If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
Hi everyone!
I have only been training for 2 weeks so far, but the summer holidays are coming, and my dojo is going to be closed for about 2 months during that this period, because it is located in a school gym hall. As, by that time, I will only have trained for 3 months, I'm a little concerned that I will forget most or all the things I have (and will have) learned by the time it opens again. I'm especially worried that I will lose all the physical benefits training has given me so far (I'm 37 in a couple of weeks, and the first week of training was a KILLER believe me :D ) I thought that it would be a good time to do some training on my own, so that I don't go out of shape, and maybe even by concentrating on some 'basics,' I may even have got better at them when the dojo opens again in September! The kinds of things I'm interested in are things I can work on alone, such as stretches, tenkans, (seiza, yes, it still hurts like hell over 30 seconds!) the different names of the techniques, but I think most importantly, ukemi. As an 'oldie' they are the hardest part of it all, because my dojo doesn't have a seperate beginners class, and we do techniques for 6th and 5th kyu which require some 'head over heels' action, and I kind of go into a cold sweat just thinking about them..:p . Also, any book that has good picture/explanations of detailed hand movements would be good because I wear glasses, and taking them off before training means I sometimes don't get a good look at the specific positions of hands during demonstrations. I'm aware that there is a 'book reviews' section on this site, and I can also go through the (literally) hundreds of reviews on sites such as Amazon, but I really wanted to hear what book(s)has/have helped the people on this forum the most, because some books have very few reviews, but high ratings, and also it's hard to tell how much experience some of the reviewers have on other sites. So, my question to you all is: "If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?" (I'm limiting myself to one book because of financial considerations, as well as for ease of carrying in a rucksack (I'm going to visit mummy during the summer!), but if you think there is more than one indispensable book, then please tell me.) Thank you all for any help you can give. Edit: Oops, I forgot, maybe I should mention that I train in the Aikikai style! |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
"Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere" is the standard classic, a mainstay in many aikidoka's libraries. I recommend it to all the new folks at our dojo.
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
For me, this is a no-brainer:
Total Aikido, by Gozo Shioda. Although it may be of less use to a non-Yoshinkan (or related) style. |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
Total Aikido by Gozo Shioda even though I dont train in yoshinkan or Living Aikido by B. Klickstein.
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
After practicing martial art for 12 years, Aikido for 6, I would go with
Aikido in Everyday Life: Giving in to Get Your Way ...by Terry Dobson (Author), Victor Miller (Author). Principles of aikido could be used in verbal confrontations. This I use. Dojo Aikido training allows me to feel that I do not need to become involved physically. Cheers |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
There are tons of threads on recommended books. Here's a bibliography I wrote up a while back for my students. It's a little dated, but...
(Prices were taken from Amazon.com; often, third-party vendors have the item available at a fraction of the prices listed below.) Aikido Technique Principles of Aikido by Mitsugi Saotome, lists at $29.95 or $20.37. A good beginners book explaining such things as bowing and the traditional uniform as well as some principles of technique amply illustrated with clear photographs. Saotome also has a video ($29.99) available by the same name. Aikido Exercises for Teaching and Training by C. M. Shifflett, $19.95. Another intro book for beginners. Down to earth and familiar: excellent. Saito Morihito, Nishio Shoji, Shioda Gozo Any technical references by these three will be good. Find Saito and Nishio at Aikido Journal Online (http://aikidojournal.com/catalog/catalog.php) or Shioda in bookstores or Amazon. His demonstrations are fun, though (for those not on the receiving end of them?) Aikido In Training by R. Crane, K. Crane ($34.95) A large hardback book with very clear pictures and descriptions. The videos ($29.95) are also very clear and well-presented. (http://www.coolrain.com/) Irimi: Iriminage, Za: Suwariwaza, Koshi: Koshinage, Buki: Jo and Bokken by Hiroshi Ikeda $40 each or $120 for a DVD of all four. Ikeda was one of my first teachers, so I may be biased but I find these clear and beautiful. See demo clips on his website: http://bujindesign.com/video.html. Aikido Friendship Demonstrations, Aikido Journal. There have been several and they are inspiring: Aiki Expo 2002 Demo on DVD ($39.95 for one or $69.95 for both, 215 minutes total) Some very dynamic interesting demonstrations by Japanese and American (and Canadian) masters. (Unfortunately, a couple of tedious demos, too. But I find it worth the price.) 