Moretedori- A Two-Fisted Tale-Part II

Sorry for the absence. 2 weeks ago, we spent a sweaty Sunday working on some two-handed techniques. With the aite grabbing us with both hands at full force, many of us instinctively tense up and push with upper body strength. A natural response, but totally incorrect in aikido.

Here's the shihan being grabbed by a tall fellow:



Instead, we must bend our wrist upward and allow the opponent to fall into us through his own power. The sensei of course makes this look easy. And it is. If you let become easy. I didn't.

As with many things in life, I made it much more difficult than it really was. I thought too much, worried too much, fought too much. The result was a sweaty, frustrated writer.

I eventually relaxed and did the waza somewhat effectively. What a snap! How easy! How stupid I felt! I just stopped fighting and moved right through the technique.

The rest of the waza is a result of the aite losing his position of power and almost drowning in his own strength. The tori just steps into the uke and lets the uke fall of his own accord.

Here's the shihan entering the aite's space with an iriminage as the uke begins to drop to the mat:



Why do I make the simple things so difficult? Why can't I just flow smoothly into things with all the stress and hardship?

Letting Go and Giving In-Sunday July 5th, 2008

Last Sunday was really humid at the dojo. Sweat like pigs. Oh well. We spent almost an hour on this iriminage technique that really stumped me. We enter the partner's space and go behind him. Using no shoulder strength, we drop our hands on the aite's neck and bring them down.



Here, the sensei is teaching me how to place or rather drop my hand on the opponent's shoulder.





The two show us finishing the waza with a tenkan spin. Yeah, that's sensei choreographing my awkward movements.



This last pic is me dropping the aite. After all of sensei's help, I still couldn't do the technique properly. Once I finally did it right, I saw how simple it was. Honestly, I felt so stupid for letting this little bit get in the way. Losing my upper body strength and simply dropping my arm should be as easy as throwing away a soda can. Yet, I always get flustered with this step. For some personal reason, I can't just let go and let things happen naturally.

The Zen irony of this problem is that thinking about it only makes it worse. I have to do it without thinking, without trying. No thought or power, just give in and the let the crumbs fall where they may. I'm getting really Yoda-esque again, so I will wrap this up. Until next time, may the Force be with you.

Nagoya Practice-Sunday June 30th, 2008

Last Sunday, we went up to Rainbow Hall in Nagoya to practice witha Tokyo master. The hour and a half session focused on ikkyo, shihonage among others. I will let the pictures tell the story.

Here is the crowd working on zagi ikkyo ura.



Here we are practicing tenkan. The sensei told us to focus on our arm movements without a partner to get the form right before practcing with a partner.



This is ikkyo ura in the standing form.



Here, a woman completes ikkyo ura with a takedown armlock manuever.



Last picture. Here, the sensei is demonstrating a new technique with a student. Iriminage, it seems.



After that, we stood in line carwash-style to take showers. It was quite hot humid that day. Then our group went for dinner and drinks. The rest of the evening is a bit of blur, to be honest.

Timing is Everything-呼吸投げの話-Sunday, June 15th, 2008

We only practiced 2 or 3 techniques on Sunday. That means we did each one for 20-30 minutes. Great way to focus on tiny details.

Our last technique is one that I have always had difficulty performing. The aite approaches us with a shomen attack. With most wazas, the tori would respond with a kiriage from the same hand. Here, we spin backwards into the opponent's space and grab their wrist with our opposite hand. Our other hand is brought up straight against the underside of their arm to guide their movement. This is done while spinning and dropping to our knees. We don't need to pull them, just guide their momentum to the mat.

Enough of my explanations, I will show you the video.



私にはこの技がとっても難しい。受けは正面打ちで取りに来る。取りは相手のスペースに入って１８０度転換する。その事をしながら、反対の手で相手の手首を掴んで違う腕は相手の腕の下に上げる。　終わりは自分の体を下げる。相手の腕を引っ張るの代わりに相手の勢いで受けを導く。畳に。

この技はスローモションで出来ない。スペイン語を話すみたいに、早くしなくてはいけない。その事は私の問題。４、５回やってから、ちょっと良くなってきた。タイミングはすごく大切。

Twist and Spin with Sumiotoshi-June 8th, 2008

Sunday we practiced one technique the whole night. The waza involves irimintenkan while spinning our hand directly over the hand grabbing us. If done properly, the aite's baody is forced down into an unbalanced psoition. We then spin our arm out and snap their arm straight. The final move is to enter their space and twist their arm, bringing their head down sharply. The aite then does tobiukemi to protect themselves.

Here's the teacher demonstrating sumiotoshi.



