AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.
Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the
world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to
over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a
wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history,
humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.
If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced
features available, you will need to register first. Registration is
absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!
I often wonder if there's so much politics in Aikido because we've adopted enough of a Japanese view point to be offended but not enough of a cultural understanding to recognise that certain behaviors would be insulting in a semi-japanese space.
So the instructor calls out, "Change ukemi!" I've already taken ukemi for the person closest to me so I get up and sprint down the mat for the other person. I arrive there and I can feel this feeling on the left hand side of my face. I look over and Sensei had jumped up from the grading panel to take ukemi.
So I stared him down.
Got complimented on my ukemi, apparenly it's "excellent."
Today we held junior gradings and for the third time Sensei had me sit next to him while he conducted them. I wasn't asked my opinion this time though, although I was immediately put to work correcting them all after the grading while he made up his mind on who had passed, which turned out to be all of them.
You know something though, when I was called out by Sensei I thought of it as a great privilege, thirty minutes later I wasn't so sure as my legs had gone to sleep. Mind you it was better than the excruciating pain I was in.
Sporting guards: e.g boxing guards. Short to allow opponent into optimum striking range, allows full range of attacks to be used. Relies on physically stopping the blow. Leaves the centreline undefended to allow jabs and crosses easy access to the face. No need to overcome the guard before attacking the defender as defender and the guard can be attacked simultaneously.
Martial guards: Extended with hands placed in front to physically control the centreline making attacks along it easy to deflect or block and forcing the attacker to attack from outside of arms reach and allowing the defender better control of mai-ai. Both aspects limiting attackers choice of attacks and forces the attacker to defeat the guard before attacks can be made to the body of the defender, potentially forcing the attacker into over commited attacks in an attempt to smash through the guard. Uncommitted attacks are defeated by a combination of distancing, movement and parrying.
11-29-2009 10:06 AM 
