The day began after a pleasant potluck dinner and good night's sleep. I was worried that with the hotel full of sports fans, it might have been too noisy to get any rest, but either it was quieter than I expected or I was so tired any amount of partying wouldn't have kept me from sleeping.
Most of the out-of-towners, me included, were planning on leaving after the morning classes. The organizers decided that, instead of two one-hour classes in the morning followed by another after lunch, to have all three hours of classes in the morning.
Thoughts of the day include:
You can't move uke—well, you can, but it's tough—so don't try. Move yourself in such a way that it affects uke. Short form: Don't move uke; move yourself.
Connect to the earth. This is a shorthand way of talking about the need for a solid foundation of balance, as well as affecting uke's balance (kuzushi) through shifting weight, dropping one's center.
[While whirling a jo around in a way that would earn me a split lip:] The movements of nage's body are similar to those of whirling the jo. Uke is like the jo.
If uke wants the jo, give uke the jo.
A recurring theme among the demonstrated techniques was leading uke's mind. Uke's body mind and body are connected; you can lead one by leading the other. Takeguchi sensei demonstrated that it's possible to affect uke's body (eventually leading to a fall) without physically touching it, by leading uke's mind where you want it to go. The words make sense, but it's clearly a 30-year technique!
It occurs to me that affecting uke's body also affects uke's mind, drawing attention to balance or potential targets in the case atemi, so the connection is bidirectional. Interesting.
Add a Comment