Thread: Aikijo
View Single Post
Old 01-11-2011, 04:09 PM   #10
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,697
England
Offline
Re: Aikijo

Quote:
Cliff Judge wrote: View Post
So do you think of the jo as a weapon, or is it something else for you?
Hi Cliff.
Your question did hit home, thank you.

The answer is really in two parts. Firstly I can and have seen it as a weapon, in training and outside of training complete with bruises and accidental damage caused. So contrary to what some may think I have no problem with using it as such, watching others use it as such whether in another martial art or the various Aikido styles.
You could say I used it recently as a weapon when doing some security in a pub. Actually it was a pool cue about to be used like a club to batter someone being held by two idiots. I grabbed the end and pulled it down to waist level spinning the guy round to face me. I was in a good place at the time and so came out with a bit of a wise crack saying to the guy not to use it until he knows how. He gave a few expletives and pulled the other end of the cue to try and take it from me. It was too perfect. I moved foreward with his own force, extended through the cue and did a quick hard nikkyo with it's end and he hit the floor hard.

His friends were too busy laughing at him for a moment which allowed me to then use that opening to diffuse the situation.

To me I thrust through like a spear and then cut like a sword, thats just how see it.

So that doesn't mean now I see it just as a weapon as I see it as a tool of Aiki.

In fact I see it as a friend, a dancing partner.
  Reply With Quote