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Old 01-03-2013, 07:13 AM   #26
torres.aikido
 
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

The best one I have ever read is: "Integral Aikido" by Sensei Jim Giorgi.
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Old 01-03-2013, 08:17 AM   #27
St Matt
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Positive Aikido by Dave Rogers, Henry Ellis and Derek Eastman.

My preferred style of aikido!
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Old 01-03-2013, 11:40 AM   #28
sakumeikan
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Quote:
Michael Hacker wrote: View Post
Anything by Bruce Tegner.
Dear Michael.
Books by Bruce Tegner are classics.So well illustrated eg.How to stop a mad guy from splitting you in two with a immense axe or crushing a dogs rib cage[was the dog mad? answer the dog was not very pleased]Old joke.I have an original red book by this early pioneer of japanese mayhem.I wolud not part with it for love nor money [well maybe 10 dollars or a peck o the cheek might persuade me otherwise].
My own favourie book on Aikido is the book by Tamura Sensei written in french.Superb.Aido in daily life , by Tohei Sensei is imo excellent. Cheers, joe.
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Old 01-03-2013, 12:44 PM   #29
Conrad Gus
 
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

I'm quite attached to "Budo Training in Aikido". http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...wardfastwebsit

It is cryptic, some of the descriptions are wrong, and the drawings are not always clear or accurate. For some reason, I just love this book anyway. Working through the techniques has led to more "aha" moments than any other book I've looked at.
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Old 01-30-2013, 04:54 PM   #30
miso
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Another vote for Living Aikido.

It has the most wonderful, esoteric and parable-like language (a weird dichotomy) combined with pictures of simplicity. It's remarkably short in reading length but remarkably long in terms of food for thought and moments of 'ah!'.
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Old 01-31-2013, 01:26 AM   #31
Alex Megann
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the venerable "Aikido" by Kisshomaru Ueshiba. I haven't had a copy for some time, since I lent my copy to a student who then disappeared. The quality of the photographs in the paperback deteriorated from the original hardback edition, but it is all the same a very clear exposition of Nidai Doshu's conception of "standard" aikido. I also like the fact that the very young Chiba and Tamura senseis are taking ukemi!

Another classic is "Dynamic Aikido" by Gozo Shioda. Good photos and descriptions of Shioda's aikido, as well as some entertaining "practical self-defence" at the end - I particularly like the bit where the young lady in the tight skirt throws the big ruffian down the stairs...

Alex
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Old 01-31-2013, 06:36 AM   #32
ryback
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Ok,here's my own contribution to this very interesting thread.If one is looking for a book of techniques,Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere is really helpful.But for someone so new in the world of Aikido,i'm not so sure that a "techniques manual" is the appropriate choice,since in such a begginer's level,technical manuals without a teacher's guidance will look like a confusing blur.
So in my opinion,you can use your "forced" dojo vacations to fathom in the aikido perspective of everyday matters by reading Aikido The Book In Between,by Mario Gunter Frastas sensei.
I believe that through his book,the author is giving his martial point of view in every aspect of life in a way that can be rarely discussed inside a dojo and reading it can be a unique experience,at least in my opinion.
So here is a link if you'd like to take a look at it: http://www.marioaikibook.com/THE%20BOOKS%20WEBSITE.htm
I hope that my post was helpful...
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Old 04-02-2013, 02:21 PM   #33
john2054
 
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Aikido and the dynamic sphere. There is a lot to work through, starting with the basic philosophy of the art, including the unified theories of attack and defence, moving through to the specific techniques. The first time i read this book i skimmed over the majority of the technical applications, but now that i am reading it again with some months of training under my belt, I am taking more care over the details of the individual moves in order that i may gain more close knowledge and understanding of the techniques as we use them in class. This is a comparatively cheap and worthwhile purchase for aikidokas of any level in my humble opinion.
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Old 04-02-2013, 04:03 PM   #34
Dan Richards
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

I'm surprised the no one has recommended not to buy any books. Between videos, articles, interviews, pictures, discussions, there is more information available online to anyone than ever before.

