Thread: Ueshiba's Aiki
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Old 10-17-2011, 06:14 PM   #7
Upyu
Dojo: Aunkai, Tokyo
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 591
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Re: Ueshiba's Aiki

Quote:
Chris Knight wrote: View Post
this is a genuine question, before people start attacking my intent on the subject

many of the people currently teaching aiki and Aikido follow the thinking that O Sensei was a martial genius who had a mastery of "Aiki"

As most of these people training "aiki" nowadays have never met O Sensei, how do they know this? Disregarding second hand stories, and verbal accounts.

Looking at video footage, can this be seen through body movement, training methods, mechanics etc of Ueshiba Sensei or not?? What is it that can be seen? How do proponents of today's aiki know this immense skill was present??
Take a look at the following two vids, and you should see similarities in what's being demoed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoDK3XuvZWw
:18 - :28 More or less clear demo of Kokyu Force/Jin
:42 - :45 Typical bounce hit

Essentially, Ueshiba uses the same "kind" of force in each example, but with uses them different. First one he projects to the chest, the other he compressed then released as a pulse to the leg.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZdtM5p6ZkA
It's more or less being done along the same principles as posted in this vid:
:22 - :24
Same thing, different flavor. Actually this one is even more subtle than what Ueshiba was doing in the vid, but that's just me

So sure you can see the skills, you just a) have to know what to look for, b) it helps if you can do this stuff yourself.

Out of the three, the leg bounce is the easiest to do/understand in a relatively short amount of time ime.
(Note, I say "do." "Doing well" is a whole nuther ball park )