In Aikido sometimes the “point” of the technique is obvious even if you can't quite master it and sometimes it is NOT obvious.
Here is an example of Katatetori Ikkyo
Usually the heart of a technique is something like “Get off the line of attack, unbalance Uke, perform the technique”. Today the Iriminage response to a wrist grab made sense and I could see that if I had the skill it would work on anyone. But then I worked on the Ikkyo response with the only regular black belt at our dojo (aside from the two Senseis) and besides his Aikido ability he knows other martial arts and is just plain strong.
Quick aside:
In Katatetori Ikkyo you don't step “off” the line you take control of the attacker's line that goes through his center and then perform Ikkyo.
The matter came to a head when I just could not get my partner into Ikkyo, I never “felt” that moment when Uke was ready to go down. I never really saw the unbalancing and so I tried to use muscle. THAT was a mistake that I still feel with every word I type.
The troublesome part is that when I was Uke I could not tell whether I was thrust to the floor because of Aikido or just the strength of my OBVIOUSLY stronger partner so I never saw the essence of the thing. He was wonderful in trying to show me what I was doing wrong, but he is one strong guy and if I was going to perform this technique there was no way my inadequate strength would compensate for a lack of Aikdio technique.
To my despair I never “Got It”. Maybe next time.
4 comments:
He's not only strong, but his balance and center are like a brick wall when he want them to be.
Who is the other black belt?
Mourad, but I'm not sure of the spelling.
okay. Yeah, Mourad has his Black belt on Shotokan Karate. When I work out with him it really shows the limitations of aikido. Most people, especially a strong fighter, like Mourad, do not lose their balance easily. This is the main reason why so many people consider aikido to be a dance more than a martial art.
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