VKS KI TRAINING NOTES, MAY '97 =20 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this document is to provide a dialog between students and the instructional faculty on training issues and answer questions regarding technique or training practices or procedures. It is NOT a forum for dealing with philosophy, except as it applies to training, nor business issues associated with the VKS. NOTICES: MAY INSTRUCTOR'S CLASS Class will be held on 18 May from 2PM. The class will be dedicated to looking at technique from a perspective of testing , taigi and application. Sensei Singer and Sensei Simcox will be conducting the seminar.. At the end of class we will make a decision about the meeting date and time for= June. SUMMER CAMP The Virginia Ki Society Summer Camp will be held at James Madison University which is located in Harrisonburg Virginia. Sensei Koichi Kashiwaya will be the principle instructor this year. The camp is an open camp for all interested students of Aikido and Ki Development. CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL The VKS participated in the 1997 Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington. The demonstration was held at Freedom Plaza, Pennsylvania Avenue, between 13th and 14th Streets on Saturday, April 12th. Because of the rain our time was changed but we did manage to perform for 16 minutes before a fairly large crowd of brave souls.=20 KARAFFA TEST =20 On April 19th I visited the Edwardsburg, Michigan Kokon Ryu Bujutsu Renmei Aikido Dojo where I met Senseis Jack Colmer and Mike Brady who had generously provided a practice hall for Jim Karaffa. Jim found several=20 students, Mike Bergeron, Derek Decrane, Paul Doyle and Bonnie Wolfgang, who provided uke support to his examination. Jim's test was well done and the services provided by the host Dojo were outstanding. All the persons I met there were very enthusiastic about their studies, committed to their personal development and the senseis were very friendly and open, all traits that should be found in all aikido dojos. I look forward to visiting them again when I travel to Northern Indiana. GUEST AUTHOR COLUMN Will Reed is on travel to Australia and will return to the "VKS Training Notes" when he returns. KOKYU DOSA By George Simcox This fundamental training exercise can be executed in a number of ways, depending on what one wants to get from its practice. The partners take a position, sitting seiza, knees nearly touching. Nage presents his arms , palms facing inward, to uke. Uke grasps the wrists holding from the outside. Both uke and nage should have mind and body coordinated. Nage's mission is to over balance the uke to the right or left and then pivot into a position where nage can contain uke's effort to arise by holding uke to the mat (floor) while sitting seiza with one hand-edge on uke's extended arm and the other across uke's chest intersecting the uke's body near the collar bone furthest from nage's position. When I learned this technique the uke grabbed firmly and, cocking my wrists, I pushed against his hands as hard as I could and slid backward on the tatami, scratching the skin on my foot. I never did succeed in moving my first instructor, but I did have some success moving my fellow students. I learned that when uke held firmly, the cocking of the wrists caused uke's shoulders to raise and gave me a chance to achieve an over balancing. When I joined the Ki Society, after getting back into Aikido after a few years away I found a change. Now the grasp was firm but relaxed, a Ki hold if you will. The old cocking of the wrists was no longer effective. Now we were required to extend strong Ki before contact and while moving forward to be effective as nage, while uke was holding with Ki and maintaining one point. As ukes became more well trained in Ki Development nages were challenged to higher levels of Ki extension. Kokyu dosa is live and well as a training device. Below I would like to make some training observations about the use of this tool. In the late 1970s I attended a seminar with Tohei Sensei during which he discussed kokyu dosa, teaching that if nage's Ki is well extended it is possible for nage to move forward toward uke without disturbing uke's hands. He did this three times and on the fourth he also moved his hands, easily topping uke. From this understanding I have developed a few approaches which seem to stand me in good stead. Because many beginners try to over power their uke I have been teaching moving from the finger tips rather than from the wrists. Putting the mind to thinking of tickling the uke's arm pits, nage moves forward with Ki and easily topples the uke. Understanding this method requires that nage keep uke's Ki from entering nage's body so that uke is always outside of nage's energy field. Later exercises require nage to understand that it is also possible to invite uke's energy into nage's field and, one entered be used to support nage's objectives. This is demonstrated in the following approaches to kokyu dosa. Nage should view the uke's hold as a gift and, receiving the gift, consider the uke's arms as a part of his own arms. Now it becomes easy to move uke since uke is a part of nage and contributes to uke's own defeat. This is another step in mind and body coordination and integration in accomplishing the purpose of kokyu dosa training. Another mental approach, similar to the last, is for nage's mind to be focused, not on the bottom of his own hands but rather on the bottom of uke's hand. The result is the same as in the previous example but has a different feel to it. Another