae Kwon Do.

Chuck Norris demonstrating the high roundhouse kick

Another theory is that high kicks were imported from the French martial art of Savate. Many western advisors were brought in during Japan's Meiji era rush to modernization, including French military experts. Savate, used by the French soldiers for exercise and self defense, was said to have influenced local martial arts. The art of Savate does feature things like high kicks and synchronized drilling, features that are commonly associated with karate today.

Chasseurs Alpin practicing savate drills in 1898

Some other hypotheses include influence from Muay Thai/Muay Boran as there was historical trade between the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa) and Siam (Thailand). It may also have come from Northern Chinese kung fu styles which feature more above-the-waist kicks compared to Southern Chinese kung fu styles (which were a primary influence on the development of Okinawan karate). Regardless of the origin, it remains a simple but devastating technique.

Mirko Cro Cop destroys Wanderlei Silva in their rematch with his signature high left roundhouse kick

Arm Break Fire

 

Abridged move description courtesy of Suka Pass.

 A complex move that damages the opponent's arms in multiple areas simultaneously.

While grasping the opponent's arm, the practitioner moves laterally and after delivering a sharp elbow thrust, he quickly takes a reverse joint hold on the shoulder to sprain the opponent's arm, then leaps on to the opponent to finish in a position nearly identical to a reverse cross defense. This fearsome move results in simultaneous damage to several areas of the arm joint.

This is an extremely complicated composite move, and because the transition from one step to the next move must be smooth, it is extremely difficult.

 

 The full Arm Break Fire is composed of 3 moves:

1. Elbow thrust
2. Reverse joint hold
3. Reverse cross defense

The "reverse joint hold" and "reverse cross defense" are established judo techniques known as ude-hishigi-waki-gatame (Japanese: 腕挫腋固) and tobi-jūji-gatame (Japanese: 飛び十字固め) .

 

Waki Gatame

The ude-hishigi-waki-gatame, or armpit armlock, is one of the official joint lock techniques of judo and comes from traditional Japanese jiujitsu. The technique has been used to great effect in mixed martial arts as well, albeit rarely. Former Shooto/DREAM/ONE champion Shinya Aoki famously broke his opponent's arm using the waki gatame in the process of setting up a takedown.

Shinya Aoki vs Keith Wisniewski Shooto: 1/29 in Korakuen Hall

Former UFC LHW champion Jon Jones used a conceptually-similar technique from a whizzer position in his title defense against Glover Teixeira.

Jon Jones vs Glover Teixeira UFC 172

Despite the move's effectiveness, it is rarely seen in competition. This could be due to the waki gatame's high injury potential and the difficulty with training the technique with resistance safely. Even in MMA or Brazilian jiujitsu where the technique is legal, it can be considered somewhat of a dick move. It can quickly cause injury to your training partner with little warning and before they have a chance to tap/signal you to let go. In judo, it's illegal to use the standing variation of waki gatame as part of a throwing combination for this reason. 

A heated confrontation between former UFC MW champion Sean Strickland and ADCC champion Orlando Sanchez during a sparring session. Sanchez used a whizzer crank (ala Jon Jones) while Strickland was preparing for an MMA fight.

Tobi Juji Gatame

Tobi juji gatame, better known as a flying armbar, is a variation of the juji gatame, or cross armlock/armbar in judo. Though all flying submissions were banned in judo competition in 2018, the flying armbar is still common in other grappling martial arts such as BJJ, sambo, and catch wrestling as well as MMA.

Flying armbars are the definition of high risk, high reward moves. They're flashy and can surprise an opponent. However, if done poorly, it can leave you in a vulnerable position and/or give you a concussion from landing/being spiked on your head. Or worse.

Crawl Cyclone

With this move, the practitioner lowers his body, pins around rapidly on the pivot leg, and using his other leg, sweeps out the legs from under his opponent. Many similar moves can be found in Chinese martial arts and the move appears to have come from Kung Fu.

Abridged move description/video courtesy of Suka Pass.

