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Old 11-27-2011, 12:42 AM   #10
Aikironin21
Dojo: Aikido of Solano
Location: Vacaville California
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 25
United_States
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Re: do a technique or flow into one?

The answer, is ikyo! Find ikyo!

Through the teachings of all the people I have trained with, I am of the belief, Ikyo is the first technique for a reason. Look at AIkido! Even the most exerienced highest rank, still basically practices the same techniques as the newest beginner. No matter how many ranks you have promoted through, you will always practice the first one, ikyo.

I started Aikido, looking for one or two techniques, to use for self defense, to supplement, not replace, what I already learned in Kaj. I didn't pick ikyo, however, I picked sankyo, because I saw more potential for wide use in application with sankyo. After over seventeen years of training in Aikido, I learned I was wrong. I should have concentrated on Ikyo! From the humble beginnings of Ikyo, all other techniques become available. Just as someone on forum has said, the what, or technique isn't as important as the when and where. If you train, to wind up at ikyo before going on to the specific technique, you have, in a sense trained in all the techniques. When you get side tracked or lost in a technique, find ikyo, and you will be able to flow into whatever technique you are working on.

That being said, if you want your Aikido to flow, stop counting! We learn techniques in a piece by piece method, that sort of instills a 1,2,3,... pattern of performing a technique. The semantics of flow come in because you can make 1,2,3... flow or rhythmic. The problem is, Aikido, and in fact most movements in most martial arts, aren't really done in the 1,2,3,... condition, no matter how little pause you may try to put in between the steps. I try and tell people to stop thinking 1,2,3,... and maybe replace it for Go! As long as you keep thinking of your techniques in parts, your analytic mind tends to steer the ship, and your techniques will have starts and stops in them, even if very small in duration. These starts and stops or pauses breed openings, and even confusion.

We all learn our techniques in pieces and parts and then put them together. The key is, once you have learned the whole, throw away the 1,2,3,... . You don't need it anymore. If you practice your techniques from this viewpoint, your techniques will begin to flow. Add to this, the base of finding ikyo, and you will inevitably flow to ikyo when attacked, and flow to whatever technique the situation calls for from there with little or no thought at all. Isn't that what we all strive for ?

Under stress, everything is exaggerated . Seconds seem like minutes, and the subtle stop in your technique, becomes you standing there holding some guy's hand as he punches you in the face with his other hand.
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