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Old 07-21-2011, 10:04 AM   #88
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,697
England
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Re: Moving with your center

Quote:
Dan Harden wrote: View Post
Actually he did talk about six directions..specifically.
He did talk about intent in the fingers coming from the hara.
None of it made it through the translation process, coming from the the modern aikido people translating who were completely unaware of what was going on. Thus the readers never had a chance.
Spiral energy would not ever have come from Tohei. He didn't exhibit it. But Ueshiba's whole art was based on spiral energy, just as it is in DR. At least DR states it and gives a clue, Ueshiba didn't even go that far -even though it is evident in his movements and in the Daito ryu waza that all of Aikido's waza is built on.
When you paint a picture of the modern students and their level of understanding and compare it to what we know of the prewar guys it is pretty revealing. It's no wonder none of the pre-war guys really wanted to come back when they saw what was going on.
I think Ueshiba's shouting of "this is not my aikido" when he saw what was going on after he retired was probably echoed in their voices as well
Cheers
Dan
Dan.
My teacher who taught these principles taught us eight directions.

I was also taught intent both in and through fingers with many many hours of drills on these factors, drilling intent.

We were taught all forms of energy and application from spirals to circles to lines to attraction to extension et al. From centre and from one point and now being so 'modern' I use the word hara as well.

All this from someone who it wasn't taught to? All this from someone who read what wasn't there? I don't think so unless he was a magician and I didn't know.

I was actually taught much about the spiral and teach it to this day. All part of applying the principles of Aikido correctly. From the spiral of sankyo to the spiral of tai sabake, to the use to using it as centripetal force to the use of using it with centrifugal force and the ability to change it at will.

Sometimes now I get people to practice being as a hurricane or tornado for instance when doing a complete Tai sabake. Not in a destructive burst of violence but to get them to be calm like the hurricanes centre whilst spiralling energy, Ki, and thus how it fits certain motions. To do this with a calm centre and a still mind and other principles in at the same time ie zanshin etc is all part of Aikido as I was taught and took foreward.

The reality taught to us, on Toheis principles and more you have no idea of. The many different uses of centre, the many different uses of one point, the fact that shin shin toitsu Aikido wise if a person reaches that level then can be translated as the 'tying' or joining of minds and thus becomes in action sen no sen etc. Many principles, the whys, the hows, the whens, from the viewpoint of body, from the viewpoint of energy, from the viewpoint of space, from the viewpoint of motion, from the viewpoint of weapons, from the viewpoint of Ki, extending, condensing, circling, spiralling, changing the body, healing. Need I go on?

Yet along can come someone as is their right and point to four principles of mind and body unification and think they know all about it. Unfortunate I think.

Now I'm sure I must be guilty of this in some walks of life. I may put down politics and say it's all this or that but in truth I have never been one.

Regards.G.
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