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Old 08-02-2008, 09:07 AM   #9
MM
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,996
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Re: "Aiki" in Russian Video Clips

Quote:
Mike Preradovic wrote: View Post
Is there any pointers you can give to the rest of us (without giving away your teaching/secrets etc)...

From what I seem to be able to gleam is that your aiki training is transforming the insides of your body to use "different" muscles - i.e. fascia etc and also that you are creating NEW power pathways throughout your body??
Hi Mike,

I'm not Dan, but I thought I'd give you my thoughts. Hope they help. And yes, I think you have a good idea of what's happening.

Quote:
Mike Preradovic wrote: View Post
I recently switched from a harder style of aikido to ki aikido because quite simply I am old now and my body is trashed! I do find the ki training interesting, and although I can have people push/pull me etc I don't think that's even in the same universe as the stuff you are doing (especially from the descriptions you give).
No, I have found that it isn't in the same universe.

Speaking of push and pull -- how hard do they push and pull? Are they using a small push or are they really pushing hard, trying to move you or tip you over? Are you in a natural posture with feet side by side? Or in a hanmi of sorts with one leg back? There are all sorts of different ways of pushing/pulling.

Quote:
Mike Preradovic wrote: View Post
In fact Mike Sigman talks about this on his aikido journal articles. (I believe his point is that these ki skills are a start and are actually quite basic in themselves):
From my view, saying the ki skills are a start is okay. It's more like dipping your toe in the water and saying I have a start on learning how to swim.

Quote:
Mike Preradovic wrote: View Post
This is the statement that I find of interest:

"When the sourcing is arranged properly, the body will surprising conform to help convey the forces according to the new sources, but only up to the level to which the body is conditioned. In other words, a person can use kokyu power correctly only up to the level the body has conditioned to sustain the new arrangement of patterning; if too heavy a load is put on an unprepared body, the new patterning breaks down to some extent and the normal muscles (like shoulder, arm, etc.) kick in and the training becomes diluted."
I've found that to be very, very true.

Quote:
Mike Preradovic wrote: View Post
How does one "break through" that point WITHOUT being diluted??

Ok, so someone can push on you and you are ok, now they run at you and hit you - you crumble! How do you get BEYOND that crumpling? Is it physical (training new muscles) or is it mental training???
Try this:

Stand in a natural stance, feet side by side, shoulder width apart. Then, put your arms straight out to your sides, palms facing out, fingers up. Have someone push (start with a light push) on your outstretched right palm. Since your arm is straight, it's going to be a straight push directly into your shoulders. What you have to do is to take the energy that's coming in from that push and let it go through your arm, your shoulder, down your spine, down your left leg (opposite leg) and into the ground.

To illustrate some different feelings, have the person pushing give you a decent push (not too light but not strong enough to cause you to strain). Then, you tighten all your muscles in your arm and shoulder. Feel and see what happens. Go back to a decent push and "relax completely". I mean really relax your arm and shoulders to the point of jelly. In the tense muscle example, you should have felt top heavy and been pushed over. In the relaxed example, your arm should have crumpled into your side. So, if you find that on a harder push, your arm is bending, then you're being too relaxed and if you're feeling top heavy and being pushed over, you're muscles are too taut. Picture the energy going through your bones from palm to ground.

If you're good with a light push, have the person start slowly adding more force to their push. Can you withstand a full force push? Either starting slowly and building up to it -- or just directly.

(If you can do that, either way, then, using the example above, I picture that as having taken off your shoes and socks and just thought about putting your toe in the water to test the temperature before you get in the water and start learning to swim. )

Once you have that pathway built in, you start working it more and more with stronger forces and from different angles. The hardest one I've found so far is standing in a natural stance and having someone push on your chest.

Mark