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Old 03-14-2008, 02:00 PM   #74
mathewjgano
 
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Dojo: Tsubaki Kannagara Jinja Aikidojo; Himeji Shodokan Dojo
Location: Renton
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Re: Connecting with "Hara"

Matthew Gano wrote:
Would you say [1] any muscular activity which might be present is geared toward creating the shape of the receiving body with the intent [2] of channeling the incoming energy into the ground?

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Yes to [1] , and I have strong misgivings as to [2]. If you place your structure between the incoming force and the ground, you have formed a one leg of a triangle or a third of a pin.
How would you describe the legs' role in floating aite?

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Matthew Gano wrote:
When I've been ["properly"] aligned, I feel uke's force push into the ground; a settling of my center column (spine).

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OK. You are now a loaded slender column (with hinges, no less). If you are an eccentrically loaded column with hinges, you buckle and collapse. Why would you want to do that?
I wouldn't...that's why I'd try to avoide overly eccentric movements; keeping a strong vertical posture to keep my spine and legs as powerfully involved as possible (vis a vis: posture). To my mind, the bones are the core of the conduit/body; the other tissues are a further aspect of the conduit.

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Eighty year old men don't do well bearing the weight and force of three or four strapping young brutes. Ergo, consider the possibility that O Sensei, in the jo trick, seated pushes, etc. etc., did not bear their force, but cleverly made them bear their force on each other or on nothing (The Void) rather than him.
That's not quite what I meant...I meant that bone provides the natural strength (ie-natural force) of the posture; like an egg along its long axis, bone provides the meat and potatoes of our force capability. The curves we're seeking to use in order to operate our center are still shaped by the postures our bones form. If I had to hazard a guess, Osensei might have been "bending" their energy back into them, but I really have no clue. Assuming all was legit, I imagine Osensei was able to create a powerfull "yang"/heavy connection and as such was able to suppress their centers through the lever of the jo. The specifics of how one can make such a tight curve is beyond me...and again, I really have a slight frame of reference.

Gambarimashyo!
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