Pair exercise for studying Energy Principles (aiki genri).
How is it done?
- Step 1: The uke strikes with shomen uchi. The tori protects himself by putting his arm in the way of the attack, accepting the power of uke's attack, and letting his hand rest eventually on his forehead. Practice these moves and each following step, several times. The goal for the tori is to blend with the uke's attack, while keeping the connection with the uke, and to create awareness in every step of the technique.
- Step 2: The tori gets off the line of attack and finds a new stable position, keeping his hand on his forehead and therefore he staying connected with the uke.
- Step 3: Now the tori can choose a suitable technique (like ikkyo omote in the video) to finish the exercise.
- Step 4: Do the whole exercise without stopping and make it fluid.
What is it good for?
This exercice teaches practitioners the four steps of aiki genri:
- Firstly, blending with the energy of the attack.
- Secondly, staying connected with the attacker.
- Thirdly, making the movement fluid and finally choosing a suitable technique from the position you've moved to.
The teacher could refer to daily situations where you don't want to avoid an attack (like critical remarks in school situations) but try to find a 'suitable position' to deal with it. Don't avoid the attack or the difficult situations, but make something out of it and learn from it.