back straight

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[Leon Aman]

hi,

Do we always need to straighten our back while we are doing a technique?

input please

leon

[ChristianBoddum]

Yes !

If your pelvis is "tugged" upwards to the front - like if you were to ride a horse ,
then your back will be naturally straight.
This way there will be no unnecessary strain to the mid of your back ,
and your back muscles can work all the way from head to bottom.
Sometimes you will end techniques with tour body leaning forward,
but this doesn't mean that you bend your back,it can still be done with a straight back.

[Dazzler]

Probably yes!

Good Shisei or posture is critical to most MA I suspect but with Aikido having aspirations to be effective against multiple attackers, a good posture helps keep the head up for all round awareness.

Common mistake is to bend to look down at the hands reducing awareness and often restricting the throat too thus inhibiting breathing and restricting the production of kokyu power.

For circular flowing practice a good spine or axis will be conducive to free flowing movement and allows use of centrifugal or centripedal force (one for the engineers to confirm) in practice.

I'm sure there are many other reasons too.

Cheers

D

[SeiserL]

IMHO, tuck the pelvis under tightening the center and pull up from the middle of the top of your head (Alexander Technique).

[Mike Sigman]

Just to add to the choices:

Relax the lower back and relax the knees... that will cause the pelvis to relaxedly tuck under slightly. Let the butt sink like its weight is pulling down on your spine, while at the same time the head is held up like by a string. The core axis along the spine will therefore be extended like a long thick rubber band. The center should be relaxed, but not pooched out.

FWIW

Mike Sigman

[Dirk Hanss]

hi,

Do we always need to straighten our back while we are doing a technique?

input please

leon

Not at all - oops, sorry all pre-posters for contradicting

It is not necessary for doing good technique. If you have a hunchback or other problems, you can find ways to do all techniques in wonderful matter.

For all not too old and healthy aikidoka there are some reasons to straighten the back:
1) You can control your energy flow much better.
2) You can control your center and balance much better.
3) It looks much better.
4) You develop a "martial attitute"

There are probably more reasons and some are for different people more important than others.

And while some people do not need it at all to do stable, effective and goog looking techniques ("monkey style"), for some 80 to 90% of us it is the easiest way to get and stay there. That's why most sensei insinst in straight backs.

Just my 2 cts


Dirk

[Leon Aman]

Yes !

Sometimes you will end techniques with tour body leaning forward,
but this doesn't mean that you bend your back,it can still be done with a straight back.

Well, maybe this is just what I want to hear :) , that leaning forward doesnt mean bending ones back. because while I am doing i.e. shiho-nage or udekimi-nage I always end up leaning forward but have always corrected to straighten my back as in perpendicular to the ground. Maybe such shisei is a good posture but it looks stereotype to me that can only be performed in the stage.imo.

leon

[Pauliina Lievonen]

IMHO, tuck the pelvis under tightening the center and pull up from the middle of the top of your head (Alexander Technique).Beginning AT students often seem to have that idea, but it's not really correct (for AT that is). In the Alexander Technique it's about a relationship between the head and the top of the spine, and that relationship can be more or less free in any position.

For the original question, I think a straight back is easier to keep connected.

kvaak
Pauliina