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Old 07-08-2008, 10:42 PM   #32
Chris Parkerson
Dojo: Academy of the Martial Arts
Location: ohio
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 740
United_States
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Re: Daito Ryu's Aiki, Structure, and Leverage

Quote:
Rob Liberti wrote: View Post
I don't have a lot of time here.
1 - I do not mean to imprecisely cite anyone - but well it's the best I can do with the situation I have and well feel free to correct anything you feel is misrepresented.

2 - okay, try using a lever that has no structure -> well. actually too many people in aikido are already trying this. good luck with that The point here is that structure still freaken comes first.

I'll respond more as time allows.

Rob
I am not sure if you saw my explanation of how wind and water (both structureless) defeated structure by creating a "coupling" on the masts/sails and the keel/ballast of the Spanish Armada, but the implications are still directly related to KG. In essence, we create a coupling by allowing friction and weight to keep uke's foot from moving while we use slight torsion of the arm to connect to the center of gravity and create instability with direction force. In the case of the Armada, wind and water created the coupling.

I would like to challenge you once more. You say that structure trumps leverage. Can anything trump structure? I have heard from my first day in the martial arts that the main tool in my quiver is my mind.... not my structure.

You have heard of the old joke about the two boxers. One kept beating the other even though he was weaker and slower. When the loser asked him why he kept winning, the victor simply said, "You box because you want to, I box because I have to."

Well, my buddy HAL von Luebbert had no choice in the matter. He was inducted into the original group of Special Forces (at age 16) back in the mid 1950's and then sheep dipped into the CIA as a field operative.

After surviving ops in Eastern Europe and Cuba, he left on bad terms. They pursued him lethally but he survived every attack. He has fought because he had to. His experience (1,000 orgnized bouts), along with his cunning and dedicated study of strategy, tactics and techniques, makes him very dangerous.

So, if a guy has structure but has the mental framework of fighting because he wants to rather than fighting because he had to, I would not put my money on him if his opponent was skilled at fighting for his life because he had to.
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