JOINT CONTROL

Any martial artist must study the use and limitations of the body; its structure and mechanics – and specifically its joints. (The banner image shows the major synovial joints of the skeletal system.) In Aikido, we are principally concerned with the control of the opponent’s “center” but the techniques achieve this by working from theContinue reading “JOINT CONTROL”

GYAKU HANMI PROGRESSION

A class outline for progressive techniques from static gyaku hanmi katatae dori Gyaku hanmi katatae dori: what is it? A hand grab. Why? Uke stop-hits a thrust, taking control of nage’s knife hand. From the grab, each player needs to match extension to create the dynamic tension necessary for a static encounter. Nage’s focus isContinue reading “GYAKU HANMI PROGRESSION”

CLASS NOTES – Eight Ken Suburi

Over the last two classes, we covered the foundational suburi (sword forms) for bokken which are derived from Chiba sensei’s curriculum. We will continue to refine and expand the conceptual movements over the next several classes. To provide video references between dojo sessions, here are the eight basic suburi as demonstrated by Hori sensei: AndContinue reading “CLASS NOTES – Eight Ken Suburi”