{"id":352,"date":"2020-04-10T07:12:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T06:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/remoteaikidodojo.com\/?p=352"},"modified":"2021-05-28T11:43:33","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T10:43:33","slug":"lockdown-weapons-right-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/remoteaikidodojo.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/10\/lockdown-weapons-right-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockdown = Weapons! Right? Wrong."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Okay, so nobody is allowed in the dojo at the minute. Seems to be a worldwide thing. For weeks now all I\u2019ve heard is the question, \u201cHow can I train at home?\u201d Not being allowed in the dojo is the perfect time to work on that area that is massively neglected, fun to train, and just about everybody sucks at. No, not weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yay! Time for weapons!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Put The Weapons Away<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There, I said it, stuck at home is not an excuse to do nothing but weapons. Sure, weapons can be important, but there are far more important things being neglected in the meantime. Things you can actually practice without a partner and that require much less space than weapons training. In a nutshell, you should be using this time to substantially improve your physical structure and basic movement. In other words, learn to stand up straight and move your body properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of good posture in aikido is something that I really don\u2019t think I can overstate. Everything in aikido just works better with good posture. Other benefits are that it can be one of the best self-defence techniques you\u2019ll ever learn (it projects confidence and stops you looking like a weak victim relative to other people) and probably add 10-15cm to your height in the bargain. Learning to stand up straight takes time, practice, constant attention, and somewhere to stand up. This genuinely has the most minimal of space requirement. Even if every spare bit of floor space in your house is covered you can do this in the shower\/bath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stand Up Straight<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Standing up straight<\/a> is harder than you think, takes more effort than you might imagine, and will train you in using muscles that you weren\u2019t previously aware of. Most people I know have difficulty standing stationary for more than a few minutes, because it\u2019s hard. Start working on this and it will improve your aikido when you\u2019re back on the mats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This postural work isn\u2019t just when your standing though. It applies when you\u2019re sitting, walking, cooking, basically anytime you aren\u2019t lying down you should be working on your posture. The key to doing this is to constantly remind yourself that you\u2019re slouching and to straighten up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When working on this you may find that you encounter several aches and pains out of nowhere. There are numerous reasons for this and you\u2019ll need to work those out for yourself. In my case my lower back started to develop deep pain. Turns out this is related to extremely tight hips with reduced rotational flexibility and working on that is sorting the back pain out (and my knee pain as well happily).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember Your Feet<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Standing up straight is the first thing to work on then. I\u2019ll admit that it gets boring really fast, so what else is there? Basic footwork. Horrendously neglected but one of the most important things we can do. It\u2019s a bit like broccoli or brussel sprouts. We all know we should eat them but nobody wants to, because they\u2019re gross. Same deal here, everyone knows they should train their footwork but nobody wants to, because it\u2019s boring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common excuses range from, \u2018there just isn\u2019t the time\u2019, to \u2018we practice that while doing the techniques\u2019. Here\u2019s some good news, you\u2019ve got the time now. Also, chances are you don\u2019t practice it during the techniques because that isn\u2019t how 99% of dojos train. The great example of this is kaiten nage. Most people do this without ever using a kaiten step. Just be honest and accept that we generally don\u2019t do enough of the basic footwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Good posture leads to great technique<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot of debate over what these movements are. I\u2019ve encountered folk that say it\u2019s only irimi. Nothing else exists. While I understand their argument I disagree. Besides, even if they\u2019re right it doesn\u2019t change the fact that you have to move your feet in different ways regardless of what you call the movement or what it results in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Basic Movements<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There is a great deal of tai sabaki that you can do. From my training there are numerous steps that I practice on a regular basis as often as I can. It\u2019s a surefire way to get weird looks at the bus stop and the queue at Starbucks but it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  •  Irimi Ashi<\/li>
  •  Tsugi Ashi<\/li>
  •  Sokumen Ashi<\/li>
  •  Tenkan<\/li>
  •  Kaiten<\/li>
  •  Irimi Tenkan<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    I generally find that without these movements you just can\u2019t perform the techniques. You\u2019ll encounter difficulty getting your body into the right place at the right time. They aren\u2019t difficult movements either, but they are easy to get wrong. There are many elements to them that have to be done correctly, the two most basic of which are that a) you have to stand up straight and b) everything must start and stop at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These are the things that are a requirement for all of your aikido. These are the most basic and fundamental things, before you even start to look at the techniques. The problem with the basics is that people never want to do them. They want to move on and get to the good stuff. The catch is that without this you can never master the good stuff and if you do manage to it will take you twice as long as it needed to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Being unable to go to the dojo does not mean it\u2019s a weapons free-for-all. It means you should practice the most basic movements and use the time to radically improve your aikido when you get back on the mats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    First learn to stand, then learn to walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    If you can afford it, and would like to help out,
    consider donating some brain fuel!<\/p>\n\n\n

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    Also, if you enjoyed this post you can find further insights in this book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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