Some key points I learned on Sunday drastically improve the technique. First is, when doing irimintenkan, we should project our hands out forward more. This pushes the aite into a more awkward position. The next spin will be much easier at this point.

The second point I picked up on was not to push our partner's arm when we deliver the final move. I was constanly pushing their arm. It hurts them and doesn't bring the head down. Instead, sensei said to come up from below and twist their arm downwards. This snap/twist jerks their whole body into place.



Above, we see sensei move into irimintenkan. Note the curling of his hand directly on top of mine.



Here see the end result. Me getting thrown to the mat. 'Nuff said!


I think I got it right a few times. Still have a bad habit of pushing, using shoulder strength. Unlearning can be much harder than learning in the first place.

Little Hands, Big Spirits-June 5th, 2008

Wednesday I went to the evening practice. I went early to watch the kids' lessons. I don't often get a chance to watch this, so I was quite happy. They don't have the same discipline as some of the adults, but they looked so eager to try the various wazas. Their growing bodies are so flexible, they often move naturally in the correct positions. I have included a few pics for you guys to see.



Here we see the little girl doing an ura technique. Next pic, she is delivering the final step and the boy has been brought down to the mat.



Children are naturally active and have lots of energy for playing and such. Typically, they have more energy than most of us, eh?

This last photo shows them lined up ready to receive training.



The scene looks rather Master Yoda-ish, I suppose. It stills amazes me that they can sit still for so long. Perhaps I need to take a lesson or two from them.

Two Fisted Tales 諸手取りの話

Saturday night we practiced the two-handed morotedori techniques. All night. Nothing but. Our first technique of the night was kokyuunage. Omote and ura. The waza involves us stepping into the aite while twisting their body into an unbalanced position. Then we drop them. Sounds simple, eh? Nope.

My partner and I constantly made the mistake of using shoulder strength. Wrong for two reasons. One, the technique does not work and our partner does not move into a weak stance. Two, both of us quickly became very tired from using our shoulders. Our strength gave out and it was difficult to raise our arms into position.

Here, the sensei practices with my partner and shows us how to do it properly.



今、日本語で技を説明することやってみます。諸手取り呼吸投げは受けが取りの腕両手でつかむ。取りは受けに行って切り上げする。取りが受けの体を弓のように曲げる。終わりは取りが受けを投げる。簡単そうでしょう？違う。

私と相手は同じことを間違えていた。私たちは肩の力を使った。何で違ったのだろう？先ず、力を使ったら、受けはバランスがなくならない。投げることができない。二番目、取りの肩は早く弱くなる。皆の腕は震えていた。

次のわざは諸手取り小手返しだった。初め以外、全部の小手返しの技は似ている。諸手取りで掴まられていて取りは転換して受けを投げる。　このビデオでは、有段者二人がその技をやっている。




でわ、またね！

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Present...The Enbukkai! May 24th, 2008

Finally, after all that practice and all my mumblings, we went to Tokyo. After waiting about 3 hours for our turn, we ran out to the red mat right in front of the judges and did our routines for 90 seconds. Sensei seemed really pleased at our performance. IMHO, I think we did rather well. Here you go:



I had planned to do iriminage before my final nikkyo, but I noticed the other couples were finishing and so I adlibbed a bit and edited my routine. I think I was a bit slow somewhere in the middle of the performance. My partner reacted well and was quite flexible (mentally speaking) and didn't panic or get flustered when I deviated from our plan. Good guy he was, owe him a drink.

Oh yeah, many other people performed there as well. Some of them were pretty good, too. I took a few shots of the Hombu Dojo crowd (literally, there were many of them).




Here's a dojo from a girls' school. They were quite young, but they moved really well and showed a lot of grace.




These last two are of Mr. Ueshiba the Dosshu of the Hombu Dojo. He always does the grand finale and gives a great demonstration of aikido in action.






The rest of Saturday was a blur of trains, taxis and food. I dimly recall coming back to the hotel and trying to get some sleep for the next day. Which I tell you all about next post.

Lights, Camera Action! May 20th, 2008

Just tried playing with some new technology today. Upload some video we shot in the dojo.



Here's my partner and I working on our routine for Tokyo. I am trying to keep things smooth, so I am going a bit fast here. Hard to focus on the tiny details of a technique at that speed. A bit like learning a language. Fluency and accuracy are always in conflict with each other.



Sensei jumps in to show us how uke should really look. He moves like a butterfly fluttering past your ear.



A fellow aikidoka said sensei can probably drink a cup of tea while doing tobiukemi. Well, I wouldn't go that far...but I'd like to see that.

