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Old 12-29-2015, 06:47 AM   #23
rugwithlegs
Dojo: Open Sky Aikikai
Location: Durham, NC
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 430
United_States
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Re: Origins of Yoshinkan bokken/jo techniques?

I am not certain on the dates. My Aikikai group didn't teach it. If these are Kendo kata from 1912, and Ueshiba and Takeda met in 1915 (thank you Google), then the kata existed before Aikido. Were the kata disseminated in the military?

In terms of the skill, I guess it depends on the skills. I like this to teach movement, get off the line, make each movement decisive. I like to reposition myself in the room constantly in randori, and I found this was a good way to introduce the idea to beginners. On a crowded mat, footwork can suffer and the students get caught in their hands and don't move off line much. For most students, if they get out of the way and look where the door is, where weapons are, where the next person is; I'm happy. Of course you always need good structure and handwork too.

The extended Chiba sanshou form is genius, but the second one in particular only steps a couple times so little footwork training or engraining/training reflex to move and reposition oneself. It trains other skills. Some students do the extended form looking toward movement 12 instead of making movement 5 real, or try for the flow more than the cut.
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