Aiki Taiso
Aiki Taiso (合氣体操)
This is meant to be a help for you practice.
Since it's from 2009, there are some improvement since then, If you know them, please practise with the improvement.
3. April 2020
Tegatana (手刀)
Tegatana is a typical technique which comes from Samurai tradition but most Aikido teachers do not know how to create it.
You must create form of your arm and hand which is very strong and stable.
First put your elbow on a table so that it does not move.
Then you must see that your hand can move either toward the little finger or thumb.
So move you hand maximum towards your thumb
.
then turn the arm without moving the elbow.
The arm is a part of your body between the elbow and the wrist.
Now you have a correct form of Tegatana.
25. March 2020.
Questions & Anwers:
Question:
In Ushiro Tekubi Tori 2 Undo, I see first a change of arms (body), after a change of position (back displacement) and after a change of body by bending it. Is it correct?. If I’m wrong, what concept have I wrong?
26/4/2020
Answer:
Correct.
When you do Aikido, you always have to change form and change place at the same time harmoniously. It is not easy to do two things harmoniously. That is why you practise exercises. When you do Aiki Taiso, you unconsciously concentrate on one thing to do. So there are three types of exercises in Aiki Taiso.
1. You concentrate on Change form
2. Change place
3. Change form and change place alternatively
In reality you are always changing form and changing place at the same time but it is a matter of mind. Which activity do you concentrate at each moment? This is the question you should have when you practise Aiki Taiso.
Katatedori Tenshin cannot be a exercise because you cannot choose which activity you are concentrating on at each moment. If you practise it as exercise, you unconsciously choose one activity at each moment and that gives a bad habit for the correct technique of Katatedori Tenshin.
26/4/2020
Question:
In Aiki Taiso, Tenshin physical exercise has a concept (to pivot), Funakogi exercise is a name. In the rest of exercises, are there another ones having a concept and not being only a name?
26/4/2020
Answer:
All names have concept or meaning. I am not going to give a Japanese lesson but I only teach Ki and Aikido. The meaning or concept of those Japanese names are mostly not important for your practice . If it is important, I will explain it. If you are just interested in the meaning of Japanese names, find a Japanese language teacher.
26/4/2020
Question:
I’m trying to understand what “to change one’s form means. I’m confused because in a question on 22/O4, other person wrote: “To change one’s form” means that the body (not arms and legs) is BENDING. You don’ say that is wrong.
In Ushiro Tekubi Tori 2 Undo, I see first a change of arms’ form (body), after a change of position (back displacement) and after a body’s change by vending it.
Could you explain more, please?
25/4/2020
Answer:
I do not say right or wrong unless the other person asks me to judge. I did not say anything because the person just gave his opinion and did not ask me whether it was right or not. As I already answered before, it is wrong.
25/4/202
Question:
What is the concept or meaning of Funakogi?
25/4/2020
Answer:
It is just a name which has no importance. We just use many Japanese names because Tohei sensei was using them but the meaning of the name is not important. Only the reality is important.
25/4/202
Question:
To change one’s form means that only the body changes its form, arms and legs don’t change. Is it correct?
24/4/202
Answer:
Wrong.
24/4/202
Question:
In the same Undo exercise, we can alternate to change one’s form and to change one’s position, but not at the same time. Is it correct?
24/4/202
Answer:
Correct.
24/4/202
Question:
Just to be sure: When you mention in below answer „Ushiro Tekubi Tori“ you mean what is called in your book „Ushiro Tori Undo“?
And one more: „To change one’s form“ means that the body (not arms and legs) is BENDING. Is that correct?
Because: If you say that Hanmi-Gyaku-Hanmi is changing position only (not form), then I am irritated, because in Gyaku-Hanmi the body form has changed into left shoulder and right hip are forward. So I would see it as changing my form. But it is not bending the body, of course. So it is not completely clear to me what is needed to say that we „change our form“.
22/4/202
Answer:
It is Ushiro Tekubi Tori in my book. I was also waiting for your question in order to explain more.
Undo needs a separation of changing form and changing position so that it becomes a simple movement.
In the exercises mentioned above, you first change your form and then change position without changing form. In Hanmi-Gyaku Hanmi Undo change of form and change of position alternate several times.
What is important in Undo or exercise is simplicity. If you have Uke, you have to change form and change position at the same time in order to create harmony with Uke. That is why you do a simplified movement by yourself.
22/4/202
Question:
In Aiki Taiso, must we count all the movement as in Kenko Taiso?
22/4/202
Answer:
In the practise of Ki Aikido there is no "must". You just do the way which is best for you with respecting others and creating harmony in the environment.
22/4/202
Question:
In Aiki Taiso, we repeat each exercise eight times, left and right, one series or two series depending on the exercise. Must we stop each time at the beginning and at the end of each exercise?
21/4/2020
Answer:
Practise and find out by yourself.
21/4/2020
Question:
You wrote earlier that ”Undo should be a movement which is independent from Uke.
The movement of Tenshin depends on Uke so it cannot be Undo.”, but is Ikkyo Tenshin Undo not a part of Aiki Taiso?
Or is Tenshin in that sense done somehow different?
13/4/2020
Answer:
Ikkyo Tenshin Undo is completely independant from Uke. That is why it is Undo. Katatedori Tenshin depends on how Uke holds Nage and that is why you cannot make Undo from it.Probably you are not doing the technique of Katatedori Tenshin correctly.
Undo (one man exercise) is basically changing the form of oneself without changing position or changing position without changing form. This way the exercise is simple and can be practised many times by oneself.
If there is Uke, Nage must change something. For a Undo which changes form, Nage must change position to create harmony with Uke. When you do Katatedori Tenshin with Uke, both Nage's form and footwork change according to Uke. That is why we cannot fix one change of form of Nage. It means it cannot become a Undo.
13/4/2020
Question:
Why isn't Katatedori Tenshin Undo in the Aiki Taiso exercises we do at the beginning of the class?
3/4/2020
Answer:
Katatedori Tenshin Undo does not exist any more.
It is a technique which should be done with a Uke and it should not be done alone.
Of course you can do the whole technique alone but then it is not Undo (exercise).
Undo should be a movement which is independent from Uke. The movement of Tenshin depends on Uke so it cannot be Undo.
This is one of Tohei sensei's mistakes which I corrected. Each generation must correct the mistakes of the preceding generation.
That is what Tohei sensei did with Ueshiba Morihei. Germany has made some corrections against Nazi period. All countries and governments should correct the mistakes of the preceding generations and governments.
3/4/2020
Question:
Tegatana technique where do i need to put my mind?
Just in my elbow and move my arm, in my body and my arm together, in a line that extends from my elbow and continues out of fingers or where?.
25/3/2020
Answer:
You first practise to keep the correct form of your Tegatana by putting your mind in various part of your Tegatana.
After you become to be able to keep the correct form all the time, you put your mind where you use it for.
Teachers can help students by seeing the mistake of them and correct it by telling them to put their mind at an appropriate place of their Tegatana.
25/3/2020
Question:
When keeping Tegatana form with the arm, should we keep the hands closed into a fist to protect the fingers from damage?
25/3/2020
Answer:
No. You must keep a correct relationship between your Tegatana and the environment just like that of a real sword and the environment.
A samurai is always careful not to damage his Katana.
25/3/2020