At The Last Minute-May 17th&18th, 2008

Saturday and Sunday we continued practicing for Tokyo. We got into our pairs and tried to polish up our routines. After being timed with a stopwatch, I realized that our set was too short. No worries, we just added 3 more techniques. My guinea pig, er, partner was ready for anything. We practiced a few wazas 20-30 times each and then performed the entire routine. Like a dress rehearsal.



Here we are doing tenchinage (天地投げ). I think here I'm doing better. Sensei said I need to bring my "heavenly" hand up more. This brings the aite (相手) closer to me.



Different technique, but same problem. Here's iriminage (入り身投げ). My technique looks really sloppy because I don't pause half a second and bring my arm a bit higher. I need to wait and let my partner's momentum (相手の推進力) bring his head into the crux of my arm.

In this case, I feel like the partner's head is in my way. Impeding my movement, as it were. Senesi didn't say it directly, but I think that problem will vanish if I move properly and with a certain fluidity of motion.




Now this is tenchinage done right. Look at sensei's arm-his hand sword (手刀) is cutting down to the mat. The uke's body is completely bend backwards, like a bow strung.




Sensei worked with a little boy on Sunday. I thought I would include these pics because 1. they're pretty cute and 2. they provide a great model. This kid just effortlessly spins and flips with an amazing ease. His limber, little body reacts so naturally and smooth to sensei's prodding.

Ah, one final note. Sunday, two of my co-workers visited our dojo and had their first practice. I spent some time with the Canadian guy working on tenkan (転換)and irimitenkan (入り身転換). Interesting experience for me. I practice aikido in Japanese, so it was a bit of a challenge to think about certain movements in English. This blog has helped me articulate certain ideas about aikido. And thanks for reading my attempts at articulation.

Next week is Tokyo! I promise to get some shots and bring you the story as I recover from the festivities!

Even More Pictures-May 10th&11th

Went both nights last weekend. Mostly practiced for Tokyo. My partner is really light and his uke is quite good, so he's lots of fun to throw. Take a look.



We are working on kotogaeshi here. His landings are nice and smooth.



Here we are doing shihonage. Sensei said I should keep my hands higher, not lower them so much. This makes it easier for the partner to jump over his own arm as I twist it.



This pic shows tenichinage. The tori has to extend one hand up towards the heaven and the other down towards the ground. The result is the uke being unbalanced and brought into my space. His body should look like a bow being pulled. Then I step forward and he falls backwards.



Here's me being thrown kotogaeshi. I have to train myself to slap my hand on the mat before my body hits. This absorbs much of the shock of being thrown. Mistakes are painful, so you'd think I'd have learned it by now.


These next few photos are me with the sensei as uke. It was only second time to throw him. Quite an honor as well as a great model.



Kotogaeshi




Can't remember the name of this technique, but it look cool and is a lot of fun.



Kotogaeshi again.

When we practice with each other, we can always feel the weight of each other as we twist and throw. When I throw the sensei, I feel nothing. Like I'm holding jump rope handles and swinging a light rope around my head. Sensei often seems like boulder when I try to push him, but here he seems like a butterfly whirring around my head. Can't really understand what is going on there.

More Practice, More Pictures-May 3rd, 2008

Week late posting. My bad. Spent most of the evening working on our routines for Tokyo. Sensei spent a great deal of time giving me feedback on a few techniques.



Here I am doing kotogaeshi with my partner. Sensei said I need to make a bigger circle with my arms. I keep my body small and so my technique looks weak and makes it hard to throw him. It also makes it hard for him to be thrown.



This is the final stage of the waza. I have a bad habit of lowering my hands too much. I mistakenly thought that I was helping my partner land safely, but actually I'm not controlling my technique very well. My partner is a nice guy, so he rolled properly despite my error.



Here's the sensei explaining and modeling the proper form. Bigger circle creates a better form. Not sure where I picked up the bad habit of keeping my movements so small and constricted. Perhaps being 185cm in Japan and banging my head on doorways caused it. In the dojo, I have the freedom to move wide and large but I don't always utilize my size to its advantage. Gomen sensei, I'm still learning.

Gearing Up-April 27th, 2008

Sunday night we got into our pairs and spent the whole night practicing for Tokyo. My partner wasn't there, so I got a chance to practice with my partner from last year. He's been doing aikido for around 20 years, so he's great and great to work with. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.



This is me completing ikkyou. I need to keep my back straight. It gives more control during the technique and looks better.



Here my girlfriend is being thrown in kotagaeshi. This guy is really smooth; his wazas look beautiful. His sense of time and speed are spot on; he knows the right moment to "snap the whip" and give a photo finish to this technique.



