AIKIDO RIAI Aikido riai means the complete art including atemi (strikes) aiki ken and jo (sword and stick) aiki ken KUDEN The japanese sword cuts on the "push or pull" and the attacks are delivered "on the move" NEVER from a platform. In empty hand techniques the attacker must be cut off balance blending your momentum with his. He must be struck or cut to the ground with an entry of the hip. NEVER attempt to throw or pin FROM A STANCE there is ALWAYS an entry of the hip to empower the technique.Often I shall see a novice struggle to apply a technique from a platform. KUDEN The sword never lingers. Meeting resistance you MUST move on to the next kuzushi and apply a kaeshe waza (alternate technique). below sword principles used in irrimi nage unbalancing and throwing.
There is a glossary of Japanese terminology as it relates to Aikido in the resources sub-forum. It's also a "sticky", so it should be pretty easy to find. Feel free to suggest additions. My memory is a big foggy but I think the way we worked things was we had an open thread for suggested additions and then a locked thread for the final article that only a mod could edit. Again feel free to have a look around and suggest additions or changes.
You should see the one I have compiled on my hard drive now! Bloody thing is massive, but not entirely aikido related.
GRAPPLING Aikido is a self defence art and HAS to assume more than one oponent and the possibility/likelyhood of a weapon. Therefore there would seam to be little or no grappling (going to ground). KUDEN All throws are locks and all locks are throws. There are indeed grappling like techniques. Ikkyo for example is often taken to the ground and the arm locked to impede movement then turned to gain a submision.ALL of the early shihan were budoka with experience in other arts. MOST of the early westerners were Judoka before training in aikido. (old school) However Ikkyo is LOCKED BEFORE we take it down (having seen that there are no more attackers) and will be executed while standing. Below from resistance to ikkyo the kaeshe waza of o uchi gari inside reap is used to put him down and the ikkyo is forcefully applied. There are any number of grappling possibilities but as has been said we train with the assumption that another attacker may appear so the grappling is eschewed.
Thanks! These posts are great. they're probably the best things I've read my entire life! Well explained, right to the point and very useful for my own aikido training. Thanks, Blast
AIKIDO TAIJUTSU (BODY TECHNIQUES) Techniques also have basic principles which must be followed. These contain the principles of the triangle circle and square. The art is executed from a triangular posture (san kaku ho) which offers the smallest target area to the opponent and allows maximum mobility (while using minimum movement) After the intial unbalancing the opponent is controlled circularly. KUDEN It is the attacker who spins,turns or spirals around the aikidoka NEVER the opposite. All techniques must be applied solidly and "boldly" ..The balance which also means mental balance Zanshin before during and after an encounter must be maintained. below (photo) 0ne shows the triangular entry that in the same instant defends/escapes and attacks "along the line of the sword" (photo) two shows the attacker spinning NOT the aikidoka. (photo ) three shows maintenance of balance and awareness at the close of the technique. As with all of the principles presented..it is impossible to study these with a compliant "attacker".
The use of three different techniques to illustrate the principles of the triangle circle and square was to emphasise the symbyotic nature of striking unbalancing throwing and the weapons principles that create aikido riai. Below a basic techniques using these principles. The yokomen attack is used to emulate a haymaker which is thought to be the most common attack faced in a self defence situation. he could well be holding a knife or bottle. The smile is because Chris was becoming rather "enthusiastic" (easier to handle):evil:
Building all these elements into Aiki practise as a composite entity, is for me what makes Aikido i.e. without any of these inter-dependant aspects, there is no Aikido - which is an example of what makes it difficult to master.
i like this very much. thank you koyo. in my mind, one of the biggest mis-conceptions that people have about martial arts (there's many) is that advanced martial arts connote complicated techniques. i've only been practicing martial arts for about 6 years and this realization has been key to my recent development...keep it simple!
