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Old 08-09-2000, 11:54 AM   #4
chillzATL
Location: ATL
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 847
United_States
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I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum from the last post. I'm an average size guy. Average build, average strength. So muscling my way through a technique usually, unless someone is much smaller than me or just not being a good uke, is not an option. For me power comes from timing, distance and body movement. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "how do I relate to them" but my understanding of them, as far as how they relate to aikido, came at several different times. Most of them being from attacking someone (usually sensei or shihan) very hard and very fast and having them get me at "just the right point" where, in my head, one second I was attacking, the next I realise "holy Sxxx i'm in the air" and landing very hard. They had caught me at a point in my attack that no matter who I was, how big I was or how hard I was attacking, they would have dropped me just as easily. It's a very amazing feeling to be thrown like that. We can talk aikido principles all day long but it's hard to fully understand them until you feel it like that. I've also had a few instances where I was nage and caught uke the same way. No strength or thought on my part, just a little movement and BAM, Uke was flying. He got up and was like "man, that felt awesome" I was just standing there with my mouth open, having never experienced that. Good times!
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