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Old 05-04-2004, 04:00 PM   #1
drDalek
 
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Join Date: Jun 2002
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Too many aiki-fruities?

Does Aikido, more than any other martial art suffer from an overabundance of the fruitier elements?

Do you sometimes feel that you are unable to practice the way that would most benefit you because your intstructor either has to accomodate a large number of granola munching hippies or is one him/herself?

I sometimes wish there were more options for me to explore. Sure, I wont ever find the perfect dojo and the balance that I am looking for would be hard to achieve or maintain.

I dont want to have to listen to 30 minute sermons on Ki or mystical mumbo jumbo that the practitioner himself needs to discover or explore but I also dont want to go to a paramillitary screaming drill sergeant of an instructor with a crewcut and shellshock.

I got a few suggestions from someone who used to practice Aikido, attended some randori intensives with George Ledyard sensei and now practices Systema. The reason he switched is unknown but apparently he would not have switched if he could study under George Ledyard himself, these are his hints and tips.

Quote:
0) make sure that you don't use too much muscular strength (as little as possible).
1) pratice Atemi
2) learn how to strike so that you can deliver physical atemi.
3) pratice kicks and defence from them.
4) Make sure your partner's attack is real. In many Aikido dojos people have a habbit of strike the air next to the person instead of strikin the person. if this happens just ask your partner to give you honest attack. It does not have to be fast but it must be on target. Hopefully after a while people get used to the fact that you want them to strike you for real.
- if you technique fails or does not achieve everything you hoped it would(i.e. partner is unbalanced but not down on the ground), always switch to something else, improvise. Hopefully your teacher does not mind if you do this.
5) after class, practice defence from any attack
6) don't take for granted that certian move will work, test it!
If you don't see how can it work, ask your instructor. (Don't over do this though, if it tuns out that some technique does not work, instructor may not like it).
7) adapt techniques so that they work for you
don't resist too much during ukemi (it's better from martial stand point to follow and reverse the technique then resist - when you resist you open yourself up for atemi)
9) practice ukemi on hard surfaces
As it stands I can maybe request this kind of practice from about 3 other people who I see only now and then. We do have a lot of not very martially-minded beginners though but even so, many of the more experienced practitioners are unwilling to go beyond the scope of normal day to day practice even on relatively gentle exercises.

Any hints or tips for me on how I can push up the levels of my daily practice?
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