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Mike Sigman wrote:
After reading all the posts in this thread, I find that I'm curious how "moving from the center" fits into these excellent and different approaches to bokken swinging. Could people describe that portion of the mechanics, please?
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I am not sure that my explanation fits in with other descriptions of bokken swinging, but here it is:
All movements in all budo are either from or to the center (
tanden). It is particularly clear in two-handed sword cuts: when you raise the sword, it moves away from the center - from
chudan kamae to
jodan kamae - and when you cut, the sword moves back to the center, to
chudan kamae.
Since you don't allow the arms to bend, the sword will make a cutting movement.
In aikido, this is expressed by shihonage - from the center, then back to the center.
The center is also the base of
kokyu breathing, of course. Breathe in to the center, breathe out from the center.
I would say that there is nothing more fundamental and important in any budo, than learning to use your center, and exploring what this leads to.