1st Aikido Friendship Demonstration on DVD (http://aikidojournal.com/catalog/catalog.php) Again, very interesting demos by some of the greatest practitioners ever. 50th Anniversary of Sokaku Takeda Demo and 39th All-Japan Daito-ryu Demo $39.95 each http://aikidojournal.com/catalog/catalog.php Daito-ryu is the art which the founder of aikido studied. It is the principal technical influence of modern aikido. Both these demos are good, but I think the 50th is a little meatier. Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere: An Illustrated Introduction by A. Westbrook, O. $22.41. Avoid this. I only put it here because it's a perennial favorite and many will recommend it. The pictures are beautiful, but the text is mediocre and way dated. Aikido History Aikido Journal Website (http://aikidojournal.com/subscribe.php) $29.75/year. Cheap at twice the cost and better quality content than you'll find in most works on the subject. You'll find several books' worth of materials in the articles section as well as access to many valuable online videos. There is also a discussion board (no subscription necessary for this). The premier aikido researcher in the west, Stanley Pranin, runs the site. Founder of Aikido by Kisshomaru Ueshiba (online translation of a biography of the founder by his son) Aikido Journal Website Subscription. Beginning at http://aikidojournal.com/article.php?articleID=238 Morihei Ueshiba, Founder Of Aikido, by Kanemoto Sunadomari (online: Sunadomari was one of the founder's closer, pre-war students.) Aikido Journal Website Subscription. Beginning at http://aikidojournal.com/article.php?articleID=357 Aikido Masters ($24.95) available from Aikido Journal Website (http://aikidojournal.com/catalog/pro...s.php?code=mas) Interviews of many people who knew and trained with the founder. Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu: Conversations with Daito-ryu Masters ($25.95) (http://aikidojournal.com/catalog/pro...s.php?code=dtr) Interviews of many people who knew and trained with the founder's teacher.) Available from Aikido Journal Website Remembering O-Sensei: Living and Training with Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido by SUSAN PERRY (Editor) List Price: $15.37 . One hundred sixty pages of anecdotes by many of THE names in aikido, fun read. Invincible Warrior by John Stevens, $13.97 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...ooks&n=507846]) Caveat emptor. Don't call it biography--it's folk history or mythology or hagiography, but far too breathless and biased to flatter as biography. Still, it covers the founder's life. Aikido Philosophy Aikido & the Harmony of Nature by Mitsugi Saotome, $20.37 . Without reservation, the finest rendering of aikido philosophy in English. It's a disciplined yet passionate attempt by one of his students to make the infamously obtuse message of the founder accessible to the average aikido player. Touching the Absolute: Aikido vs. Religion and Philosophy by Peter Goldsbury. (http://aikidojournal.com/article.php?articleID=2) A rigorous no-nonsense examination of aikido by a former Jesuit, philosophy professor (Hiroshima University), and aikido 6 DAN. Aikido Journal Website Subscription The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido by William Gleason $13.97 . Difficult. The author writes as if he's making notes to himself with little apparent cognizance of his audience. Nevertheless, this book examines the underpinnings of aikido philosophy in depth. The author is a 6 DAN under Saotome and teaches in Massachusetts. I've been to one of his seminars and it was excellent. Dueling with O-sensei: Grappling with the Myth of the Warrior Sage By Ellis Amdur. $20.00 (http://www.ellisamdur.com/DuelingwithOsensei.htm) This book is an unapologetically critical look at the contradiction & warts of aikido & the implication of aikido for our lives. Sine qua non for the independent thinker. The author is a counselor for kids at risk. I've been to one of his seminars and it was excellent. The Omoto Religion and Aikido by Yasuaki Deguchi Ueshiba (online translation a series first run in Japanese) Aikido Journal Website Subscription. By the grandson of the founder's guru, Deguchi Onisaburo. Some insights, but a better investment is The Socio-Political Background Of The 1921 And 1935 Omoto