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Old 11-25-2010, 08:45 AM   #26
Dazzler
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Michael Hackett wrote: View Post
But he did move from the hara to perform his daily tasks.......
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Old 11-25-2010, 11:50 AM   #27
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Daren Sims wrote: View Post
This morning when I looked out of the window it seemed to be frosty. When I went outside it was cold and there was as I suspected ice on my car....
so I was right to trust my eyes.
We are talking about a video you viewed of a shihan in a poor posture
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Old 11-25-2010, 05:14 PM   #28
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Daren Sims wrote: View Post
Hi Joe

Was just trying to be humorous really..I think most people that have been around a little while can see poor posture even more so in a video than in a photograph.

This chap for instance has seriously compromised his Shisei....

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/Review...notre_dame.htm

D
I have met a few bell ringers in my day but Quasimodo [Charles Laughton ]takes the biscuit.Having said that I have a hunch old Quassy could roll pretty well.Maybe Quassy could send himself to sleep rocking back and forth?Great movie , tremendous performance by Mr Laughton. Cheers, Joe.
Ps Should the Hollywood moguls fancy a remake of the movie I am available [ anything for crust of bread].
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Old 11-25-2010, 06:56 PM   #29
Eric Joyce
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Chicko Xerri wrote: View Post
Posture needs improvement.
Why is it that today there are so many pics and video showing high level Aikidoka, Japanese and Westerners with obvious poor posture during the execution of even the most basic of techniques. Understanding of Timing and Distance has obviously been poorly stressed. Where are the teachers,(Shihan) supposedly overseeing and keeping the Foundations of O'sensei in tact. I feel that today some are riding high on the efforts of those true Great Aikido masters of the past.
If I have noticed this obvious trend, others must be seeing the same. Poor posture leads to exaggerations, leading to impurities in the Mind and Body. These impurities are not consistent with Aiki and will effect poor outcomes in the future.
I can't speak for other Aikido organizations, but as a former Yoshinkan Aikido practioner, I never saw that problem in the Yoshinkan ranks. It was ingrained in us from the beginning. If your technique sucked, it usually could be traced back to bad posture while executing the basic technique.

Eric Joyce
Otake Han Doshin Ryu Jujutsu
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Old 11-26-2010, 01:03 AM   #30
Carsten Möllering
 
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

I'm quite not sure what this thread is about?
No examples, no explanations about what does that mean: "poor posture"? No discussion about what "good posture" should be?
What or whom are we talking about?

Just hanmi is explained and taught in different ways by different teachers: Feet wide apart, feet near together. Stand deep, don't stand so deep. Different positions and angles of the feet ... How and where should your arms be? ... Hands open or relaxed?
What ist that: "Poor posture"?

Sometimes on the internet I found commentaries of videos showing Endo sensei.
"No ma ai" one said. "Lots of suki" i read. And - I remember, but don't find it now - "poor posture".

Maybe the poster meant "pure"?

Last edited by Carsten Möllering : 11-26-2010 at 01:10 AM.
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Old 11-26-2010, 01:06 AM   #31
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

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Carsten Möllering wrote: View Post
Maybe the poster meant "pure"?
Right
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Old 11-26-2010, 02:27 AM   #32
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Carina Reinhardt wrote: View Post
We are talking about a video you viewed of a shihan in a poor posture
Really ? Could you show me where I said such a thing?
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Old 11-26-2010, 02:57 AM   #33
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

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Daren Sims wrote: View Post
I disagree here Carina. I trust my own eyes.
I asked for an example and the thread is about poor postures of shihans. Pls answer
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Old 11-26-2010, 03:18 AM   #34
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

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Carina Reinhardt wrote: View Post
I asked for an example and the thread is about poor postures of shihans. Pls answer
errrr ...my reply was specifically to your statement that you cannot detect poor posture from a video. If you take the trouble to revisit you will see this is quite clear.

