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.