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Old 06-08-2003, 11:51 AM   #18
DGLinden
Dojo: Shoshin Aikido Dojos
Location: Orlando
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 159
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I teach Aikido from boxing positions because I spent a great deal of my life boxing before I found Aikido at age 19. I can still hit anyone I want, from any distance away (with all respect to George) at the age of 51. Yes, fast hands is all important, but there are, very real tactics that can be used to defend against a boxing attack.

Last year I taught a seminar in Germany specifically geared to boxing attacks and found that a gentleman from Sri Lanka who had studied some weird Tai boxing had a very effective jab against me, but still could not get inside to do any damage if the basics of my boxing method were followed.

The overall concept is to understand the boxing format, jab, jab, jab, watch the opponent and time his response, jab, then overhand right, or right hook or right hook and follow with a left hook. What ever the plan, a boxer never throws one punch - always combinations - and so you can not think in terms of defeating one punch or you will get hammered by a right hand or a follow up jab. George assumes that he can be effective with whatever he does, but the truth is that any boxer will hit you three times before you can execute most aikido technique.

What to do then? Boxing already tells you. Circle away from the strong side. Circle away from the strong side - which is the right, usually. So we move initially to the left (his left to our right) as the jab is thrown - using George's timing method we elude the jab and stay away from the heavy power punch. Then we time, time, and time some more. Eventually we are set up for a right hand, a left hook, an uppercut - whatever. We then have all the options we ever want to execute - and again George is right Saotome Sensei teaches hundreds of variations of technique for this.

This important thing is to see the attack as a whole, not one punch, and respond to the whole, not one fist.

Daniel G. Linden
Author of ON MASTERING AIKIDO (c) 2004
Founder Shoshin Aikido Dojos
www.shoshindojo.com
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