Dynamic Sphear
 

hi guys. Ok im testing for my blue belt very soon here, and I refer to my book "Aikido and the Dynamic Sphear" for showing me what moves look like, and the names for the moves. I left my book at my house and im very far away from there, but need to practice!!!

IS THERE A ONLINE REFRENCE THAT CAN HELP?

I hope that Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere relates to your school, because there are many differences between schools, although they are all practicing Aikido.

Personally I don't like the book so much, even though I know many think highly of it.

There are two things special about Aikido and the dynamic sphere. In the first place the book offers the highly schematic outlook as Abe Sensei used. In the second place it originates from a time where conflict and politics hadnot ruined the aikidoworld as widely as nowerdays.

Noting these two things one can easily understand why it on the one hand is considered a good book by many aikidoka, just because it does not cover politics, on the other hand one can also understand why some dont like it. To them it offers an outlook on aikido from before conflict and technical differentiation.

Others just dont like the colour green :D

I personally love the book, we just got the spanish edition of it, and almost all principals are related with the style of aikido we practice.

Gee Erik - the books not that old. Besides my main problem with the book is not about technique, politics or colour.

I really like Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere. I particularly enjoy Oscar Ratti's illustrations of the techniques. You get a better sense of flow than with pictures. Even though I train in another style, it's easy to see that the techniques are not really all that dissimilar. Many of the differences are semantic.

I mainly read it for the beautiful illustrations and explanations of the general principles behind techniques.

Here's a link I posted a little while ago that has AVIs for many techniques that you may find helpful.

http://www.ysaohio.com/kyutest.htm

You may also want to check the local library to see if they have a copy of Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere.

Well realizing the first edition is from 1970, this means in reality that the book was written approx 35 years ago. Many styles and federations are simply not that old, hence the conflicts and problems associated with them cannot be that old.

I myself also have some restrictions towards the book, but those are again based on the age of the book (and thus the aera in which it was written). It simply isnt the complete manual people claim it is and I sometimes think that for some people the simple existence of the book forms a constraint on their posiible growth.

Does anybody else here think it's a bit odd that Robert is relying on a book (doesn't matter which one)to train him for an aikido kyu test?

Regards,

Gene McGloin

I stopped long ago thinking things in aikido were odd :D :D

Seems like everything goes

Salut Erik;

True but by then we already had Yoshinkan, Yoseikan, and Shodokan.

The highest ranking non-Japanese currently living and training in Japan under the Shodokan umbrella has a near viceral reaction to any mention of the book. He came to Japan over 25 years ago and as he puts it "a true believer with the bible under his arm". Techniques are just techniques, pictures are just pictures, colour is just colour. What he found out (I fortunately read the book after I had arrived and studied in Japan) is that there is much in that book that has no relation at all to the Aikido of his (or my) teachers. I've come to understand that it just isn't my teachers either.

OK, confession time folks...how many of you have the book, but only managed to look at the purdy pictures? I tried to read it, but when I hit chapter V, "The Theory of Defense," my eyes started rolling to the back of my head...after I regained consciousness, I put the book away, turned on the TV and watched "Fight School" instead...

Hmm...I was shooting from the hip in the previous post. For those of you with specific reservations about the book, I wouldn't mind hearing about them...all in the spirit of constructive criticism of course.

Regards,

I actually read it. Although I skimmed over the parts where they went into detailed descriptions of the techniques. We do our techniqes a little differently so the descriptions didn't really apply. Overall I thought it had good information in it...kinda like a math textbook which is what it read like ;)

Bronson

I admit the book seems to go a bit over my head in some parts. I get to the point where I am jsut reading words but not really grasping what I have read at all. I enjoy reading it though, not as some handbook for all things aikido, but just as another perspective.

I used to take my Aikido and the dynamic sphere on plane trips. Its all good. I think you can pick up something from most books you read. Its good to have exposure to ideas and techniques outside of what you are being taught. Makes you grow.