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Old 07-26-2011, 07:15 AM   #28
Lee Salzman
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 406
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Re: Is power really generated from the center?

Quote:
Phi Truong wrote: View Post
sure, the how is a big problem to describe about things that are going inside your body. for years, i was quite frustrated with Ikeda sensei's explanation "move your inside". i meant come on! am i suppose to flip my spleen or rotate my kidneys or making faces with my intestines? in recent years, probably the past 2-3 years, Ikeda sensei demonstration of "move your inside" got a lot better and almost understandable to aikido folks. now, if you pestering him long enough, he would tell you about his solo stuffs, which i have done, pestering him that is, in recent years.

i can only tell you my approach that after years of frustration with Ikeda sensei, and reading various argument of aikido folks with Sigman and Harden; i went and checked out these folks. a session with them, and i understand perfectly what Ikeda meant because these folks have ways to break it down and teach it and demonstrate it at the most basic level. there are folks in the same boat as i, and can attest to what i am stating here. those who have similar exposure, now have the same basic understanding, which is a common ground to start a fruitful discussion; otherwise, it would be two ships passing by in the night.
I think the two ships passing in the night thing is, respectfully, a cop-out. In the spirit of Oisin Burke's question of what, I think we can probably at least try to ferret out some ground rules for what is a center, and what moves it. There are probably at least some things we could definitively say about what a center, as we vaguely use it in aikido, is or is not:

The center is not the arms (fingers, hands, wrists, forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder socket).
The center is not the legs (toes, feet, ankles, lower leg, knee, upper leg, hip sockets).
The center is probably not the pelvis, but there may be a some association with it.
The center is probably not the rib-cage and the scapula, but there may be a some association with it.
The center is probably not the skull but there may be some association with it.
There is quite likely a very strong association of it with the spine.
There is quite likely a very strong association with the diaphragm.
There is quite likely a very strong association with the active meat of the torso on all sides.
The center is probably not my spleen or my kidneys or my intestines, because I don't think I could ever figure out how to tie them into balloon animals with the power of my mind either.

But hey, that's already a lot farther than we were, no? And that wasn't even really that controversial to say, I hope?
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