If you want evidence of poor posture of Shihans please ask the OP.
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Old 11-26-2010, 03:40 AM   #35
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

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Carina Reinhardt wrote: View Post
The two 7th Dan Shihan I know and went to their seminars, have a very strong posture. I didn't observe any Shihan with a poor posture, Anyway you cannot believe anybody has a poor posture only from viewing a video, you can say it if you trained with that shihan and verify it by yourself.
That is what I posted and you said
[quote=Daren Sims wrote:
I disagree here Carina. I trust my own eyes..[/QUOTE]
Maybe it was a mistake. I repeat you cannot tell any Shihan has a poor posture only viewing a video.
And I think it is very poor people talking about shihans poor postures in general
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Old 11-26-2010, 03:57 AM   #36
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Carina Reinhardt wrote: View Post
That is what I posted and you said

Maybe it was a mistake. I repeat you cannot tell any Shihan has a poor posture only viewing a video.
And I think it is very poor people talking about shihans poor postures in general
you seem to have omitted the fact that I specifically cut and pasted this bit

Quote:
Carina Reinhardt wrote:
, Anyway you cannot believe anybody has a poor posture only from viewing a video,.
It is quite relevant to my post.

So to clarify ...

I disagree with this statement that poor posture cannot be detected in viewing a video...however I can see that this may be true for you.

I am making no claims about witnessing poor posture from Shihans, at no stage have I...

You do seem to have misunderstood...which is fine, it happens, lets move on and those that wish to dig deeper into poorly postured Shihans can continue.

If you need to discuss further whether poor posture can be detected in video or not maybe a new thread could be started.
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Old 11-26-2010, 08:44 AM   #37
David Orange
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Chicko Xerri wrote: View Post
Why is it that today there are so many pics and video showing high level Aikidoka, Japanese and Westerners with obvious poor posture during the execution of even the most basic of techniques. Understanding of Timing and Distance has obviously been poorly stressed. Where are the teachers,(Shihan) supposedly overseeing and keeping the Foundations of O'sensei in tact.
Chicko,

Interesting that you should bring this up. It's something I was struck by recently in watching some videos on YouTube. The instructor is apparently at least 5th dan, an American, with a lot of students and he shows himself doing various techniques. But I was amazed to see that he has really bad posture.

He does the thing where he throws uke and uke gets up and instantly reattacks, gets thrown, gets back up and reattacks and gets thrown, over and over.

But in each case, from the very beginning and through every technique, the guy is bent forward at the waist--as if anticipating the attack and trying to be "in", already, before he starts moving. This was a bad habit that I always pointed out to students in Japan. One fellow had that very bad habit of leaning forward while waiting for the attack. You could make him fall over with a good feint, though he was pretty good with most of the techniques, otherwise. And that satisfied him enough that he never worried about this fundamental flaw in all his techniques.

I watched a number of YouTube clips from the American teacher mentioned above and just couldn't believe it. The teacher does have a pretty broad technical repertoire, but with his posture so strange, he has to use a lot of physical power to effect his techniques. I'm sure he'd say he's not using strength, but he has to be using a lot of strength just to keep from falling over. If he weren't obviously a very strong guy, he couldn't do the techniques at all in that fashion.

I thought about posting a comment on an aikiweb thread or sending the guy a PM, but I just sensed that he would not take it well. So I decided to chime in here.

The fact is, if you're not standing stock-still and absolutely upright when the attack comes, you're telegraphing your intent and seriously limiting your options for movement, making yourself vulnerable to a feint: you're so committed to moving in a certain way that if uke doesn't follow through with the attack, you can't help continuing with your own move, and then he can clock you.

I appreciate your bringing this up. It's one of the most important considerations in aikido.

Best to you.

David

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

"Eternity forever!"

www.esotericorange.com
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Old 11-26-2010, 08:51 AM   #38
David Orange
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Joe Curran wrote: View Post
Maybe there is an odd old timer,who may not be as willow like as in his youth but even these guys are good for their age.
One of the best I ever knew was in his eighties last time I saw him, a tiny guy, who stood straight as a post and was still faster than anyone else I knew. He had eyes like a hawk and could scare you by looking at you, though he was a really funny guy most of the time. And he participated in randori and took ukemi for sutemi waza time after time without ever seeming to tire in the least.

Standing up straight (in the natural way--not forced) removes a lot of load. If you're doing a lot of hard work, but you're also having to compensate for a bent posture, you won't last nearly as long as doing the same work with erect posture. It takes the load off.

Best wishes.

