View Single Post
Old 08-13-2006, 11:44 AM   #5
DonMagee
Location: Indiana
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,311
United_States
Offline
Re: Rhythm/Speed/Musubi - How they work

Yet, in order to merge and blend with your attacker, you have to be able to move and match his movements (thus the essance of blending, too slow and he will resist you, too fast and you will lose connection). To me this means timing is critical. If you move too soon, I can track you and we end up in a struggle. If you move to late, you get struck. Entering in on an oppoent (as most aikido movements are entering movements) requires percise timing. To late and your eating my fist, too soon and I can adjust my position. But if you enter at just the right momenet, I am helpless.

This became clear to me while working my ippon seoinage throw in judo. In order to have a good chance at completing this throw, you need to get your attack to press in on you (push back twoards you and make a forward motion). To do this, the easiest way is to push him and get him to push back. But if you simply try the throw as soon as he pushes back he has a good chance of countering or defending. You have to lead his mind into thinking that push is where he wants to be so he will commit to it. Try to throw too soon and he will defend or counter. Wait to long and he will have gained the advantage and you will find yourself thrown.

Anytime two people are attempting to interact timing is involed. It doesn't matter if O'Sensei belived it or not. You can't grab my wrist if its not there to grab. You can't puch me if I'm not in a position to punch. Hesitate for a second and you will lose kazushi as your oppenent has time to recover. In the case of seoinage, if you don't enter right, if you dont turn quick enough, if you didn't break his balance properly, and if you didn't break his grip properly you will find yourself in a very bad spot very quickly as you just turned your back to a guy who is standing there with a good position and balance. When we are just working the throw, timing is not important as I can take my time, pull him where I want him, hoist him up on my back and turn. But when we are sparing, if the throw is not executed fluidly and in just the right fame of time, he will have moved and my throw will find itself opening me up to his attacks.

- Don
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" - Albert Einstein
  Reply With Quote