Do you ever use wakizashi or other shoto in your training?

I really like using wakizashi in my training. It provides a helpful reminder to not push or pull our partner.

And sutemi waza is a lot of fun, provided that the participants have the skill to safely take the ukemi. [Careful!]

Have you ever overwhelmed a new student by giving them 5 or 6 corrections all at once?

Of course, if you’re an experienced Aikido-ka, you can instantly see 10 or 15 things that a new person needs to correct at their first class. But over time and with experience, we learn to give students...

Do you ever use wakizashi or other shoto in your study of Ikkyo? I sometimes like to study Ikkyo by comparing sitting, standing, empty-hand, and wakizashi.

Using Wakizashi is super interesting and helps keep you from pushing on your partner.

Here's a video with a couple clips from a recent class...

Have you ever had a teacher who always told you what NOT to do and what you were doing WRONG, but never seemed to acknowledge the things you were doing right?

And have you ever had a teacher who actually did acknowledge the things you were doing right?

I would be willing to bet that you learned...

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Is there any technique with more variations than Irimi nage? I don’t think...

Do you sometimes feel that you’re executing a technique correctly, but it’s still not effective? Do you have an understanding of the three fundamental body positions in Budo?

Understanding and using the three fundamental body positions correctly can increase the...

Do you ever experience lower back pain after training? Or knee or ankle pain? Or you don’t feel stable and grounded when you’re executing certain techniques?

Of course there are many possible reasons for this but one possible reason could be how you’re turning.

For example when...

Have you ever had trouble throwing your partner because you weren’t able to draw them in enough?

 Of course you don’t want to be overtaken by your partner, but in order for you to have some influence on their position, you need to bring them into your center to some degree.

In...

Have you ever had a really tough day, you’re totally fried, frankly, you don’t feel like going to the dojo (and you’re the instructor), but you go to the dojo, you jump over hurdles, and no one shows up.

First of all, please know that you’re not alone. This happens to...

Every year I do my best to travel to Japan to train and give a demonstration when Doshu or Dojo-Cho visit our Dojo in Kamakura, Japan.

Until his passing in 1996, it was Yamaguchi Sensei who came and gave a class and demonstration at AKI's dojo at Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine in Kamakura,...

Do you sometimes feel unstable when you're executing a technique and you don't know why?

Or maybe you have chronic pain and training seems to exacerbate it?

Of course, there are many possible reasons for this. But one possible reason could be that you're not maintaining The 3 Lines of...