Thread: Atteru and Ki
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Old 09-19-2006, 07:23 PM   #15
George S. Ledyard
 
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Dojo: Aikido Eastside
Location: Bellevue, WA
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Re: Atteru and Ki

Quote:
David Yap wrote:
My next question is if the instructor was right that there should be "awase" between the nage and uke at the onset of the attack, what did I or he miss out in our practice?

David Y
\

Hi David,
This instructor is using the term differently than I would. One establishes ki musubi when standing across from an opponent. The opponent is placing his attention on you as the target for his attack. The body won't attack unless the mind tells it to so the attention precedes any action. Also, the attacker must not only place his "attention" on you but he must project that "attention" out to you with some power or focus, which is called "intention".

The defender does exactly the same thing. He reaches out to the attaker's center and places his attention there. He can vary how much "intention" he wishes to show to the attacker. he might be low "intention" and give as little away as possible or he can be high "intention" and blast the attacker with the strength of his own projection.

Anyway, there is only one channel at work here. So both the attacker and defender are streaming their consciousness in the form of their "attention" out to the opponent. Ki Musubi as I currently understand it and teach it is when I extend my "attention" right down the channel through the oncoming "intention" of the attacker. If I can be relaxed, in a state of fudo shin, or immoveable mind, then like a tuning fork I can begin to feel the other's "intention" and intuit the instant at which he decides to attack. This of course precedes the instant at which he starts to move.

I do not believe that ki musubi and awase are interchangeable concepts. One uses awase in training to help devlop the ability to accomplish ki musubi. As I stated in my other post awase is like being "in phase" with the partner. You mentioned dance... dance with a partner is really all about awase.

I can have continuous ki kmusubi and put myself out of phase with him. In fact, creating the "in phase" and "out of phase" states relative to the partner requires ki musubi.

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