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Old 07-14-2013, 06:56 PM   #1
Chris Li
 
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What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

New blog post!

"What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)"

Best,

Chris

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Old 07-15-2013, 07:19 AM   #2
Bernd Lehnen
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

“Aiki has logical principles, it is not a miracle”.

Thank you , Chris, and well done.

By the way, I already read an equivalent article in French on budoshugyosha blog.
Seems to have got lost with their "déménagement".

Best,
Bernd
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Old 07-15-2013, 09:39 AM   #3
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

Quote:
Bernd Lehnen wrote: View Post
"Aiki has logical principles, it is not a miracle".

Thank you , Chris, and well done.

By the way, I already read an equivalent article in French on budoshugyosha blog.
Seems to have got lost with their "déménagement".

Best,
Bernd
Yup, I get the feeling that Eric and I read a lot of the same books.

Best,

Chris

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Old 07-15-2013, 01:12 PM   #4
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

Hey Chris,
Good post, clearly outlined. I wouldn't disagree with what you wrote at all, and I believe Aiki is something very similar myself.

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Old 07-15-2013, 01:34 PM   #5
Chris Li
 
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

Quote:
Chris Hein wrote: View Post
Hey Chris,
Good post, clearly outlined. I wouldn't disagree with what you wrote at all, and I believe Aiki is something very similar myself.
I didn't write it - Takahashi did.

Best,

Chris

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Old 07-15-2013, 02:28 PM   #6
Cady Goldfield
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

I wouldn't cling too tightly to Takahashi's explanation of aiki, and particularly not to his diagrams Like most of Sagawa's students, he didn't get the complete picture. Either that, or he is not divulging it. I tend to go with the former reason, however. Read "Transparent Power" (by Tatsuo Kimura) to understand how and why this could happen.

Last edited by Cady Goldfield : 07-15-2013 at 02:31 PM.
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Old 07-15-2013, 03:28 PM   #7
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

Quote:
Cady Goldfield wrote: View Post
I wouldn't cling too tightly to Takahashi's explanation of aiki, and particularly not to his diagrams Like most of Sagawa's students, he didn't get the complete picture. Either that, or he is not divulging it. I tend to go with the former reason, however. Read "Transparent Power" (by Tatsuo Kimura) to understand how and why this could happen.
There are a lot of interesting things in the Takahashi stuff, but I tend to agree - either he missed some things (quite possible) or he's deliberately obscuring some things (also quite possible, knowing how the Sagawa folks operate).

Note that he himself said that Sagawa never explained what the principles themselves were, so what were left with is Takahashi's interpretation, which may or may not accurately reflect what he's actually doing.

Anyway, it's another datapoint.

Best,

Chris

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Old 07-15-2013, 08:35 PM   #8
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

Regardless of the actual content of these various essays you translate, Chris, you're doing a phenomenal service to non-Japanese-speakers by publishing them. Like you say, data points.
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Old 07-18-2013, 07:06 PM   #9
Michael Varin
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

From that sampling, I would say that there are a lot of gaps in Takahashi's "analysis."

Quote:
Chris Li wrote:
Note that he himself said that Sagawa never explained what the principles themselves were, so what were left with is Takahashi's interpretation, which may or may not accurately reflect what he's actually doing.
Is it possible that the principles themselves cannot be named, but rather only their qualities can be described?

BTW... I'm posting this from a hammock on the beach in North Shore, Oahu. Life is good.

-Michael
"Through aiki we can feel the mind of the enemy who comes to attack and are thus able to respond immediately." - M. Mochizuki
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Old 07-18-2013, 07:23 PM   #10
Cady Goldfield
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

There is descriptive verbiage for the internal principles and processes, particularly in the internal Chinese martial arts. But it wasn't necessarily passed along to Daito-ryu or internal Japanese martial arts overall.
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Old 07-19-2013, 04:22 AM   #11
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

Quote:
Cady Goldfield wrote: View Post
There is descriptive verbiage for the internal principles and processes, particularly in the internal Chinese martial arts. ...
Yes, lots of.
But there is a lot of brainwash, superstition, fraud and trickery out there, too. So one has to be very careful to choose from the texts or especially when choosing ones teacher. It isn't always easy to distinguish the unnecessary from the essential.

And one shouldn't expect too much.

Best,
Bernd
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Old 07-19-2013, 08:44 AM   #12
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

Quote:
Bernd Lehnen wrote: View Post
Yes, lots of.
But there is a lot of brainwash, superstition, fraud and trickery out there, too. So one has to be very careful to choose from the texts or especially when choosing ones teacher. It isn't always easy to distinguish the unnecessary from the essential.

And one shouldn't expect too much.

Best,
Bernd
That is quite true. I would avoid texts, in general, and focus on individual teachers who have "unusual power" and skills, and teach their method openly. The terminology they use correlates with the principles and body skills they teach, and thus it serves as part of the learning tool ... instead of as a confusing bunch of words and poetry that a student can't connect directly to what they are doing in practice.

A great example of descriptive terminology that works with the body skills, is I Liq Chuan, a contemporary "mixed martial art" derived from several old, traditional internal systems.

Daito-ryu could have a similar language to aid in its transmission. If I am not mistaken, some independent DR teachers are developing such language and utilizing it in their teaching.
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Old 08-02-2014, 01:51 PM   #13
Chris Li
 
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

Now available in Romanian, courtesy of Aikido Jurnal. The original English version is available on the Aikido Sangenkai blog.

Best,

Chris

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Old 03-26-2017, 10:24 AM   #14
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Re: What is Aiki? Introduction to a method of analyzing Aiki. (Part 1)

Now available in Russian, courtesy of Ivan Labushevskiy. The original English version is available on the Aikido Sangenkai blog.

Best,

Chris

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