protectivearts

SAN NO TACHI

The third paired sword exercise – we broke it down into its constituent movements of uchi komi and kiri kaeshi then rebuilt it as a flow sequence. But each component has its purpose – its bunkai. Any given point in the flow could be a terminal movement. Uchidachi’s opening gambit of kiri kaeshi could remove shidachi’sContinue reading “SAN NO TACHI”

KORYU 古流

Aikido is a modern art founded in the 1920s but its techniques are derivative from older material. With a penchant for hierarchy, Japan classifies its arts as Gendai (new) and Koryu (old) with the Meiji Restoration (1868) as the demarcation line. A great resource to begin researching Koryu martial arts is >here< and Don Draeger‘s worksContinue reading “KORYU 古流”

MASTER JAMES A KEATING

The triadic structure is nearly universal. There are three levels of learning: freshman/sophomore/senior; apprentice/journeyman/master; shu/ha/ri; all triads: triskelions. Learning is progressive. First one follows instructions, memorizes patterns, absorbs variations; once the basics are mastered, one starts to learn the linkages, the theory connecting the techniques; then one starts to learn from his own practice, createsContinue reading “MASTER JAMES A KEATING”