Stagiu Aikido cu Hiroaki Izumi

Însemnări de la Stagiul Federaţiei de Aikido Tradiţional cu Prof. Hiroaki Izumi (56 ani, elevul a numeroşi mari profi japonezi de Aikido, foşti elevi ai lui O Sensei; autorul unei serii de videolecţii despre principiile Aikido). La Notiţe au colaborat Alex Andrei, Ioana Bărbulea, Octav Bărbulea.

ZIUA 1: 13.11.2010

1. În Aikido analizăm/ exersăm principiile şi sperăm să iasă/ reuşească o tehnică/ procedeu; în celelalte Arte Marţiale exersăm/ studiem procedee/ tehnici şi sperăm să ajungem la principii.

2. A început (un fel de încălzire) cu:

- înaintarea/ păşirea cu fiecare picior spre 45º faţă de direcţia înainte, respectiv 90º între axele labelor picioarelor; mereu corpul înaintează în direcţia degetelor de la piciorul/ laba dinainte !!

- apoi Tenkai ;

- apoi un fel de Taisabaki pe 3 paşi (1 pas înainte + Tenkai + 1 pas înapoi !!!) urmărind să ajungă cu buricul/ greutatea - înainte/ pe piciorul dinainte [Nota Mea = NM: oarecum echivalent cu exerciţiul #2 de Taisabaki inventat de mine];

La Taisabaki piciorul dinainte păşeşte şi lateral (pentru a eschiva lovitura), nu doar înainte; astfel elevul nu mai rămâne/ face rotirea pe loc [NM: din acest motiv eu susţin că nu există Taisabaki pe 1 pas!].

3. Orice procedeu se face numai după ce intri/ ajungi undeva lateral şi în spatele Uke, ca să-i vezi (bine) spatele/ ceafa! De fapt e vorba despre intrarea la 45º, poziţionarea corectă faţă de Uke şi dezechilibrarea lui.

4. Aikido = Ukemi/ să (accepţi) să cazi tu; NU trântirea lui Uke!

În Aikido Nage acţionează cu intenţia de a cădea el, nu ca să-l trântească pe Uke! Orice procedeu e un fel de auto-aruncare, de sacrificiu, nu (doar) aruncarea lui Uke!! Totuşi, dacă acţionezi sincer - Uke cade primul şi apoi Nage cade peste/ după el (cam aşa trebuie să fie intenţia – dar practic Nage nu mai cade!).

5. Nage trebuie să evite/ anuleze slack/ bucla/ lipsa de tensiune între el şi Uke/ vezi demonstraţia cu centura (NM: inventată de Koichi Tohei), de aia braţele/ coatele trebuie să fie mereu întinse – adică Uke să fie menţinut mereu în dezechilibru/ mişcare (Nage să nu retragă buricul)!

Izumi zice: asta e Hanmi – şi O Sensei zicea că baza Aikido este Hanmi (stabil), adică Zenkutsu Dachi, cu greutatea pe piciorul dinainte (+ Izumi stă cu trunchiul aplecat – vezi #17).

6. Mâinile se ţin şi se mişcă mereu NUMAI în faţa buricului (ca şi când ar ţine sabia). Dacă Uke te ţine bine şi nu poţi mişca mana, laşi mâna ta pe loc/ acolo unde o ţine el şi mişti corpul (înaintând la 45º); asta îl dezechilibrează; apoi îl apeşi/ arunci spre Sumi Otoshi (al 3-lea punct – care are 2 locaţii: una înaintea/ în faţa labelor lui Uke şi alta înapoia ei).

7. Despre Fixări/ Katame Waza :

Poziţia corpurilor : pentru a fixa Nage stă/ se poziţionează faţă în faţă cu Uke + mereu va fixa doar când îî vede spatele lui Uke, apoi se duce/ intră/ înaintează peste/ prin el/ Centrul său!! manevrându-i cotul cât mai sus (adică departe de Centrul său – vezi avantajul pârghiei/ momentului.

apoi (alte principii caracteristice/ specifice fiecărui procedeu de fixare):

- la Ikkyo : Nage stă alături/ cu labele lângă/ la acelaşi nivel cu ale lui Uke;

- la Nikyo : Nage stă mai în spatele/ înapoia lui Uke, ca să rămână loc pentru a-i putea răsuci mâna; Izumi apucă mâna lui Uke rotindu-i braţul de 1,5-2 ori + ţinând palma Ai deschisă şi nemişcată, apăsată pe dosul mâinii lui Uke, pe care o manevrează din cot cu cealaltă mână (cea Gyaku);

- la Sankyo : Nage fixează văzându-i spatele lui Uke;

- la Yonkyo : Nage nu îl doboară cu durerea, ci din Ki, apoi îl fixează nedureros – dar dacă Uke încearcă să scape – îl doare/ adică singur îşi face rău !

Pt. situaţia Omote/ intrare - apăs cu rădăcina degetului meu arătător pe nervul ulnar din partea osului dinspre burta antebraţului ; pt. Ura/ Tenkan – apăs nervul pe partea laterală a osului/ antebraţului, cu partea laterală a degetului meu arătător.

- continuă cu Koshi Nage. La acest procedeu distanţa între Nage şi Uke e mai mică decât la fixările de mai sus.

La prezentarea celor 5 procedee (Izumi zice că ele ar fi înrudite) a vorbit despre Ma-Ai. Tehnica Aikido înseamnă să te poziţionezi corect faţă de Uke – vezi #3 mai sus. După ce/ dacă Nage ajunge în poziţia bună nici nu mai contează ce face, căci Uke pierde automat!

Diferenţa între Kata şi Waza : Kata e o execuţie mai lentă/ statică, în vreme ce Waza e varianta de execuţie mai dinamică, mai apropiată de autoapărarea reală.

8. Ryote Tori Irimi Nage

Intrarea se face diferit în variantele: modelul Jo şi modelul Ken:

- la varianta Jo:

se stă în Hanmi cu tălpile la 90º, după ce Uke apucă Ryote Tori în Gyaku Hanmi (Izumi îi zice Morote Dori) Nage intră înaintând cu piciorul din spate un pas la 45º (opus mâinii apucate) şi îndoind mult genunchiul + talpa la 90º faţă de talpa cealaltă, apoi se ridică, apoi Tenkai = Sokumen Irimi Nage;

- la varianta Ken:

Morote Dori - las mâna apucată pe loc şi înaintez cu piciorul dinainte până îi văd spatele, apoi Tenkai cu ambele mâini sus ca şi când aş ţine mânerul Ken, apoi un alt Tenkai şi îl dobor “tăindu-l” cu sabia peste gât.

9. - Kokyu Nage = intrare direct înainte, cu palma în sus şi braţul întins înainte şi în sus (aprox. la 30º) – Uke cade pe spate în linie cu înaintarea mea;

- Irimi Nage = Uke cade perpendicular pe direcţia înaintării mele (care era prin păşire cam la 45º faţă de el, prin spatele lui, apoi intrare peste/ spre Centrul lui).

10. Dacă Uke nu atacă tare/ sincer – nu e pericol şi nu e nevoie să foloseşti tehnica Aikido; în plus, tehnica nu reuşeşte!

ZIUA 2: 14.11.2010

11. A arătat Ryote Tori Tenchi Nage

Shiho Nage din K T AiHanmi – Omote şi Ura

K T AiHanmi – Kote Gaeshi

12. Ca pregătire/ încălzire: lucru cu partenerul: o extensie puternică pe dos/ dezdoire/ extensie a umărului partenerului. Ca să iasă bine şi Uke să simtă ceva, Nage trebuie să împingă cu braţele întinse şi cu picioarele in poziţia Hanmi (aprox Zenkutsu Dachi), din spate, umărul lui Uke cam în sus, astfel ca Uke să se ridice pe vârfuri! (nu e chiar uşor/ odihnitor pt. Nage).

13. La Ryote Tori Tenchi Nage:

A. Laba din faţă se roteşte mult în afară (la 90º) iar mâna opusă înaintează (jos) în lateral în direcţia vârfului labei! Corpul meu/ Nage se roteşte până la 180º!!!

