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Old 06-23-2008, 01:43 PM   #58
Erick Mead
 
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Dojo: Big Green Drum (W. Florida Aikikai)
Location: West Florida
Join Date: Jun 2005
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Re: Aikido™ and Aiki…do. Where are we at?

Quote:
Rob Liberti wrote: View Post
I have no idea who has it or not and to what depth unless I work out with that person.
Ditto. This is not the forum for that. A point that seems lost on some people. That does not mean that it does not have its uses ...

Quote:
Rob Liberti wrote: View Post
Those rules makes perfect sense when he does such things to me. But when I go to do them, I was left with other hints like - let your arms drop by their weight alone -
Read this, especially look at the picture series on page 2. http://math.arizona.edu/~ura/031/Taf...son/Report.pdf. (The whip metaphor is not mine -- its Terry Dobson's originally. I just think it's not a metaphor.) Then consider what can be added to the falling weight of your arm (chain of bones) without the muscular use of it -- by inputting the oscillation of the center of mass to commence it. This is "kinetic linking." (probably familiar to you). Take your belt (pants belt is fine. and take a swing at an open door -- edge on to you (no good reason, it just makes a very satisfying target). If you go slow, its weak -- if you hurry it up too much, it's weak, -- if you modulate the swing to the natural frequency of the unfurling arms,. on the other hand, it hits the edge of the door with your entire weight behind it and is surprisingly powerful.

Ikkyo is like this in terms of shape, interval and energy. Finding the modulation with a dynamic partner vice a door requires much practice.

Structure, in this understanding, is related to kinetically linking, but it is NOT kinetic linking. Extending this dynamic observation, the body forms this shape and interval as a standing wave instead of a propagating wave -- hence the shapes of tegatana, the upper and lower arches, upper cross, hiriki no yosei, etc. are about keeping the correct shape to hold that seemingly stil dynamic contained. Balance is dynamic, always dynamic -- NOT static, and it is disrupted dynamically tied to the fundamental frequency of the body -- seen/felt in tekubi furi, furitama and funetori. The standing wave thus is statically expressed as moment, a potential for rotations, waiting to be released, but is actually an ongoing dynamic of the center of mass oscillating for balance continually -- and largely, reflexively.

There is a reflexive component that I am still fitting in but the rough parameters are becoming more clear. The shape/dynamic of the upper body affects the lower (and vivce versa). As example, hold two arms in properly shaped tegatana at chest level -- fingertips just touching -- shoulders down ,a d chraged with KI if you liek to think of ti that way. Note that the upper cross is engaged Now hook the fingers of one hand with the fingers of the other, and pull them against one another. It should feel the same as the first, and the upper cross should feel engaged.

The latter move is the Jendrassik maneuver. It biomechanically sensitizes and makes stronger the lower limb reflex arcs making them more sensitive in action. It can cause involuntary stepping movements, and so controlling or manipulating this route of dynamic tension correctly, aids in controlling the lower limb reflexes. This is true offensively and defensively. Thus, sankyo properly applied triggers reflexive extensors putting uke on tippy -toe, and the reversed spiral tension of the limb, (kotegaeshi, among others), triggers reflexive flexors and causes knees to buckle.

The art then comes in interacting in the right phase relationship to the structure of the other, phase-locking (0/360 phase) for tight musubi connection at point of contact, and juji (90 deg. phase) for resonant kuzushi, or spatially perpendicular action (ghosting), and avoiding conflict/resistance (180 deg. phase).

Quote:
Rob Liberti wrote: View Post
The whole thing seemed to be a trial and error approach with many metaphores. --- it is in his model where he has expressed that it is best for us to find these things ourselves.

I'm sure that people like yourself and William Hazen have some good aiki yourselves. I think if you were to meet Dan you'd probably be surpised at the degree of aiki he commands.
I don't have anything to promote -- only an interest in developing knowledge and application. I do what I do, and people can judge what they like. If people say he is worthwhile, who am I to say otherwise?

Quote:
Rob Liberti wrote: View Post
...aikido needs more people with aiki, and if Dan is helping me, then he's fundamentally on your side (the side of building up more aikido folks with good aiki), right?
I don't have a side -- and my only concern is where these discussions seem bent on creating them. Not that it seems intended that way -- but it does seem to end up coming off that way. Rhetoric should support an argument -- not lead it.

Cordially,

Erick Mead
一隻狗可久里馬房但他也不是馬的.
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