I watched a demonstration of this last year and found the circular movements really quite impressive to watch by the skilled martial artists. However, it must take quite a bit of conditioning to prepare your body for such an onslaught? When you first start how is the mechanics explained of moving in these movements? I remember hearing some one mention that there was an explanation of the word Aikido but I can't remember it off hand. It does have something to do with Ki though doesn't it? Shotokan has this inner energy also, a power we push from our Hara (or centre) when Kiai-ing. Is this explanation similar to the way you use your Ki too? This art is one I would like to do one day - but one step at a time I know! Hope someone can help?
Aikido is often translated as "Way of Harmony", the characters used to write it "Ai" and "Ki", are the same as "ki-ai", just reversed. You might find this site useful: http://www.aikidofaq.com/ There are also quite a couple of good books on aikido.
Hey Melanie, thanks for leaving a message on our club website! Hopefully you'll get the chance to come out with us some time in Edinburgh if everyone manages to get this get-together organised. I don't know what style of Aikido you saw, but there is quite a difference between them. Some of them use not so much a kiai, but some sort of exhalation as they do techniques. In Shodokan (Tomiki), a kiai only really appears in certain atemi techniques. Conditioning yourself doesn't really take too long. I kind of like taking the big falls now, if that doesn't make me sound too weird. (Why am I waiting for a reply from freeform to that comment) Most of our movements focus on fairly sharp direct movements, with most of the driving power coming from the hips. If you drive with the legs alone you tend to overbalance forward (does that make sense?) We do have big circular movements, but they are usually performed by the uke as they try not to fly away from a balance-break. As far as the word 'Aikido', Andrew Green is pretty much on the money in todays usage of the word. Here's the boring history bit: "The compound 'Aiki' is not in the Japanese dictionary, and is not in general usage. In the context of budo, 'aiki' appeared in early 1900's ken jutsu texts and is described as the coming together of 2 free wills who put their mettle to the test. It was used with a negative connotation, and was to be avoided as emotional attachment to combat cloudedtechnical concentration.With the start of the Meiji era, it became synonymous with the ability to read the aggressive intentions of another and to displacetheir energy and strikeat their anatomical weakness. Ueshiba is believed to be the first to have used the term aiki to describe the ju jutsu techniques he was teaching at the time." That was taken from Scott Allbrights book 'Aikido and Randori, reconcilliation of two opposing forces' A great read, and one I would recommend to anyone who believes that Aikido shouldn't have competition. Hope at least some of that was interesting/useful
Thanks for that TinTin. I am waiting to hear back from Freeform at the moment about next week, so you never know! We might just meet!
I'll be seeing freeform at training tomorrow, so I'll make sure he gets in touch with you if he hasn't by then. I think he's going to Wales at the end of next week for a couple of months, so whatever he's organising he'd better do it quick. Hear that freeform? Get moving!
Absolutely Tintin, you must practice more blending to enhance your calm. Try some Heavy breathing maybe?
Hahaha - I feel honoured that my expressions are being utilised by you Spike - you do, I know it! You do get off on it!
Only when it`s you who`s training with me, next time, you have to join us in the UKESOL "Of all the UKESOL`s in all the town`s in all the world, she has to walk into mine."
BLENDING!!!! Start running Spike, start running...... Wonder if I should post Fabrice's photo of the shower of love? That'll really wory people! You are right though, we do need more women in the ukesol
I think you have to post that picture. I hope you still have the poster handy, the next time we know we`re going to have visitors we should hang tyhe poster up.
