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Old 11-27-2010, 07:37 PM   #44
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,697
England
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Re: YouTube: Golden Center Sword

Quote:
Mary Eastland wrote: View Post
Hi Graham;
Can you talk about what you were teaching in those videos? In one it looked like your uke was experienced yet he was receiving the throw as though he did not know how to fall. Were you working on something specific that we can't tell from a video?
thank you,
Mary
Hi Mary. I will try my best .

1) In the first video I was showing that you could study all techniques from the viewpoint of the sword, the jo, and the spear. Each has a different feel, a different energy. So for this one I was obviously showing the sword for I teach that the Ki cuts through and the sword follows.

2)In the second one it starts with two students practicing. One was asking the other why he couldn't just attack how he wanted, he hadn't any experience previously. So the other was showing him even though he hasn't taught it before but has been uke many times.
I found it interesting to observe how he was doing and let it progress.
Now when I take over I am showing a few separate things. First I was showing uke what it felt like if I stepped off line and cut down on his shomen attack and then what it felt like if I did the same but with weight underside.
Secondly I was showing him how to cut through and allow the sword to immediately return to center line in which case the uke either has to stop, or or run straight into the point.
Thirdly I was showing that no matter what cut or turn or entering you do you must always be focused on and ready to cut through the opponents center line. Return to center line. Once again it was for him to see what it felt like.

3)The third one was altogether different. I was asked to show what I had said the previous week by the sensei watching. So this wasn't teaching the uke, it was only asking him to cut shomen while I showed my friend.
I had said that movement depended on your intention. ie: If you intend to oppose and counter then you would have one group of possible actions. If you intend to blend with then you have another. If you intend to BE the attacker then you move and act differently, and have a totally different 'mindset' for want of a better word.
4)The fourth one was for fun, no particular significance.

That's all. Oh except for the uke and the throw. Not sure which one you mean. In the first one you will notice that I was holding whilst cutting, you cannot breakfall from this, take nikkyo for example, but you are right in as much as he could have 'fallen' better. In his defence I must say he hadn't got a clue what I was doing, he had never experienced that before.

In the third one where I was asking him to attack while I was unarmed he was not only bemused and uncentered, he was lost.

Well, that's the best I can do. Hope it answers your question. G.
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