B. Uke se dezechilibrează/ deplasează din cauză că eu îndoi genunchii!! Altfel - stă pe loc!

C. La sfârşit, mâna cealaltă (de sus) taie Shomen Uchi şi îl doboară pe Uke. Ambele braţe se mişcă împreună cu trunchiul, cam în acelaşi plan vertical faţă de Hara.

14. La toate procedeele Uke trebuie dezechilibrat, apoi să fie menţinut în starea asta.

Dovada că Uke e bine dezechilibrat =

- uneori - ajunge să stea pe vârfuri (călcâiele ridicate),

- alteori (când se apleacă) - se sprijină cu mâna pe sol,

- alteori chiar este nevoit sa cadă.

În cazul Shiho Nage din K T AiHanmi, la varianta Jo apeşi cu umărul pe umărul lui Uke în sus (vezi Încălzirea/ #12) dar îţi ţii cotul jos!!! Dacă îi blochezi cotul lui Uke, adică îţi ridici cotul tău, Uke îşi poate coborî cotul lui şi te doboară!! (la varianta Ken nu mai apeşi cu umărul, tai direct în jos).

15. (Toate) Procedeele din Aikido pot fi făcute în sistemul/ varianta Ken sau în sistemul/ varianta Jo.

Asta a demonstrat-o cu Shiho Nage din KT AiHanmi:

- Varianta Jo = laba din faţă sucită mult (90º?) în afară; mâinile se răsucesc faţă de antebraţe/ deci îi răsuceşti antebraţul!; trunchiul (greutatea) se mută de pe un picior pe altul;

- Varianta Ken = laba din faţă înainte!!; mâinile nu se răsucesc faţă de antebraţe (căci sabia e menţinută mereu cu tăişul înainte!) – deci NU-i răsuceşti antebraţul; la răsucire, trunchiul (greutatea) NU se mută de pe un picior pe altul (buricul se mişcă pe loc); mâinile sunt ţinute mereu în faţa frunţii, cu coatele întinse;

- Atenţie să nu se amestece cele 2 variante! Adică mişcările mâinilor de la Jo cu mişcarea picioarelor de la Ken!?

- Varianta Jo e mai puternică deoarece foloseşte mişcarea/ rotirea şoldurilor, însă necesită îndoirea genunchilor etc. – e greu de făcut la bătrâneţe; varianta Ken e mai rapidă, nu necesită efort mare la genunchi. De aceea aproape toţi marii profesorii de Aikido au evoluat în timp/ cu vârsta, de la execuţii în varianta Jo (la tinereţe) spre varianta Ken la bătrâneţe (un mare prof i-a spus lui Izumi să se grăbească, să termine videolecţia cu subiectul acesta până nu îmbătrâneşte prea tare şi încă mai poate îndoi genunchii/ ilustra idea).

- Varianta Ken e chiar atât de iute şi periculoasă, încât Izumi aminteşte un accident de „ruperea gâtului” unui Uke care n-a mai putut cădea bine (Ushiro) deoarece n-a putut reacţiona suficient de rapid / nu şi-a putut roti corpul/ n-a mişcat piciorul. (Pentru a cădea Ushiro trebuie făcut un pas în spate; câteodată se lucrează la nivel foarte jos, deoarece varianta Ken se face rapid? nu mai e timp să faci săritura peste mână şi cazi în cap).

16. Sabia (japoneză/ în Aikido??) taie numai în planul vertical median/ în faţa buricului (Shomen Uchi) ; NU există tăieturi orizontale etc??; (NM: cu idea asta încă nu sunt de acord!!).

Traiectoria în diagonală pt. Yokomen Uchi (Kesa Giri) se obţine din combinarea a 2 mişcări:

a) tăierea standard verticală Shomen, inclusiv mişcarea laterală a piciorului dinainte +

b) îndoirea genunchiului şi aplecarea trunchiului.

Rezultă un fel de curbă/ tăietură înclinată, însă foarte puţin, vreo 15º faţa de verticală??.

17. În gândirea samurailor/ profilor japonezi de Arte Marţiale, regula: „spinarea dreaptă” NU înseamnă şi verticală, ci aplecată! Apare o linie dreaptă dar aplecată ce uneşte călcâiul piciorului din spate cu şoldul şi ceafa, în prelungirea piciorului din spate (din Zenkutsu Dachi).

(NM: cu idea asta încă nu sunt de acord!!)

18. Pt. Kote Gaeshi

- Normal: intri până ajungi să-i vezi spatele (din partea mâinii lui), apoi îi suceşti mâna şi îl dobori spre punctul (al 3-lea) din spate (dar MEREU înaintând/ împingând!), deci cade Ushiro;

- Variantă: ca să evite nu mai ştiu ce/ o accidentare?? şi să doboare spre punctul (al 3-lea) din faţă, Nage va merge prin faţa lui Uke până în partea cealaltă/ îi vede spatele dinspre omoplatul mâinii neapucate, apoi îl doboară în Mae Ukemi.

19. În Aikido mişcarea corpului e totul iar braţele/ mâinile sunt doar pt legătură, nu au forţă deloc – a demonstrat cu 2 foi de hârtie răsucite pe care Uke trebuie să le prindă iar Izumi îi face Tenchi Nage; a pus şi un Nage mic să facă exerciţiul ăsta (pe Oana).

A subliniat că mâinile stau tot timpul in faţa trunchiului, una mai jos şi una mai sus, dar aprox. în acelaşi plan vertical.

20. Câteva variante de Irimi Nage - tehnica lui preferată, cea mai apropiată de realitate, când Uke te prinde de piept - cazi/ te arunci pe el, sau îl manipulezi/ dobori/ (eventual îl înţepi în gât cu bastonul de Shihan...).

3: Sayonara party

21. La Rei trunchiul se apleacă numai la 15º - de ce? Până ce sabia ţinută la brâu ajunge la orizontală, să poată fi scoasă uşor/ nu se lovească de sol. (NM: explicaţia mea e necesitatea vigilenţei permanente; deci respect, dar aplecare max. cât să mai vezi ochii celui din faţă).

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sursa articol: http://derlogea.ro/10-noutati

The Psychology of Aikido by George S. Ledyard

The Psychology of Aikido
by George S. Ledyard

Many people are familiar with Aikido, the non-violent Japanese martial art which allows self defense without serious injury to an attacker. Not many however, know that the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, intended for Aikido to be primarily a means of personal transformation and by extension a means for the world to better itself.

The mechanism which allows a martial art to also promote Peace is a very interesting one. One often hears Aikido called moving Zen but without direct exposure to Aikido practice it is difficult to know what that statement actually means. Aikido is usually done via paired movements in which one person is designated as the attacker (or person who initiates the interaction) and the other is the designated defender (or person who strives to blend with attacker’s energy, redirect it, and resolve the conflict by placing the attacker in a position from which he can not continue the attack). This is done without a competitive frame of mind, rather the practice is entirely

cooperative with each practitioner striving to act out his or her own role with total commitment in order to facilitate the mutual practice.

But what makes such a practice transformational? One element is in the nature of the Aikido interaction itself. Each practitioner’s role calls for total attention on staying "connected" with the other person’s center. In other words after the initial attack is initiated, each partner is attempting to experience the full extent of the movement and energy of the technique not to resist the other. If each partner is devoting his full attention to blending with the energy given by the other partner who is actually in control of the technique?

This is the meditative aspect of Aikido training. Nothing can be forced or the interaction breaks down and becomes merely mechanical. True non-resistance calls for a "letting go" of the various ego generated insecurities which cause conflict in the first place. Just as in Zen meditation in which one does not repress extraneous thoughts in order to calm the mind but rather simply notes each thought in turn without "attaching" to them, one does not "attach" to the force of an attack but instead uses natural movements to allow the force to run itself out and come to a new balance in which the inherent conflict is resolved. As one meditation teacher put it "You can’t stop the wave but you can learn to surf."

Aikido movements reflect the essential movements and energies of nature. Here we find another aspect of the practice which encourages personal transformation. Jungian derived psychology says that we are not simply one unified personality but rather a set of personalities or selves, some of which are conscious and others are unconscious or disowned. The process of enhancing mental health is one of integrating these often conflicting aspects into a "whole person" who operates from awareness of all of the various sides of his or her own nature.

Since the disowned selves are often the parts of us that carry the socially unacceptable aspects or parts of us that don’t mesh with the primary selves which we show to the world they are sometimes referred to as the "dark" side of ourselves. Bringing awareness to this side and in some way acknowledging that the energy contained therein is also a part of ourselves is what much of therapy is about.

