In other posts I have reflected on my concern regarding Aikido’s use of the knife. My concern is that while Aikido has beautiful flow and sensitivity drills, when it comes to tanto-dori, their use is under-developed. Moreover, because a knife is a commonplace weapon, in horrible circumstances it could be one a practitioner would needContinue reading “PALISUT FLOW DRILL”
Tag Archives: James Keating
REVERSED EFFORT AND THE KEY TO MASTERY
The more I teach, the more I distrust my own methods. I vacillate between two instincts: to explain everything, the Western compulsion toward clarity, and to say almost nothing, as my Japanese teachers did. Both seem inadequate. There is a paradox in learning that unsettles: The more effort one exerts to master, the more elusiveContinue reading “REVERSED EFFORT AND THE KEY TO MASTERY”
YOKOMEN AS DOUBLE DAGGER
Class Outline Establish familiarity with takemusu Aikido exercises: Gyakyu hanmi tenkan – soft committed elbow, move from shoulder (learn to move self) Ashi-sabaki – same arm shape, driven by hips (learn to move uke) Ashi-sabaki ushiro tenkan – same arm shape – learn to lead uke : uke learns to commit to movement Yokomen uchiContinue reading “YOKOMEN AS DOUBLE DAGGER”