The final and only cut is to Uke’s wrist.

Uke engages in a menuchi cut while Nage slides off the line of attack all the while keeping his bokutou in front of him. As Uke cuts, Nage too cuts his wrist at the same time.

Point: Nage doesn’t have to raise his ken to jyodan-gamae; he can lift it partway so as to keep it as a shield.

金曜は組太刀の稽古。基本中の基本、中段構えは丹田を中心に、柄を握っている手は間に一つ手が入るくらいの幅で持つ。

すぐにジャーナルエントリーしなかったので、大半を忘れてしまったけれど覚えているものだけ。

双方が上段で打ち込み、受けは取りの剣を右から左へ押さえ込もうとする。取りはその力を利用して太刀を回しながら振り上げ（切り上げる）、左半身となって仕手の小手を撃つ。受けが再び剣を振りかざした小手を押し込むようにして切り込む。

受けが取りの腹に突きを入れる（突きのときは刃を寝かす）、取りは回転で受けの突きをかわし、再び回転で右から小手を斬りつける。

後は受けの正面打ちを上段で横に薙いで防御（真っ向受け止めるのではなく、横に流すよう）、この際左に逃げるが速攻右足をアジャストし、即座に小手に切り込む。取りが上段に振りかぶった所に、喉元めがけて突きを入れる。

Nage offers his wrist at chest level and blends as Uke grabs with both hands. Nage performs a tenkan turn “taking a drink” and keeps his hands high. Nage pivots both feet 180 degrees, then moves into the Ikkyo pin.

Nage offers his wrist at chest level and blends as Uke grabs with both hands.

Method 1

Nage performs a tenkan turn “taking a drink”. After the initial turn, with arms still high and Uke off-balance, Nage changes direction by lowering his grasped hand and in a circular movement enters that hand through the middle of Uke’s arms and applying the Kotegaeshi throw.

Method 2

Same as Method 1 but after the initial tenkan turn, while the grabbed wrist is still held high, Nage grasps Uke’s upper wrist from above and does a kaiten movement to the outside continuing with the ’usual’ kotegaeshi throw.

Today was seminar, but as soon as tantodori came up, I ran across the room as fast as I could to find Ben Sensei as my aitei. He really knows his knives so I wanted to be with him for this.

When he does sotomawari, his initial block consists of three hits – the real block, the second hit to the wrist with a grab, then the hit to the hand with a grab on the knife-wielding hand.  He also moves deeply off the line of attack.

No one does this at Aikikai, so this is one unique credit to Ben Sensei.

Uke grabs both wrists from the front. Nage enters to the rear with the forward leg to off-balance Uke and ends the motion in a kneeling position (inside knee on the mat). With the inside hand, Nage holds the forward leg of Uke so that he cannot step back. This allows the completion of the throw as Uke is torqued and off-balance.

Uke attacks by rushing and grabbing the wrists. Nage steps offline then back with the forward leg and keeps his forward hand down at waist level (not raised towards Uke). The other hand rotates in an outward circle to complete the throw using Uke’s momentum. The energy of the throw should be directed to the rear, not immediately down.

Uke attacks by grabbing both wrists. Nage steps to the side with the forward leg  (no forward motion) to offbalance Uke. With the hand that is on the side of the trailing leg, Nage grasps the upper side of Uke’s hand and raises using both arms in a nikyo control towards Uke’s head. The hand that has the elbow control moves up the arm and to the neck of Uke from where the usual iriminage movement occurs.

Sensei said that in Aikido, older students are more respected. I never thought about that until he said it tonight. In other hard arts, the younger are always trying to unset the older and get them to retire or feel shame for being old. This is another reason why Aikido is advantageous for life.

肩取りから入る技は、あまりやった事無かったので、まずは基本中の基本、スタンスから。

掴まれた方の肩をかわすように（しかし掴ませたまま）身を引いて、サイドステップ、更に逆の足で股をブロックするように

相手に向かって、斜めに立つ。このとき，重心は後ろ足に置き、前足は加重から自由に保つ事で、いざとなれば素早く蹴りも

入れられる上に、次のステップにも移り易い。

相手の腕を押さえ込むのは、上から力ずくで押さえるのではなく前腕で腕の正面から巻き込みながら、身体を相手の腕に対して９０度にひねる。このとき、前足は相手の前足と平行になる様なスタンスで、腕を押さえ込むときの気の流れは相手の腹に向くように。。。。。って、この技は本当に茶帯レベルです。そりゃ、初心者はフラストレーション溜まります！私もいい感じに出来たのは一回くらい。。。。。。？！

後は、呼吸投げに移る際には重心を低く保ったまま、相手の腕を放さないように。。。。じゃないと、カウンターアタックが来ます〜って、これも素早くやらないといけないので難しい。　呼吸投げの腕は素早くスライドするように！

以上〜中々カッコいい＆難しい技でした。。。。