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Old 11-24-2011, 07:07 PM   #9
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,697
England
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Re: Commitment into the attack

Quote:
Szczepan Janczuk wrote: View Post
99.99% attackers in aikido don't know how to deliver a difficult attack. They do so called ‘zombie attack'. It is not worth for me nor to discuss it, nor practice it.

However sometimes we can meet somebody who really knows how to attack. He usually has a background in street fighting or competition oriented sparring and matches.

In such very rare and precious cases it is virtually impossible or most difficult to do any technique, due to lack of clear commitment. Of course such commitment exists, otherwise the effect of attack would be null, but it is very well hidden until last moment, and last for very, very short time. Immediately after successful attack he disengages looking for next opportunity to attack.

How you deal with such situation? I mean how to discover the moment he decides to attack? And how to extend this short time when he is well engaged? Any particular training methods?

Please refrain from this nonsense IP/IS discussion..
O.k. so your asking for some possible training methods basically. I do one outside of the box so to speak but I think it may fit you although it does depend on you being quite good at Aikido in the first place.

When someone asks me to try Aikido against what they do and the usual what if questions I usually say I don't know what I'd do if and then qualify it with but I do know I'll do Aikido.

So then I would say, well let's practice what you do and I'll try to do what your doing. So as with a guy of boxing pedigree lately we started sparring boxing wise. Now I am not a boxer and he knows this but I'll tell you what I do. I tune in to the way of boxing. There he is in front of me moving and swaying etc. and I join in like a mirror. Not copying exactly what he does but mirroring the types of motion and movements. One thing I have nice and real is the concept of ma-ai though and the usual result is the other commenting on the surprisingly good movement for a person who doesn't do what they do. So that's the first thing.

Secondly in this situation I have already said how I should easily be beaten, that's not a mind game, I expect to be. I should be actually.

So why? Because I want to experience what they are doing. Thus I have something to look at now from an Aikido perspective and look for what would probably work were I to revert to Aikido.

That's the way I study these things, it's all good prtactice. The solution always comes from principle rather than technique. So you build an awareness of what principle best fits types of situations.

So to finish the story we then went on to me using Aikido. Let's just say he was shocked.

So back to something you can practice if you like and find out if it helps you.

Center line. That verticle line running the length of your body. Practice the following: Face the opponent but have in your mind that you are merely that line. No more, no less. A verticle line that whilst staying verticle can nonetheless move easily.

Now from this view you must know that the only thing you are defending is your center line, not your body. I'll say no more. Try it, you might like it.

Regards.G.
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