The video below showed up recently in my youtube subscription stream.

I was prompted to post it here after Eric posted his (current) Aikio Mantra, with his number one point “Techniques are executed so as to not cause injury or pain, but at most only minor discomfort. This is the ‘heart’ aspect of technique execution.”

I completely agree. My number one rule in aikido is do not injure your partner(s).

Aikido Principles: Not relying on pain

Video from MasaKatsuAiki.

This past Thursday I had the pleasure of experienceing my first kyu test at my new dojo here in Wisconsin. I was intersting, a little nerve racking, and ultimately, enjoyable.

It was a bit different from testing at my previous dojo in NJ in that it seemed more traditional and challenging. There were a few additions that I was not expecting, and randori at the end. I liked the additiona that I was not expecting because it had the element of catching me off guard and adding challenge.

I made a mistake or two but in the end performed well according to Paul Sensei and Jake Sensei.

Jed had an interesting comment afterward. He said, when you are asked to test, they already know you are ready and can perform the techniques in question. The testing process is more of a stress test than to see if you know the technique. Interesting thoughts.

Hoping to get home in time for the regular Thursday night class tonight. John Stone Sensei will be at the dojo on Monday and I need to shake off some of the cobwebs from being out for a couple weeks.

今日は突き入り身投げをやった。

テアとやっていて、何だかふにゃふにゃしてバランスを取りにくく、投げづらいなあ〜〜とやっていたら、スティーブ先生がやって来て、一言。

どうも、気がつかないうちに受けに振り回されて、バランスを崩した時に、後ろに半歩くらい下がってしまっていたのだ。

すると、一瞬バランスを取り戻したかに感じるのだけれど、実際は後ろに戻る事で、次の前進のときに腰が入らなくなるらしい。スティーブ先生が受けを取ってくれた時に一瞬で判った。思いっきり体重が乗ってしまって、もう前に動けなかったから。

川原先生は１０回中、９回の黒帯テストでこの点を指摘して来たらしい。ってことは皆やっちゃうんだねえ〜（笑）

ということで、やっぱり”もうダメ”って思った時こそ、ぐっと持ちこたえてこそ、次につながるのね、と思ったのでした。

On saturday I went to Kobayashi Sensei’s morning training. The techniques were interesting (肩面打ち – katamenuchi), and my partner was good to train with, it was an enjoyable class.

After class ended I was talking to a sempai, and before leaving he went to say hello to one of his sempais, who I shall call X. X was showing a couple of people one of the techniques we had done in the class – 片取り呼吸法 (a different way from how Kobayashi Sensei dose it btw, but it’s nokorigeiko so fair enough). After showing my sempai, he asked my sempai to show me. I couldn’t quite get the hang of the technique. So X takes my sholder, and tells me to do nikkyo ura. He grabbed strongly, I couldn’t really move him, my technique was pretty much useless. He told me to grab him, which I did, and since he’d been strong, I was strong too. His first two attempts to move me didn’t really work, the third time he got my balance, and got behind me, although it wasn’t quite nikkyo so he locked my elbow and cranked it so strong I cried out. I was then told he wouldn’t have to crank so hard if I hadn’t resisted. I don’t think he actually tried to explain why my nikkyo wasn’t working.

I learnt three things from this
1) my technique sucks (I already knew that, but he made it patently clear)
2) if tori cranks the wrist/elbow, nikkyo can be quite painful (which I also already knew)
3) resisting as uke invites the tori to do the technique stronger, or to do a henkawaza (also not exactly news to me)

I don’t think I this helped me to improve my aikido at all. In fact it made me want to quit aikido all together.

Contrast this with the Hombu teachers, who are superb at adjusting to the level of their partner, will always try to explain how to improve your technique when they see you doing something wrong, and don’t intentionally cause pain to uke.

I heard X is 5th or 6th dan. I would have thought he’d have learned a thing or two about teaching aikido in that time.

諸手取りの体裁きは、受けを前方に動かすように、大きく180度きっちり転換する。

このとき、腕は自分の中心にくるようにあわせる。

受けの手首を大きく円を書くように自分の中心に持って来て、もう一方の腕で抱え込む、受けの肘は捻られている状態。

いったん緩め、今度は２教。

そういえば２教はすごく久しぶりだった。楽しかったな〜。

I wrote a blog entry aboutmy shodan test at Aikikai Hombu Dojo, Tokyo.

カナダに21日に帰って来て、25日に稽古した時は、体が重くて息が切れるなと思って、運動不足で体力が落ちたか、３食食べさせてもらって栄養状態が良過ぎた（笑）、、、と思ったけれど、１０日ぶりの今日の稽古で鈍っていたのは、体力だけじゃなく筋力もだったとよく判かりました

時差ぼけが夜勤つづきで余計に拍車がかかり、昨日の夜は一睡もできないまま稽古に向かい、15分早く付いたのに、車で一瞬寝落ちして５分遅刻してしまった位、眠かったわりに、初めの片手取り呼吸投げではハイペースで付いて行って、珍しく６種類やってオツリが来る位早く終わって、ちょっと嬉しかったのですが。

なのに。。。膝行のさばきの悪いことったら。。。回転膝行なんてフラフラしてまったくキレイに廻れず。コアとバランスに柔軟性には少々自身があって、膝行は割と得意なのにこのざま。。。この一ヶ月半近くの間の稽古量＆その他の運動量の少なさがてきめんに実感出来た瞬間でした。

最悪に眠くてふらふらでも、一旦稽古に入れば一時的な精神の高揚とエネルギーは十分感じて、当然楽しく、仕事で稽古に来れないのは残念。。。毎日来れたら良いのにと思うけれど。技を忘れるとか以前に、いつものレベルですら技が決められない程に自分の体が鈍っていたのはショックでした。。。

明日は稽古が無いので、ヨガに行って体幹を鍛えようと思います。