YouTube: Pat Hendricks and Hoa Newens (demo on hardwood, circa 1983)

Here's an Aikido video of Patricia Hendricks and Hoa Newens (now both 7th dan) back around 1983, demonstrating aikido on a hardwood floor.

What are your thoughts on this video?

(Thanks, David S, for the link.)

-- Jun

The presenters were very fluently on the technique, good documentary.

Very NIce!Thanks

Saito Sensei wrote

"When let loose mercilessly, Aikido techniques do not allow Ukemi"

-- http://www.scribd.com/doc/39061921/M...-Works-Wonders

In training we trade off: for uke, strong attack vs. the need to keep oneself safe, for tori good waza without openings vs. breaking the uke

I like Pat Hendricks, she's excellent and this video was great with the fluid movement demonstrated. However, there is no way that you will convince me that someone didn't come up sore. Anyone that hits a hard wood floor like that, with the hip bone, ankles, and slapping the "mat" came up sore. I have don aikido 61 years but there is no way that I am going to get on a hard wood floor and get thrown like that. I won't crack my *** anymore than it already is.

The were both very careful to keep their heads from hitting the floor, but it appears that they did so at the expense of their bodies.

I enjoyed that both of them put there body on the line for their art and that they didn't compromise their technique/ ukemi because of the hard floor.

Ukemi isn't taught for the sole purpose of always doing it on a mat - training on more realistic surfaces is an occasional 'test' that is can be a good addition to training.

I was lucky enough to train with Hoa Sensei a few times at Saito Sensei's yearly seminars back in the day.

Keep in mind that it was long ago, but my impression, for what it's worth, is that Hoa Sensei moved significantly different then than in the vid. He struck me in those few interactions as very stable, very solid, compact, and very much in control of his own space. He seems "larger" and more flowing in the vid. Though my build is quite different, I admired what I felt in our interaction and quite aspired to it. Not that I succeeded.

I have been to a couple of Hendricks Sensei's (we called her "Pat Sensei") seminars. I don't remember any substantial difference. That's not to say that her aikido hasn't changed much, just that, at this temporal distance, I don't see it. But, hey, my eyesight is headed south quickly.

Just ramblings. Take them for what they're worth.