The content available via the internet is the living book on aikido. You have the only book you need: a monitor to read from, and a keyboard input device. If you got here, you have "the" book.

If you've got a little money burning a hole in your pocket, go and buy a year's subscription to http://members.aikidojournal.com/ajm...ions-page.html

Last edited by Dan Richards : 04-02-2013 at 04:18 PM.
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Old 04-03-2013, 06:53 PM   #35
iron horse
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Well, if you want to save your money there is an interesting one here for free. I quite enjoyed it.
http://www.discovering-aikido.com
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Old 04-14-2013, 02:25 PM   #36
Mark Greenwood
 
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Quote:
Matt Bostock wrote: View Post
Positive Aikido by Dave Rogers, Henry Ellis and Derek Eastman.

My preferred style of aikido!
An excellent book. I have a signed copy. I began my Aikido journey with Sensei Ellis, and i train every week with Sensei Derek Eastman.

Masagatsu Agatsu. Ueshiba.M
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Old 12-18-2013, 08:15 PM   #37
Dave Sampson
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

As a new person to the art and having practiced it only for two weeks now i dont feel like i can comment on this with any authority but i will anyway since i saw something in class today that astonished me.

I was one of a select few in class today who were not hufffing and puffing, winded and out of breath at the end of long session. I attribute this to the fact that i am an endurance athlete and train my cardio-vascular system on a road racing bike. In the summer i do upwards of 250 miles a week. I am one of very few in class who are not overweight and not "out of shape". I respect all my elders and their knowledge but i have never "let myself go" if you know what i mean.

I dont mean to sound like i am bragging but my money would have been on me today in a cardio-vascular "fight to the death". I saw their faces and they all looked like they had not done anything strenuous since they last time they stepped on the mat. They may ALL be more proficient than me but my heart and system was better than theirs and i saw it.

If you want a good workout then get that heart pumping is all i can say. How much it will help you as far as aikido is concerned i do not know but what i do know is that a bike will work your ass if you let it.
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Old 12-19-2013, 09:07 AM   #38
lbb
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Quote:
Dave Sampson wrote: View Post
As a new person to the art and having practiced it only for two weeks now i dont feel like i can comment on this with any authority but i will anyway ...

I dont mean to sound like i am bragging
No doubt. So, what book were you talking about?
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Old 01-02-2014, 02:52 PM   #39
Dave Sampson
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Quote:
Karol Kowalczyk wrote: View Post
Hi everyone!

I have only been training for 2 weeks so far, but the summer holidays are coming, and my dojo is going to be closed for about 2 months during that this period, because it is located in a school gym hall. As, by that time, I will only have trained for 3 months, I'm a little concerned that I will forget most or all the things I have (and will have) learned by the time it opens again. I'm especially worried that I will lose all the physical benefits training has given me so far (I'm 37 in a couple of weeks, and the first week of training was a KILLER believe me )

I thought that it would be a good time to do some training on my own, so that I don't go out of shape, and maybe even by concentrating on some 'basics,' I may even have got better at them when the dojo opens again in September!

The kinds of things I'm interested in are things I can work on alone, such as stretches, tenkans, (seiza, yes, it still hurts like hell over 30 seconds!) the different names of the techniques, but I think most importantly, ukemi. As an 'oldie' they are the hardest part of it all, because my dojo doesn't have a seperate beginners class, and we do techniques for 6th and 5th kyu which require some 'head over heels' action, and I kind of go into a cold sweat just thinking about them.. . Also, any book that has good picture/explanations of detailed hand movements would be good because I wear glasses, and taking them off before training means I sometimes don't get a good look at the specific positions of hands during demonstrations.