Aikido techniques are designed to be done without injury to the partner. Yet the energies one is channeling are both benevolent such as a flowing stream of water or a cool breeze and at the same time potentially destructive such as a tidal wave or hurricane or tornado. Both types are natural but one could say that they represent the light and the dark sides of Nature. So within the context of Aikido training one has a means to express the dark side of his or her nature and integrate it with the light side in a way that is safe yet doesn’t repress or disown that dark side energy.

A person who is afraid of his own deeply seated anger issues and has therefore relegated them to the unconscious level can find that the energy of that disowned side so long disowned can be safely released because the nature of the practice allows it to be done safely and in manageable doses. A student who had a chaotic and unpredictable childhood might have developed a primary personality which is very controlling, attempting to force predictability and therefore safety on his environment. Aikido practice will not only encourage that person to let go of the urge to "control" but will actually teach him that true safety lies in not trying to control what can not be controlled.

Aikido is about bringing all of the different sides of our selves into balance both psychologically and physically. It calls for shifts of those very blockages which effect us in all the rest of our lives. It was the dream of the Founder of Aikido that if enough people were to discover his art it would begin to transform society and the world for the better because just as in the individual each society has its own primary and disowned selves. Greater awareness or mindfulness on the part of an increasing number of individual members of society will inevitably begin to bring its issues into the collective consciousness and allow us to work on them.

Aikido Zoo Ukemi

Aikido ukemi practice, not only for kids

Aikido Randori and Jiyu Waza

Aikido Randori and Jiyu Waza

Randori is the simplest and probably most misunderstood part of Aikido today. “Randori” simply translated means, “full speed, anything goes!” There are no restrictions on speed or type of attacks (anything goes). It is the culmination of all that we train for and truly demonstrates how well you have developed the unification of mind, body, and spirit. There is no other practice in Aikido that can do this.

O’Sensei knew that in the final analysis only an Aikidoka, who has unified his/her mind, body, and spirit through rigorous Aikido training, would be able to defeat multiple attackers if logical reasoning and diplomacy fail.

The main reason I found randori to be so difficult is really quite simple. The Ukes made no real attempt to hit you or attack you in any manner, but rather they made some kind of slow useless gesture that did not resemble any form of real attack. Always remember this. In randori “the Ukes attacks must be real!” The Ukes, and the Instructors, are not helping the Nage by making half hearted, slow moving attacks that are just plain worthless. The only way you can truly find out how much you have been able to unify mind, body, spirit, and how strong your KI has developed is through real randori. It takes a calm spirit, relaxed mind in control of it self , and a reasonably healthy body to do well in randori, as well as life in general.

There have been several times during our Saturday night randori that I used a pair of Karate sparring gloves when it is my turn to be one of the Ukes. In the beginning I had no trouble hitting everyone there, but the more we practiced randori the better everyone got. The main reason they improved so dramatically is that I was really trying to hit them and break through their defenses. This gave them a taste of the real thing and a chance for us to analyze apparent suki (weaknesses) in their defense/offense. I found that for the most part they rarely made the same mistake a third time. They also realized that even if they were unable to execute a technique, that getting out of the way of the attack was very important, especially when we were doing randori with various weapons.

When the Aikidoka first starts participating in randori, his/her Ashi Sabaki (footwork) and Te Sabaki (hand movement) during the execution of their Aikido techniques are usually very awkward, sloppy, clumsy, poorly timed, and for the most part unsuccessful. When this occurs the first thing usually out of the instructor’s mouth is, “OK everyone slow down.” “WRONG!” Everyone should do more randori.

However, there are intermediate practices you can do. Such as;

“Jiju Waza”: This is a form of free style practice that invokes the use of only a specific set of attacks and/or defenses that can be done at various speeds but still employs the use of multiple attackers.

“Jiyu Waza”: This is free style attack and defense that is done one on one.

Both Jiju and Jiyu Waza will definitely help you develop and improve your skills for randori. However, nothing can help your ability to do well in randori except, DOING LOTS OF RANDORI!

I certainly agree that randori can be extremely difficult, very frustrating, and some times even painful. But it is always better to take your lumps in the safety of your dojo rather than learning the hard way out on the street. In today’s world there are NO second chances on the street

Article source: http://www.aikidotacoma.org/randori.htm

Aikido Front Feather Fall Instruction - Ostoff Style

Aikido Front Feather Fall Instruction - Ostoff Style

Aikido Principles - Leading and Following

Waveform Aikido

Ukemi Practice

Ukemi Core Training

Basic Ukemi Progression: Forward Rolls to Standard Breakfalls

USF Back Feather Breakfall Instruction

Forward Solo Feather Falls

See more videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/usfaikido#p/u/4/cxkOHw0PKjk

Aikido Technique Movies

Aikido Technique Movies:
http://aikidotechnique.net/

About Aikido:
http://www.fightauthority.com/fighting-styles/japanese-martial-arts/aikido/

Aikido for beginners - Kensho Furuya sensei

Aikido for beginners - Furuya sensei

















Interview with Rev. Kensho Furuya

Kodo: Ancient Ways Book by Furuya

Slow Movement with Awareness: Better than Exercise?

How you move is as important as how much you move

Published on July 6, 2010

Cardiovascular exercise is now known to be essential for health and well-being. If exercise is your only form of movement, however, it is not a very balanced diet. There is mounting evidence that slow movement, with body sense awareness, has astounding health benefits by itself and in combination with regular exercise routines.

According to a recent article in the Los Angeles times, there are a growing number of pain clinics and integrative medicine centers that offer slow movement, awareness-based therapies (like hatha yoga and tai chi) for pain in a wide variety of conditions including "pain caused by cancer and cancer treatments, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases and conditions." Throw away the pills? Stop getting injections? Scrap the pain management therapy groups? Stop the sweaty workouts? Maybe not entirely, but regular slow movement classes are increasingly seen as having essential "nutrients" for the body.

Related Links

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Compared to a standard care control group, people with chronic low back pain who took 12 weeks of hatha yoga classes had less pain, depression, and disability and reported greater overall improvement in quality of life. Similarly, 12 weeks of tai chi has been shown to relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, including less pain and stress, more body awareness, and more confidence in moving. A literature search on Google scholar turned up many more studies like these.

Some pain clinics have been sufficiently impressed with these findings to fit some kind of slow movement practice into their treatment protocols. But why do they work? It is difficult to argue that the general benefits of cardiovascular exercise for health and well being extend to slow and deliberate practices like hatha yoga and tai chi. Some experts suggest that these slow methods instead increase the parasympathetic relaxation response which in turn reduces the stress response, promotes immune function that inhibits inflammation and stimulates healing.

This is all correct but there is one element missing in these accounts: the role of body sense. As I have written in this blog and elsewhere, links between parasympathetic and immune systems are amplified and strengthened via neural circuitry that connects peripheral sensors and effectors in the body with brain-based limbic-prefrontal-sensorimotor networks for embodied self-awareness (body sense) and self-regulatory prefrontal areas. Moving slowly and with awareness promotes all of these benefits. Cardiovascular exercise with body sense has more benefits than exercising while otherwise preoccupied. Interval exercise, with frequent rest periods giving time to pay attention to the body, has benefits over and above long workouts. Slow movement is like Slow Food in which all acts related to eating - shopping, preparing, ingesting, and digesting - are done with awareness and presence.

Paying attention to the body is like shining a direct spotlight on areas of pain. Not such a great idea, to focus on pain? Actually, it is the best cure for pain because the attention spotlight helps to direct the body's own healing resources to the affected areas. Body sense is medicine. It is nature's perfect blend of psyche and soma in which the practice of attention regulation promoted by slow movement practices combines with the body's readiness to direct its resources toward healing. It can only do that if we reduce stress, slow down, and pay attention.

Aside from the legacy slow movement practices of yoga, tai chi, qi gong, aikido, and others, there are many movement practices, a few of which are mentioned here, that were developed in the 20th century and that also lend themselves to similar psychophysiological effects. Moshe Feldenkrais invented a system of body movement education-the Feldenkrais method-that reawakens, develops, and organizes capacities for kinesthetic (sensorimotor) learning. Whereas children before the age of three learn movements by relying on their sensorimotor experience, older children and adults in technological cultures often behave according to social expectations, distancing themselves from their bodily feelings. Feldenkrais "Awareness through Movement" classes teach moving with awareness and ease.

