Sunday, February 13, 2011

Down Syndrome Ultrasound Images

ikkyo for a life

Ikkyo is the technique of Katame Waza (control techniques), which increasingly attracts me. At first it was not so in the early years of practice I could not understand why O Sensei attributed so much importance to this technique.

I seemed much more effective techniques such as Niky or Sankyo for Not to mention the Nage (throws, projections) which, practicing Judo, I had my preference. Even now I think Niky, Sankyo Nage ... and the most effective, practical self-defense. But
Ikkyo is different, has another kind of efficiency.

Ikkyo is the technique that makes all other effective techniques Katame Waza: Niky, Sankyo, yonkyo, Gokyo . And not only.

Ikkyo not effective because it makes me fail to implement technically, but it makes me efficient because they can not apply any painful lever action with no tripping, no power ... I have to use all of my sensibility and master my own body becomes Ikkyo . The movements, stability, nagare which involves Ikkyo become part of ' Aikido, and not a peculiarity of the effectiveness of the technique. In a certain sense Ikkyo reduces the whole principle of Aikido. Perhaps this was intended, or Sensei with its famous kuden "Ikkyo for a living" .

The practice of Ikkyo continue to refine my sensibilities in the monitoring and channel the forces. Once you have mastered the basic movements ( Ki Hon), with all the tricks and attacks, it must be practice in Ki no Nagare Randori and . Its construction lines, in Randori, they always be correct, complete and different reactions to situations.


Being a very clean technique, all attention is paid to the principles and effectiveness of the result.


I think O Sensei has included the principle of Aikido techniques to make effective the other techniques derived from it. And it is precisely the case in regard to all the Ikkyo Katame waza .

Ikkyo become the greatest "teacher" in Randori, where I do not have to force my partner to surrender with levers, projections, tripping ... I have to do with control of single movement. In Randori there is never a Ikkyo same, but all with the same principle. And if you use force, a lever, any pressure to land my partner is not Ikkyo.

To practice properly you should not consider the Randori as a fight for applying a technique or, worse, to beat your partner. The Randori is the battle for purity. In Randori I apply the principles with a partner in the movement that will try to make things more difficult.
In traditional Judo that type is called Randori fighting to improve their technique, and Shia fighting in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of their technique.

Ikkyo has a "simple construction, so it is difficult to" say Saito Shihan.

The first form of Ikkyo that O Sensei taught in Iwama, Saito said the Maestro, it was Shomen Uchi by Ikkyo Omote .


For many who aikidoka consult the manual for the first time Budo O Sensei, is a controversial phrase:
"Tori ... begins to hit in shomen uchi ...". "What? It is always said that Aikido is the ultimate non-violence, Aikido that does not stick. There must be something wrong in the translation ...", but then there are the pictures to confirm it.


1 - Uke has a clenched fist, index an attempt of aggression, in fact, the physical attack is not yet happened, but it is the mental act. Tori (O Sensei) takes the initiative and raising his right hand for a blow to the head (Shomen Uchi )



2 - Uke abandons the attack to defend . Tori (O Sensei) and blocks grabs Uke's elbow.


In this first step O Sensei tells us "... Go and get his energy, his spirit, his mind ..." "... go straight to the heart of the action (Irimi )...". We may add, in a more ethical, "prevention is better than cure". In a tactical vision "... the best defense is attack ...".


But it is also very logical to the principle of Aikido: capture the energy. It 'is perfectly in line with the tactics of self: do not give him space and time to our attackers to mount such an attack. And it is' in line with ethics: take the initiative and make the aggressor harmless procuring less damage as possible.


At this point, in fact, the attack would stop, but there could be a reaction of the aggressor to continue the offensive, then force him to the ground, controlling it.


3 - Tori (O Sensei) stabilizes the body while maintaining the imbalance of Uke


4 - In this frame we pass directly the stage of penetration, irimi in the direction of Uke's head that will force him to put his hand on the ground and then move restraining (photo 5).


It should be said that O Sensei, in the long years of study and adjustments, has increasingly refined the technique to the principles of Aikido, adding that both actions and raising movements.

