HUMAN FRAILTY

The human body has numerous design flaws. Poor eyesight (40% of Europeans and 75% of Asians need corrective lenses), an optic blind spot, choking remains a problem (air and food enter via the same tube), etc.; simply stated, humans could be better engineered. But our big brains and the division of labor allowed us to become theContinue reading “HUMAN FRAILTY”

JODAN TSUKI to USHIRO RYOTEDORI

Playing off the fencer’s lunge, we have moved back to jodan tsuki with the emphasis on the role of the attacker – using the straight blast effectively.  An explosive attack is a pre-requisite to honest training.  Repetition – correct form repeated until the attack is both accurate and powerful is our homework.     MostContinue reading “JODAN TSUKI to USHIRO RYOTEDORI”

CHUDAN TSUKI

Tsuki (‘thrust’) in Aikido should replicate a knife thrust. We have focused on the high-line (jodan) first because it was a pedagogical thread from kata-dori, but also because a thrust to the face elicits a strong ‘flinch’ response. It is harder to maintain ‘zanshin‘ when pressed with a high-line attack. This morning we moved downContinue reading “CHUDAN TSUKI”