rugwithlegs

I have to second Janet's recommendation for a new thread.

Zhang zhuang (power standing/standing meditation) is a good idea, but my teacher recommended starting at 10 minutes. If you are already missing much of your meniscus, this can accelerate the damage being done, and it can also be a problem if you are having circulation problems (less than seiza though). I benefited greatly from a teacher and regular feedback.

While I was shown meditating mostly in seiza, it is documented that O Sensei did misogi in a waterfall in Iwama and other practices that could be called standing meditation. I was shown standing by my teacher, and we did a standing bow with Jo practice.

For the adaptations: when I was testing up through the ranks, I had to learn a wide variety of pinning movements including standing pins. I was almost to Shodan before I met someone from another lineage who told me that only seiza and up on the toes was correct and that this was most "traditional" Ned anything else was wrong. My teacher was a pretty traditional guy, so I didn't take kindly to the implication but I didn't have any proof who was wrong.

Do what the examiner wants, or teach to the test, but Daito Ryu has many interesting pins with Nage standing or going to one knee, Yoshinkan makes use of a one knee up pin where I was told to do kneeling and doesn't shy away from standing pins for Kotegaeshi, Shodokan/Tomiki has a some interesting standing pins in their Koryu no Kata. I watched a video the other day of Ikeda Sensei doing suwari Waza and ai have a book of Saotome's showing one knee up variations. There is video particularly Rendezvous with Adventure where O Sensei is doing some standing pins I have not seen elsewhere, and some one knee up pins in Budo. In other words, O Sensei was not confined to one kneeling pin, the primary art he studied did not, and neither do the major prewar systems that he taught, nor do some of the more modern lineages. Not only are these great references for people wanting to work on pins but cannot kneel comfortably, but I recommend it for people who really want to explore the history and full utility of our ground/control game. Besides, it's healthier for everyone. I have decided I will not tell any student going forward that this is cheating, it's historically and bio mechanically valid even if it is something the examiner might not be looking for during a test.

OTOH Mr Barron, you mention only doing a demo on the good side when there is a tenkan or a flowing movement involved, and exclusively doing standing pins. You make it sound like there is significant joint damage? I assume you cannot fall either? Are you only teaching or are you able to train? Have you been evaluated by a physical therapist or physician? I was once told I had arthritis, I eventually demanded a referral to a rheumatologist who then did the MRI - and with the referral, found a torn meniscus had left a loose floating body in my knee joint. I would have less pain and joint damage today if I had been diagnosed correctly early on.