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Self defence without aggression
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The principles of effective self defence
The budo root of aikido demands rigorous training, discipline and commitment in order to internalise and make intuitive the key...
downspeter
Apr 252 min read
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The dilemma at the heart of aikido
There is a mixed message at the heart of aikido practice. On the one hand the founder Morehei Ueshiba promoted it as a path of peace and...
downspeter
Apr 252 min read
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Tom's stream of consciousness
As part of a first Dan promotion I ask my students to write an essay on what aikido means to them. Tom first came to me as a beginner,...
downspeter
Sep 4, 20244 min read
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Is it time to revisit the traditional aikido training methods?
It is an incontrovertible fact that the popularity of aikido is waning. The art receives a barrage of criticism from MMA and the cage...
downspeter
Jun 28, 20246 min read
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Why using strength against an opponent is inefficient
If you use a muscle to move something you are essentially using a lever. To pull something towards you, you will use your biceps to flex...
downspeter
Jun 28, 20243 min read
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The benefits and requirements of training
WHAT AIKIDO TRAINING CAN DO FOR YOU The warm up routine and the actual practising of technique, which may involve constant attacking,...
downspeter
Jan 18, 20234 min read
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Finding the spiritual in aikido
A long term student recently told me that he felt that our study of aikido was ignoring the spiritual dimension of the art by focussing...
downspeter
Aug 10, 20194 min read
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How to stop your opponent breaking your grip
Many techniques in aikido require a non-slip grip on uke's wrist. In particular gokyo (fifth pin) and shiho-nage are techniques in which...
downspeter
Feb 19, 20192 min read
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Getting the most from being the attacker
The term uke is derived from the verb “ukeru” to receive and refers to the partner in a practice pair who traditionally provides the...
downspeter
May 16, 20185 min read
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What's the Unbendable Arm and how can you use it
Here we have one of those mysteries of aikido. A mystery which many folk would say is extremely important to correct technique....
downspeter
May 16, 20182 min read
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