When working with the bokken I treat it as I would any uke. That is I seek to establish a connection with it so that we may move in concert our respective motions congruent. I don't practice choreographed kata any longer, having given it up 5 years ago. I practiced the traditional bokken katas for many years and took from them what they had to offer.
Maruyama Sensei showed me there was another way to wield the bokken, a way that he showed openly but no one seemed to be able to see. It wasn't what he did; for he demonstrated the traditional movements, it was how he did it. While his students concentrated on stringing together the correct sequence of movements, he flowed like water moving through a winding, curving pipe. The strikes were there but so seamlessly were they woven into the pattern that the weapon just moved through the point of contact and continued on its way. The bokken seemed to move of its own accord as he led/followed it around.
It is from those observations that I developed my method of working with both the bokken and jo staff. The short clip below shows Simon performing some free form work with the bokken.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
One Hundred and Fifty-four
The Master of Anywhere squatted beside the stream. For a long while she did nothing, lost in the symphony of the stream as it wound its way among the rocks. Her vision, global at first, slowly narrowed as the stream wove it's music for her until her focus was concentrated on three maple leaves resting upon two rocks that lay in the water at her feet.
The leaves clothed in the varying shades of warm reds and yellows of mid autumn lay where they had fallen two upon one rock one upon the other. The central point of each leaf pointed in such a way as to lead her eye from leaf to leaf, describing a triangle. The leaf triangle emphasized the triangular nature of the relationship between the two rocks. The rocks in turn led her to notice how the pattern of the flowing water also described a triangle. Leaves of the air, rocks of earth, currents of water, arranged by chance, observed by chance... at once the splendor of it all hit her as she imagined that all the years of her life had led her to this point, at this time, in order that she may observe this simple arrangement of leaf, rock and water.
Energy surged within her; building from her center it boiled and roiled until she felt that she should explode if it was not given free reign to escape and be released into the world. With a mighty cry of exultation she rose from her position, arms outstretched, face turned to the heavens and poured forth her energy in one explosion of release.
It is said that her cry was heard for many miles in all directions and the people marveled at the joy contained therein. And all who heard it were filled with hope and a feeling of healing as though some spirit of redemption had been loosed upon the world. Far, far away the Master of Anywhere lay at the foot of the maple tree and slept the dreamless sleep that is known by only the very, very young and very, very old among us.
The leaves clothed in the varying shades of warm reds and yellows of mid autumn lay where they had fallen two upon one rock one upon the other. The central point of each leaf pointed in such a way as to lead her eye from leaf to leaf, describing a triangle. The leaf triangle emphasized the triangular nature of the relationship between the two rocks. The rocks in turn led her to notice how the pattern of the flowing water also described a triangle. Leaves of the air, rocks of earth, currents of water, arranged by chance, observed by chance... at once the splendor of it all hit her as she imagined that all the years of her life had led her to this point, at this time, in order that she may observe this simple arrangement of leaf, rock and water.
Energy surged within her; building from her center it boiled and roiled until she felt that she should explode if it was not given free reign to escape and be released into the world. With a mighty cry of exultation she rose from her position, arms outstretched, face turned to the heavens and poured forth her energy in one explosion of release.
It is said that her cry was heard for many miles in all directions and the people marveled at the joy contained therein. And all who heard it were filled with hope and a feeling of healing as though some spirit of redemption had been loosed upon the world. Far, far away the Master of Anywhere lay at the foot of the maple tree and slept the dreamless sleep that is known by only the very, very young and very, very old among us.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
One Hundred and Fifty-three
There can be
no resistance
in the absence
of control.
Control,
even of myself,
an illusion;
takes me out of
the flow of life's rhythm,
moves me away from now...
robs me of my center.
O Sensei -
'To truly implement the Art of Peace,
you must be able to sport freely in the
manifest, hidden and devine realms',
Control is the absence of freedom.
no resistance
in the absence
of control.
Control,
even of myself,
an illusion;
takes me out of
the flow of life's rhythm,
moves me away from now...
robs me of my center.
O Sensei -
'To truly implement the Art of Peace,
you must be able to sport freely in the
manifest, hidden and devine realms',
Control is the absence of freedom.