I'm aware that there is a 'book reviews' section on this site, and I can also go through the (literally) hundreds of reviews on sites such as Amazon, but I really wanted to hear what book(s)has/have helped the people on this forum the most, because some books have very few reviews, but high ratings, and also it's hard to tell how much experience some of the reviewers have on other sites.

So, my question to you all is: "If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?"

(I'm limiting myself to one book because of financial considerations, as well as for ease of carrying in a rucksack (I'm going to visit mummy during the summer!), but if you think there is more than one indispensable book, then please tell me.)

Thank you all for any help you can give.

Edit: Oops, I forgot, maybe I should mention that I train in the Aikikai style!
My post was in response to the OP who stated that he/she was a bit afraid of getting out of shape. Since the only thing i know very well is how to ride a bicycle i thought i would offer him/her my view on how to stay in shape using a bicycle. Without the above attached my post can been seen as totally out of context. Sorry.

Some of you here have had 35 years of doing aikido. I have had 35 years of training my cardiovascular system and it is in far better shape than most people. I am not ashamed to say that.

The only thing that i know about aikido is that i know nothing. Hence i did not offer the OP any books as i do not know any myself. But i can offer you my tips on how to stay in shape using the tool that i have used for the last 35 years.

As far as what books to offer in the subject that the OP is referring to i have no clue but i am sure since you have more experience than me with aikido you can offer him one.

I just merely made an observation in class and spoke about it. I am not ashamed to say that in the sport i chose, cycling, i was a winner and won races with the system that i developed. That is my own body.

Picking comments out of context like you did, Mary, i would consider to be low blows to the groin for what purpose? To make you look better and more informed and to put the new guy in his place?
I have read lots and lots on this forum and there is a certain air of antagonism in your comment that just does not agree with me.

In my sport there is, after natural talent, only how much blood and oxygen you can take up that decides who wins - unless your name is lance armstrong. We have our own ways of psyching you out without having to look at you. We just go to the front and ride through the pain threshold. When you cant keep up, well, you lost.

But all this is totally beside the point. I was not boasting and merely vocalized an observation. The fact that my heart ....

Look. I am not here to argue. I am here to learn. And if you feel like you have to school some new kid, fine. I can live with that. This kid is 43 now and has lots more to see.

Have a nice day.
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Old 01-02-2014, 04:35 PM   #40
Janet Rosen
 
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Quote:
Dave Sampson wrote: View Post
My post was in response to the OP who stated that he/she was a bit afraid of getting out of shape. Since the only thing i know very well is how to ride a bicycle i thought i would offer him/her my view on how to stay in shape using a bicycle. Without the above attached my post can been seen as totally out of context. Sorry.

Have a nice day.
The OP was a newbie in 2007...and hasn't come back to Aikiweb since, meanwhile the whole thread is a conversation on books. I don't think Mary was rude.

Janet Rosen
http://www.zanshinart.com
"peace will enter when hate is gone"--percy mayfield
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Old 01-04-2014, 02:47 PM   #41
Dave Sampson
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Quote:
Janet Rosen wrote: View Post
The OP was a newbie in 2007...and hasn't come back to Aikiweb since, meanwhile the whole thread is a conversation on books. I don't think Mary was rude.
This thread, regardless of its initial starting time, is a depository of information whether it be books, tips or questions answered and should not solely be limited to books just because you say it is so janet. My contribution was slightly off topic however came nowhere near the trolling of mary's behavior.

Look up the definition of a troll. Ill make it easy for you.

Urban Dictionary: internet troll
http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...20troll‎
A person whose sole purpose in life is to seek out people to argue with on the internet over extremely trivial issues. Such arguments can happen on...

I was not going to respond any more to this thread and let it die but the very next thread i read, after being gone two days, had mary's trolling behavior all over it doing the exact same thing to the OP of the thread.