useful mental image for nage is to imagine that you have surrounded uke with your Ki when presenting the hands to be held. This puts uke within nage's mental space and facilitates control of uke. This is similar to receiving uke's energy as described previously but takes place before any contact has been initiated. Depending upon how nage is being held, it may be possible to touch uke's arm above the wrist. When this can be done it is useful to put your mind at the tip of your touching finger and extend Ki. The result is to easily topple uke by facilitating the use of uke's arm as a part of your extension. One final approach, for now at least, is one I gleaned from a very interesting lesson by Sensei Shuji Maruyama. Disregard all I have said so far and enter uke's space with strong physical power. When nage can move no further, just relax completely. This is so unnerving that uke is easy to toppled. This is a real "hoot" if done smoothly and with no warning that it is coming. GUEST INSTRUCTOR'S COLUMN=20 by: Guy DeWolf, Peninsula Ki Aikido Club Teaching by the Numbers One of the biggest problems facing new Aikido students is learning the Japanese terminology. Often those of us who have been around longer forget how many Japanese words we know and how baffling the exotic terms we use so casually among ourselves can be to novices. Back when I first started studying Aikido, our group met in a building with a parking problem. People were constantly coming in from outside and asking us to move our cars so they could get out: "Somebody please move the Honda." "Somebody move the Mustang." "We need somebody to move the white van." One evening when requests for vehicles to be moved had been particularly frequent, my sensei said to me, "Get in your hanmi." "Oh no, Sensei," I said. "I drive the Thunderbird". Now that I am an instructor myself, I want to spare my students from similar embarrassing moments. When new students come into the Dojo, sometime during their first week or two of practice, I like to expose them to some of the terminology of Aikido and at the same time give them an overview of the structure of our art. I chose one of the regular students to act as my uke and do a brief presentation I call "The Nine Basic Attacks, Nine Basic Throws, and Two Basic Moves of Aikido. Before I begin I reassure the new students that I don't expect them to memorize the terms as I go. The idea of the presentation is not to make them feel pressured to learn everything immediately, but to expose students to the terminology in the beginning to make it seem more familiar when they hear it again later on. To further help students grasp the material, I categorize the nine attacks into six grabs (katatetori, katate kosatori, katatori, ryotetori, ryotemochi, ushiro tekubitori), and three aggressions (shomenuchi, yoiomenuchi, munetsuki). I give the English translation for each of these terms, explaining that "katate" means "wrist", "tori" means "grab" and so= on. I do the same thing with the none basic throws. I demonstrate ikkyo, nikyo and sankyo and explain that these exotic terms mean nothing more than first, second and third technique. Then I move to kokyunage, shihonage, ude oroshi, kotegaeshi, and zenponage, explaining that each technique, whether it is a hold or a throw, can be performed in response to a variety of attacks and that these combinations of attack and response make up the body of Aikido. Demonstrating tenkan and irimi-the "two basic moves"-completes my journey through the basics of Aikido.. I show the students a pair of techniques that differ only in the move: shomenuchi ikkyo irimi and shomenuchi ikkyo tenkan, for example. Seeing these techniques presented in pairs helps make Aikido terminology in the students' minds. Finally I talk about how the techniques are called out: the attack, the response, and then the move. I demonstrate some of the techniques whose names follow the rule: munetsuki kotegaeshi tenkan, for example, but also point out that there are some names that don't follow this rule. In particular, the term "kokyunage" calls for some additional explanation, given that it appears in so many throws that aren't part of the twenty-year family (kokyunage is what we call the twenty-year throw). I tell the students that, unless some other throw is also given as a part of the technique name, it will be a "breath or timing throw". Discussing the attacks and techniques in terms of families and explaining the rationale behind the technique names gives students some structure to hang their new knowledge on as the acquire it. Educational theorists refer to these mental frameworks students build as "schema" and many believe that schema, either constructed by students themselves or supplied to them by their teachers, are important in learning. Aikido students must, ultimately, construct their knowledge of the art for themselves as the progress in their practice, but that doesn't mean that we instructors can't give them a head start. Wnen I spend part of an evening categorizing techniques and then teaching by the numbers, I'm giving my students not only a lesson in Japanese terms but also the beginnings of these personal understanding of the art that we all study together.=20 NOTES FROM THE INTERNET One thing to remember is that there are different levels of attacks - everything from someone slapping or punching semi-playfully at you, to someone in a killing rage making a genuine and sincere attempt to end your life as rapidly as possible. Another thing to remember is that the term "self-defense" often has any number of meanings, ranging from "I want to emerge victorious when I go up to the Hell's Angel in the bar and tell him to 'take back what he said about my mother, or else'," to "I'd prefer that the homicidal maniac who attacked me randomly on the street not be able to murder me."