Thread: Aikido 101
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Old 08-12-2009, 03:04 AM   #35
dalen7
 
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Dojo: Karcag Aikido Club
Location: Karcag
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Re: Aikido 101

Quote:
Kevin Leavitt wrote: View Post
Looking back, I wish I would have discovered some of the things I am doing now sooner, I think it would have saved me a few years, but I think there are simply alot of things that have to be learned and put together.

I think developing a martial body should be done up front though. So you have a receptive framework.

No matter how much they tried to show me stuff, I simply could not do some very basic things that had nothing to do with aikido. Simple things like a horse stance with back straight with my heals on the ground and arms extended out in front of me with shoulders rotated down and in and chin up while breathing.

I lacked the over all condition and development in these area in order to properly develop a "ground path" if you will connecting the arms, legs, trunk as one unit and being able to move with a relaxed and receptive upper body from the lower body.

...I had a hard time with them as I really honestly expected to do them for a while and then I would start to see improvement in my aikido practice. It did not happen that way at all.

What finally is sticking for me right now is Bikram Yoga. It is the same 26 movements (think one 90 minute kata).

Why? Well It is detached from my Aikido practice so I no longer try and measure my success in yoga in martial terms. I measure it in how well I can maintain stillness while in a standing bow pose while breathing for example.

I think it is very difficult to integrate it into your training without some mentoring and guidance from someone that is ahead of you in this process.

...it is developing the connection of breath to body, stillness (active relaxation and transistioning to movement.)

I think you can begin to have the mind lead the body and begin to take command of your faculties.
That is the #1 problem I had when I first started Aikido... getting the body to move as one unit as it were. [still have this issue.]
It was something, that I suppose at some point, I thought the technique would help me understand...but something that just frustrated me all the more, and something I see frustrates most the others in the dojo.

[I would say a couple of the guys have it who have their 1st dan/kyu, some more so than others... but its something they have seemed to pick up on their own and havent readily been able to transmit it to others.]

It has dawned on me that I have to do something to remedy this, as well as to my overall lack of physical conditioning that Aikido as it currently is taught isnt really helping with.

Yoga is definitely on the top of the list as something which seems would help me to better feel what balance is and when my body is in a position that is conductive to whatever it may be, vs. much of the reaching I have done in the past which leaves me off balance, as well as the lack of understanding what to twist when to gain better leverage.

I remember clearly always being told to move my hips... I just didnt get it... it felt awkward. Then one day I made the connection it was because my feet werent moving as well. So simple, and sounds so silly as this is 'obvious' - but its amazing how much we can be unaware of 'basic movements' which should be obvious to us concerning our bodies and the way they move.

It seems most of us cant walk... and I think I have an issue which may have been partially behind why my knee pops... in basic training the company commander, some many years ago, said to walk like your kicking the heel off your boot...well, bad habit and my shoes wear out fast, as well as just being totally improper way to walk. Learning to walk again isnt that straightforward...and requires patience, as there can be doubt...

... not much unlike the doubt that comes with another basic, and automatic function such as breathing.
I breathe, yes? No... supposedly you have 3 steps in breathing - others make it more complex when where you are to suck the air into, etc. - and yes, even breathing becomes somewhat of a chore to relearn as you try to see what it is would benefit you the most as you were not naturally doing it... for whatever reason.

We dont have any yoga here...if we do I dont think I will ever throw myself into something like this as I did with Aikido, where understanding the language [hungarian in this example] fluently is primary to try to talk through and understand some basic concepts which can easily be misunderstood even in ones own language. [apparent as others in the dojo seem to have had issues with communication as well, and they speak the language. But as mentioned, language is the universal flaw to some extent, as unless one goes in with an expanded mind from experience, and humility it is often easy to not get the point as well as lighting a match to the ego... so communication in and of itself is an art.]

Either way, your post summed up nicely what I had tried to point to in my previous post where I was nicely stumbling over my words.
It is good that you have shared your insight and experience as well, as it will help others to get what it is that might be missing from their practice.

Looks like this topic is becoming more common place, or rather better articulated, by some, as well as understood as to what the issue is in order to find the solution.

As for Aikido Im into the holistic approach as has been pointed out here. If I do ever teach, I suppose I will do what I can to try to introduce from the beginning and emphasize structure, and then add the rest as form to play with. [form not limited to Tachi Waza, or standing grappling if you want to call Aikido that... but including realistic strikes, ie. Thai boxing, and some real ground fighting, etc. - with an emphasis to be certain on the spiritual or inner aspect of the whole thing.

All in all, Aikido is not unlike a spiritual path in this regards, in that ultimately only one person can walk that path... and its the individual who seeks the path. There can only be pointers to show them the direction, from there its up to them what they make of it.

Thanks for the post... most useful.

Peace

dAlen

p.s.
Should start up a international dojo with you guys here at Aikiweb.
Wonder how quickly the Aikido would progress then... lot of experience posting here on this board

dAlen [day•lynn]
dum spiro spero - {While I have breathe - I have hope}

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