In a prior article, I explained ikkyo and irimi-nage arise from the moment of contested weapon access—the effort to draw and the counter-effort to suppress. The last Saturday weapons class continued that line of thought, focusing more precisely on ikkyo and nikkyo as a means to draw the katana in a contested encounter. Protecting theContinue reading “WEAPONS INFORM MOVEMENT”
Category Archives: Reference Materials
IPPON-KEN
Atemi (当て身) is often misconstrued as a generic term to mean a “strike” or “hit,” but it means “to strike the body” and with the implication that it is striking a specific target. Without any denigration of the sweet science – the pugilist art of Western boxing – which has incredible history and strategy, ultimately,Continue reading “IPPON-KEN”
MORIHEI UESHIBA – 1935 DEMO
In 1935, a Japanese newsreel crew from Asahi Shinbun captured the earliest surviving footage of Morihei Ueshiba demonstrating his art. This black-and-white film—along with his Budo, published in 1938, and his earlier private training documents such as Budo Renshu (1933), compiled with student Kenji Tomiki—comprise the few unambiguous records of what Aikido looked like beforeContinue reading “MORIHEI UESHIBA – 1935 DEMO”
Protective Arts 