solo training

All,

I'm sorry if this has been covered lately but... I'd like to have a daily solo aikido training regimen for the days in between my aikido class as well as when I'm on the road... Something that gits in 30 to 45 minutes.

This means solo training as my wife is not an aikidoka and my 3 year old son, though full of ki, not an appropriate uke.

Meditation ? Streching ? Misogi ? ...

I'm new to aikido, I've had only approx. 80 hours of aikido taugth to me yet but still adding and willing to be a better person. I'm presently fith kyu.

I will talk about this to my sensei but wanted the feel of the community.

Thanks in advance for your suggestion.

Sincerely,

Edouard

Edouard,

I think misogi / stretching / meditation are healthy practices. If you have a jo or bokken, I recommend swinging them around some. I have a couple trees in my backyard. I pick out a spot and repeatedly try to thrust my jo right to that spot. Also, I do bokken yokomen "cuts" into the side of the trunk. If you know any jo or ken kata, they are perfect for solo practice.

You can always practice with a make-believe uke. Of course, this isn't as good as the real thing, but it's better than nothing. One of my favorite things to do is work on my tenkans (kaitens) and try to keep well-balanced. Walking around my house, I sometimes spontaneously do a roll on the carpet or a pretend irimi-nage.

Tenkan, tenkan, tenkan. Pay attention to form.

Dear Drew,

thanks for your insigths. I do try to take some time and practice with a make-believe uke. I thinks it is worth a lot. I have a bokken ( no jo ) and did not think of practicing the only technique I've learned so far but it is a great idea. I'll learn a bokken and jo kata soon so I'll be able to practice them also.

However I don't know much about misogi . Could you refer an article, book or some exercices ?

I also try to do on myself when I get the time: ikkyo, nykkio, sankyo, etc. Any idea in tha line of thougths ?

thanks again,

Edouard.

Edouard Lauzier wrote: I'd like to have a daily solo aikido training regimen for the days in between my aikido class as well as when I'm on the road... Something that gits in 30 to 45 minutes.

Karate does it by imagining a partner and responding with karate techniques--kata. I've done solo kata to remember DR WAZA, no reason it wouldn't work for aikido, too.

Eduoard,
besides running through the requirements with my "air" partner, I do Tai Chi, Stretching, and Meditation. I also do my physical conditioning (resistance & cardio) at least 3 times per week.

Edouard,

I haven't read any books that are specifically about misogi. I know Mitsugi Saotome touches on the subject some in "Aikido and the Harmony of Nature." I feel this is a must read for all Aikidoka; it's practically my Bible. John Stevens also touches on misogi in "The Secrets of Aikido." I know there is a segment in there about waterfall purification. On a more practical level, though, I think mowing the lawn, taking a bath, getting a haircut, fast-walking or jogging, or raking your Zen rock garden are all forms of misogi. When I'm finished playing my saxophone for the day and clean it at night, that feels like misogi. There are hundreds of other ways through which to purify your spirit. Maybe you could invent some of your own!

I think doing sankyo on yourself can help reinforce the proper and most effective grip. Doing nikkyo on yourself can remind you to bend your elbows and demonstrate precisely where the pain occurs. I don't know how in Sam's hill you can do ikkyo on yourself, but it would probably have benefits too.

I recommend doing a search on this site for keyword "misogi." You'll probably get a million results!

Drew

Edouard,

Since this doesn't seem to have been brought up yet in the responses to your query, why not practice some ukemi?

I was always taught to make my rolls as smooth and as quiet as possible. There are also many other ukemi skills to practice, but I am not sure you would be familiar with them if you are 5th kyu.

One of my favorites is an ukemi where you bend backwards as if the nage is performing iriminage or a thrust at the throat. As the imaginary nage performs his/her technique, you attempt to blend with the impact by bending backwards and turning your body with your hips so you face the opposite direction. Then you can do a forward roll. This ukemi is also the same for kotegaeshi. If your ukemi skills are better, you can practice your break falls instead of doing the rolls. Hopefully you will know what I am talking about from experience, cause Ill bet its hard to figure out from the text.

Ukemi skills not only increase your understanding of the art but they also help your technique as nage and its fun! Ukemi is also very important for surviving the more advanced techniques, such as koshinage, or even just plain techniques that are fast and furious in execution. Survival is my primary goal right now, so I am focusing a lot on ukemi . I am sure everyone else has a particular favorite ukemi they could share with Edouard. I am looking forward to it, as I think the stylistic differences will make the discussion interesting.

If you are too sore to practice ukemi or need to mix it up a bit, the aforementioned tenkan is a good idea. I also recommend working on any and all of the basic entering movements and deflections you have learned; if you cannot do those, its hard to get to the throw/pin isn't it? Hopefully as time goes by you will be corrected by your superiors during class. This way you will have a whole new way to practice the same thing!

Sword and jo are also fine. Practice the movements and try to relate it to empty hand Aikido.

I am glad you realize the importance of practicing on your own as well as with others. Since it wasn't mentioned, I decided to remind everyone that ukemi practice is just as important as movements used as nage. Balance in all things.

Happy training!

jgros

Jeff Gros wrote: One of my favorites is an ukemi where you bend backwards as if the nage is performing iriminage or a thrust at the throat. As the imaginary nage performs his/her technique, you attempt to blend with the impact by bending backwards and turning your body with your hips so you face the opposite direction. Then you can do a forward roll. This ukemi is also the same for kotegaeshi.

Interesting. I'd turn in to my partner as uke in both of these situations -- not out.

-- Jun

Well I am probably describing it a little incorrectly. Infact, I think Iriminage was a typo, as we do start by bending backwards and absorbing the impact, but we fall straight back. If you have ever seen the black and white video of Steven Seagal (33kbytes. can be found on kazaa or other file sharing programs), it would be a good reference. Sorry for the confusion!

jgros

I find that having a set pattern to work through, rather than "just practice", makes me less likely to stop midway through. Ki Society teaches a lot of solo exercises: twenty-odd practice exercises ("hitori waza") showcasing various movements useful for aikido, and a seventeen-part routine ("Oneness Taiso") which mainly works on rhythm and smoothness of movement. I do these when travelling; at home I add some memorized jo and bokken kata. I think they are hard to learn from written descriptions, though.... Have you looked into buying video tapes that would provide some memorized patterns appropriate to your style? While it's hard to actually learn aikido from tapes, they can give you some drills suitable for home use. Donovan Waite's ukemi videos are awesome.

Mary Kaye

Also, taking up a musical instrument could productively pass the time between classes. It wouldn't help you learn Aikido technique, but it could contribute to your overall sense of focus. I took up the sax about two months ago. When I play a song properly, I feel tremendous reward. I can't really explain why, but making music and performing Aikiwaza seem to complement each other. The sax, clarinet, piano, or guitar I think would be great for you, Edouard, as would be any other instrument (including voice) I think.

Drew

How about 31 count kata, 13 count kata, 20 jo suburi, 7 ken suburi for starters. With or without the weapons doesn't really matter, just let your mind imagine the waepon is there. This is great for relaxation and for sorting out breathing patterns.

Also footwork, I've seen tenkan mentioned so add in tsugayashi, irimi ashi, kaiten, irimi tenkan or whatever your dojo calls the various moves.

What about visualisation...take your organisations syllabus and work through it with an imaginary friend. (try not to talk loudly to them though ). I've always found this useful.

If all else fails a bit of shadow boxing will get your heart rate up.

Be careful though...In the same situation I thought I'd use some hotel furniture as weights..ended up pulling the legs off a chair and having to fix it with chewing gum!

Cheers

D