Aikido in a Work Out Gym

Hi everyone,

I comment I posted in another thread made me think....

I go to a gym to work out every other night(my first time, been doing it for about a month). My gym instructor said that as a newbie to "lifitng" he was pretty impressed with the stable control I had over my bodily movements...

example: when doing chest lifting, he pionted out that regardless of the weight I was carrying, my arms were very stable during the times they were extended straight out....

I was thinking, was this a manifestation of the undbendable arm we practice in aikido?

___________

Also, in Aikido we train to conserve and control energy, whereas working out requires the exertion of a lot of enegy.... how else can we apply Aikido in situations like these?

ideas, opinons?

thanks all.

Body mind, and breath control does transfer to other activities.
Compliments.

Terry Ezra Shihan of Birkenhead UK employs heavy iron balls to develop efficient body movement - anti-weight training if you will.

I should point out that I'm not trained in this system myself, but have seen it's value.

Mark Walsh wrote: Terry Ezra Shihan of Birkenhead UK employs heavy iron balls to develop efficient body movement - anti-weight training if you will. I should point out that I'm not trained in this system myself, but have seen it's value.

Can you explain this? or do you have a link to a website detailing what he does? I've never heard of it.

If it is just kata with 5lb. iron metal balls, then I kinda get it. If he does something more, I'd like to know what.

Thanks!

John, I got myself two iron balls last time I visited Birkenhead a few weeks ago, two things that sensei showed me to do with them were - moving your body like in torifune, letting the balls swing up and then not swing back down but drop down by relaxing the elbows. Hmm does that make sense? So go forward like ikkyo undo I guess but not coming back along the same arch with the arms but letting elbows drop.

The other things was standing holding the balls in the palms of your hands (or actually a bit more towards the fingers) over your head (a bit behind), fingers pointing backwards, and shaking your arms so that the balls kinda roll a bit in your hands.

kvaak
Pauliina

Terry Ezra Shihan of Birkenhead UK employs heavy iron balls to develop efficient body movement - anti-weight training if you will. I should point out that I'm not trained in this system myself, but have seen it's value.

As in weights on the legs during technique application?

This sounds very intresting indeed... I wonder if likie in working out, this'll add "strength" to your movements... is that right?

Rene Vencer, Jr wrote: As in weights on the legs during technique application?

No, you hold the balls in your hands. But thanks for the mental image.

kvaak
Pauliina

"Can you explain this? or do you have a link to a website detailing what he does? I've never heard of it."

I'm under-qualified to answer this but I'll give it a go....

As I understand it the use of the weights promotes relaxed, efficient body movement and extension. Because it makes things bloody hard work - your body learns to economize. Same principle as training the same technique for a few hours non-stop. Another way they can help is by increasing and thus he lighting the physical forces at work on your body when you perform an action, for example tenkan.

I might have completely missed the point. There's a good called Iron Balls and Elbow Power available through Ezra Shihan's organization site:

http://www.aikido.co.uk/books.htm

I happily put this plug in for two reasons: Ezra Shihan has personally been supportive of me over the years, and I regard him as one of the finest aikido instructors in the world (having seen many), who I would love to see better recognized by the wider aikido community.

Does anyone know what is a good weight to use and where I can buy them in the U.S.?