Aikido for 07/23/2010

On Friday I was in Denver, attending a day-long meeting in the Alliance Digital Repository (ADR) working group. After the meeting, I took Colfax to the Tattered Cover bookstore, were I purchased an Aikido book by O'Sensei. I then drove to Denver Aikikai where Dan Messisco Sensei taught a 6:30 to 10:30 class.

Messisco Sensei started off talking and demonstrating his approach to Aikido both as nage and uke. He emphasized that we cannot control uke's attention or attack, uke can stiff, soft, attentive, or whatever, that nage should focus on him or herself and not care what uke is doing. This focus on the nage, forces uke to respond to nage's actions, not nage reacting and responding to uke. Too often, our Aikido techniques are in reference to what we want to do to uke, break uke's balance, pinning or throwing uke, Messisco point is that instead nage should be the center, the focus, and the uke needs to respond to that. We then practiced ikkyo, shihonage, and tenshinage with the nage just extending his arms out and uke must grab. Messisco Sensei showed how to take uke balance, throw, and pin through keeping everything inside nage's sphere, to take uke to ground does not require trying to disrupt uke's balance, but just keeping connection with uke and lowering nage's center. This was a really different approach to Aikido and I really was interested in his thoughts and insights into Aikido.

Dan Messisco Sensei's final point was what he called martial ukemi. Martial ukemi is just that when being uke, keep martial awareness through-out the technique, not being caught up in ego by trying to stop nage, but keeping the distance and "self-center" that we do when we are nage. Messisco Sensei demonstrated multiple ways and times where if the technique suddenly stopped, when doing martial ukemi, uke has his or her center throughout and can instantly counter for a kashiwaza at any point. Practically this means that uke shouldn't care where he ends up, that uke shouldn't be scared or angry but just accept where the new position is because the position doesn't matter, it is the approach and attitude that matters. Ukemi is half of Aikido, and if we don't practice martial ukemi, we are wasting half of our practice. I learned a lot and I am sad that I'll be missing Summer Camp this year because I would have more opportunties to learn from Aikido sensei like Messisco.