Michael A DeMarco - Aikido: O-Senseis Sublime Synthesis, Vol 2

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Please note that the authors and publisher of this book are not responsible in any manner whatso-ever for any injury that may result from practicing the techniques and/or following the instructions given within. Since the physical activities described herein may be too strenuous in nature for some readers to engage in safely, it is essential that a physician be consulted prior to training.

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All articles in this anthology were originally published in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts.
Listed according to the table of contents for this anthology:

Drengson, A. (1992), Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 5869

Paz-y-Mio, G., & Espinosa, A. (2002), Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 827

Paz-y-Mio, G., & Espinosa, A. (2002), Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 829

Dykhuizen, J. (2003), Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 7487

Barnet, J. (2003), Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 6873

Paz-y-Mio, G., & Espinosa, A. (2004), Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 4463

Paz-y-Mio, G., & Espinosa, A. (2004), Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 6481

Golden, B. (2005), Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 7481

Kennedy, G. (2005), Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 4861

Paz-y-Mio, G., & Espinosa, A. (2006), Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 2037

Jonathan Miller-Lane, J. (2007), Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 6481

Gauthier, M. (2010), Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 6063

Suenaka, R., & Taylor, C. (2010), Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 6483

Linden, P. (2011), Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 3035

Paul, J. (2011), Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 3651

Book and cover design by Via Media Publishing Company
Edited by Michael A. DeMarco, M.A.

Cover illustration

Artwork by Feodor Tamarsky
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ISBN: 978-1-893765-26-9

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Preface

Michael DeMarco, M.A.

CHAPTERS

by Guillermo Paz-y-Mio C., Ph.D. & Avelina Espinosa, Ph.D.

by Guillermo Paz-y-Mio C., Ph.D. & Avelina Espinosa, Ph.D.

by C. Jeffrey Dykhuizen, Ph.D.

by Jay Barnet, M.A.

by Guillermo Paz-y-Mio C., Ph.D. & Avelina Espinosa, Ph.D.

by Guillermo Paz-y-Mio C., Ph.D. & Avelina Espinosa, Ph.D.

by Bryan Golden, B.A.

by George Kennedy, M.A.

by Guillermo Paz-y-Mio C., Ph.D. & Avelina Espinosa, Ph.D.

by Jonathan Miller-Lane, Ph.D.

by Maurice Gauthier, M.Ed.

by Roy Y. Suenaka and Chad Taylor, M.S.

by Paul Linden, Ph.D.

by Josh Paul, M.A.

by Guillermo Paz-y-Mio C., Ph.D., and Avelina Espinosa, Ph.D.

Photographs courtesy of A. Espinosa and G. Paz-y-Mio C.

Novice practitioners in aikido arts are confronted with numerous challenges during training, including the difficulties of understanding the subtle aspects of mind and body coordination inherent to aikido and remembering basic strategies designed to evade or neutralize an attacker. A common problem for new aikido practitioners is the discovery of aikido logic. Perhaps the first revelation after a few lessons is that aikido looks easy until you try it; then, it turns into a humbling experience. Comprehending a simple attack or defense is not always intuitive for beginners who soon realize it may take years to master.

After exploring different methods aimed at teaching aikido to college students, who are usually eager to learn fast, efficiently, and with tangible outcomes (good grades), we decided to develop a simple tool to improve the communication of aikido principles in our dojo (school, training hall). Our previous experience as science educators facilitated the idea that a dichotomous key, an organizational device commonly used by biologists to categorize species into groups according to similarities and differences, would assist aikido practitioners in learning and understanding the specific characteristics of the most frequent attacks and defenses.

We present two keys. One shows the most common attacks and another the defensive techniques used in aikido. Both keys are dichotomous and based on division of the attacks and/or defenses into distinct groups. Attacks for example, include grabs (i.e., to the wrist, elbow, shoulder) and strikes (i.e., open hand attacks, blows with the fist, kicks). Defensive techniques include evasive motions in which the defender moves out of the attackers way or reach, as well as neutralizations of the attack by manipulation of the attackers arm or wrist, or by manipulation of the attackers torso or hips.

These keys may appear to contradict long-established organizational systems that have been preserved by instructors of numerous aikido styles, who remain loyal to historical nomenclature and the teaching legacies of their masters. However, our goal was to contribute to a deeper understanding of aikido by applying a method of identification designed to group the techniques according to resemblance and uniqueness. Attacks and defenses are divided into groups that share structural and functional affinity (i.e., the overall appearance of a technique looks similar to other techniques) and relatedness (i.e., a group of techniques may have been derived from another technique), according to the effect that the techniques cause on the human anatomy. It is true that a dichotomous key is to some extent arbitrary and artificial. Nevertheless, this method encourages the student to focus on the similarities between the items so organized, in this case, the attacks and defenses of aikido.

Illustration by Oscar Ratti. Copyright by Futuro Designs & Publications.
From a scene in the new book, Tales of the Hermit Vol. 1 (2001).

After using the keys in our own aikido classes, we found that they allow practitioners to:

1) Discover and quickly understand the logic of some attacks and defenses without the constant supervision of an instructor; a mentor of course is always needed.

2) Improve the attackers and the defenders efficiency in class and speed up the teaching process by enabling students to respond promptly to instructions.

3) Learn a few technical terms, including some Japanese names.

We hope that this material will be as useful for others as it has been for us. The keys are by no means complete. No armed attacks, neutralization techniques against weapons, techniques from the kneeling position, or various types of pins are included. However, these techniques can be deduced from the information presented below. Terminology follows Ki Society Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido or Ki-Aikido (aikido with mind and body coordination), which differs from other aikido styles. However, not all the attacks or defenses are officially recognized or regularly taught by Ki Society. For example, some of the kicks and hip/shoulder projections are rarely discussed in Ki-Aikido classes. A glossary for the most important terminology is provided at the end of this chapter.