The freeform movement of Modern Dance, and observations of infant movement, inspired other movement disciplines, and modern dance classes are readily available for novices as well as experts. Bodymind centering, created by dance teacher and physical therapist, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, is a method of movement awareness in which adults perform exercises based on the normal stages of infant sensorimotor development. In this way, clients can reconnect with their body sense and possibilities for self-discovery that may have been lost as they grew up.

Marion Rosen developed a method of movement awareness that is also based on physical therapy and modern dance approaches . A Rosen Movement class involves a series of gentle movements done to music. Some of the movements and postures are done with people standing in a circle, either with or without holding onto their neighbors. Other movements are done sitting or lying, or walking across the floor, sometimes with and sometimes without partners.

Other exercises allow a person to move their arms up and down, for example, while a partner gently touches their shoulder blades, enhancing the body sense awareness of how the shoulder blade moves in relation to the arm. Rosen Movement increases flexibility, opens the posture for co-regulated engagement with others, emphasizes embodied self-awareness and the joy of movement, and teaches about finding comfort and enjoyment in touching and moving with other people. Feldenkrais, Rosen, and Cohen also developed hands-on bodywork methods that are similarly meant to enhance the body sense.

NIA, or Neuromuscular Integrative Action, developed by Debbie and Carlos Rosas, is more active than the other practices mentioned here. It combines a cardiovascular workout with movement awareness and is done barefoot to music. NIA uses elements of tai chi, aikido, modern dance, Feldenkrais, and yoga, among other methods. Using the sounds and silences of music, students experience feeling the sense of joy in movement in a way that encourages an embodied self-awareness of agility, mobility, stability, flexibility, and strength. NIA teachers encourage students to actively listen, feel, and observe their bodies in motion.

read full article here: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/body-sense/201007/slow-movement-awareness-better-exercise

Overview of Systema and its Relevance to Aikido - by Stanley Pranin

Overview of Systema and its Relevance to Aikido

Available Languages:

• English
• Português Brasileiro

by Stanley Pranin

Published Online

Seeing Systema for the first time

Mikhail Ryabko

My first exposure to Systema, the Russian Martial Art popularized by Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev, came in April 2001. I was in attendance at the formal presentation of a Shindo Yoshin-ryu Menkyo Kaiden to Sensei Toby Threadgill in Dallas, Texas. At the party following the ceremony, a group gathered in the living room to watch martial arts videos. At least 20 of us—mostly seasoned martial artists with decades of training experience—watched parts of videotapes of several styles and eventually got to one on a Russian martial art that most were seeing for the first time.

The tape featured a certain Mikhail Ryabko conducting a seminar in Russia for a group of visiting foreign martial artists. Mikhail. a recently-retired colonel in the Russian Army, is a short, stout man with incredible sensitivity whose movements seemed more “aiki”-like than what goes on in most aikido dojos. The husky foreign students on the video were obviously strong, experienced people and Mikhail easily dispatched them in a way that might look faked to the untrained eye. We all were captivated by Mikhail’s skills and some very nice compliments were offered by those present. I made a mental note to check out this Systema more in detail at some later date.

James Williams

A few months later I received an enthusiastic call from James Williams of Bugei Trading Company who had visited Toronto to attend a Systema seminar taught by Mikhail Ryabko and hosted by Vladimir Vasiliev. James, as is well-known to many Aikido Journal readers, has an extensive background in both empty-handed and weapons-based arts and is not easily impressed. He was effusive in his praise of Mikhail and Vladimir and went on to say that he had never seen a teaching methodology that could develop skilled students so quickly.

Shortly thereafter, I purchased several Systema tapes featuring Mikhail and Vladimir to take a closer look for myself. What I saw was truly impressive! The scope of the curriculum and sophistication of the techniques were remarkable. Not only did I want to try Systema myself, but I got to thinking that cross-training in this art might be of great benefit to aikidoka so compatible were the two systems. It was a natural jump from there to proposing to James that Systema might fit very nicely with the theme of Aiki Expo 2003. James liked the idea and, on my urging, extended an invitation to Vladimir Vasiliev to join our group of seminar instructors at this year’s Aiki Expo. Vladimir seemed pleased at this invitation coming from outside of the Systema circle and accepted.

Since I still had no first hand knowledge of Systema, I talked with James about going to Toronto to meet with Vladimir in person. James, whose enthusiam for Systema had redoubled after traveling to Moscow to again train with Mikhail, seemed to be looking for a good excuse to go a second time to Toronto.

To Toronto with James to meet Vladimir

Vladimir Vasiliev

On October 10, 2002, James and I boarded a plane for Toronto to spend the weekend training with Vladimir and his students. We scheduled a time to meet with Vladimir privately to conduct an interview and to explain in greater detail the concept behind Aiki Expo 2003. I had high expectations about Vladimir based on what James had told me and my viewing of the Systema videotapes. Vladimir didn’t disappoint. He is one of the finest human beings I’ve ever met and a credit to the kind of person that Systema develops. His skills are astounding and in perfect consonnance with the philosophy of aikido. He never opposes an attack, but blends and leads the attacker into a fall or submission. Vladimir is humble but with complete confidence born of his many years of training and exposure to life-and-death situations.

Out on the mat I found the training in Systema to be very rigorous. It includes lots of pushups, situps, varied breathing exercises, and body strengthening exercises. Since it is so demanding, anyone who seriously trains will become very fit quickly. The techniques themselves are applied with wave and spiral-type motions which can transform into a cascade of follow-up movements depending on the reaction of the attacker. An important part of training time is devoted to light, sparring exercises that are quite enjoyable and constantly challenge you to resist the temptation to use power. Systema techniques performed at the highest level use only the minimum amount of energy and operate largely on a mental/psychic plane. Also, the variety of training scenarios is vast ranging from empty-handed attacks, to the use of various street and military weapons, multiple attacks, car-jackings, bodyguarding work, etc. You name it, Systema has a body of techniques to deal with it.

Vladimir has produced a series of more than 10 videotapes featuring Mikhail Ryabko and himself that are highly recommended.

James and I and two other visiting Americans were invited to Vladimir’s house for lunch on Saturday afternoon. His gracious wife Valerie and their three girls comprise the other members of the close-knit Vasiliev family. We had a chance to talk at length and I found Vladimir to be a deep thinker and, by nature, very spiritual. He also has a terrific sense of humor. Although not at liberty to discuss most aspects of his military career, he did relate a few episodes that underscored the life-and-death nature of some of his assignments.

Like Mikhail Ryabko, Vladimir is also a religious person. From visiting his home it was apparent by the prominent placement of Russian Orthodox icons that religious observances are a daily part of his family’s life. Having an intimate relationship with the Creator is an essential tenet of the Systema philosophy. Here are some quotes from a booklet he published a few years ago that touch on this theme:

Religion is [also] important. Realizing that, despite your skills and experience, you are still below God is essential. Humility must be served. Staying in contact with your “good” side and regular prayer are essential to a true master of the Russian Martial Art…

Certainly, not everyone who practiced these arts became good and respectful of God and nature, but the best masters did. When you reach a very high level of training, you come to understand that there is something beyond you. This understanding brings you to new levels of ability.

From The Russian System Guidebook, by Vladimir Vasiliev

Quoting Mikhail on religion during our conversation, Vladimir also related this semi-humorous and very perceptive remark: “[Mikhail] says, ‘There are no atheists in the trenches. Soldiers think of God ‘just in case.’

About Systema

The Systema that is being taught today to the general public has been refined by Mikhail Ryabko and disseminated by several of his students in Europe and North America. Mikhail Ryabko currently resides in Moscow and is an advisor to the Minister of Justice in Russia. In addition to his military duties and teaching assignments, Mikhail also hosts groups of foreign students who come to him for intensive training in Moscow.

Vladimir Vasiliev is one of Mikhail’s top students and relocated to Canada in 1993. He spent some 10 years with a Special Operations Unit of the Russian Army Special Forces. Vladimir operates a successful school in Toronto and teaches mainly in Canada and the USA.

