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Old 12-01-2011, 04:20 PM   #89
Ken McGrew
Dojo: Aikido at UAB
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 202
United_States
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Re: "stance of heaven (and earth)" and IS

Quote:
Tim Ruijs wrote: View Post
I just watched the vid Carsten pointed out. Endo is not showing any technique here, but more the flexibility your have, the freedom of movement you still possess, when your feet do not move. It is what we work on to develop and I guess Carsten does too. Move feet only when necessary (when for example ma ai no longer matches what we are trying to achieve with the technique).

Perhaps this can convey a little the way we work...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uI-f...eature=related
Watching Endo Senei at the demonstration, he shows a variety of approaches to Aikido, in a slow detail to emphasize the efficiency of movement. I don't see anything here that's particularly different or that demonstrates the supremacy of internal approaches of not moving. The seminar footage showed certain approaches that fit certain circumstances. The head push in the classroom is just an exercise. What if UKe had a knife in the other hand? What if it was randori? He might move differently.

As to the video of Peyrache Shihan, it starts with a video of O Sensei leading, body positioning, and moving a great deal. What Peyrache Sensei is showing is quite different from that in most cases. At times he looks good. At other times what he shows is against compliant static Uke. What if instead of waiting patiently to be thrown Uke stabbed Sensei with the knife in his dangling hand? It's ok to work on minimalistic movements. Older big men seem to gravitate towards this lately. But it is also necessary to train bigger movement. Small movements are not superior. You do what fits the situation.
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