View Single Post
Old 10-21-2009, 01:52 AM   #20
Upyu
Dojo: Aunkai, Tokyo
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 591
Offline
Re: Measuring IP within kata

Quote:
Robert John wrote: View Post
Hi Ernesto,

You bring up something that's been nagging Ark for a bit now, lol.
The Aunkai system is a Martial Art, but what's been introduced to people have only been the conditioning aspects. Unless people have the skills the so called "techniques" (not really techniques, but more IP/IS applied, what he calls "Jutsu") can't even really be entertained.
Once you have a certain amount of IP&IS in your body, it's easy to reverse engineer and figure out how to apply them to "techniques" as well.
I thought I'd add take this chance and address a couple issues, one of them partially being a repeat of what I just posted earlier.
In the past I've seen a couple of points of misunderstanding that've been propagated about the Aunkai, though the fault of that I think, is largely lain in Ark's choice of delivery when it comes to teaching these skils.

Namely the two points that stick out are
a) "the Aunkai is more a conditioning system and not an actual system, therefore it's hard to understand how to use what I've learned from the Aunkai and make it work in xxxx system"

b) The Aunkai doesn't use breath (though to be honest, this largely my fault due to my posts from several years back, and that simply shows where I was developmentally).

Concerning a)
I've already addressed this point above, but after reading several other articles by people that I can only assume have done the Aunkai exercises in a cursory manner, I think it deserves a little more explanation, especially after having sat down with Ark and discussing the issue.

The Aunkai is by and large, a complete system.
That system roughly breaks down into:
1) Understanding what needs to be trained within the body in order to develop a body that can exploit internal power & skills

2) Conditioning, creating a "frame" within the body

3) Then using the body based on movement and skills made possible through 1&2

By this logic, unless you have a solid base in 1) & 2), showing 3) ahead of time (what most people might deem as strategy, usage, all the "exciting stuff") was by Ark's thinking, largely a moot point.

In essence the developmental stage in 1) & 2) is something he placed a higher priority on, and what he considered to be a shortcut into gaining higher level skills in a relatively shorter period of time.

During the overseas presentations, Ark has largely stuck to the basics, largely abstaining from showing "techniques" & "applications," mainly because, if you follow the logic behind 1-3, it "could" be detrimental to those who genuinely want internal skills.

However, like he showed in Atlanta, he's more than happy to show people how the IP/IS skills work in specific techniques snagged from Aikido/Daitoryu etc etc. But unless the practitioner themselves are conditioned to the point that they can actually manifest this.. well I think the rest can be inferred.
And for those that've started to develop a solid base, frame, connection etc...then you can start talking about "torque/winding," "issuing" "neutralization" and what not.
In essence he places more value on solid conditioning than worrying about the skills too early in the game, i.e. it's a step by step process.

Which leads me to b)

Breath:
I know I know, I propagated the whole, he doesn't use breath.
I guess I should clarify in that inasmuch as it's a step by step process, he doesn't think that breath is important in the beginning stages.
His concern is more:
1) Can you stand in a connected manner?
2) Can you sit, while connecting the upper, middle, and lower?
3) Can you walk, while maintaining these connections?

1-3 Alone have a variety of requirements that need to be met, conditioned and developed in the body before you can talk about issuing force, neutralizing, adding breath etc.

In essence: Get 1-3 down, then breath can be considered and integrated into the training. In fact, assuming 1-3 have been developed to a certain degree, then breath training slides in more naturally simply because the conditioning is there, you feel it, and you can naturally get a "read" on what is happening/being trained in the body by the breath.

For the record, as a developmental tool, normal and reverse breathing can be used to condition the middle, out to the entire body (and he has a version of Shiko which uses the breath almost exclusively to condition the body).

Now that being said, nothing is written in stone.
If people feel that the presentations up till now haven't been as clear as they liked in terms of showing future progression, mail me with your ideas etc. If anything, Ark is open, and will listen. In fact he was discussing with me how to better break down things which are "no-brainers" for him, but not for others, and to provide a better "step by step" guide to achieving these skills.

I'm sure there's other stuff, but hopefully this will clear out some long standing questions by those that've attended the seminar and reads these posts.
Apologies for the thread drift.

Last edited by Upyu : 10-21-2009 at 01:55 AM.
  Reply With Quote