009 - Asking Hands

Before walking the bridge, it is useful to judge the intentions of your partner. One way to do this is the feel their motion and react accordingly. This can be a passive experience, where you exert little to no energy into your opponent and just react based on the energy they give you. Then you can also exert slightly into your opponent to find their intent. This is more like active sonar, pinging the partner through touch and pressure. Think of it as "asking" your opponent what their intention is through your contact.

Beware: asking to loudly reveals your intent which they can use against you.

Idea: you can sometimes entice your opponent to answer by applying some pressure to them. Their reaction in stiffness or reaction can become the lever you use to walk the bridge.