The following is a re-post from the Art of Manliness: Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote that a people “that shortens its weapons lengthens its boundaries.” By this he meant that men who were capable of fighting fiercely at close quarters also possessed the essential courage, the thumos, that ultimately won battles, turned the tide of war — protectedContinue reading “CLOSING SKILLS”
Tag Archives: Sparta
KIHON – Hanmi Handachi Shiho Nage and Uchi Kaiten Nage
Kihon waza are the developmental base forms and they show the correct way to train in order to allow for proper developmental growth in the art. Normative words demand definition: what is a “correct” way to train and what is “proper” development? I recall hearing a shihan once quip, “Aikido works. Yours doesn’t.” A pithy summationContinue reading “KIHON – Hanmi Handachi Shiho Nage and Uchi Kaiten Nage”
MIYAMOTO MUSASHI
In an interview, Nishio sensei unapologetically labeled Musashi as “the lowest form of human being.” Understandable. Nishio looked at how little human emotion and human engagement Musashi exhibited; he never married, never started a family, and spent a life dueling to test his skill and mettle. Musashi manifested a coward’s response, by developing skill fromContinue reading “MIYAMOTO MUSASHI”