True to the description, the move can be found in many styles of Kung Fu under various names such as "the iron broomstick" or "the tiger's tail". It is also commonly found in Southeast Asian styles such as Silat.

A classic kung fu demonstration.

While far from being a commonly used fighting technique, there is a surprising amount of footage of it being used successfully in full contact competition and the streets™.

Foot sweeps and leg sweeps in general work by catch your opponent shifting their balance from one leg to the other and pulling the rug from under them. It's a move that requires good timing and prediction which can't be brute forced unless there's a large size or strength disparity. In grappling arts (and striking arts that allow the clinch), the timing requirement can be eased somewhat as you can push and pull your opponent to get them to step in semi-predictable ways. To pull off the Crawl Cyclone where you have no hands on the opponent, there are 2 methods that can be used to set it up.

#1 - Getting your opponent to take a step

Fighters will often retreat linearly by rapidly backstepping away from the opponent. This happens particularly often in MMA for a medley of reasons that I won't go into here. A fighter going backwards naturally has to shift their weight backwards when taking a step back, which leaves them vulnerable to getting swept by the Crawl Cyclone if hit during this moment.

One example was used in the match between former BW UFC champion Cody Garbrandt and Raphael Assunção.

Cody Garbrandt vs Raphael Assunção

Garbrandt first uses a wrestling duckwalk to fake as if he's going to shoot a takedown. Assunção responds to the feint by moving backwards out of range of the expected shot. Garbrandt changes levels again as if he's going to shoot, but instead tries to sweep Assunção off his feet. His timing is a little off however as Assunção had managed to set his weight down, so it ends up being a hard leg kick instead of a sweep.

Here's another example from pseudo kickboxing organization Karate Combat.

Gabriele Cera using the move in sparring and against James Vick

Cera lunges forward as if he was going to blitz with punches. Ex-UFC veteran James Vick retreats out of the way of the expected blitz. Cera instead drops down and sweeps Vick off his feet.

It can also be executed when your opponent is coming forwards by timing when your opponent is about to plant their foot and sweeping them before they set their weight down. When strikes are on the table though, this is riskier as you run the risk of being over.

A subway cop sweeping the leg of a man of questionable sobriety

#2 - Kicking an opponent on one leg

Any time someone is on one leg, they are off-balancing themselves to some degree. A Crawl Cyclone can be used to great effect to take them the rest of the way down. 

First clip:  仲宗根武蔵 vs 関口祐冬

Second clip: Chris Clements vs Stephen Thompson

A common instance is when a person is throwing a standing kick as they have one leg planted by definition. In the first clip, the Crawl Cyclone is used in a Shooto MMA match. The victim is caught on one leg while throwing a leg kick and is toppled over. In the second clip, Chris Clements catches then-prospect (present day former UFC WW title challenger) Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson with the Crawl Cyclone while Wonderboy is attempting a hook kick. This is especially effective on Wonderboy as he uses a more bladed side-on stance that leaves him more vulnerable to being swept in that horizontal plane.

Another instance is when a person is checking a kick. Checking is done by raising their shin into the path of a kick so that the kicker hits bone rather than softer muscle (and possibly hurting their leg in the process). 

Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje for the interim UFC LW championship

In this clip, Ferguson changes levels, potentially faking a takedown, and instead goes for a Crawl Cyclone. Gaethje lifts his leg to check, but the kick lands low on his ankle rather than his shin, sending him toppling to his hands and knees.

Disadvantages

 

The Crawl Cyclone requires the opponent to be shifting their weight away or being off-balanced in some way. If the opponent is rooted in their stance, the kick won't do much damage and you won't be in a position to defend yourself.

As this poor kid who watches too much anime found out.

It also requires full commitment. If you don't spin all the way through, you won't generate enough torque to knock someone off their feet. Consequently, if someone avoids it by stepping out of the way, you're stuck having to make a full circle as you can't exactly stop yourself mid-spin. Even if your opponent doesn't take advantage of your vulnerability, you still end up looking silly.

Hugo vs Torres Caut on Dana White's Contender series. Hugo is the one looking silly.