In the past several articles, I have argued that Aikido’s strength and aesthetic lies not merely in technique, but in deportment: the cultivation of calm, structural integrity, and presence under pressure (shizentai). I have also raised concerns about how knives are addressed within Aikido training, our treatment of tanto-dori is under-developed given the realities ofContinue reading “KNIFE TRAPPING”
Tag Archives: perception
STRONG SIDE BACK 2
I owe the allocentric framing entirely to Mark Hatmaker. In his most recent post (The Orthodox Fighting Stance, part 2), he introduced the neurological language that gives shape to a phenomenon fighters adopt reflexively; the preference for placing the dominant side to the rear when the stakes rise. Hatmaker wrote that this posture “turns offContinue reading “STRONG SIDE BACK 2”
STRONG SIDE BACK
Mark Hatmaker recently asked why the human animal so often places its dominant side to the rear whenever power, precision, or survival are at stake. His list was broad and historically informed: the boxer with his power hand back, the batter with his strong foot behind the plate, the quarterback and pitcher who coil theirContinue reading “STRONG SIDE BACK”
Protective Arts 