Morihiro Saito Sensei was perhaps the closest witness to the evolution of Aikido last. He is the disciple who, over time, it was as close to O Sensei ... is a historical fact (see the article by Stanley Pranin the home page).
The following sequence is the same technique performed by Morihiro Saito Sensei

I take this opportunity also to bring attention to how this sequence of technical highlights the tactical aspect of a spiritual battle.
To perform this technique so effective (also in the sense of effectiveness compared to learning), we examine these aspects of attitude, essential to understand fund as is the control of aggression. We begin by analyzing the 4 states of harmony between body and mind and spirit.

mind waiting - waiting Body
(neutral attitude and relaxed but full attention)
mind waiting - body attack
(representing the state of attack or defense to exploit the performance of partners)
Mind attack - Body pending
(representing the state aggressive, but controlled)
attack in Mind - Body attack
(representing the total was aggressive at times impulsive)

This is also a topic which I will soon. For the moment we know that the right attitude is essential to analyze the technique correctly, otherwise it becomes only exercise impersonation attack-defense.


Uke has tegatana hand, his body is pending , but his mind already in attack. Tori is relaxed, his mind and his body are waiting .


Tori immediately switches to the attack body and mind waiting . Tori goes to stop immediately the intention of Uke, with her shomen uchi strikes Uke's body, but his mind. Uke instinctively protects itself. Tori's mind was waiting for the reaction of Uke, who raises his arm. Tori then locks the elbow.

From now until the end of Tori's body will always be in action and his mind in a state of waiting to pick up all the reactions of Uke.


must be careful not to pursue immediately the left leg: Uke is not completely neutralized, and has the ability to grasp the leg of Tori.
This step is especially important during Ki Hon, pausing a moment to see if the stability has been reached. While the shift in Ki no Nagare is faster, but there must always be.

In the previous sequence, the one with O Sensei, this step is missing (there is a direct passage from the frame of this sequence from 2 to 4) as for other techniques represented in the book Budo, photographic steps are very low, perhaps due to the high cost of photographs of the time. It may be that O Sensei has just added this step in the evolution of technology since the publication of Budo. I have a feeling that the practice of this technique, without this step has been passed down through the various styles of many disciples of O Sensei who have been separated early from their teacher, bringing along models do not fully matured.


Many times it happens that Tori leftovers immediately to complete the technique in the shortest time, without assurance of the state of unbalance Uke (in other words pass from the position of the frame in the frame 2 to 4 too soon). In doing so, as we have said, if Uke is not sufficiently unbalanced can attach the front leg of Tori.
Ikkyo is the ultimate control technique, there is no need to take impetuousness of the movement. The check must be on the body of Uke, but also on your own.


trial and error, looking even older models of Daito Ryu Aiki Jutsu ... I came to my interpretation: the model represented in Budo is sound in fast combat action, speed of action 'attack is also focusing on physical performance (power and speed) that, in many cases, can solve the problem of a counter-attack. In view of the defense have to worry about, first of all, not to suffer damage. Got to make sure that during every stage of execution technique, Uke can not attack or counter-hitting.

This difference is also noticeable in the last frame of both sequences: O Sensei Budo in the manual ends with a more effective control in terms of "martial", blocking the arm up and sitting down, ordering the surrender by raising his arm in tegatana. In this sequence ends with a check instead of symbolic efficiency principle "does not affect who attacks you."


To further break the balance of Uke Tori enter at this point (irimi) with the hip and the whole left leg toward the center of Uke, in order not to fall, her left hand resting on the ground, trying to redress the balance.
Tori opens, advancing along the right hand and the right leg, and falls to the ground with full control. (This part is missing in the frames, but appears clearly in the video below)


In this movie running from Shomen Uchi Ikkyo Omote performed by Maestro Fausto De Compadre
(note as the movements follow each other in line with previous images of Saito Sensei)


Another testimony comes to us from another well-known disciple of O Sensei, Gozo Shioda, in his book "Dynamic Aikido" he writes: Tori sticks up his hand ... Uke blocks the attack with his arm ... "

Aikido is alive, as is the nature of all things , in continuous movement and change, but a rose is a rose, the petals and the thorns are arranged differently and with slightly different forms, but is easily distinguishable from other flowers. I think so should also be Aikido, in constant motion and change, but his techniques and principles clear and distinguishable in line with what O Sensei path. "In the tradition of progress" was the motion of Jigoro Kano, the creator of Judo method.

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