Now it is my girlfriend's turn. She's got the rhythm down right and this guy went flying.

I'll throw in one more just for fun. Here's me going down like a crashing plane in ikkyou ura. No, I didn't land face first. I landed on my chest using my free arm to guide along the mat.



That's all I had time to catch on camera that night. Until then, I'm signing off.

Pairing Up-April 20th, 2008

Sunday night we were put into our pairs and practiced for Tokyo. There was some reshuffling of the partners and and now I am working with a rather new fellow. He has only been in our dojo for about 2 or months, but he practiced elsewhere for about a year. His ukemi is coming along nicely and he was fun to throw around that night.

My plan is to stick to the first routine of techniques that my former partner chose. We will do ryotedori (両手取り） in Tokyo. That gives us quite a few choices of wazas. I'll give you a list later. Now, I want to show you a few photos from that evening. It has been a long time since I posted pictures. Sorry about that, folks.




Nice shot of the first stage of kohkyuunage. Aite approaches and...



Gets thrown on his ass!




And more time, just for good measure!

These next pics are of the shihan tossing his partner like an old sack of rice. With sabaki and omoiyari, of course!



This last one is pretty funny. The shihan looks puzzled about something. "Did I do that right?" or maybe, "Why isn't she moving?"




I'm not sure what is going through his head, but I know it is unwise to question a master. Just leave well enough alone. And with that, I will say "Sayonara" until next time.

She Takes Her First Step-April 19th, 2008

Saturday night we had two people take their black belt tests. My girlfriend and another fellow. I was chosen to be his partner. I'm glad sensei didn't ask me to work with my girlfriend, would've been a tad embarrassed.

The four of us bowed to the sword, to each other and the test began. Sensei called out the names of techniques in a rapid-fire style, making it difficult for me to hear what he was saying. Bear in mind, I was being thrown to the mats as he announced the next waza. As long as I caught the first word, I was ok. I knew my line, as it were.

My partner did quite well. He forgot a couple of techniques and so we had to start over a few times. When he froze, I tried to give him a hint with my fingers. That is, if I remembered the technique myself. Must admit, my hiatus of several months emptied my repertoire. We went through a general run of the waza list. Starting with the seated (座儀) forms, on to aihanmi, gyakuhanmi and finishing with the hanmihandachi techniques. A few ushirodori and koshinage stuff thrown in as well. No tanto or katana, I noticed.

I am hardly fit to teach or critique others at aikido. Readers will notice that I generally criticize myself and my own mistakes. Having said that, my partner showed the same error I often do myself. Perhaps out of nervousness, he went through each waza very quickly. Even when he clearly didn't completely remember it. I mentioned to him afterwards that if we go a bit slower, more methodically, the technique often looks better. Beyond mere beauty of display, the waza is also much more effective, as the tori can perform each step of the waza with more control and poise. Last thing, if you go slowly, it gives the confues student a chance to feel the flow of the technique and realize what he/she needs to do next.

All in all, the double shodan test went really well. We are very proud of the two of them. I am particularly proud of my girlfriend for her achievement. Now the real test is to see if my fragile male ego can handle the fact that my girlfriend and I are now at the same level.

Soft Landings and Happy Endings-April 6th, 2008

Last Sunday we were back at the Obata dojo. New, soft mats. It was a small group, so the sensei didn't teach in the usual fashion. Instead, we got into pairs and were told to practice what we wanted. I think sensei was slightly upset that so few people came that night, but the free choice lesson gave me and my girlfriend the chance to work on some techniques we have been messing up lately.

She and I went through the list of yokumen and ushirodori techniques. She is getting ready for her shodan test, so I was uke most of the evening. Again, the soft mats were noted and appreciated. Both yokumen and ushirodori involve using both hands and we have to grab the correct hand or the waza doesn't work. My girlfriend and I were confused about whether to grab the aite's upper or lower hand. Sensei pointed out the differences and I think we generally got the idea.

Besides all my errors, stamina seems to be one of my biggest weak points. I went full-throttle for a solid hour. Getting thrown, bouncing up and getting thrown again. Then I reached a point where I had trouble getting back up fast enough. This causes problems for the tori, as they have to wait for this old man to get on his feet. I really need to focus on building my own strength. Come to think of it, today is a beautiful spring day. Great day for a long bike ride. Think of it as cross-training.

Couple of quick notes. I brought my camera, but was practicing too much to take any pictures. My apologies. Also, we are getting ready for Tokyo next month. I haven't been told who my partner will be, but I will let you know right after I find out.

Wazas & Kisses-March 29th, 2008

Last night we had about six people show up. A couple of dads and sons, plus my girlfriend and I. We only covered 2 or 3 techniques, but we went over them in immense detail.

