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Old 11-24-2011, 10:14 PM   #16
graham christian
Dojo: golden center aikido-highgate
Location: london
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,697
England
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Re: Commitment into the attack

Quote:
Szczepan Janczuk wrote: View Post
but Graham, how it helps to make attacker commit more?
What it does first and foremost is teach you to stop worrying about being hit. You will discover that by seeing yourself as center line only it's easy to move for a line doesn't have to move far for something to miss it.

This in turn makes you not worry about the rest of your body and thus it relaxes and you actually become more focussed.

To the opponent, what does he see? What does he think he should see? In fact what does he expect to see?

So in fact it now appears to the opponent that the target is just plum ready to be hit, it attracts him to do so.

It's not so easy to explain in words is it?

Put it this way. You are trying to hit me in the ribs or head with your right hand or hook. You are observing that target area and so quite tuned into it and can see and feel it's ready to move if you try. Me, if playing this game am aware of the threat to the target area and have it primed ready to move or receive impact.

Now, what if I'm not playing this game. I'm leaving it there not ready to move or receive impact for it is of no concern to me. I know if I move center line it will follow so why worry about it. Thus it appears to the attacker it's unguarde and ready for the hitting.

It's a discipline, a skill, a practice. That's my attempt at putting it into words. It is something you can test for yourself though even slowly just to see the difference.

You can stand in front of someone and ask them to hit you in the shoulder for example purely as a slow or medium paced or fast test, however you please. Now you can practice two things and compare.

The firdt one is to focus on moving your shoulder out of the way as he strikes, from close to you by the way, not from two steps away.

You will find you go into the mind set of one of those slap the hand before you can move it games.

O.k. Now try the same from the discipline of I am now going to focus not on the shoilder but only on center line. Thus, as it is not center line being aimed for in this case then it is the focus of merely turning center line thus the body turns and the shoulder turns out of the way. You don't have to move your feet just for the experiment but you can let them move as you see fit or is natural to the exercise.

So one is focussing on moving shoulder out of the way and the other is focussing on turning center line with no regard to shoulder.

On seeing and feeling the difference then also enquire of the person doing it what it felt like to him. Was one somehow different to the other for him. So don't tell him beforehand what you are doing. Then you will get an unbiased assessment.

Regards.G.
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