Friday, February 26, 2010
One Hundred and Fifty-two
Techniques are the words of Aikido.
My training consists, largely, of practicing techniques over and over. Techniques are structured movements, patterned responses to predetermined attacks. They have identifiable forms that, while differing in small details, are essentially the same across Aikido styles. In and of themselves, techniques are mechanical vehicles for learning and internalizing the concepts that underly Aikido. I learn connection, congruent motion, correct distance, timing, extension of Ki while moving etc.
Randori is the literature of Aikido.
During randori the motions of uke and nage are removed from the structured dance of technique practice and enter into the realm of spontaneity. My uke is free to move unfettered by the constraints that govern technique practice and, likewise, my movement is equally unrestrained.
Early in my training, randori consisted of repeated attack/throw sequences, not far removed from the practice of individual technique; the obvious difference being that the attacks and defensive moves were not predetermined. Of late the formal waza has begun to disappear from my randori; it's being replaced by something else that I can't yet define or adequately describe. My partners still fall, but it's as though the throws are hidden in the motion. The whole exercise becomes an unbroken string of movement punctuated by an occasional slap of a hand on the mat as uke falls.
The following video clip of a 'grabs only' randori illustrates the point.
My training consists, largely, of practicing techniques over and over. Techniques are structured movements, patterned responses to predetermined attacks. They have identifiable forms that, while differing in small details, are essentially the same across Aikido styles. In and of themselves, techniques are mechanical vehicles for learning and internalizing the concepts that underly Aikido. I learn connection, congruent motion, correct distance, timing, extension of Ki while moving etc.
Randori is the literature of Aikido.
During randori the motions of uke and nage are removed from the structured dance of technique practice and enter into the realm of spontaneity. My uke is free to move unfettered by the constraints that govern technique practice and, likewise, my movement is equally unrestrained.
Early in my training, randori consisted of repeated attack/throw sequences, not far removed from the practice of individual technique; the obvious difference being that the attacks and defensive moves were not predetermined. Of late the formal waza has begun to disappear from my randori; it's being replaced by something else that I can't yet define or adequately describe. My partners still fall, but it's as though the throws are hidden in the motion. The whole exercise becomes an unbroken string of movement punctuated by an occasional slap of a hand on the mat as uke falls.
The following video clip of a 'grabs only' randori illustrates the point.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
One Hundred and Fifty-one
The touch of a single snowflake is but a whisper of force. Bring enough snowflakes to bear, however, and trees are felled by them; valleys are cut by them; mountains crumble beneath them. And still, the touch of a single snowflake is but a whisper of force.
The touch of my Ki upon uke during kokyu nage is like a single snowflake; until, that is, it isn't. At the moment our congruent motions reach the limit of his balance and my maximized extension, when he is at his lightest and I am at my heaviest, that single snowflake-like touch of Ki becomes an avalanche.
At moments like that I am fully aware of our connections; to each other, to the group around us, to the wider universe. The deeper reality of Aikido training becomes manifest, and while transient, leaves a little of itself behind each time. And so I continue to grow.
The touch of my Ki upon uke during kokyu nage is like a single snowflake; until, that is, it isn't. At the moment our congruent motions reach the limit of his balance and my maximized extension, when he is at his lightest and I am at my heaviest, that single snowflake-like touch of Ki becomes an avalanche.
At moments like that I am fully aware of our connections; to each other, to the group around us, to the wider universe. The deeper reality of Aikido training becomes manifest, and while transient, leaves a little of itself behind each time. And so I continue to grow.
Friday, February 12, 2010
One Hundred and Fifty
As I practice I realize that my movement shapes the space around me. Without physically controlling uke I nevertheless control where she may move in order to continue with her attack. And while she may still have many paths to take in order to reengage with me, her likelihood of success along any one of them is remote.
It’s not really that simple, of course. For uke moves as well and about her center, just as about mine, space is shaped, distorted, defined. And I can find myself caught in currents that threaten to whisk me from my path and move me from confluence to intersection with uke on her terms thereby increasing the probability of a successful attack.
Therefore I seek to occupy the center that is common to our centers, the point at which conflict becomes cooperation; where forces coincide and neutralize one another… where Ki flows freely and I become its conduit.
