Aikido for 08/12/2009

Tonight's Aikido class there was a new student, Tim, as well as Mike. We started off with warm-ups and I found out that Tim has practiced Taekwondo. After introducing forward and backward ukemi, we practiced the following techniques:

• katatedori shihonage omote. I just introduced the technique up until the throw.
• katatedori shihonage ura, for ura I did have us practice the fall. When I had Tim throw me, my right elbow was chicken-winged, a common beginner movement. This allowed me the opportunity to emphasis safety on the mat and about the reciprocal nature of uke and nage when doing techniques.
• We then worked on katatedori kokyu-ho ura
• The final technique of practice was katatedori ikkyo omote. When I was practicing with Tim as uke, he asked if about an opening he saw to do a round-house kick to nage's head during the secondary pulling movement off the line backwards to pull uke off-balance. I had him do the kick and although the ikkyo movement moved him enough off center, it was a different attack vector that I haven't considered before.

At the end of class, we were doing kokyu-ho from sitting position and I demostrated how to throw two people with one pushing behind the other. For me it is easier with two people than with one as I am forced to focus beyond one person and really extend my awareness and direction forward. Good ki training. After class, Tim asked how would Aikido respond to different stances or attacks. I told him that in Aikido, we redirect the forward aggression or attack, either by going to the side or next to as in tenkan exercise. This isn't entirely true of course but then I told him we would practice different stances and attacks in a future class. If he does bring a Taekwondo style of punching and kicking, it will be good for my own development. I just need to be sure that safety on the mat is maintain at all times.