The antecedents of Systema go far back in Russian history and much of the credit for the preservation of these traditions is due to Russian Orthodox monasteries. Following the Russian Revolution the military coopted these fighting skills and taught them to elite troops. Mikhail states that he received his training from one of Stalin’s bodyguards starting from boyhood. He further refined the knowledge transmitted to him eventually developing Systema into its modern form.

The technical curriculum taught to the Spetsnaz forces is extremely rigorous and designed to eliminate the fear of death in the trainees. Many of the drills inflict tremendous pain and suffering among the men in an effort to harden them for the battlefield and dangerous special missions. The training develops the trainees’ intuition to a high degree and teaches them to act spontaneously when in harm’s way.

Vladimir in action

In reading a description of some of the training exercises these men are put through, one is both shocked and fascinated at the same time that human beings can endure such treatment and maintain a state of mental equanimity. It’s hard to imagine anyone more prepared than these men for the kind of dangerous operations they carry out.

Vladimir Vasiliev’s training philosophy

Here are a few quotes from the above-mentioned booklet that will give some insight into Vladimir’s personal training approach which has been adapted for teaching to the general public:

… [I] try to keep the training sessions fun and urge you to do so, too. You should be serious on the inside, but on the outside look so as to relax your opponent. Again, I must make this point: If you’re serious when there is no threat, when a threat really does arrive you’ll be left with nothing in reserve. You’ve used yourself up and left no more room to make the transition from civilian to warrior.

… to master this system you must also be able to move so that your appendages and the rest of your body can move in different ways simultaneously. It’s a kind of 3-dimensional movement of the body.

All movements should be dynamic and multi-functional. You should never move just for the sake of moving. And at any moment, the whole body should be perceived and used as a complete system. Though one part of the body may be moved while others relax, they should never be cut off or physically or psychologically separated from the actions of the other parts.

… it is also essential to learn what your natural response is so that you can guard against it when in situations where it may be harmful…. awareness of your own body and identity along with what’s going on around you is essential to mastery of the Russian system.

Russian Health Method

Vladimir also practices a Russian health system that was developed by a philosopher named Porfiri Ivanov. This method was also a part of his training while serving in the Special Operations Unit in the Russian Army. The premise of this approach is to anticipate physical problems before they occur and stimulate the body’s immune system to ward off disease. Great care is taken to prevent the body and mind from reaching a state of exhaustion. Special breathing exercises and daily cold-water dowsing are used to energize the body and are important parts of this health method.

Systema and Aikido

Soon after getting my first serious glimpse of Systema, I began thinking that many of the principles and training methods employed by Mikhail and Vladimir might be highly relevant to aikido practice. As you know, the theme of Aiki Expo 2003 is “Realizing Aikido’s Potential.” Basically with Aiki Expo 2003, our hope is to bring to the forefront the martial aspect of aikido that has become rather neglected in the modern forms of the art. I believe Systema can play a significant role in this regard. We hope to have serious aikidoka reevaluate their training approaches and consider bringing their current practice more in line with the techniques and philosophy of Founder Morihei Ueshiba.

Ueshiba O-Sensei was heavily influenced by the Omoto religion during a turbulent time of Japanese hisotry. He emphasized both the martial and spiritual aspects of aikido and considered the two inseparable. Systema was born out of centuries of technical refinement on the battlefield as Russians repelled a multitude of enemies under vastly different combative conditions. It has had strong ties to the Russian Orthodox Church historically, a tradition that continues with Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev. With its dual emphasis on the martial and the spiritual, Systema shares much common ground with aikido. Aikidoka looking to revitalize their training will find in the techniques of Systema a powerful, energizing example. Systema will find in the aikido world a large community of serious-minded and ethical people desirous of impacting society in a positive, moral way.

I am certain that Systema will impact Aiki Expo 2003 in a major way that special weekend of September 19-21. I am equally sure that the interaction between Vladimir Vasiliev and the other Expo instructors and participants will result in the blossoming of lasting friendships and important interactions that will reshape our thinking and practice of aikido.

Stanley Pranin
February 2003

Those interested in more information on Systema and the relevant products we offer at Aikido Journal are encourage to click here.

Article source: http://www.aikidojournal.com/article?articleID=367

Aikido techniques against front kick (maegeri)

Four aikido techniques against maegeri (front kick): ikkyo, kokyuho, iriminage, and kotegaeshi. Here the kick is chudan maegeri (to the belly) but the aikido techniques are quite the same against jodan maegeri (to the head).
Stefan Stenudd is 6 dan Aikikai shihan. The attacker is Tony Johansson, and Mattias Enguis held the camera. For more on aikido, see:
http://www.stenudd.com/aikido

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY8xPVklX9I&feature=player_embedded

derlogea.ro - exercitii de indeminare si flexibilitate

Aikido e o metodă de (auto)educaţie pentru dezvoltare personală, în scopul îmbunătăţirii autonomiei, a propriei sănătăţi şi a modului de relaţionare cu cei din jur. Ea se adresează tuturor componentelor fiinţei: corp, minte, suflet. Studiem Calea Aiki (dar există încă multe alte Căi) ca să ajungem la Iluminare, sau la Trezire, adică dorim/ facem ceea ce chiar şi Imnul de Stat ne îndeamnă: “deşteaptă-te române”!

Sala/ încăperea în care se face Aikido se numeşte Dojo – adică “locul unde se studiază Calea”. Nu se numeşte Jutsujo - sau “locul unde se învaţă meserie”. Drumul spre Iluminare (Do) trece însă şi prin etapa Jutsu, adică nu putem ajunge la Aikido decât după ce învăţăm Aikijutsu. Aşa că într-un fel, orice Dojo e şi un fel de Jutsujo.

Ca orice « drum » anevoios – cum e orice proces serios de educaţie - Calea e plină de obstacole şi pericole. Există astfel pericolul ca studiul etapei Jutsu să devină un scop în sine, deoarece plăcerea luptei/ violenţei/ dominaţiei vine din adâncul fiinţei noastre de oameni, adică de animale supuse instinctelor şi altor pofte, pe care civilizaţia încearcă să le ascundă sau sublimeze. Studiul Căii înseamnă să luptăm din greu cu noi înşine pentru a nu uita nici un moment de ce studiem meseria (Jutsu): ca să ajungem la Iluminare - nu ca să ne satisfacem plăceri sau pofte.

Nu se poate ajunge la Iluminare fără suferinţă. Suferinţa necesară pentru autoeducaţie este preponderent corporală, însă cum cele trei componente ale fiinţei sunt strâns legate şi interdependente, adeseori acest chin autoeducativ pare a fi mai mult mintal/ sufletesc (dar nu e!). Poate că impresia e dată şi de marea cantitate de voinţă necesară pentru impunerea voluntară a acestui fel de masochism, adică un important consum nervos - iar "gândirea doare !". O astfel de alegere pentru gestionarea propriului mod de viaţă, bazată pe suferinţă şi sacrificii personale, poate părea anacronică – chiar bolnăvicioasă – în epoca actuală. Azi oamenii caută (de capul lor, sau ca urmare a manipulării lor mediatice de către tot felul de profitori ascunşi) doar satisfacţii maxime şi imediate (ca orice animal), fără nici un gând sau respect pentru comunitatea şi mediul înconjurător (acţiuni specifice oamenilor). Dar despre acest aspect – dacă mai trăim, atunci mai vedem şi mai discutăm ...

Se zice: sunt multe poteci care duc spre vârful muntelui, adică la Iluminare se poate ajunge prin diverse Căi. Suferinţa autoeducativă poate avea forme statice (meditaţie/ rugăciuni/ post etc.) şi dinamice (autoflagelare/ activităţi marţiale/ sporturi necompetitive extreme etc.).

Suntem unii (vreo 3000 în România, vreun milion în toată lumea) care am ales Calea Aiki ca să ajungem în vârful muntelui. Acest drum nu e nici mai greu nici mai uşor ca altele, dar întrucât nouă ne place, suportăm mai uşor chinurile aferente.

Meseria luptei (Aikijutsu) învaţă cum să-i învingi pe alţii şi se studiază preponderent prin exerciţii cu partener; studiul Căii e o luptă cu tine însuţi, deci o activitate mai mult individuală (chiar dacă exerciţiile cu partener constituie şi în această etapă o componentă esenţială a studiului).

