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Old 08-03-2008, 12:50 AM   #12
Upyu
Dojo: Aunkai, Tokyo
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 591
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Re: "Aiki" in Russian Video Clips

Quote:
Mike Preradovic wrote: View Post
How does one "break through" that point WITHOUT being diluted??

Ok, so someone can push on you and you are ok, now they run at you and hit you - you crumble! How do you get BEYOND that crumpling? Is it physical (training new muscles) or is it mental training???
I'm not Dan, but this question is pretty easy to answer.
I think Mike would answer it, but I think he's been placed on sabbatical

It's physical training, ie, you have to condition your body, certain muscles, tissue etc need to be able to take the loads if they are to be used in that manner. Like was mentioned in the article, if it can't sustain the load, it'll switch back to older patterned usage of muscles.

Part of it is mental training: Ishiki/Yi/I/intent, but should be trained alongside the conditioning. The use of mental intent should go hand in hand with the physical and be developed as a result. You need someone to show you clearly how to do this.
It's nothing mystical, btw, simply a skill most people don't really use or practice.

In a nutshell, do the above repeatedly(in whatever training method that floats your boat, sword cutting, spear thrusting, solo exercises from various Chinese,JP arts etc) all the while increasing the amount of loads you can take, and the complexity with which you manipulate the body.
There's a reason there's often a progression to learning this stuff. You can't simply copy the shape of some form and expect to do the more complicated stuff, simply because the physical components in the body, not to mention the mental skills required to manipulate them are inadequate.