If in doubt : http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showth...909#post333909

01-02-2014, 05:52 PM #5
lbb
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Re: When did you start training in Aikido ?
Quote:
Salah Yousef wrote: View Post
Hey everyone this is my first post here. I am from Kuwait and am 22 years old and have no experience in Aikido or any martial arts. I would like to learn both Krav Maga and

Aikido for fun and self defense purposes. I was wondering am I a late guy to start in Aikido ?

Oh man, that's too funny for words.

Quote:
Mary Malmros wrote: View Post
Oh man, that's too funny for words.
The OP was asking a legitimate question and was treated with contempt by mary.

Seriously girl. You need to chill out and not be so antagonistic. I have done aikido for a grand total 10 hours but even i know that seeking out conflict or trying to engage in conflict is not the way.

Have a nice day.

Even that saying could be, in the absence of facial cues, be taken as " taking the piss" as we say in britian but it is not meant that way at all. I want this to die now but ill be damned if i get trolled again or let mary stomp on people just because she thinks she is the bee's knee's. Have some respect mary and show it.

I am not here to argue but i am learning to blend now since i am tired of taking peoples crap.
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Old 01-04-2014, 03:23 PM   #42
Janet Rosen
 
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

If you have a problem across threads with a specific individual you may try, for the sake of netiquette, sending the person a PM.
I for one do not need a lecture in the form of a definition of trolling from a third site, thank you; I offered my opinion and you disagree: fine. I am bowing out and will make use of the "ignore" function. You may wish to do the same with some individuals.

Janet Rosen
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"peace will enter when hate is gone"--percy mayfield
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Old 01-04-2014, 06:41 PM   #43
Malicat
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

I have to be honest, I have found books of techniques of limited value, since I prefer to see how stuff works on the mat. Although I absolutely loved Robert Twigger's Angry White Pyjamas. I was wondering if anyone knows of any books more in that area, in terms of personal experience and written in more of a narrative type format?

Thanks!

--Ashley
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Old 01-04-2014, 07:46 PM   #44
Janet Rosen
 
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

Quote:
Ashley Hemsath wrote: View Post
I have to be honest, I have found books of techniques of limited value, since I prefer to see how stuff works on the mat. Although I absolutely loved Robert Twigger's Angry White Pyjamas. I was wondering if anyone knows of any books more in that area, in terms of personal experience and written in more of a narrative type format?

Thanks!

--Ashley
Other narratives, not necessarily across-time training, that I recommend...
Mary Stein's book - I have met this older woman on the mat in San Francisco a number of times and was delighted when she published her book!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Gift-Dange.../dp/1583942734
also
In Search of the Warrior Spirit by Richard Strozzi-Heckler on working with Green Berets with Aikido
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Warrior...8889691&sr=1-5
also, not Aikido, but a damn funny book by a very good writer about wanting to practice kungfu as a kid, Mark Salzmans's Lost In Place (he also wrote Iron And Silk plus a very moving book on teaching writing to kids in LA jails and a fascinating novel called Lying Awake - never thought I'd enjoy a novel about a nun!
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Place-Gro...wing+up+absurd

Janet Rosen
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"peace will enter when hate is gone"--percy mayfield
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Old 01-05-2014, 02:42 PM   #45
SteveTrinkle
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

in retrospect Iwould not buy any book at all I'd just start training ,I think books confuse at best

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Old 01-31-2014, 11:35 PM   #46
kfa4303
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Re: If you could buy just ONE book about Aikido techniques, what would it be?

"Kodo: Ancient Ways" by the late Rev. Kensho Furuya Sensei. It's not about Aikido techniques so much as it is about Aikido approach and philosophy. He also has an excellent series of videos called "The Art of Aikido", which are great for kihon waza, Aikido history and dojo etiquette. "Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere" by Oscar Ratti is a classic for both its technical content and illustrations. "Aikido and the Harmony of Nature" by Mitsugi Saotome is also a nice reference. Books are great tools, or rather good books are great tools. After all, Osensei and virtually every other prominent teacher of Aikido have written on the matter at some point, or another albeit with varying degrees of success.
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