Am observat că sunt disponibile multe informaţii (lecţii/ cărţi/ filme/ Internet etc.) despre exerciţiile Aikijutsu cu partener, dar relativ puţine despre cele individuale, specifice luptei cu tine însuţi. De aceea prezint în continuare astfel de exerciţii, care îmbină lupta cu slăbiciunile personale (adică întăresc corpul/ muşchii) cu avantajul dobândirii unor îndemânări utile pentru confruntarea cu un adversar. Chiar dacă ele nu provin din tradiţia Aikido, poate nici măcar din tradiţia japoneză, eu apreciez că toate exerciţiile indicate pot fi utile oricărui practicant sincer.

Exerciţii chinezeşti de îndemânare (Baguazhang) - vezi aici, aici şi aici.

Exerciţii ruseşti (Systema) pentru flexibilitate şi folosirea Hara - vezi aici, aici, aici, aici, aici şi aici.

Sursa: www.derlogea.ro

George Ledyard on Aiki, Kaeshiwaza, and more

George Ledyard on Aiki, Kaeshiwaza, and more

October 18th, 2010 by twistingwrists Categories: Media reviews, Words No Responses

“if the attacker understands what was just done to him, it wasn’t “aiki”

George Ledyard, long time student of Mitsugi Saotome and head instructor of Aikido Eastside in Washington state, was kind enough to take some time out of his day for an interview. I asked him about some of his views on Aikido, his training in Systema and Daito Ryu, and also his 2 new DVDs: Aiki & Connection and Principles of Kaeshiwaza.

TW: You spent a long time training under Saotome Sensei and are a well known instructor in your own right. How has your understanding of aikido changed or developed from what you learned from your teacher?

GL: I have been with Saotome Sensei since 1976. It would be hard to say that my understanding of Aikido changed or developed from what I have learned from Sensei, more that he formed my understanding of Aikido from the start. What really distinguishes Saotome Sensei’s Aikido is the balance between the art as a martial art and as a spiritual practice. Many folks these days do not seem to be able to hold those two aspects together. The art seems to have split into a group of folks who think it has something to do with “fighting” and spend their time preparing for some imagined and anticipated “street” encounter. I think these folks tend to be running a sort of modern day “samurai wanna be” story in their heads. On the other hand, many folks who are quite serious about Aikido as a means of personal transformation, or as a way towards conflict resolution, whatever are simply incapable of executing their techniques in a situation of real conflict.

Saotome Sensei taught us that one informs the other. If one stops fighting, stops “contending”, ones martial effectiveness is actually enhanced. Sensei has stated over and over, as the Founder himself did, that the art of Aikido is not about fighting. It is about “not fighting”. But, as a practice designed to be trans-formative, it operates with a martial paradigm. In other words, every aspect of ones spiritual understanding should be demonstrable in the physical realm on the mat. Spiritual ideas without the ability to actualize those ideas in our physical reality are just “wishful thinking”. Too many folks focus on the nice ideas and can’t back it up in their technique.

So what I received from Saotome Sensei, and he believes he received from O-Sensei, is the idea that there really is no separation between the martial and the spiritual in Aikido. If one really understands one side, he understands both. I am part of a direct transmission from the Founder to Saotome Sensei to my generation of students. Each generation takes what is given, to the best of its ability, and hopefully adds something from its own experience and then, in turn, passes to the next generation. Through Sensei I feel this connection to the Founder very strongly. I don’t think that everyone who does Aikido necessarily has this feeling.

TW: You have 2 new DVDs out. One is called Aiki Connection. Most of us think about connecting with our partners by blending and moving in the direction of the attack before redirecting. Is that what this DVD is about?

GL: I think this idea of “blending” is hugely misunderstood. We were all told, way back when we started, that Aikido meant the way of “harmony”. While the term “aiki” can have that flavor in Japanese, it is not how the term is used when talking about martial arts. A far better translation of the term for understanding technical issues is “joining”.

This isn’t just semantics… because we were told that Aikido was the art in which we “got off the line” of an attack, then redirected the energy of that attack into a sort of resolution, Aikido, which is fundamentally a study of connection, has tended to attract people who didn’t actually want to connect. The “martial” folks are busy trying to defeat the attack and the spiritual folks are trying to avoid it. Neither results in anything that can be considered “aiki”.
“Aiki” requires that one “join” with the energy of an attack. It requires first, a connection to the attacker’s center (this is physical at the beginning and later has more to do with connecting to their perception). One has to “touch” the attacker’s center and simultaneously balance that outflow by receiving the energy of the attack into ones own center (the spine). This balance between out and back sets of a neutral balance at the point of contact, whether it’s a grab or strike. It’s like the “scales of justice”… you could have twenty tons on either side of the scales and if they are in balance it takes only finger tip pressure to move it. If I can establish that balance with my partner / attacker, throwing is effortless. It is difficult to counter technique done in this manner because there is little or no feedback available to the partner about what’s happening because there is so little force applied at the point where they could feel it. There’s actually quite a bit of scientific information about how and why this works having to do with the myofascial structure of the body and how the gamma nervous system functions. Suffice it to say that in Aikido we strive to move the attacker’s mind so that his mind moves his body. A teacher, whose name I don’t recall summed this up by saying that “if the attacker understands what was just done to him, it wasn’t “aiki”. That’s basically the subject of this DVD set on Aiki and Connection… how does this work and how does on e actually do it. It’s not rocket science; it’s a totally teachable set of principles and skills. What is hard is doing them under pressure and that takes a lifetime of practice. But anyone can do Aikido with some “aiki”.

TW: The other DVD is something that hasn’t been covered much in book or video form and that is Kaeshiwaza (reversals). Do you feel this is an important part of training? At what level do you start teaching reversals?

GL: One of the biggest problems Aikido has is that somehow it has evolved into an art in which the practitioner strives to understand some very sophisticated techniques and principles while working with a partner who acts handicapped. Ukemi, as it is generally taught, has evolved into something that makes the teacher look good. This is terrible martial arts and really doesn’t require any degree of skill on the part of the practitioner to do technique. If you partner breaks his own balance, disolves his own structure just because his attack missed it’s target, throws himself simply because he perceived incoming in tent from his partner, no one really has any idea what is going on. The practitioner can’t know whether he actually did the technique or his partner “tanked” for him.

Ukemi needs to be re-tooled entirely in Aikido. The ukes role is to enhance the learning of the partner; not to “collude” and not to resist. Being a good uke is far more difficult than most folks realize. They think it means taking the fall. But for a true “aiki” interaction, both partners must actually be doing the same thing. Kaeshiwaza is the functioning of the principles of connection as shown in my earlier videos as it functions in the role of the uke. If an uke can deliver an attack and then properly stay connected with no break throughout the movement of the technique, then the least opening or break in the nage’s connection to uke’s center, the smallest tension or push-pull, an the technique can be reversed instantly with no “contention”, no warning to the nage that it is about to happen. This is why so-called “resistant” practice is bad martial arts. Resisting simply gives away that the technqiue is going to fail or will be difficult. It tells the nage in advance that he needs to make an adjustment. But correct kaeshiwaza is relaxed and doesn’t “telegraph” what is coming. The nage feels like O-Sensei right up until the technique disappears and his balance breaks.

In my opinion kaeshiwaza is at the heart of Aikido as a martial practice. It doesn’t make sense to try to teach it until the student has enough technique in his or her repertoire that they can be free about allowing the reversal to be what it needs to be and not something they are forcing. I think any time after thrid kyu, which for us is Brown Belt, you can start to teach it. What I like about that is it REQUIRES good ukemi skills to do. The uke simply must stay connected at all times with nage’s center in order to take advantage of an opening which is there. Without that connection, the nage can make a mistake and the uke isn’t in a position to do anything about it. So, even if one isn’t that entranced with the idea of reversing ones partner’s, it is simply the best practice I have found to develop a sense of continuous connection on the part of the uke.

Read more : http://twistingwrists.com/?p=618

Acupuncture and Aikido

Acupuncture and Aikido

About a year ago, I damaged my shoulder during a training session. The details of the incident escapes me now (something to do with shiho-nage..), but for the last 12 months I've been to doctors, taken painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, seen an osteopath, a chiropractor and had three 'complete' 10 week treatments with three different physiotherapists.

