Thread: Aikido Weapons
View Single Post
Old 01-09-2011, 04:38 PM   #2
Tony Wagstaffe
Location: Winchester
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,211
United Kingdom
Offline
Re: Aikido Weapons

Quote:
Graham Christian wrote: View Post
This is some views on the three weapons used in Aikido, namely the Spear, the Sword and the Jo.

Once again I am posting a view of mine for I feel some may benefit from it and many may not have looked at weapons from this viewpoint. Now as it's in the general category I won't translate them spiritually so all those (what's the opposite of Aikibunnies? maybe Aikibulls?) not interested in the ki side of things need not worry.

So first of all-the spear. When you look at the operation of a spear and it's purpose or function you see it is a piercing weapon. It has a point or even two points one at each end and thus we get thrusting actions. All things which have this function ie: darts, bullets even a finger jab work off of certain principles. They follow a straight line. Even if you send a laser beam through a wall or whatever it is piercing and going through.

Now for the view you may not have looked at it from. For all intents and purposes it is operating on ONE dimension.

So when we come to the sword we find it is a cutting impliment and it is fascinating to see it cuts in a straight line yet the tip of the sword always makes a circle. Anyway the point here is that the sword cut is two dimentional. It cuts on a plane.

Then we come to the Jo and we find it is three dimentional. The basic operation of the jo is circular as it turns around its center but it can turn or be turned vertically, horizontally in fact spherically.

Now the difference with the Jo is it can be used as a spear, it can be used as a sword and it can be used as itself. Just seeing this and knowing the differences will improve your handling and understanding of the weapons to that degree.

To me the Jo is like a handle on space, it's diameter, but we won't go there

Suffice to say that as you study and see the difference then you will notice how they fit in with the Aikido techniques that you practice ie; nikkyo and shihonage as the sword, ikkyo as the jo and depending how you finish the technique is whether you keep it as a jo (cicular) or if you finish it by thrusting the person to the floor (spear).

Then you could even take it a step further and notice that when a person is striking or indeed even kicking then he or she is merely giving you a jo (his arm or leg) to practice with.

Much can be learned from these basic views so I hope some find them useful. G. .
Me thinks your "ki" is absolute B.S. Graham, the trouble is you just don't realise how deluded you have become. I suggest you go and get some help.... seriously
  Reply With Quote