Kevin Leavitt

I can't really recall us in my Aikido training ever focusing on footwork as a step by step drill. It has always pretty much been "move your feet".

Reuben brings up a good point about chaining together movements.

I big challenge we do run into in aikido is the "one attack and stop moving syndrome".

It happens just about every person I know in my dojo as a beginner because they are trying to learn correct movements, posture, timing etc...and they simply cannot put it all together at one time, so their brains tend to do one thing...then stop.

I think this can become a bad habit, and it is incorrect and probably a big reason we get the "not alive" label put on what we do.

I don't train this way and try and keep moving regardless if I am uke or nage. I will control my speed based on the ability and skill level of uke, and may "shape" myself to allow nage to see the appropriate response...but other than that....keep moving throughout the continuum of the situation.

As a CQB instructor, I find that actually the movements we practice in aikido to be much more useful in reality (done correctly) than say the movements of boxing, which is all about striking and loss of contact until the next punch most of the time.

In CQB you will place a hand on someone, move forward gaining a kinesthetic feel for what is going on and react to it appropriately.

So I find...done correctly....if we are training the "feel" of the situation and less concerned with perfection of technique...as IMO technique only really gives us a context and shape to work with.....then it can be very, very alive and real.