Suppressions In Japan, By Thomas Peter Nadolski. (http://wwwlib.umi.com/dxweb/results for $36, order number 7524107.) The best material available on Omoto, the New Religion in which the founder felt so at home. Predictably enough, less charitable than Omoto's own materials. It's an unpublished dissertation. The Philosophy of Aikido by John Stevens $17.00, The Essence of Aikido: Spiritual Teachings of Morihei Ueshiba by Morihei Ueshiba, John Stevens, $14.00 Secrets of Aikido by John Stevens, $16.97 (All Amazon prices) Infuriatingly uncritical & fatuous. Nevertheless, such is the dearth in English of materials on the deeper aspects of aikido philosophy that these are better than nothing. Budo Training in Aikido by Morihei Ueshiba (the founder of aikido ) $13.97. Historical counterpoint to people like Stevens for whom the founder was an unblemished avatar of peace. This book has the founder waxing patriotic in the militarist 30's --"This 'way' realizes the genuiness of the Imperial Way.... The main purpose [of Bu, then] is to enhance the prestige of the Empire & to bring to light the whole nation." Intelligent translator's notes. The Japanese Milieu & Martial Culture Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia (2 Volume Set) by Thomas A. Green, $175.00 ‘Revisionist' writing to dispel many many myths of the martial arts including the Shaolin Temple and DO as a moral practice. Famous Budoka of Japan by Yoshinori Kono Ueshiba (online translation a series first run in Japanese) Aikido Journal Website Subscription The Classical Warrior Traditions of Japan series: (Edited by Diane Skoss, $21.95 each or $60 for the set. http://koryu.com/store/classicalwarriortraditions.html) Volume One: Koryu Bujutsu Volume Two: Sword & Spirit Volume Three: Keiko Shokon All excellent background to Japanese martial culture. Old School by Ellis Amdur, $20. (http://koryu.com/store/os.html) Inside info by a practitioner of Japan's classical arts (and former aikido player). As with his Dueling with Osensei above, an excellent book. Sword & Brush, et al. by Dave Lowry A practitioner of Yagyu-ryu Kenjutsu, Lowry is an excellent writer with something to say. I've read several of his books and all have been worthwhile. Samurai On Wall Street: Miyamoto Musashi and the Search for Success by G. Cameron Hurst III, InYo: Journal of Alternative Perspectives Jan 200 (http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_Hurst_0101.htm.) Takes on the preoccupation with Musashi as a tonic for all that ails the martial artist's soul. Bushido or Bull? A Medieval Historian's Perspective on the Imperial Army and the Japanese Warrior Tradition by Karl F. Friday, InYo: Journal of Alternative Perspectives Mar 2001 (http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_friday_0301.htm) Challenges the identification of Bushido with the samurai. From heiho to bugei: The emergence of the martial arts in Tokugawa Japan by Hurst, G.C, The Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Vol. 2:4. Traces the development of martial arts from the battlefield to the dojo; challenges the smug condescension of kata-based Budo vis a vis sport-based Budo. Valorous Butchers: The Art of War during the Golden Age of the Samurai, Karl Friday, in "Japan Forum" 5.1 (1993). On the brutality of real warfare and the humanity of warriors. The Myth of the Samurai by Harold Bolitho in Alan Rix & Ross Mouer (eds.), Japan's Impact on the World, pp. 2-9 (Japanese Studies Association of Australia, 1984) P#000720. Contra popular images of the samurai as selfless, Bolitho demonstrates how enthusiastic they were to acquire land. Serving lords could come later. The Culture of Force and Farce: Fourteenth-Century Japanese Warfare by Thomas Conlan, Harvard University. Occasional Papers in Japanese Studies. 2000-2001, p. 15-16.) Conlan details the narcissism and self-interest of samurai who would leave the battlefield after taking one head, enough for reward, or just steal some poor warrior's corpses. Conlan did his dissertation on battle injury reports and came up with some interesting revisions on the nature of medieval battle as a result. Classical Bujutsu (Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, V. 1.) $5.94 Classical Budo: The Martial Arts & Ways of Japan (Martial Arts & Ways of Japan Series , Vol 2) $19.95 Modern Bujutsu & Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan (Martial Arts and Ways of Japan, Vol 3) $19.95 All by Donn F. Draeger A scholarly treatment by a practitioner's pratitioner. There are some errors, noted below, but still a very worthwhile resource. Ya Gotta Have Wa by Robert Whiting An examination of Japanese society through the lens of baseball, which is played as a martial art there. Classic, insightful...and out of print. Get it through inter-library loan, it's worth it. Correctives