I was thinking about extension the other day and wondered how low should one go for some of these ushiro ryotedori techniques.  Until recently I thought that in a circular arm sweep back, as much as much as 20 cm from the ground at its lowest point is sufficient.  However, I saw an old video that shows just how low Kisshomaru Ueshiba goes – almost touching the ground!

Usually my uke complies (or if he doesn’t, pressing on a neck nerve bundle with my thumb lowers him quickly).  But, I find that I don’t like to press on the nerve; I like to leave the uke with the feeling: how did I end up upside down? Did Nage even touch me? And, in order to do that it is important to make a generous sweep whereby the arm is fully extended and the fingers are almost touching the ground on the way back.