=20 Most people who denigrate Aikido as self-defense want to use a martial art in the first situation. But Aikido is =3Dpurely=3D defensive - if you're= intent is to go up and, "do a technique to someone" or "win a fight" you are outside of the intent of Aikido. The =3Dbest=3D self-defense is failing to= be in a fight in the first place. We practice Aikido techniques because we are simulating a situation where walking away, or running away, or other more peaceful alternatives are not possible - but don't lose sight of the fact that the intent within Aikido is not to be in a fight to begin with. Aikido has been described humorously as "The Noble Art of Getting the Hell Out of the Way." More central to Aikido than "doing techniques" is failing to be within the power zone of an intended attack when it is delivered - either by entering (irimi) closely enough to be inside of the attack, or retreating to just slightly past it's effective range. Ask your Sensei which is more important: "doing techniques" or proper movement - I'm sure that he will tell you that without proper movement, techniques are not even possible. The vast majority of attacks that most people will ever have to deal with lack commitment: The person attempting to attack them isn't trying to kill them, and if they fail to connect on their first couple of tries, the attacker is going to lose interest and stop attacking. Is Aikido effective against such attacks? Sure - if the attacker can't hit the Aikidoka because the Aikidoka keeps getting properly out of the way as taught, then self-defense is indeed accomplished. No one wants to look repeatedly like a lumbering idiot who can't even land a punch (or a slap). Perhaps no actual technique was even used - but in that situation, none may be necessary or even called for. Now, what about the MOST dangerous attacker: someone who is well trained, totally focused on you, and totally dedicated to killing you, regardless of the cost to themselves? Is Aikido effective against such attacks? Yes - (assuming that the Aikidoka is proficient enough to get out of the way of the attack in the first place. :) This is exactly the situation Aikido techniques are designed for. Someone with total commitment is going to keep attacking [and attacking] even when their initial attack fails - Aikido techniques work by anticipating this commitment and controlling it. [To be accurate here, although any technique that you practice is the anticipation of a given continuation of an attack, in a fight the Aikidoka is applying a given technique as an appropriate reaction to the actual attacker's =3Dspecific=3D continuation of attack.] Now, where DOESN'T Aikido work? Michael Hacker mentioned pitting an Aikidoka "against even a mediocre boxer for a quick ego slam." Why is this true? Basically for the same reason (or one of them) that Aikido doesn't have competitions: In a competition/fight situation not only is the Aikidoka thinking about "doing something to his opponent," [which is contrary to the principles of Aikido,] but the opponent is not just attacking - he is attacking and defending at the same time. In any situation where the opponent is equally as dedicated to defending as attacking, the Aikidoka unwise enough to attempt to force a technique is going to wind up getting both slammed and not accomplishing the technique, because while he was busy trying to force something that wasn't happening, the opponent will be doing something else [usually hitting him.] This doesn't mean however, that an Aikidoka would be helpless if =3Dattacked= =3D by a boxer on the street - merely that the successful Aikidoka would properly be devoting himself to not being present where punches were committed to land [as many boxers do,] waiting patiently until the boxer tired himself out punching at thin air, and occasionally helping the boxer overextend on those very rare occasions when the boxer put "heart and soul" behind a punch.=20 The key to Aikido techniques is blending. There is virtually nothing "blendable" about a jab. But that doesn't mean it has to hit you. If you get hit by a jab because you were trying to "do Aikido to someone," what you were doing wasn't Aikido. Just some random musings, all of which are solely my own opinion, but I hope that helps. /""""\=20 | ^^ | Dex Sinister=20 [( 00 )] Susquehanna Aikido=20 =D8 +--oOO---(__)---OOo--+ =D8=20 CHIEF INSTRUCTOR'S NOTES: By: George Simcox TRAVELS Norma and I visited the Virginia Tech Aikido Club April 24th. We were very well received by Sensei Truman Capone and his club members. The class focused on using relaxation while performing technique, using ryote mochi and ryote tori as the attacks. The class was very attentive and receptive to what I was trying to communicate. These university based clubs are very important to the Aikido movement and I felt privileged to participate with= them. On April 25th we went up to Charlottesville to visit the Blue Ridge Ki Society and supervise testing in Ki Development and Ki Aikido. There were some new comers who felt shy about getting on the mat but once they joined in the activities I think they felt very comfortable with what they were learning during the instructional program which followed the testing. In May I will visit Philadelphia on the 14th and Richmond on the 19th for testing and instruction.