Several myths and misconceptions about the martial arts endure despite having been soundly refuted. Here are several with the pertinent articles correcting them. OVEREMPHASIS Zen & Japanese Culture, Suzuki Daisetsu, $19.98 A, perhaps THE, classic apologia for Zen and it's relationship to the martial arts. DEBUNKING The Zen of Nationalism (History of Relgions, 33:1, 1993.) and Whose Zen?: Zen Nationalism Revisited (http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/...ings/Sharf.pdf) by Robert Sharf Sharf relentlessly depicts Suzuki as a poseur and dilettante. In sum, Suzuki didn't do martial arts, wasn't a Zen master (he studied Western concepts of religion over twice as long as he did Zen), and was a tireless apologist for the most nefarious of Japan's military aggression abroad. DEBUNKING Zen at War ($59.99) and Zen War Stories ($52.61) by Brian Victoria Detailed exposure of the support Buddhism--widely billed as a religion of peace--gave to war efforts. Victoria is himself a Buddhist. INCOMPREHENSION Zen in the Art of Archery ($8.00) by Eugen Herrigel Written by a Nazi professor of Philosophy, this classic pronouncement on ‘Zen archery' has been immensely influential in defining, Kyudo, Japanese archery. It even ‘washed back' defining Kyudo for the Japanese. DEBUNKING The Myth of Zen in the Art of Archery by Yamada Shoji (Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Spring 2001, 28/1. http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/...rs/pdf/586.pdf) What they say about not watching sausages and law made if you like them fits here. Yamada exposes Herrigel as farce. In sum, Awa, Herrigel's vaunted Zen master, didn't even practice Zen--or pretend to. He was such an odd bird that even his students criticized him, extraordinary in hierarchy-conscious Japan. Also, Herrigel didn't speak Japanese, Awa didn't speak German, and the translator lied. I am not making this up. DEBUNKING Five Mountains: The Zen Monastic Institution in Medieval Japan by Martin Collcut, $27.50 Shows that warrior interest in Zen was social, political, and cultural...but not spiritual. Though excellent, this book is of but peripheral interest to martial artists and I don't recommend its purchase. OVEREMPHASIS Classical Budo: The Martial Arts & Ways of Japan (Martial Arts & Ways of Japan Series , Vol 2) by Donn Draeger, $19.95. Draeger repeats the usual canard that Zen is the martial arts and vice versa. Despite this, and another error noted below, Draeger is actually an excellent source. I highly recommend the whole trilogy (the other two volumes are called Classical Bujutsu and Modern Bujutsu and Budo.) SELF-CORRECTION Japanese Swordsmanship by Gordon Warner and Donn Draeger, $23.80. Eight years after Classical Budo, Draeger analyzes the spiritual teachings of Takuan Soho, who wrote an often-quoted tract on Zen and the martial arts, into Zen and Taoism (and others) and attributing the mind-discipline pertinent to martial arts to Taoism. As this excellent book is very narrowly concentrated on the sword, I don't recommend if for aikidoists although I do recommend TACHIYOMI, which is Japanese for ‘standing and reading', of the chapters on history. OVERWEENING TACT Classical Budo by Donn Draeger Draeger famously set the distinction between ‘DO' (as in juDO, for example) and ‘JUTSU' (as in juJUTSU, for example) in concrete. DEBUNKING Religion and Spirituality: Japan by William Bodiford in Martial Arts of the World, ed. by Thomas Green. Bodiford, a medeival Japan historian at UCLA, savages the notion of the DO arising as a spiritual compulsion of the samurai to perfect themselves during the peace of Tokugawa, a favorite teleogy of the martial ways. Indeed, ‘DO', he maintains, is shorthand for ‘Bushido,' a newly resurrected concept introduced to the cannon fodder of civilian Japan in the 20s as inspiration for unquestioning obedience to the Emperor and an invitation to suicidal zeal in every undertaking on his behalf. Draeger, Bodiford maintains, glossed over the impact of the ultranationalist 20s and 30s out of deference to teachers who had fought in the Pacific War. BACKGROUND Honji Suijaku at work: religion, economics, and ideology in pre-modern Japan by Fabio Rambelli in Buddhas and Kami in Japan: Honji Suijaku as a conbinatory paradigm, pp. 255-286. While not mentioning martial arts in particular, Rambelli traces the idea that secular activities--poetry, carpentry, Noh (theater), KEMARI (kickball)--can serve sacred purposes as Ways (DO). This derives from the idea in the Lotus Sutra--UPAYA or skillful means--that unenlightened beings must be led to enlightenment in a manner they can comprehend. (Honji Suijaku is a further elaboration of this idea as it specifically relates to the appropriation of local belief systems--Kami worship--within the Buddhist worldview