We moved on to Releases, 1-8. I am very rusty, as I suspected. We focused on #2. We looked at how when you emphasize the "up" motion in that release (and #4 for that matter), it makes it much harder for uke to turn back around toward you.
Pat transitioned from Release 2 into Ju Nana #15, Maeotoshi. If you look at the brief "up moment" in maeotoshi as being at the top of a hill with uke, I kept trying to push him down off the hill. If I do that, uke has a chance to react or respond to what I'm doing, and compensate for it. However, if I just hang out with uke until he makes the move to get down, I can respond to that and take advantage of it to "send him on his way." This idea of letting him do what he wants to do rather than trying to force him into what I want him to do seems like the very essence of aiki to me. Incidentally, I found that tactile sensitivity was required to do this best. When I tried to guess when he was going to "come down" it didn't work so well - but when I felt when he was coming down through my connection to him, I got better results.
"Your eyes can deceive you... don't trust them"
~ Obi-Wan Kenobi
Next Pat previewed Ju Nana 16 and 17 for me, then backed up and we took a quick look at 11 through 14.
We ended our lesson with a discussion of karate, and had a brief look at Sanchin kata.
For what it's worth, I think you see a similar thing in Judo too. You have to let your opponent show you the way that he's going to be thrown. You might lead him one way or another, but his response to your stimuli is going to determine which way you ultimately take him.
ReplyDeleteAnd, now that I think of it, there's a similar philosophy in BJJ. I think Royce Gracie said something like "your opponent knows how he wants you to submit him. You just have to let him show you."