Video of my training class
 

Hi,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvp89BIyONs is a video from our training class. On the first part, I am the uke with my sensei and from the minute 06:23 on, I try a Ju Waza on a shodan aikidoka...

The record was not pre-studied. I would be happy if you can write your opinions. I have never had an opportunity to train at a different dojo. So I would like to know if I am at a standard level of an aikikai-ikkyu (I know that It can not be judged with a simple video but it could give an idea). What are my failures or good sides both as an uke and nage :rolleyes: .

Thank you a lot for having time for me.

Re: Video of my training class
 

As you asked for opinions, there you go. I watched only few first minutes:
Uke doesn`t know how to attack. Improve your kicking technique. Presently you are giving your leg as a gift rather then kicking. Because of that nage is doing false technique, and can develop bad habits physically and mentally.
Uke`s body is sloppy.It should be rather as a spring. Improve agility, speed and stamina.For the moment you are collapsing instead of connecting to nage.

Nage is talking way too much. He is neglecting posture, distance, and does nothing to unbalance attacker before applying a technique. He has no power when throwing attacker. He seems to not able to create connection to attacker nor before attack neither in the first contact or even later.It means he doesn`t really control attacker. Also I din`t see any zanshin.

These are only few things coming quickly to my mind. Don`take is personaly, these things can be improved under supervision of shihan level teacher.

best

Re: Video of my training class
 

Here is what I think:

Bülent Koçak,
what style of aikido are you training?
I see black belt, no hakama?
Also, you don't really know how to attack, blend, and use your ki,
I would recommend you to do alot of bokken & Jo katas to improve your ki blending.

Now to comment on the Sensei,
He is not blending, he is too stiff, his defenses are meaningless and ki-less.
really, he uses force than actually using ground work, pivot center and ki blending.

If I want to see how good my sensei is (not that i really want to catch him on it, but to actually improve him) I would concentrate on a keishi-waza or an unexpectable strike than the orignal.

we all must improve after all, sensei, uke or nage.

Re: Video of my training class
 

I have to agree with Szczepan Janczuk.
I was disappointed at the performance of the nage.

The Mae Geri (Front snap kick) had no snap.
I saw more sacrificing than Kuzushi.

On another note. WHO AM I?.......
The nage's could have just been doing some light training. I.D.K.

Re: Video of my training class
 

the disco music was an interesting addition

Re: Video of my training class
 

The Unpronounceable One (TM) has spoken true words. Heed his advice, O' seeker of The Way.

Basically what I am saying is that I agree with Szczepan.

And also:

The whole 1NT3RW3B now knows Bulent and his Sensei can't kick.
It is OK, use a jo next time, I can't kick well either.

Boon.

Re: Video of my training class
 

Thank you all for your commments,
I wrote above, I am a brown belt-ikkyu not black and style is aikikai (Sensei is a 2nd dan)...

With the kicks you're all right. We don't train kicking techniques, during the record the sensei was talking-showing the techniques to kicks (as I see he/me failed :p)...however, the kicks are at the beginning of the video. Have you (all) not watched the rest, or are your opinions the same for the rest?

I appreciate your thoughts and the reason of the post is to improve my quality.

Re: Video of my training class
 

Your teacher has poor posture so that when he moves, he is always struggling to maintain his balance. He needs to learn the difference between centripetal turning and centrifugal turning.

When the person is uke for you, he is just standing there and allowing you to finish a technique. I do not see you unbalancing the attacker so that attack #2... does not occur.

Keep up the practice, and try and go to seminars with higher rank instructors.

Marc Abrams

Posture
 

Posture. This has been mentioned several times. With good reason too. I have recently started to videotape my training sessions and that is the thing that strikes me most when I review the tape, is my poor posture. :eek: How about some tips on improving it anybody. Or is it simply a matter of self awareness and constant vigilance.

Re: Posture
 

If you work on some of the exercises that Rob John posted here on AikiWeb, it does go a long ways to improving posture. :)

Re: Video of my training class
 

Yeah, Posture is the one thing I am working on...that and core strength. I realized that I am not going to improve much any more until I get a handle on these things.

Video tape helps alot how you what you are really doing, vice what you "think" you are doing.

Re: Video of my training class
 

Ricky:

I have drawn on multiple sources towards developing an understanding of the importance of posture. My teacher- Imaizumi Sensei, Kuroda Sensei, Ushiro Sensei, Mike Seligman's writings, Dan Harden's writings, Tai Chi, James Williams Sensei, George Ledyard Sensei, Systema, etc.... I spend a tremendous amount of time with my own personal training and the training of my students in developing proper posture, learning to walk balanced (if you want I can send you something privately in that area), and to execute all of my turns in a balanced manner (centripetal rotation). I am developing an entire stretching regime to re-teach our bodies to utilize our muscles to support our core structure.