David

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

"Eternity forever!"

www.esotericorange.com
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Old 11-26-2010, 08:53 AM   #39
David Orange
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Tim Ruijs wrote: View Post
We need only observe to to determine how to change ourselves.
Very true indeed. But it demands the observer to be true to himself and obviously make the observation in the first place
Excellent point. This is where Feldenkrais training is exceptionally valuable.

Best wishes.

David

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

"Eternity forever!"

www.esotericorange.com
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Old 11-26-2010, 08:58 AM   #40
David Orange
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Carsten Möllering wrote: View Post
I'm quite not sure what this thread is about?
No examples, no explanations about what does that mean: "poor posture"? No discussion about what "good posture" should be?
What or whom are we talking about?
Look at the Chinese 6 Harmonies: prime is "shoulders harmonize with hips."

If your shoulders are not directly over your hips, you have to use extra muscle somewhere to counteract the gravitational pull that wants to bring you down. Head and shoulders in front of the hip, head and shoulders behind the hips, or to either side, is the number one manifestation of "poor posture".

Best to you.

David

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

"Eternity forever!"

www.esotericorange.com
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Old 11-26-2010, 09:01 AM   #41
David Orange
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Carina Reinhardt wrote: View Post
That is what I posted and you said

Maybe it was a mistake. I repeat you cannot tell any Shihan has a poor posture only viewing a video.
And I think it is very poor people talking about shihans poor postures in general
I can't think of any "shihan"--especially Japanese--who shows poor posture, but if someone has poor posture, it is abundantly clear in any video of their technique, as I mentioned in my first post above.

Best to you.

David

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

"Eternity forever!"

www.esotericorange.com
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Old 11-26-2010, 09:03 AM   #42
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
David Orange wrote: View Post
Chicko,

Interesting that you should bring this up. It's something I was struck by recently in watching some videos on YouTube. The instructor is apparently at least 5th dan, an American, with a lot of students and he shows himself doing various techniques. But I was amazed to see that he has really bad posture.

He does the thing where he throws uke and uke gets up and instantly reattacks, gets thrown, gets back up and reattacks and gets thrown, over and over.

But in each case, from the very beginning and through every technique, the guy is bent forward at the waist--as if anticipating the attack and trying to be "in", already, before he starts moving. This was a bad habit that I always pointed out to students in Japan. One fellow had that very bad habit of leaning forward while waiting for the attack. You could make him fall over with a good feint, though he was pretty good with most of the techniques, otherwise. And that satisfied him enough that he never worried about this fundamental flaw in all his techniques.

I watched a number of YouTube clips from the American teacher mentioned above and just couldn't believe it. The teacher does have a pretty broad technical repertoire, but with his posture so strange, he has to use a lot of physical power to effect his techniques. I'm sure he'd say he's not using strength, but he has to be using a lot of strength just to keep from falling over. If he weren't obviously a very strong guy, he couldn't do the techniques at all in that fashion.

I thought about posting a comment on an aikiweb thread or sending the guy a PM, but I just sensed that he would not take it well. So I decided to chime in here.

The fact is, if you're not standing stock-still and absolutely upright when the attack comes, you're telegraphing your intent and seriously limiting your options for movement, making yourself vulnerable to a feint: you're so committed to moving in a certain way that if uke doesn't follow through with the attack, you can't help continuing with your own move, and then he can clock you.

I appreciate your bringing this up. It's one of the most important considerations in aikido.

Best to you.

David
Hi David
Why would anyone want to stand stock still and wait for some attack?This is stupid.By standing stock still the opponent has the possible upper hand.Ideally one should use the sen sen no sen timing , rather than the go no sen timing.Surely a pre emptive strike or course of action which neutralises the attack[whether by irimi or tenkan] is a better choice than waiting for uke to hit you.?Of course we can also use sen no sen timing [when both parties move at the the moment.This is also better than Go No sen timing.I see nothing wrong in overwhelming /stifling the potential attack from Uke.This I think is what this Sensei is doing .Since you do not say who the Sensei is [P.M.me with You tube details]. I cannot state my views of what you see.
My view if aikido is that you must always be be willing to move forward when required .Even if you step back or tenkan you must do this in a positive manner.Retreat is not defeat.
Cheers, Joe.
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Old 11-26-2010, 09:17 AM   #43
sakumeikan
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
David Orange wrote: View Post
One of the best I ever knew was in his eighties last time I saw him, a tiny guy, who stood straight as a post and was still faster than anyone else I knew. He had eyes like a hawk and could scare you by looking at you, though he was a really funny guy most of the time. And he participated in randori and took ukemi for sutemi waza time after time without ever seeming to tire in the least.