And it still hurts.

I can't bear my weight on it, so pull-ups and chins have disappeared from my exercise routine, and even the gentlest of sankyo/nikkyo/yonkyo pins leaves me twitching like a fish. I have it on very good authority that I have a torn rotator cuff and something else which I can never remember to do with an AC joint.

It was purely by chance that a friend of a friend recommended yet another Physio, saying that she had helped with a similar injury. By now I was ready to try anything, so I made an appointment and dutifully rolled up on time, expecting the usual manipulation and 'Theraband' rehab exercises. I lay down on the couch and she wiggled my arm around a bit and then said "Hang on, I'll go get my needles". "Sorry? I asked. "Needles" said she "You have come for acupuncture I'm assuming?". I hadn't, but if there is one thing Aiki teaches you it's to roll with whatever life serves up. "Errr.. yes. No problem".

5 minutes later I looked a bit like a porcupine with alopecia (see photo), or maybe a poor relation of that "pinhead" guys in the Hellraiser movies. She explained that not only did she need to get the blood flowing into the area that was injured so it could heal, but that the muscles around it had been protecting it for so long that they had set solid, so she needed to loosen them up too. In total there were 21 needles sticking out of me, starting between my toes and finishing in my neck.

The next bit is odd. I fell asleep. In the middle of the day, in a sunny room filled with traffic noise and the hubbub of the rest of the clinic through plasterboard walls I somehow managed to doze off. I was awakened by a slightly amused therapist telling me that it wasn't uncommon for people to react like this and that it showed she'd "shifted some energy". As she "un-needled" me, she explained that acupuncture worked by re-directing energy, and removing blockages. 're-directing energy... removing blockages'. Hmmmm... that rings a bell!

The more I thought about it, the more comparisons I could see between acupuncture and Aikido, both in a practical, physical, philosophical and physiological sense.

Practically, both systems are based upon sound physics. The bio-mechanics present within Aikido only function with an understanding and the correct application of the principles of leverage, force and inertia, and acupuncture relies upon stimulation of certain areas of the body which in turn affect it's energy flows. Cause and effect if you will.

Physically they both treat the body and it's place within the universe as a holistic, homogeneous receiver, generator and transmitter of energy. Philosophically, we touch on a key factor for me. Both Aikido and acupuncture 'work'. There are many studies which say that there is no clinical proof as to how acupuncture can treat ailments such as insomnia, diabetes, migraines, fatigue, even some cancers, but about a fifth of the population of this planet believes in it enough for it to be the mainstay of their health care system.

Similarly, Aikido has always had detractors, citing in-effectiveness in combat, no MMA aikido champions (!), no 'real' sparring within the syllabus (etc...) but if you look at most military close combat training, Police arrest training and most 'self-defense' courses, you will see a mix of jujutsu/Aikido in them all.

Acupuncture treatment regulates the flow of Qi (Ki) and Blood, fortifying where there is deficiency, draining where there is excess, and promoting free flow where there is stagnation or blockages. In a nutshell, the acupuncture approach is "no pain, no blockage; no blockage, no pain." Similarly, an Aikido fundamental is to "remove blockages" whether that be via re-direction, conflict resolution or even use of atemi.

Most modern acupuncturists use disposable stainless steel needles of fine diameter (0.007" to 0.020", 0.18 mm to 0.51 mm), sterilized with ethylene oxide or by autoclave. These needles are far smaller in diameter (and therefore less painful) than hypodermic injection needles since they do not have to be hollow for purposes of injection. The upper third of these needles is wound with a thicker wire (typically bronze), or covered in plastic, to stiffen the needle and provide a handle for the acupuncturist to grasp while inserting.

The size and type of needle used, and the depth of insertion, depend on the acupuncture style being practiced. In my experience some of the needles made me jump a bit initially, others were completely painless but then started to throb or "wake up" a bit as the point was stimulated. None of them can be described as being 'painful', although I have since compared notes with other patients and they have reported the occasional needle being very uncomfortable, in most cases though this fades during the treatment.

Have done a trawl of Google for "Aikido+Acupuncture" I was surprised to find very few article or websites that link the two, considering the obvious commonality. I was interested to see that MASAHILO M. NAKAZONO one of the Japanese Sensei that introduced Aikido into the UK was a practitioner of acupuncture. Nakazono sensei was responsible for awarding my sensei, H W Foster (now 7th dan) his nidan back in 1962 and was instrumental in establishing the "form system" within the syllabus of the pioneer clubs of british Aikido.

Read more : http://aikidoforbeginners.blogspot.com/2008/12/acupuncture-and-aikido.html

Taichi style Aikido 42 Forms

In 2003, Sugawara Sensei introduced the Taichi style Aikido 42 Forms. The kata, which is a series of Aikido techniques, was formed in just over 2 days

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTRJ0HeQkcs&NR=1

Kaeshi Waza - Technique reversal

Kaeshi Waza

Technique reversal. (UKE becomes NAGE and vice- versa). This is usually a very advanced form of practice. KAESHI WAZA practice helps to instill a sensitivity to shifts in resistance or direction in the movements of one's partner. Training so as to anticipate and prevent the application of KAESHI WAZA against one's own techniques greatly sharpens aikido skills.

The literal translation of //kaeshi// is "to return; reverse". Kaeshi waza is an attempt by uke to counter a technique and respond with another technique.

For example, if nage is performing nikyo but does not properly control the whole arm, then uke may try to drop the elbow and turn in, applying sankyo.

Kaeshi waza is generally a more advanced practice because it requires more sensitivity between nage and uke. Methods of practice vary from dojo to dojo. At one extreme, nage may be advised to allow uke to successfully counter the technique every time. At the other, nage and uke may work back and forth continually without any preset outcome until one of them is able to perform a technique.

When practicing kaeshi waza forms, uke should wait until the technique is being applied before beginning any reversal. Ideally, the reversal arises from an actual weakness in nage's technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68xgv_DtUM8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_SB0TqvUb8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_jhWoGrbec&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfQiMedIaxc&feature=related

Aikido Modern - Stagiu National de Aikido

Federatia Romana de Aikido Modern va invita pe 6 noiembrie 2010 la stagiu national de Aikido
care va avea loc în Bucureşti: Scoala Generala nr.182 Chitila Str.AMINTIRII nr.26 cartier Chitila,a 3-a satatie de tramvai de la podul C-ta. in dreapta, pe Sos.Chitila.


Federatia Romană de Aikido Modern işi propune promovarea Aikido-ului, atât ca artă marţială cât şi ca mod de viaţă. În acest sens tema stagiului, are drept principal scop, promovarea tehnicilor(stilurilor) specifice, cunoasterea, precum şi schimbul de experienţă dintre participanţi.

Ţinem să menţionăm faptul că accesul tuturor cluburilor si persoanelor fizice, interesate este gratuit, cei interesaţi fiind astfel încurajaţi să participe cu demonstraţii practice.

Programul stagiului de Aikido Modern:
Shihan Serban Derlogea 8 Dan Aikido Bastonul tovarasul meu
Sensei Mircea Cristian 3 Dan Aikido Iubirea de aproape in Aikido
Sensei Razvan Peristeri 5 Dan Aikido Tehnici de cutit
Sensei Ionita Marius 5 Dan Aikido Irimi Nage variante moderne

Data 06.11.2010


Publicaţi postare
Federatia Romana de Aikido Modern


Preşedinte,


Sensei Razvan Peristeri 5 Dan Aikido


sursa: http://www.aikidomodern.ro/evenimente.htm

Daniel TOUTAIN - Stagiu Iwama Ryu Aikido

Stagiu Iwama Ryu Aikido

In perioada 17-19 decembrie 2010 Shihan Daniel TOUTAIN, va sustine un stagiu in Romania. Inscrieri si detalii la:
Iulian Stanescu

Telefon: 0723269964

e-mail: dinamicaikido@yahoo.com

Sursa: http://www.iwama-ryu.ro/index.php/ro/Newsflash/Frontala.html

Despre Daniel Toutain: http://aikido-france.net/toutain/

Can Alexander Technique Help
Students Master Tai Chi Chuan Practice?

by Bill Walsh and Holly Sweeney

First Published in T'AI CHI Magazine, December 1997 Issue
Copyright © 1997, Bill Walsh and Holly Sweeney, All rights reserved world-wide

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Tai Chi Chuan study is popular among Alexander Technique practitioners. Some Alexander Technique training schools, like the F.M. Alexander Foundation in Philadelphia, include Tai Chi Chuan in their program design.

