AikiWeb Poll for the week of July 20, 2003:

How often do you slide your feet along the ground while moving as nage in aikido?

• I don't do aikido
• Always
• Almost always
• Very often
• Often
• Somewhat often
• Seldom
• Almost never
• Never
  

Here are the current results.

I have training in Yoshinkan aikido in the past and it seems that this style trains with much emphasis on sliding your feet on the ground. I have also visited different dojos and there is no emphasis on sliding your feet.

Can anyone comment on this way of training? I love Yoshinkan aikido but how practical is sliding your feet when outside your dojo?

Cheers,

Andersen

The yoshinkan dojo I've trained with do emphasis suriashi (sliding the feet). They also teach other methods of stepping, some of which are more appropriate to moving outside. Some schools even make a point of training on beaches in sand, on wet mats, and in the mountains to utilize those other methods while practicing aikido. I think it all helps.

Ron Tisdale

I have started to train with weapons outside, especially on the sides of hills, and it is next to impossible to maintain your balance and adjust to the terrain if you slide your feet. I used to slide my feet as it is emphasized in my dojo but another sensei of mine uses mostly steps as well as my weapons instructor and now I step in the dojo almost all of the time now.

E

I study a style similar to Yoshinkai (Yoshokai) and we often slide our feet.

I suppose it might help emphasize keeping your weight down, moving smoothly, etc.? Perhaps it allows continuous contact with the groung, preventing balance reversals? Throwing out ideas.

My guess is that most of the 'always' answers come from Yosh people, like me.

I think it helps me to grasp the concept of weight down, maximising power, moving the whole body and so on - things other styles also teach but through other means.

It also makes hot days on sticky mats a particular challenge.

The explanations I have heard include:

• Helping to keep weight centered.
  
  Helping to keep weight over the balls of the feet.
  
  Helping to keep you off your heels.
  
  At one time, Aikido was practiced outside so sliding the feet allowed a person to watch for obstructions without looking down.

The first three make a lot of sense. I don't know if the third one is anything more than an interesting bit of historical factoid.

The basic movement fundamental in Jiyushinkai is to drop weight at an angle as you do suriashi. When you get proficient at this and are sensitive, if your foot encounters an obstruction it raises up and over the obstacle in a natural way. If going over the obstacle isn't possible, you then change direction. The foot is a "feeler" as much as something that supports you and pushes against the earth.

Thank you for the insights.

On a technical note:

When you're sliding your feet, do you pull your toes up slightly?

When sliding the feet one generally is attempting to keep triangulated. Centering is a function of the hips, bringing the nexus or focus of the connection into the center, but moving the feet is all about keeping nage traingulated in a clear path to uke's break points. What a great question!