KUDEN WE MUST NEVER TRAIN/DEMONSTRATE BEYOND OUR ABILITIES. (Tada shihan) To better understand this we make a distinction between study and training. In study we are researching and attempting to apply the principles which make the techniques effective. This is done pragmaticaly against a powerful and accurate attack at such a level as to keep us out of our comfort zone with a sense of danger that focusses our concentration. Training is where we simply perform the techniques time and time again to develop natural and instinctive use of the principles. Using a compliant partner we can execute techniques well beyond our actual ability . This is what Tada shihan and Saito shihan who warns that we must not perform flowing techniques until 3rd dan level speak of. Such unrealistic techniques can become part of our training schedule and are counter-productive in that BASIC PRINCIPLES are denied since they are not needed to throw a compliant "opponent." True martial arts are NOT an accumulation of "advanced" techniques..they are pragmatic mastery of BASIC PRINCIPLES. Tada shihan
There may be a place for a section on cross-training in the early years (1960s?) and how it was somewhat more actively encouraged than in later years.
Today there are many discussions on MMA and crosstraining. The early shihan were ALL "crosstrainers" since they had atudied other arts such as kendo,judo and jujutsu before aikido. Often Nakazono shihan would use the term budo rather than aikido. Most of the early westerners came from a judo background so we would never give up our balance easily nor would we find any value in a compliant partner.Refusing to give up our balance quickly taught us just how painfull aikido techniques are. At Grange Farm in the early sixties summer schools were held. There we could crosstrain in Judo under shihan Otani karate under shihan Harada,kendo under Shihan otani and aikido under shihan nakazono . It was around that time that shihan Harada was developing shotokai karate. I made good friends then that remain to this day.ALL of the respective shihan encouraged us to train in the other arts. I also enjoy lifelong friendship with kendoka and karateka who have welcomed us into their clubs and have also visited us. personaly I feel that crosstraining is invaluable not only from a technical perspective but because it addresses a most important concept..brotherhood of martial arts where politics and personalities do not exist.It is also most beneficial to get out of your own "environment" occasionaly. More recently there was an annual IKET (international kendo taikai and embu) held in ediburgh where shihan of different arts offered demonstrations and cross training was offered. Saddly politics raise it's ugly head and these have been discontinued. There is so much to be learned from each other that I truly miss the days when there was much more association and less associations. kendo karate and weapons crosstraining.
Is that Fay Goodman in the lower left of the weapons picture? Presumably this was from Iket. I should have made more of an effort to find out about Iket, but as I was often travelling for work, it passed me by. I recall from my very earliest days a woman called Margaret Hughes who was a very accomplished Aikidoka, but I think she was living in London by this time, only returning to Scotland occassionally.
Margaret Hughes was very close to my dad they trained together in London and on many courses in England. He also brought her to his dojo in Bellahouston Sport Centre for weekend courses on many occations, according to him and Chiba Shihan she was an excellent Aikidoka.She was ill for a while due to injuries received during training etc, I don't think she practises anymore . My dad has lost contact with her, he has tried to find out where she is but nothing so far.
Hi Kokoro Kai. I hope Tom is continuing to recuperate well. I only remember these events briefly from 1980 at Cumbernauld with Chiba Shihan. There were a lot of Aikidoka including Margaret Hughes there that day, with whom I did not get to train with again due to 'political' stuff, and I was very junior at the time i.e. my understanding of Aikido at the time was very limited, and there were quite a few faces that I did not know. Im not sure if Tom was there that day (we did meet briefly a couple of years later in Bellahouston Park.) Maybe reminding Tom about Margaret will help keep his memory recall ticking over. I guess Tom is still preparing his Aikido return.
Hi embra I think both my dad and Koyo attended that course, they were not many courses that Chiba Shihan took without Koyo being there as Uke. As I said Margaret and my dad where close he really liked to train with her, when she came up to Glasgow to teach he was her Uke most of the time.The courses she took were well attended. My dad's aim is to get back to practise at the beginning of next year. He has been back in the dojo but only to watch and who better to watch than Tamura Shihan. He still gets massive headaches but not as bad as earlier in the year. Thanks for your concern I will pass on your message.