I have been profoundly surprised at the change in my Aikido as a result of this direction. I am loving the direction I am heading in.

The best starting place is in executing techniques very slowly so that you can feel any and all inbalances in your posture and unnecessary tensions in your body.

Good Luck!

Marc Abrams

Re: Video of my training class
 

The one thing I'd add for your jiyu waza is zanshin. Everytime you throw nage you lose connection with him - by which I mean you throw him, lose focus back off and then have to "switch on " again for the next attack. Treat the entire jiyu waza as *one* engagement. When uke is getting off the ground you should be tracking him the same way you are tracking the attack coming in. Because him getting off the ground *is* the start of the next attack.

That said, keep training, don't worry too much about the criticism you'll get here - everyone has room to improve and it beats sitting home on the couch.

Re: Video of my training class
 

Finding the truth in places you didn't expect! My wife was exposed recently to the teachings of Vanda Scaravelli, who was an 83 or so year old yogini that figured out some things.

We bought her book "Awakening the Spine:" On amazon. Some quick observations:

her work is based on three things: Gravity, Breath, and Wave.

Sound Familar. The cover of the book has a triangles and circles interlocked....no squares, but the book itself is square! Not sure of the intention though.

She talks much about rooting, grounding, extension of the spine, branches spreading out from the base "roots going down into the ground and branches extending outward".

Alll that good stuff!

It is a simple, non-confusing, worthwile book that cuts to the core of the issue I think!

Interesting to see a someone that did not practice martial arts use the same concepts and languaging that I hear in my training!

She gives yoga exercises that center around "awakening the spine" and spends time talking about breath (pranayama), and the linkage to wave in all of this.

Re: Video of my training class
 

the knife thing, atemi first then deal with the knife. I am going to mangle some of Saotome sensei quotes "knife no enemy, enemy enemy"; it's the person that holding the knife you have to deal with.

a small suggestion on improving balance and posture. get a wood beam 10 cm width and however long you want. get the beam off the ground about 1m. walk the beam back and forth in hanmi, then tenkan. try not to fall off. once you get through that, then do them blindfolded. for those who have Okinawan karate background, do nihanchi/tekki kata on the beam.

on the mat, try doing either kata dori or katate dori techniques blindfolded (nage, not uke blindfolded :) ) then juwaza blindfolded where the attacks can be shoulder grabs or hand grabs with either hands or both hands; you get the point.

you will be surprised to find how much your balance and posture depends on sight.

Re: Video of my training class
 

For improving balance do lots of Kihon Dosa especially the Shumatsu-Dosa Ichi and ni exercise and with partners too.

Boon.

Re: Video of my training class
 

Hi, with "Shumatsu-Dosa and ni" do you mean shihonage omote and ura :confused:

and the general idea about the clip was, as I have understood
* I should improve my posture and add zanshin (this is the difficult one because I had not much idea about what it is. I've read some articles after the commends and watched the clips of shihans again to see their! zanshin :hypno: still searching...
** About my sensei, same criticism has been done, too. I found another clip of him. This time with a more experienced uke (nage=my teacher=3.th dan, uke=brother of sensei=2nd dan):

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...um=0&s pell=1

*** I am recommended to work with shihan level instructors as well and go to seminars. Unfortunately, there has been not a seminar hold for a very long time. And higher level instructors run their own dojos which are expensive for me to join. But I look to find a way...is there a scholarship to train with C. Tissier :D

Re: Video of my training class
 

The basis of Shihonage's Tai Sabaki is Shumatsu-Dosa movements. I guess it means yes.

Zanshin is a state of mind, a state of readiness. For example after completing a technique, your mindset should be as though you are expecting the next technique to begin immediately.

Another way of illustrating is that of chess game, you maintain awareness of all your pieces throughout the whole game, something like that.

A couple of Yoshinkan clip to illustrate the concept of Zanshin and Posture. "Vidoe/You tube is better than a thousand words"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0TayFYkTgA

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=350Kk...eature=related

Boon.

Re: Video of my training class
 

...I thought you looked fine.
But brown belt?

Break balance/atemi, then throw. That seemed missing from your bits at the end.
I thought you made quite a convincing uke, slightly resisting, not ridiculously unbalanced going in, much better than most zombies on youtube aikido vids.

Who was your teacher's teacher?

Re: Video of my training class
 

Better than him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izl7-sDV28c

Better than this loon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZy-7__Eu_8

Better than them zombies! (...braaaains...) :freaky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YziUvBqX-zI

Re: Video of my training class
 

I like how they make an aikido randori seem like the SCARIEST THING EVER. "There are situations 'on the street' that I'd prefer to this." And the bit about, "You can bite, kick, whatever."