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Old 07-28-2010, 12:54 PM   #18
Anth
Dojo: UKAU (Peterlee)
Location: Peterlee, Co. Durham
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 20
United Kingdom
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Re: Crosstraining Aikidoka: A Survey

Quote:
Jamie D. Ducusin wrote: View Post
1) How long have you been practicing Aikido?
2 weeks shy of a year.

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Jamie D. Ducusin wrote: View Post
2) What is/are the name(s) of the other art(s) you are currently practicing?
Kamishin ryu karate.

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Jamie D. Ducusin wrote: View Post
3) How long have you been practicing the other art(s) concurrent with your training in Aikido?
Since the start

Quote:
Jamie D. Ducusin wrote: View Post
4) What ratio of time do you devote to each art (ie. how many days a week are spent practicing Aikido, how many days in the other art(s)?)
50:50 - two sessions of each a week most weeks. Could be going up to 3 aiki to one karate at some point soon.

Quote:
Jamie D. Ducusin wrote: View Post
5) Is the focus/goal of your cross training:
a) to complement your practice of Aikido
b) to broaden your knowledge/overall skill as a martial artist in general
or
c) other (if so, what?)
9 years in karate and spending more time teaching than actually learning my own stuff these days made me want to start something new. There's something quite refreshing about being back at the other end of the dojo!

Quote:
Jamie D. Ducusin wrote: View Post
6) If you believe that the current art(s) you are cross training in is/are benefiting or complementing your practice of Aikido, could you please describe how?
Since I started I've had those "eureka moments" that others have mentioned regarding bunkai and I've noticed that other elements of my karate have made an appearance (new tori's normally get a warning to avoid my tsuki, for example). At the same time though my karate has started to flow a lot more (one thing I've needed to improve for years) so all good.

Quote:
Jamie D. Ducusin wrote: View Post
7) Can you think of any ways that your current cross training may actually be detrimental to your practice of Aikido and if so, please describe how.
Yep, too many years of being rooted in stances and staying on my feet means I'm too "rigid" at times and I roll like a bag of spanners. I keep getting a twitchy leg when I tenkan around a technique and naturally want to throw in a jodan mawashi-geri (roundhouse kick) instead of throwing too
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