and how this thinking seeped into general consciousness from esoteric discourses.) This being the case, there need not be any historical distinction between DO and JUTSU as enlightenment is immanent in any activity (thereby rendering it DO whether it is carpentry of kenjutsu.) CANON Immovable Mind by Takuan Soho trans. by Sato A very influential text describing Zen in terms of swordsmanship. This is said to be a good translation (Suzuki includes a translation in his Zen and Japanese Culture, but according to scholars, it is nearly unrecognizable as Takuan so much has Suzuki interpreted it to reflect Zen.) UPDATE Flow and Sports by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Susan A. Johnson, $11.17 Takuan is THE word on the flow experience (MUSHIN) in Budo, but Csikszentmihalyi and Johnson describe, analyze, and offer strategies for attaining it more clearly than did the monk. PERSPECTIVE Mushin, Morals, and Martial Arts: A Discussion of Keenan's YogZicara Critique by Stewart McFarlane, Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1990. (http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/...rs/pdf/325.pdf) Second in a four-part exchange between dueling scholars concerning morality and Mushin. I couldn't follow all of it, but I did extract points of interest. The entire exchange, all in The Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, is: --Spontaneity in Western Martial Arts - A Yogacara Critique of Mushin (No-Mind) by John P. KEENAN, 1989. (http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/...rs/pdf/302.pdf) --Perspective: Mushin, Morals, and Martial Arts: A Discussion of Keenan's YogZicara Critique by Stewart McFarlane (above) --The Mystique of Martial Arts:A Response to Professor McFarlane by John P. Keenan, 1990.(http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/...rs/pdf/326.pdf) --The Mystique of Martial Arts: A Reply to Professor Keenan's Response by Stewart McFarlane, 1991. (http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/...rs/pdf/348.pdf) |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
My first choice for a book on aikido techniques would be The Way to Union with Ki by Koichi Tohei. However since it costs at least $250 USD and you need to have a Ki Society chief instructor verify your order from Japan, it's fairly hard to purchase.
A choice for a book would be This is Aikido by the same author, ISBN 0-87040-346-X. Since this is out-of-print and generally sells for $60 - $100+ USD, it is another unlikely candidate. Another choice would be Aikido with Ki by Koretoshi Maruyama. This book is also out-of-print but has been selling cheaply on the net and in used bookstores, ISBN 0-87040-566-7. Probably your best choice would be the paperback version of Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere by Westbrook and Ratti, ISBN-10: 0804832846 ISBN-13: 978-0804832847. It's a good all-around introduction to aikido techniques, while the above books are more specific. Used copies have also has been selling cheaply. |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
Thank you all so far for your suggestions.
To respond to some of your comments (if that's at all necessary): $250 for a book!!! That's almost one month's salary for me here!! :p Seriously, though, I did notice 'Total Aikido' by Shioda and think that would be a good one, even though it is a different style, and also 'Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere' is mentioned by so many people, it seems like they either love it or hate it, so I think I will have to get it to make up my own mind about it. Ultimately i will be limited by what a given bookshop has or can order, but I'm sure those two will be easy enough to find. Thank you all again for your suggestions, and I hope others will still post their suggestions if they havent done so yet! |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
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Not only is the older book "This is Aikido" prettier on the outside, the contents on the inside are far, far superior in presentation and style. Anyone can read that book and get some great insights on the technical side of aikido. Very much worth having to look at again and again. Comparing it to the newer book just makes one appreciate how talented the people were that constructed this book were. |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
My number 1 choice is:
1. Progressive Aikido by Moriteru Ueshiba Doshu followed by: 2. Art of Aikido by Kisshomaru Ueshiba Doshu (very nice photos) 3. Best Aikido by Moriteru Ueshiba Doshu 4. Aikido the Master Course by Moriteru Ueshiba Doshu 5. Christian Tissier's books (french) |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
Don briefly mentioned him but I would add only a few books to his excellent collection.