Standing up straight (in the natural way--not forced) removes a lot of load. If you're doing a lot of hard work, but you're also having to compensate for a bent posture, you won't last nearly as long as doing the same work with erect posture. It takes the load off.

Best wishes.

David
Hi david,

Some examples of mature Shihan who have /had excellent posture most of whom I have trained with in no particular order:
Nidai Doshu/ Senseis Chiba ,Tamura/Tada /Akira Tohei/Yamaguchi/ Sugano/Yamada/ Sekiya/Saito/Gloria Nomura.Just a few names , everyone of them have /had excellent posture.All of them at least 70 years of age .Some of them of course sad to say no longer with us.
Cheers,Joe.
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Old 11-26-2010, 09:17 AM   #44
Dazzler
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
David Orange wrote: View Post
Look at the Chinese 6 Harmonies: prime is "shoulders harmonize with hips."

If your shoulders are not directly over your hips, you have to use extra muscle somewhere to counteract the gravitational pull that wants to bring you down. Head and shoulders in front of the hip, head and shoulders behind the hips, or to either side, is the number one manifestation of "poor posture".

Best to you.

David
Not personally familiar with Chinese harmonies (apart from the kitchen staff singing as they prepare my late night food in the local 'Rising Sun' takeaway) but this all seems to fit the sort of thing I see as good posture.

Aligment of the spine, head, musculature and legs down to the ground to create a single co-ordinated unit for delivery or absorption of force.

I'm sure there are others that can put it much more eloquently than myself. ...If there aren't then that will be a notable first !

As a fairly up to date source of reference for this I personally found 'Centre - the power of Aikido' (Mark Reeder) quite useful and refreshingly devoid of overly obscure oriental mysticism.

Think he even posts here occasionally.

Regards

D

Last edited by Dazzler : 11-26-2010 at 09:20 AM.
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Old 11-26-2010, 09:25 AM   #45
David Orange
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

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Joe Curran wrote: View Post
Hi David
Why would anyone want to stand stock still and wait for some attack?This is stupid.
You stand stock still and perfectly upright to give the uke an unmistakable and perfect target to which he can fully commit with pure confidence and power.

Also, when you're not moving, yourself, you can better observe how the attacker is moving.

Once he crosses ma-ai, however, you move instantly and in whichever direction is most suitable to destroy the attack.

The advantage of beginning from upright stillness is that you move without leaning. You can move either forward, backward, to the side or any angle--which you cannot do if you're already leaning (or moving) in one direction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-U_z-ujlhA

Quote:
Joe Curran wrote: View Post
By standing stock still the opponent has the possible upper hand.
Yes. You want him to feel without doubt that he has the powerful upper hand. And when he attacks, you need move only a little to destroy his balance.

Remember when Tadashi Abe met Minoru Mochizuki:

"...he asked me whether or not aikido was really useful for fighting. When I replied that aikido was very useful not only for fights but also in times of war, he said my answer didn't convince him. So I suggested that he attack me and stood there telling him to come anyway he wanted. He asked me to adopt a ready stance. I told him:

"Don't say unnecessary things. There is no way for someone to defeat his enemy if he tells him what to do. Attack me as you like!"

Abe still mumbled: "Sensei, can I really strike you? Strange… You have openings everywhere…" Then he took a stance and suddenly came straight in. I dodged the blow and kicked him with my leg. He groaned and fell. I applied a resuscitation technique and massaged him."

So, sure, give the opponent the upper hand and offer to light his cigar for him, as well. He will see that you are full of openings and it will encourage him, but it will also seem uncomfortably strange to him, affecting him subconsciously to your advantage.

Quote:
Joe Curran wrote: View Post
Ideally one should use the sen sen no sen timing , rather than the go no sen timing.
Standing stock still and upright is the essence of sen sen no sen.