We focused mainly on aihanmi wazas. Ikkyo, omote and ura. Timing became a huge factor here as we had to flick our "hand swords" and cut into the technique before being grabbed by the aite. If we let them grasp our wrists, it becomes almost impossible to carry out ikkyo or irminage.

I focused so much on the wrist flick that I would stop and think about the next step. This breaks the flow of motion and allows the opponent to solidfy his grip on us. Instead, we need to move in one fluid motion. Not thinking, just moving through and around the aite.

I typically overthink most everything. This has helped me quite a bit in other areas of life, but usually hinders me in aikido. Although I haven't been going to the dojo that much recently, last night I felt what psychologists call "the flow", a state in which physical and mental activity run smoothly and without conscious effort. I used to feel it more, but lost it sometime ago when I broke from regular training. Was good to know it's still there.

Another point that came to mind after practice was the point of first contact. As soon as I make physical contact with the aite, I know if I will do the waza properly or not. The next 99% of my physical movements will either complete the technique or be an awkward, forced imitation of aikido. It reminded me of a first kiss between two people. When the man first touches the woman, he instantly knows that, yes, I did the right thing, or, no, I made a mistake. Anything after that will continue down two wildly different paths. In romance, we speak of passion and chemistry; in aikido-rhythm and ki, the "harmonious energy".

Skill Vs. Strength-March 8th, 2008

Last Saturday we had a nice group. Several of us got together in the chilly dojo to receive instruction. We spent most of the evening practicing various shomenuchi techniques. The sensei went through several wazas all using the sword hand attack.

The natural response to the sword hand (手刀) is to block in an X-form. This is incorrect and quite painful, resulting in bone-on-bone clashing. Instead we should circle our arms up and move slightly to the side of the opponent. This deflects, rather than blocks, the attack.

My first big error of the evening was how I first touch the opponent's arm. I had a bad habit of pushing against his arm when I made contact. We should twist our arms slightly and plant the soft, fleshy part of our forearms on our partner's arms. Remember that, plant NOT push. This allows us to continue the waza without greatly disturbing our movement.

When practicing shomenuchi nikkyo ura, another mistake became apparent. As I was spinning, my hand was bent towards my center. This leads the aite into me and messes up the technique. The shihan explained that I need to keep my hand pointed out and away from my own body to guide my partner in a wider circle and then bring them down.

There were other mistakes, of course, but I am too tired and embarassed to write them all here. Don't worry, true believers, I promise to make more mistakes and post them here.

One on One-February 17, 2008

Last Sunday, went to practice. Only one student-me. Two people watched from the sidelines. The sensei sat in the opposite corner and the junior sensei and I spent two hours going over just about every single waza we could think of. Ikkyo, nikyo, kotogaeshi, etc.

I won't go into all the minute details here. Suffice to say, after making black belt, the teachers hone in on every tiny detail of my performance of a technique. A centimeter to the left here, focus on the opponent's shoulder not the wrist, etc.

My girlfriend does the same thing. Critiques every aspect of my life. From washing the dishes to folding the laundry. I have read and now truly understand (了解) this aspect of Japanese culture. It is a far cry from the "good enough" attitude that is associated with American culture. It does drive me bonkers, but I have seen and reaped the rewards of this meticulous (細かい) mentality.

Oh, my girlfriend and another sat in the corner and watched the two of us. I heard quite a bit of laughter as I grunted in pain. What was educational for me was entertaining for them. Two birds with one stone, ne?

The Painful Process of Learning-January 28th, 2008

So yeah, it`s been awhile. Sorry folks, life has been rocky. And painful. Speaking of pain, we have been practicing at the Myojo dojo the past few months while the Obata dojo is under construction.

Those names may not mean much to you, but it signifies a big difference for us. The Obata dojo had very soft mats, really great for aikido. The Myojo dojo has really hard mats. Cold, unforgiving. Every time someone does a jump-roll like tobiukemi, we can hear them wince and gasp in pain.

If the waza is done properly, it is not painful. The slightest error is brought to your attention quickly. After practice last Saturday, I realized that the hard mats forced me to focus on the minor errors I was making in my rolls. Not tucking in my legs correctly, wrong angle, etc. The brutal mats serve to point out our mistakes in a way that not even the sensei can catch. Like sensors, we can see every point in the process quite clearly. One fellow suggested we should practice on hardwood floors. His rationale being that one shattered ankle bone would teach us how to roll properly. Easier said than done ne?

So to wrap this up, I thought I'd throw in a couple of pics of a 10-year old kid throwing my girlfriend around the room. Hope you enjoy, I did.