Yurusu Budo "The Budo of Acceptance". Shoji Nishio Shihan with Stan Pranin. Stan's book is the only one Shoji Nishio ever wrote, and gives the reader a great understanding of his philosphy and technique. The Nishio Sensei Aikido Notebook 1&2 Lessons and Seminars of Shoji Nishio Shihan and complete Aiki-Toho-Iai.Sensei Steffi Varjan ( A 30 year student of Shoji Nishio Shihan it is very comprehensive and our unoffical training manual(s). ) Miyamoto Musashi. His Life and Writings. Kenji Tokitsu. Written by a lifelong Budoka; Tokitsu Shihan has made the study of Musashi his life's work, and should be read by anyone interested in the history of Japanese Budo. Everyday Zen & Living Zen. Charlotte Joko Beck. Dharma Heir of Tazuin Mazumi Roshi; Joko Beck makes understanding Soto Zen very easy and helps us to live it in our daily lives... or as she used to put it... "Make Love Drive Freeway." :) William Hazen |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
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" The Structure of Aikido" focuses on ukemi (falling) and basic body movements. Over 1600 photos for more than sixty techniques shown using the ken and open hand. David |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
I personally find little use for "The Dynamic Sphere", it didn't talk in a language that relates to my training at all. Generally speaking, no technical Aikido book I read did me any good. If you want to improve your Aikido technically, I suggest that a video is the better medium for that. However, both in a technical book and a video, you'd need some experience to understand what you're seeing, and take into account that what you learn in class and what you see in a video/book may conflict.
The first book I ever read about Aikido was "Aikido for life" by Gaku Homma, and I think while it's not a vey in depth book, and in some ways it might be a little juvenile, it did help me get into the right frame of mind early on, and it might do the same for you. |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
First, buy used books. Easy to find, more the the money. Then it isn't "just ONE."
IMHO, any of the Ueshiba books. Go to the source. |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
The spirit of aikido by the former doshu of the Aikikai Kissomaru Ueshiba and total aikido by Gozo Shioda--founder of the Yoshinkan style.
Also, try getting "the path beyond thought" by steven segal sensei: this is a documentary. Guaranteed inspiration for acheiving a high level in Aikido. |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
I highly recommend Daniel Linden Sensei's book "On Mastering Aikido". It's a book about principles rather than techniques, and is written in a conversational style that is easy (and fun) reading.
I'm nowhere near "mastering" aikido, but I found several fundamental things to think about in my practice, across all techniques. |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
Anything by Bruce Tegner.
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
To find a book that shows you what you want in a way that you would understand is going to be time consuming and frustrating . The books that I like the best, I found after purchasing and reading many books.
Why don't you write your own book in your own words. You can take pictures or video of the things you want to work on for the summer months. The process of writing, taking pictures or videos will help you to understand and learn. David |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
I'm with Roy, for technical matters, skip books, go to video/DVD.
dmv |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
Of what use is a technical Aikido book?
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
I have to agree with David that DVDs/videos are the best. There are a few problems with photos:
(1) Clarity, sometimes it's hard to see the hands or feet clearly (2) Missing steps... sometimes you want to see exactly how the sensei went from A to B, and that's not possible with photos (3) They don't capture the dynamism of movement... so it's hard to appreciate the flow in the technique Of course, books are more convenient, less expensive and some books explain just that technique you are looking for/or in a style not found in DVDs... Books are also great for reading about people's thoughts on Aikido Since you are just starting out in Aikikai style, I would recommend something that follows your school - otherwise, the terms and instruction can be confusing - e.g. you could be asking why they call the technique 'A', whereas you were taught it as 'B'... also the person in the photo/video does kotegaeshi (wrist turn) in one way from one attack, whereas you've been taught a different way from the same attack Have fun! |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
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In gassho, Mark |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
Geez Mark,
I always thought those kata were just ingrained into your DNA whenever I was at a seminar. :) As for books, I really like Ki: A road anyone can walk. |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
"Ki, A Road Anyone Can Walk" is a pretty good book. As far as ingrained DNA, I don't know anything about that. I study and continue to study on a daily basis. Like I said to the children's class tonight: "When you think you already know something, you don't watch very much. But, always look again and again, you might see something you never saw before."
In gassho, Mark |
Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?
My favorite book is Living Aikido :http://www.aikiweb.com/reviews/showp...oduct=42&cat=5
Just an few technics, but with great details, and focus on mistake |
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