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moon in the water Blog Tools Rating: Rate This Blog
Creation Date: 04-26-2010 10:46 PM
niall
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the water does not try
to reflect the moon
and the moon has no desire
to be reflected
but when the clouds clear
there is the moon in the water
Blog Info
Status: Public
Entries: 155
Comments: 1,111
Views: 1,924,234

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In General sword cut Entry Tools Rating: 5 Stars!
  #21 New 09-25-2010 11:35 AM
sword cut I trained in kenjutsu and battojutsu (iaido) years ago. It really helped me with my aikido.

For example:
1. Ma ai - the critical distance. And if you are close enough to strike you are close enough to be struck.
2. Aikido strikes when you take ukemi. How to cut straight in shomenuchi and yokomenuchi.
3. How to use a sword. How to hold and handle a sword. Sword etiquette - like how to hand a sword to another person.
4. Of course tachidori as uke and tori.

In battojutsu I made a mysterious discovery.

When you draw a sword often you open your left hip by moving it backwards away from your drawing hand. That gives you more space to draw the sword.

Then my aikido teacher told me to try doing the opposite and see what happened. He told me to draw the sword by throwing my left hip forward - towards the drawing hand. It was amazing. It was just as effective - maybe even a fraction faster. You can try it with a bokken in your belt.

So to get a certain result (finishing up with a blade in your hands ready to use) you could do two exactly opposite body movements. Away from the sword and towards the sword.

I never forgot that. Sometimes white is black. Sometimes black is red. Sometimes there is another answer. And sometimes you have to do the opposite of what you think you should do.

Very cool picture: samurai sword used by kind permission of daliborlev http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_gonzales/3664052677/, photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_gonzales/. Thanks!

© niall matthews 2010
Views: 5828 | Comments: 16


RSS Feed 16 Responses to "sword cut"
#16 02-13-2011 04:38 AM
guest1234567 Says:
Pls never be sorry of giving me advice, I appreciate that a lot, always be sincere, that is how I can learn. I wanted to say that our aikido classes a thoughts provoking. I found through battojutsu-iaido:mugai and that poem"There is nothing other than the One True Way Heaven and Earth profit from this single Virtue The fluttering feather knows this secret To be settled during confusion is to be enlightened and pure"
#15 02-12-2011 08:34 PM
niall Says:
It looks like I'm giving you a lot of points to remember. Sorry if it's too much advice at once. But without thinking is the real way to do aikido. That's what mushin means. Empty mind or no mind, or the mind of no mind. Of course first you have to go through the stages of being aware of what you are doing and what you are doing wrong. But finally you do it without thinking.
#14 02-12-2011 06:21 AM
guest1234567 Says:
Yes Niall we must not accept injustice. Maybe the point was on the relaxing, not to get angry, so appear acceptance to calm the ukes and then control the situation. I think you understand me Niall if they are holding you, react relaxed and calm and think how you can get out or take the control, if there is no way out, just surrender.When 3 ukes are holding you the worst thing to do is moving with force without thinking what you are doing. So always there is a great lesson in our aikido classes.
#13 02-12-2011 03:46 AM
niall Says:
I think it is a little more nuanced than that, Carina. You are right as a general principle. But sometimes the right way is to fight. You mustn't always accept. Injustice, for example.
#12 02-11-2011 12:10 PM
guest1234567 Says:
Yes Niall It should, yesterday we had a great class again, I don't know about the others but it made me think a lot, everybody with 2 or 3 ukes, one attacking from behind and the other 2 grabing each arm, and Manuel told us not to fight against just be relaxed, and it worked for me,I could walk whereever I liked with the 3 of them holding me, I draged them with me, it is the same in daily life, the worst thing you can do is to fight, just accept the things and deal with them.
#11 02-11-2011 08:57 AM
niall Says:
It should work for those too, Carina!
#10 01-16-2011 07:21 AM
guest1234567 Says:
Yes, that is right, I thought that when I saw your clear replay in the thread of Graham about the 3 weapons of aikido, cutting away unnecessary things.. and also your replay to Anonymous.. I think that is also a good thing you get from training aikido for a long time, becoming a clear mind, rejecting unnecessary things, although it does not work when it gets to the feelings.. Rancor, hatred, envy, jealousies are also unnecessary things...they are very heavy if you carry them in your thoughts
#9 01-16-2011 07:05 AM
niall Says:
I'm not sure what colour that is, Carina, but it's good advice! Maybe we can take it like the sword cutting away unnecessary things?
#8 01-16-2011 06:32 AM
guest1234567 Says:
Of course Niall, you know I always want only the truth. My example about grey was not ref. the truth.Last evening I gave my daughter an advice, not to think to much about she doing mostly of the work in a study group, complaining about her classmates who are not helping, the truth...but she cannot change it and it occupies unnecessary place in her thoughts, she might need for her concentration in studying, Niall I don't know if that fits here, but it is just an example
#7 01-16-2011 05:04 AM
niall Says:
Carina I wasn't sure how to reply to this satisfactorily. Perhaps sometimes there is a gradation between two things. But for example between true and not true you can't compromise.
#6 11-28-2010 12:08 PM
guest1234567 Says:
Niall that is very interesting, unfortunately we don't do much kenjutsu, but I'll tell my teacher. Very deep your thought that sometimes white can be black and black is red, Sometimes it is not black or white but grey
#5 10-05-2010 07:49 AM
niall Says:
Cheers Billy!
#4 10-05-2010 07:00 AM
Makochan Says:
Niall, a very nice blog and I always love the graphics you include. I haven't had much time over the past few weeks to read and enjoy. In the office now, on my own, but it is lunch time, just fancied some aikido, so headed straight for your's and Chris' blogs on Aikiweb. Thanks to both of you! Billy
#3 10-04-2010 08:22 AM
niall Says:
Thanks, Ziv - I'm pleased you tried it. It was Asoh Sensei who suggested it (Arikawa Sensei was perhaps a little more formal about weapons). I don't think he really wanted me to do it differently - I believe he wanted to encourage me to be open and to be able to think in different directions. Sometimes you really have to do the opposite of what you expect!
#2 10-04-2010 12:02 AM
zivk Says:
{cntd} I'm curious which one of your aikido teachers made the suggestion? I should check again the video of Arikawa sensei to check how he drew when at the seminars in France.
 




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