Quote:
Joe Curran wrote: View Post
Surely a pre emptive strike or course of action which neutralises the attack[whether by irimi or tenkan] is a better choice than waiting for uke to hit you.?
I hope by now you see that I don't mean "waiting for uke to hit you," but when you look at the clip with Kondo and Takeda Tokimune, you can see that upright stilllness does not preclude preemptive strikes. Trying to go to uke to deliver such a strike makes you the uke.

Quote:
Joe Curran wrote: View Post
Of course we can also use sen no sen timing [when both parties move at the the moment.This is also better than Go No sen timing.I see nothing wrong in overwhelming /stifling the potential attack from Uke.This I think is what this Sensei is doing .
It's clear that the sensei in question also believes that, but his demos look nothing like Takeda's or Kondo's.

Quote:
Joe Curran wrote: View Post
My view if aikido is that you must always be be willing to move forward when required .Even if you step back or tenkan you must do this in a positive manner.Retreat is not defeat.
But you only have the option to move in any direction if you have not already committed to moving in one direction. You can only move in all directions from stillness. Otherwise, you have to stop, change direction, and start moving again.

Best to you.

David

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

"Eternity forever!"

www.esotericorange.com
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Old 11-26-2010, 09:39 AM   #46
David Orange
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Joe Curran wrote: View Post
Some examples of mature Shihan who have /had excellent posture most of whom I have trained with in no particular order:
Nidai Doshu/ Senseis Chiba ,Tamura/Tada /Akira Tohei/Yamaguchi/ Sugano/Yamada/ Sekiya/Saito/Gloria Nomura.Just a few names , everyone of them have /had excellent posture.All of them at least 70 years of age .Some of them of course sad to say no longer with us.
I did have the pleasure of training once with Sugano Sensei, but most of my experience was with Minoru Mochizuki and the Shihans (and students) at his yoseikan hombu. All those Shihans had excellent posture and movement.

Of course, once the action (randori) starts, it's hard to spot motionlessness, but all those guys ruled through a mixture of upright stillness and precise, sudden action.

And though it's not always obvious here, judo master Kyuzo Mifune (my teacher's teacher) has both perfect uprightness and stillness in the midst of fluent and decisive action. And that is what allowed him to be "effortless":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ye5D...eature=related

Of course, this is judo, with rules, etc., but the same principles apply to sword and to aikido, as Mochizuki Sensei demonstrated for Tadashi Abe.

Best to you.

David

Last edited by David Orange : 11-26-2010 at 09:43 AM.

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

"Eternity forever!"

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Old 11-26-2010, 09:47 AM   #47
David Orange
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Daren Sims wrote: View Post
Aligment of the spine, head, musculature and legs down to the ground to create a single co-ordinated unit for delivery or absorption of force.

I'm sure there are others that can put it much more eloquently than myself. ...If there aren't then that will be a notable first !
Maybe not the first, but I'd say absolutely correct.

Anyway, I think one of the best ways to develop this is Minoru Akuzawa's Aunkai training. It develops hyper-sensitivity to uprightness, from a deep squat to full standing. Excellent material there and excellent instruction.

Best to you.

David

Last edited by David Orange : 11-26-2010 at 09:49 AM.

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

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Old 11-26-2010, 10:09 AM   #48
sakumeikan
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
David Orange wrote: View Post
I did have the pleasure of training once with Sugano Sensei, but most of my experience was with Minoru Mochizuki and the Shihans (and students) at his yoseikan hombu. All those Shihans had excellent posture and movement.

Of course, once the action (randori) starts, it's hard to spot motionlessness, but all those guys ruled through a mixture of upright stillness and precise, sudden action.

And though it's not always obvious here, judo master Kyuzo Mifune (my teacher's teacher) has both perfect uprightness and stillness in the midst of fluent and decisive action. And that is what allowed him to be "effortless":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ye5D...eature=related

Of course, this is judo, with rules, etc., but the same principles apply to sword and to aikido, as Mochizuki Sensei demonstrated for Tadashi Abe.

Best to you.

