A few pictures from our Aikido demonstration at the Church of Christ. Enjoy!
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 at 10:36 am and is filed under Conversation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
20 Responses to “Church of Christ”
Looked like a pretty fun day. How do you get grass stains our of a hakama, Jerry?
They look like they were enjoying themselves.
It was a good demo. Two classes, about twenty-five participants total.
I let a younger guy there put me in a rear choke – essentially, kubishime. (I could tell he was a bit skeptical.) Sankyo worked really well! 
It’s always interesting when you apply Aikido technique (gently) to a non-practitioner. Invariably, the reaction is surprise. As in, what the heck just happened?
I’d wager that it’s an entirely different reaction than, say, to a karate or tang soo do technique. Less bewilderment, maybe?
What I mean is, a block-strike combo makes intuitive sense to most people. You see the problem, block the attack, then disable your assailant.
Aikido, as you know, is different. Thus, the moment of confusion / imbalance.
There’s a blog article, here. Any takers?
One more point.
This topic reminds me of a discussion I had at the dojo. A fellow instructor told me that the correct reaction to properly applied technique is dissociation, followed by a sense of delight.
I like it, although I can easily see how others may disagree. (Including me, depending on my mood).
What’s interesting is that Aikido lends itself to this type of discussion. Can you imagine any other martial art where this is the case?
And before DK throws his batarang at me, consider this: On how many occasions have you left the dojo, after an exhilarating practice, smiling?
A little birdie told me that one of our own will be testing for black belt, at the Christmas seminar in New York.
How did you get out of a rear naked choke?
nevermind
I had a guy in high school try to be…”smart” with me one time. He had a bewildered look on his face once i proved to him that my roundhouse kick could reach the side of his head before his punch left the side of his body… (after school fun, no fighting, the guy is actually a best friend – incase someone was going to say “well that doesn’t fit DK’s moral rule of non-necessity”)
But joking aside actually Jerry I think you are pretty right. Most people would think that a block followed by a punch or kick is more common because that is what they see. You rarely see a big action star take a guy out with a simple iremi nage or nikkyo because well…people want to see a guy fly across the room after getting kicked in the head. And I’m sure you already know this since you stalk my facebook but I recently showed a friend some aikido, she was amazed at how much i was able to do with her simply by doing little to no movement.
And I actually agree with you when you say that after aikido you essentially feel “happy”. People seem to comment on how i seem to get into this kind of “zone” when I’m really training hard. Some have even gone as far to say that I may be alittle angry when I’m training. Throw me enough times fast enough, some have said i growl…I feel that emotion plays a part in what we do. But I’m not in a rage, just a concentrated…focus.
Martial arts have always been an outlet for me. So, be it Tang Soo Do, Kenpo, Aikido…I always feel good afterwards. Even though my face while training may say otherwise.
See Jerry…i kept the batarangs in my utility belt this time…
Who is going for their black belt? Oscar?
Sensei had said something a little while ago about starting a ukemi class, when will that be, or has a date been decided?
Not Oscar…At least not yet. Too bad she can’t blog about it….
Regarding the ukemi class, best to ask Sensei.
Is Tonya up for black belt yet?
Costello: Well then who’s on first?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: I mean the fellow’s name.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy on first.
Abbott: Who.
Is it really this hard??
Exactly…
yes
oh… I know.
I’m sorry, who?
But seriously, I’m glad to hear that. Her technique was looking really good last time she was up here. Any news about the school she and Luke were going to open up?