Aikdo insights

Sometimes you need to return to the basics. One of those in Aikido is Mai or distance. The appropriate distance provides you safety, control, initiative or opportunity. The fundamental distance, derived from sword work, is the distance where you are neither vulnerable to an immediate attack (too close) nor incapable of responding effectively (too far). I was having trouble with one of my techniques today and realized that while I'd drilled on using my movements and footwork to maintain mai in the past, recently I was focusing on other aspects of the art and had lost my precision. This kept me from creating the right opening for an attack and left me using too much force. While I think I regularly remember to instruct newer students in this basic idea, I have to remind myself that you're never too advanced to return to them yourself.

I also had an insight into the opening of the tobikomi techniques. The movement is supposed to both move you into position to perform the technique but also provide the opening by taking some of uke's center and redirecting their energy. I think I always emphasized the entering movement but didn't ensure that I had uke's center, which makes applying the subsequent techniques more difficult.

I also was checked out on my Jo sanju-ichi again. I need to remain more linear (visualize the opponents) but I was given the go ahead to test. Maybe next wednesday.