We would like to explore the relationship between Tai Chi Chuan and Alexander Technique and whether the study of Alexander Technique is complementary to the study of Tai Chi Chuan.

In Talks on the Practice of Taijiquan, recorded by Zhang Hongkui,^note1 Yang Chengfu enumerates ten essentials in the study of Tai Chi. First on the list is "Straightening the Head". When Yang Zhenduo, (Yang Chengfu's son and 4th generation Master of the Yang family), taught this year in New York and Texas, he began his seminars with an explanation of this first essential. He told students to begin with the head: centered, not leaning; empty; and lifted without tension. The neck should also be empty, he said. Bill asked Yang Zhenduo to explain what he meant by emptying the head and the neck. This was his answer:

The head is lifted as if supporting something. The neck is upright and lightly pressing up. The body in between pulls open and you are open and extended. This should not be done in a way that is stiff. When this is done correctly then your spirit can come up. Then your eyes are bright and shiny.^note2

This description is strikingly similar to what is called the primary movement or primary control in the Alexander Technique. F.M. Alexander, the originator of the Technique, described his primary movement this way:
1. Let the neck be free (which means merely to see that you do not increase the muscle tension of the neck in any act).
2. Let the head go forward and up (which means merely to see that you do not tense the neck muscles by pulling the head back or down in any act.).
3. Let the torso lengthen and widen out (which means merely to see that you do not shorten and narrow the back by arching the spine).^note3

Both of these descriptions appear to be talking about the same thing--a very specific movement of the head and neck, and an accompanying elongation of the spine. One subtle difference between Tai Chi Chuan andAlexander Technique is that Tai Chi Chuan describes the What and AlexanderTechnique focuses on the How. In fact, the skills learned in Alexander Technique are based on learning how to apply the primary head/neck movement to all activities: from going up and down stairs, to getting in and out of chairs, to practicing Tai Chi Chuan, to delivering a speech. It is an accepted fact of Alexander Technique study that it takes a long time to master this seemingly simple skill of natural head/neck/spine movement... and a lifetime to let it transform every move you make.

As a first step in the study of the Technique, Alexander students learn a process that lets them free their necks of tension. This process is taught through verbal instructions, demonstrations, and precise, delicate, hands-on guidance from Alexander teachers. Having studied this process, Alexander students then set out to practice balancing the head without tension during all of their daily activities. Whether working at the computer, brushing their teeth or dashing down the stairs, Alexander students strive to apply what they have learned about the primary movement, (or, in the language of Tai Chi Chuan, "the first essential"). Can you imagine the possibilities for improvement if you were to practice your Tai Chi Chuan every day, all day long?

This leads us to a second issue of importance, which is how we practice. Is it possible to believe we are practicing correctly and find out we are not? Absolutely! This is a common, though frustrating, part of the learning process when studying sophisticated movements such as Tai Chi Chuan. We have all seen students in Tai Chi Chuan classes being corrected by instructors and then seeming to continue practicing in the same incorrect way. Does this mean the student rejected the correction, or ignored it? Probably neither is the case. What is usually happening is that the student does not have a reliable enough sensory standard to guide him in making the change the teacher requested. Quite possibly the student thinks he is doing exactly what the teacher asked. Observers can see his mistake but the student cannot.

The problem described above is a central one in the Alexander Technique. Alexander gave this common phenomenon a name, unreliable sensory appreciation, and searched for teaching methods that would correct it. He realized that unreliable sensory appreciation was connected with our ideas and sense of what is "right" and what is "wrong".^note4 Alexander realized that what we think is "right" is based on our sensory feeling of correctness, and that this is based on our familiar habits of movement. These familiar habits become the standard by which we evaluate all of our movement experiences. If our standard is faulty, we have no way of knowing it, and we will not change our habits or standard until a new experience gives us a basis for comparison and evaluation. A practical example: observe the amount of muscle tension or effort needed to stand up from a seated position. We do this many times in a day, probably without noticing ourselves while we are doing it. If we consciously observe ourselves, however, we discover how much effort we are using. If we can perform the same task with less effort, then we obviously were using more effort than we needed to, on a regular basis--and that familiar standard, even though it felt "right," was not the most efficient way. Alexander based his teaching techniques on the realization that, until someone has an experience which allows him to observe himself in a new way, he will not be able to change his patterns of movement. Therefore, one of the first skills that an Alexander Technique student learns is how to observe himself more accurately while he is in the process of moving.^note5

Frank Pierce Jones, who conducted extensive research on the Alexander Technique at the Institute for Applied Experimental Psychology at Tufts University, wrote a book on the Technique which he titled, Body Awareness in Action. He explained the benefits of the Technique in this way:

The Alexander Technique doesn't teach you something new to do. It teaches you how to bring more practical intelligence into what you are already doing; how to eliminate stereotyped responses; how to deal with habit and change.^note6

Jones goes on to explain that Alexander Technique trains students to take in certain key relationships within their structure in such a way that their sensations have a meaning which informs their whole coordination. Jones described this skill as the ability to expand awareness into an extended, more inclusive, form of consciousness. Yang Chenfu's 8th essential, Harmony Between Internal and External Parts, seems to imply a similar goal in the study of Tai Chi:

In practicing taijiquan, the focus is on the mind and consciousness. Hence the saying: the mind is the commander, and the body is subservient to it...Perfection is achieved when one unifies the two and harmonizes the internal and external parts into a complete whole.^note7

Another way of stating this 8th essential of practice might be: 'Perfection is achieved when we're able to do what we think we're doing.'

This could be applied in Tai Chi Chuan by not letting the knee go past the toes in the front leg of a seventy thirty stance. It is very hard to change the habit of letting your knee go too far if you are not paying attention to certain specific feedback from your body. Yang Zhenduo has transformed this movement for many students by asking them to use their toes to grasp the floor while transitioning the weight from their back leg to their front leg. If you are "grasping with the toes" while transitioning onto your front leg, it becomes very clear when you've moved too far forward. In pushing, when we move too far forward , we compensate for technique by using more external strength. If your front knee goes past the "knuckle" (metatarsal/phalangejoint) of the big toe, you can clearly sense that you have lost power and efficiency. For many, Yang Zhenduo's suggestion allows them to experience a constructive knee/foot relationship for the first time.

This article compares some of the important principles apparently shared by Tai Chi Chuan and Alexander Technique. The first principle "lift the head"has always made us curious. We've never heard much of an explanation for it so I tend to superimpose what we learned from the Alexander Technique. We were excited that the explanation we heard this summer was confirming and consistent with the Alexander Technique. Or were we just hearing what we wanted to hear?

Sometimes it takes a long time to find a question that is important and potentially pulls together different ideas and disciplines. If you have studied both these disciplines, please let us know what you think!

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About The Writers

Bill Walsh is an Alexander Teacher, a Tai Chi Chuan Teacher and a Management Consultant. As a Management Consultant, he has taught in Fortune 500 companies in Influence Skills ( Selling, Negotiating, and a general influence workshop). As a Tai Chi Chuan teacher, Bill is one of four appointed teachers in the U.S. who direct Yang Chengfu Centers under the tutelege of Yang Zhenduo, fourth generation Master of the Yang Family. In his private practice in New York City, Bill enjoys combining the Alexander Technique, Tai Chi Chuan and Influence Skills.

Bill Walsh e-mail: Bill Walsh
Tel: +1 212-226-0627 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +1 212-226-0627 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, fax: 212-343-9662
66 Crosby St. #2F, New York, NY, 10012, USA

Holly A. Sweeney is an ergonomist and certified Alexander Technique teacher with offices in Montclair, New Jersey and in New York City. She has a M.A. in Ergonomics and Orthopedic Biomechanics and she is a Researcher and Independent Evaluator at the Occupational and Industrial Orthopedic Center for the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City.

Holly Sweeney e-mail:Holly A. Sweeney
Tel: +1 201-655-1048 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +1 201-655-1048 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
24 Tuers Place, Upper Mont Clair, NJ, 07043, USA

http://www.ati-net.com/articles/taichi.php