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Old 12-02-2011, 09:28 AM   #28
DH
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,394
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Re: Putting IS/Aiki back into Aikido?

Quote:
Alec Corper wrote: View Post
Solo exercises done with a partner are no longer solo exercises. if the partner understands the goal and shares it aikido training begins to look more like Tui Shou (push hands) and less like formalized waza. The dominant mindset of the uke/tori training dynamic always leads to predetermined winner/loser energy patterns;stiff, dominant and driven or floppy, submissive and acquiescent on the other. In order to really work IS/IP you either work alone or with someone who understand the purpose. Part of the problem with Aikido lies in such meaningless terminology as "sincere attack", meaning a pre-arranged, hard fast attack with an equally meaningless "victory" hailed as a sign of accomplished martial art. Finding good people to train with is vital to developing IS, people who know how and where and when to give correctly applied pressure, in the case of push testing, how to mount a freewheeling attack without stiffness or hormonal, adrenalized force in the case of beginning to spar with IS.
What is the point of making oneself "unthrowable" and going to a dojo where the training, correctly or incorrectly, emphasizes the "taking turns" form of practice ?
Even practising kaeshiwaza requires the right kind of compliance.
By the way having successfully removed atemi from modern Aikido, apart from the obviously ineffective hand waving that goes on, it is easy to talk about maintaining structure, throw feet, knees and elbows, let alone shoulders and head into the mix, and internal structure, receiving and issuing force suddenly become paramount.
I understand that it is important to walk before you run, and that you need to internalize before you externalize but for me the sanity test of IP is in contact with another body. It does not have to be "fighting", but it has to be pressure tested. there is no way to do in a standard dojo.
I am experimenting with my students in soft free flowing kaeshiwaza to build upon the feelings of the IS exercises since aikido is the vehicle of training they are familiar with, but it is very difficult to keep speeds matched, keep structure, acknowledge openings, feel your own energy paths, etc., all at the same time, something always gets lost.
So, no clear training model yet! (within aikido as we know it;-))
+1
Dan
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