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Old 08-03-2007, 07:41 AM   #24
George S. Ledyard
 
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Dojo: Aikido Eastside
Location: Bellevue, WA
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,670
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Re: heel vs. ball of foot during tenkan

I'm not sure why, but I think this discussion is missing what I think is the crucial point...

We rotate or pivot in aikido to a) get us out of the way of an attack or b) to change the relationship with the partner / attacker.

Since, as Rob pointed out, the heels are directly in line with the vertical axis of the shoulder, hip, knee, heel, pivoting on that axis doesn't move you off the line. Pivot on the heels and the strike just hits you on a different part of the body. But the ball of the foot is a good ten inches out from the vertical axis I mentioned. If you rotate on the balls of your foot, you are actually repositioning the body, not just twisting in place.

That said there are rotating movements within the Aikido practice in which one does rotate on the ball of the foot. For example, a large turning movement with the partner moving around you... at that point you don't necessarily want a center of rotation that is moving through space.

George S. Ledyard
Aikido Eastside
Bellevue, WA
Aikido Eastside
AikidoDvds.Com
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