Aikido Mnemonics

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[akiy]

Hi folks,

I ran across this website full of mnemonics (http://www.eudesign.com/mnems/_mnframe.htm) used in various fields that I found interesting. For those of you who may not know, mnemonics "Mnemonics (pronounced "ne-mon'-ics") is the art of assisting the memory by using a system of artificial aids - rhymes, rules, phrases, diagrams, acronyms and other devices - all to help in the recall of names, dates, facts and figures."

Did you have any mnemonics that you used that helped you in your aikido training?

Do you have any mnemonics that you've used when teaching aikido?

-- Jun

[Michael Hackett]

We use "SKI" to help remember our five arts order for testing; shihonage, kotogaeshi, kaitenage, kokyunage, iriminage.

[Janet Rosen]

When I first started training, I remembered "onegai shimasu" by thinking of the yiddish term "oneg shabbat."
When I started training at a place that does aiki taiso I learned the names/order of 3 exercises by remembering to first have fun, then fury, before washing up (funekoki waza, udefuri waza, udemawashi waza).

[David Board]

Hi folks,

I ran across this website full of mnemonics (http://www.eudesign.com/mnems/_mnframe.htm) used in various fields that I found interesting. For those of you who may not know, mnemonics "Mnemonics (pronounced "ne-mon'-ics") is the art of assisting the memory by using a system of artificial aids - rhymes, rules, phrases, diagrams, acronyms and other devices - all to help in the recall of names, dates, facts and figures."

Did you have any mnemonics that you used that helped you in your aikido training?

Do you have any mnemonics that you've used when teaching aikido?

-- Jun

Shifflett has some in her book, Aikido Exercises for Teaching and Training. Off the top of my head I can only remember the shape of the arm in Nikyo being an N. But that is partly because I was working with Nikyo yesterday and so have been thinking about it.

[Mark Gibbons]

Shomenuchi irimi can be done singing the tune YMCA and using the shape for each letter as the appropriate action. It takes just the right audience to be appropriately appalled.

KISS can be used as an aid for trying to avoid repeating the same technique over and over during a test when asked to do x techniques from some attack. (Kokyo, ikkyo, shiho, sankyo)-nage for instance.

Mark

[senorqueso]

I will never forget shizentai because my sensei at the time sounded like he was saying "shoes untied", so I remembered to have my feet shoulder-width apart so I can check the laces faster (if I was wearing shoes). A little silly, I know, but it helped.

[Dazzler]

Not sure if this qualifies Jun but when working with techniques using entering movement followed by a strategic withdrawal eg ikkyo v yokomenuchi I often reference 'Longshore drift' ...a geographical phenomena where waves hit the beach at an angle but then fall straight back into sea causing drifting of pebbles / sand etc over time along the beach.

Apologies to the geographers out there if this isn't quite the correct description of it - I was actually a terrible student, ejected from class many times in particular for playing 'glaciers'...which involved shuffling desk forward a few millimeters every time the teachers back was turned.

Needless to say I failed miserably at exam time - but I think my old teacher - Merret the Ferret - might be rather amused that I recollect some of his teachings 30 plus years down the line.

Happy friday !!

D

[Anth]

A few little ways of remembering techniques that I've been told:

Shiho Nage = shear agony, or alternatively (as a basic, at least) you start with the palm of your hand up as if you were sharing something with uke.

Irimi Nage = ear-imi nage, as your hand goes near uke's ear.

Uchi = under

Kaiten Nage = Kite nage because uke ends up with both arms positioned as if they were flying (think a kid pretending to be an aeroplane).

Higi (elbows) = Hinges, which is what your elbows are!

I'm sure I'll learn loads more but those are what I've learnt or worked out myself (in the case of sharing) over the last 4 months or so.

[David Board]

My seven year old son has transformed "Ich Ni San Shi" into
"Itchy Knee Zombie".

[ninjaqutie]

For a while, I could only remember uchi and soto because of the last letter: uchi: inside, soto: outside

[Janet Rosen]

For a while, I could only remember uchi and soto because of the last letter: uchi: inside, soto: outside

Oh! I'd forgotten - so did I!

[James Davis]

Sweating makes a mess of my gi, and it's misogi. ;)

[ninjaqutie]

Oh! I'd forgotten - so did I!

We actually do/did something the same way! haha. :D There's hope for me yet I guess. ;)

[Linda Eskin]

I have a bunch of them! Let's see how many I can think of:

Of course the 5 immobilization techniques, ikkyo, nikkyo, sankyo, yonkyo, and gokyo from ichi, ni, san, yon, and go.

Ura has an "r" and so does rear.
Omote has a "t" and so does front.

For the two hanmi:
Ai and "same" (as in same foot forward) both have one syllable.
Gyaku and "mirror" (as in mirror image of partner) both have two syllables.

I was forever confusing irimi and tenkan until I figured out that "irimi" sounds like "excuse me" and the movement is very much like what you'd do when trying to pass someone in a very narrow aisleway, when you'd say "excuse me."

Tsuki and skewer sound similar to me, so that's an easy one when playing with a jo.

For some it's just lucky that they sound right to me. Gedan sounds heavy and low, while jodan sounds light and high. Mae sounds forward-ish, while ushiro seems naturally backward. No tricks to those - they just sound that way, thank goodness.

And somehow sempai sounds strong and reliable, while kohai sounds like the name of a small fish (like "guppy," maybe), so those have been easy for me to tell apart.

[Anth]

Another way of remembering gedan is what you say when a dog is jumping up at you - get down. Makes more sense with a karate gedan barai (downward block) but it has always stuck in my mind.

Thinking about it while typing this, jo (as in jodan) isn't too far off jaw too.

Shomen (shomen uchi) = shuffle in (as opposed to stepping in as you would for yokomen uchi).

Yokomen = Walkin' in (as you step into the attack).

[ninjaqutie]

I just remembered another one because my sensei was mentioning it to the new people in class. If you ever forget what to say when you bow in, just say "Oh my gosh a mouse!"

[RED]

Fill the cup, empty the cup(like it killed yo' mama)-- ireminage
Cookie-dough= kokyu (there should be cookie dough in everything... just like kokyu is in everything.)

[jason jordan]

Jodan = Michale "Air" Jodan
Chudan= what you chew goes to the belly (center)
Gedan= Has to do with being a heterosexual male. (Don't want to offend anybody, so I'll leave it at that.

I remember my hand positions for various techniques as holding a bowl or glass of water.

For Irimi nage I remember to hold a fish bowl when entering and continuing to turn the arm without dropping the fish until I am ready to throw the fish bowl.... you may have to see it to visualize.