Re: Weapons in Aikido
I'm still a little gobsmacked about the idea that weapons practice is easier and safer than taijutsu.
I once received a yokumen strike across the temple full force during normal kumitachi practice. I had been thinking more about some advice I'd received about how to block than about keeping myself safe--a lesson there about where you go for advice--and the only reason I'm typing this now is that we happened to be using shinai that day. As it was, I staggered around the dojo seeing stars for quite a while.
Weapons are still, for me, where you crank up the intensity. Someone is swinging a club at your head, after all. The idea that this might be the safer practice is... a novelty.
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