Ueshiba Morihei is rather known for an iconic throw that he seemed to do with greater frequency as he got older. An uke would begin to approach him and he would put his hand up to uke’s face and uke would be thrown. Sometimes Ueshiba sensei would touch uke’s face Read more…
This demonstration looks very similar to Shioda sensei’s typical one. When uke powerfully approaches, the intended victim suddenly opens their carried umbrella in uke’s face seemingly knocking uke backwards. In my opinion this is normally more of an act than an actual throw, but that is largely because uke knows Read more…
A classic example of Daito Ryu and/or Aikido disrupting dynamic equilibrium is the often-seen demonstration of Gozo Shioda bouncing back a significantly larger uke that has come to give him a powerful shove. This “throw” can be explained using the example of the “castle stairs” trap. When constructing a castle, it was sometimes the practice Read more…
Hi TrueAiki readers. What happened to Allen? I thought he was retiring and going to have all of this extra time on his hands to post on TrueAiki. Well, I did retire. (As you know.) Then I studied hard over the summer and passed the National Academy of Sports Medicine’s Read more…
Humans are normally in a state of “dynamic equilibrium” as opposed to a state of “static balance.” This means that we are in a constant state of flux between equilibrium and dis-equilibrium, with the net result being “dynamic equilibrium.” When we fail to “keep our balance” it is usually Read more…
Every so often, a “rough and tumble” Aikido demonstration video pops up on social media, usually followed by the adulation of those who apparently consider such demonstrations as “proof” of either the martial ability of the individual demonstrating, or of the martial viability of the style being demonstrated. Let’s Read more…
A while back one of our avid True Aiki readers (a professor of engineering, former championship fencer, Aikido sensei and regular True Aiki seminar attendee) wrote a response to one of my posts. This post is my belated reply. Fred is a non-native speaker/writer of English, so any errors on Read more…
What follows is an article published in the past by Hiden magazine of Japan and translated by Mr. Douglas Walker. Below I put my relationship with Nakajima sensei into context. I first met Nakajima Masanori in 1986. I wanted to train in all the area Aikido dojos in Sendai. Read more…
I am officially retired! What to do to celebrate? Another translation by Doug Walker of course! This time it is an article from Budo magazine featuring an interview with Nakajima Masanori shihan, and it is all about Shirata Rinjiro 10th Dan. Surprise, suprise, there is content directly relating to internal Read more…
Daniel Kati Wiliiam Manning Frederic Veer Wilbert S. James C. Patrick D-B. Thank You! A BIG Thank You to all of the generous PayPal supporters that have helped TrueAiki.com from the start!