It’s not really that simple, of course. For uke moves as well and about her center, just as about mine, space is shaped, distorted, defined. And I can find myself caught in currents that threaten to whisk me from my path and move me from confluence to intersection with uke on her terms thereby increasing the probability of a successful attack.
Therefore I seek to occupy the center that is common to our centers, the point at which conflict becomes cooperation; where forces coincide and neutralize one another… where Ki flows freely and I become its conduit.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
One Hundred and Forty-nine
lots of bare brown branches,
evergreen needles tinged with silver
the light reflects
flecks of gold
emitted by the stubborn leaf
still clinging to its branch.
I let go of my knowledge
so as to make room for learning,
and who can say
where my Aikido path will take me,
for it is created anew
beneath my feet
and lost to the past
once trod upon.
Monday, December 21, 2009
One Hundred and Forty-eight
Well, three hernias need repairing. I've had them for a long time and chose to leave them alone as long as they didn't bother me. Alas they seem to have reneged on our agreement of late so in January it's off to Bay State for me to be patched up like an old inner tube.
When the discomfort hit my first reaction was to stay off the mat as visions of strangulated hernias and emergency surgery filled my waking moments. As I began to adapt and determine what I could and could not do I found that I could continue attending class wearing my instructor hat. Ukemi is out for the time being.
As a result of having to take it easy I'm exploring the subtleties hidden in technique. My technique, pretty soft to begin with, has gotten softer, much softer; to the delight I'm told, of my ukes. I've really had to look hard at correct timing and distance as tools to help me overcome my inability to move with as much freedom as I previously enjoyed.
Gonna be a long few weeks until the operation but this too shall pass. The surgeon, a hernia specialist, is going in laparoscopicly and, according to him at least, how soon I get back to normal activities is strictly up to me, no restrictions.
When the discomfort hit my first reaction was to stay off the mat as visions of strangulated hernias and emergency surgery filled my waking moments. As I began to adapt and determine what I could and could not do I found that I could continue attending class wearing my instructor hat. Ukemi is out for the time being.
As a result of having to take it easy I'm exploring the subtleties hidden in technique. My technique, pretty soft to begin with, has gotten softer, much softer; to the delight I'm told, of my ukes. I've really had to look hard at correct timing and distance as tools to help me overcome my inability to move with as much freedom as I previously enjoyed.
Gonna be a long few weeks until the operation but this too shall pass. The surgeon, a hernia specialist, is going in laparoscopicly and, according to him at least, how soon I get back to normal activities is strictly up to me, no restrictions.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
One Hundred and Forty-Seven
One question I’ll never ask regarding Aikido: “Is that all there is?” The Aikido onion is very large and the time required to explore each layer in depth precludes ever getting to the point where no layers are left to scrutinize.
Aikido is about growth and if I let myself become stuck at one point along the path my growth will cease and I’ll end up simply just “doing” Aikido. Having experienced the richness of the Aikido experience, becoming stranded along the way would be the death knell of my practice.
Aikido is about growth and if I let myself become stuck at one point along the path my growth will cease and I’ll end up simply just “doing” Aikido. Having experienced the richness of the Aikido experience, becoming stranded along the way would be the death knell of my practice.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
One Hundred and Forty-six
To train when the sun shines
To train when it doesn’t.
To train when it doesn’t.
When it’s bitterly cold
and the mat feels like stone
or
hot and sticky,
the air almost too thick to breathe;
then too.
and the mat feels like stone
or
hot and sticky,
the air almost too thick to breathe;
then too.
When I hurt
or
feel eighteen again;
simply get on the mat and train.
or
feel eighteen again;
simply get on the mat and train.
When others question
my method,
I train with a smile,
knowing as I do
that training is showing up,
suiting up
and moving.
my method,
I train with a smile,
knowing as I do
that training is showing up,
suiting up
and moving.
Training
I progress slowly,
it’s cumulative
each little bit I learn adds to
what I know,
increasing the volume
of what I don’t
thereby,
affording me more opportunities to learn.
I progress slowly,
it’s cumulative
each little bit I learn adds to
what I know,
increasing the volume
of what I don’t
thereby,
affording me more opportunities to learn.
To train…
simple.
simple.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)