David
Dear David,
Thanks for your comments.Initially my thoughts were that you were suggesting that as Tori you should stand in front of uke like a rabbit caught in the glare of headlights.My thoughts are that you have to be aware and take whatever steps neutralise the attack of the uke.This might me stepping in or turning.Its a matter of timing , reading the situations etc.
As an ex judoka having trained with Anton Geesink, Kenshiro Abbe, George Kerr/Saburo Matsushita and many others I
can appreciate fluent , decisive action, but in Shiai the postures of some judoka [not these men listed] at times can be poor[ Modern Judo has lots of jigotai , stiff arms and negative play.In the early 60s Russian judoka were usually crouched over [possibly influenced by Sambo training].
I am a great admirer of Mifune Sensei.I also think highly of Kenshiro Abbe .In fact Abbe Sensei was the first person I saw in Aikido.See Henry Ellis Website.
Certainly in Kendo [which I dabbled in ] requires a fairly upright stance.Batto Ho again requires relaxed shoulders, good posture.
Cheers, Joe
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Old 11-26-2010, 10:51 AM   #49
David Orange
Dojo: Aozora Dojo
Location: Birmingham, AL
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
Joe Curran wrote: View Post
Initially my thoughts were that you were suggesting that as Tori you should stand in front of uke like a rabbit caught in the glare of headlights.
That's what you want the attacker to think. Yet, when he sees your calm, empty face, he will have subconscious doubts that will weaken his ability to attack.

Quote:
Joe Curran wrote: View Post
My thoughts are that you have to be aware and take whatever steps neutralise the attack of the uke.This might me stepping in or turning.Its a matter of timing , reading the situations etc.
Exactly. And I think you have to be centered and still within, upright and steady, to be able to act freely.

Quote:
Joe Curran wrote: View Post
As an ex judoka having trained with Anton Geesink, Kenshiro Abbe, George Kerr/Saburo Matsushita and many others I can appreciate fluent , decisive action, but in Shiai the postures of some judoka [not these men listed] at times can be poor[ Modern Judo has lots of jigotai , stiff arms and negative play.In the early 60s Russian judoka were usually crouched over [possibly influenced by Sambo training].
Mochizuki Sensei had plenty of criticism of modern judo and he felt that the introduction of weight classes and entry to the Olympics pretty well destroyed the meaning of the art. So we have to look way back to Mifune to see the kind of judo Mochizuki Sensei promoted. Of course, Kenshiro Abbe was a judo man, as well, wasn't he? I'm sure he was exemplary of that same spirit and technique.

Quote:
Joe Curran wrote: View Post
I am a great admirer of Mifune Sensei.I also think highly of Kenshiro Abbe .In fact Abbe Sensei was the first person I saw in Aikido.See Henry Ellis Website.
Great beginning. I think we now see eye-to-eye.

Best to you.

David

"That which has no substance can enter where there is no room."
Lao Tzu

"Eternity forever!"

www.esotericorange.com
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Old 11-27-2010, 02:22 AM   #50
sakumeikan
Dojo: Sakumeikan N.E. Aikkai .Newcastle upon Tyne.
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Re: Poor posture seems to be on the rise.

Quote:
David Orange wrote: View Post
That's what you want the attacker to think. Yet, when he sees your calm, empty face, he will have subconscious doubts that will weaken his ability to attack.

Exactly. And I think you have to be centered and still within, upright and steady, to be able to act freely.

Mochizuki Sensei had plenty of criticism of modern judo and he felt that the introduction of weight classes and entry to the Olympics pretty well destroyed the meaning of the art. So we have to look way back to Mifune to see the kind of judo Mochizuki Sensei promoted. Of course, Kenshiro Abbe was a judo man, as well, wasn't he? I'm sure he was exemplary of that same spirit and technique.

Great beginning. I think we now see eye-to-eye.

Best to you.

David
Dear David,
I consider Kenshiro Abbe 8th Dan , Founder of Kyu Shin Do possibly one if not the greatest Budo master ever.He was not a big man but his aikido/judo skills were /are legendary.Sad to say he is only remenbered here in the U,K by people such as Henry Ellis/Derek Eastman , Bob Thomas, and some old time Judo/Aikidoka.I once participated in an event with Abbe Sensei where Abbe Sensei took on a long line of Dan grades in Judo , some tough guys, and bounced all with a variety of waza within minutes and without breaking sweat.
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