Riai

One element of Saito Sensei's Aikido that perennially stands out is his emphasis on the technical parallel between empty-handed Aikido, or Tai Jutsu, and Aiki Weapons practice, or Buki Waza. Goto Sensei often says, "I used to think that maybe he meant this as a metaphorical parallel, but later I saw that it is a literal parallel: they are the same."

Saito Sensei would say, "Your Tai Jutsu should look like your weapons practice, and your weapons practice should look like your Tai Jutsu." This parallel, embodied not only in Saito Sensei's Aikido, but that also of Shirata Sensei and his students, is called "Riai."

As we practiced Irimi Nage today from a rear attack, "Ushiro Eritori," Goto Sensei stopped us to demonstrate the buki waza parallel of the movement we were trying to do. He told us to go get a Jo from the weapons rack, and when we'd returned to the mat instructed us to do the Jo Suburi "Hasso Gaishi Uchi." After a few reps of this he told us to execute move number 5 in the 13 Jo Kata. This is also a Hasso move but it turns all the way around to the rear. It's basically like doing a two-step while performing a deflection and chambering a strike with the Jo at the same time.

After a while Goto Sensei still wasn't satisfied with our weight placement, it was still to far back, making the entry for the Hasso deflection weak. He stood behind us one at a time and extended his Jo for us to deflect physically as our bodies turned to the rear. Sure enough we entered to do the deflection with our weight more forward and the Hasso was strong.

"Now go back to doing the Irimi Nage but using the same foot and hip movements as you did with the hasso move from the 13 Jo Kata," Goto Sensei said.

The deflection of the jo morphed into the part of Irimi Nage where you step behind Uke and capture the back of his gi, taking his head to your trailing shoulder. If you don't enter here but keep your weight back, Irimi Nage just falls apart and disappears.

I tried to focus on rotating my hips all the way around and striking through at the end after Uke's center passed beneath my own center. I found that I was impatient and seemed to be striking a little too early, before Uke was completely folded under me. Then Uke was a little heavy and I had to use some force to throw him down, but if I waited a little longer Uke became light and folded naturally into the fall. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that, when the throw was heavy I hadn't rotated my hips all the way back and my feet were not in hanmi. Kagami Sensei, the mirror, never lies.

After class Goto Sensei passed on something else that Saito Sensei had told him. "I will give you the pieces, but it is your job to put them together." Goto Sensei had given us some pieces today, just as his teacher had done for him a generation ago.

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Comments

[Pete]

Delighted to see the new posts... I always learn from your perspectives

[Ali]

Post #26 (you didn't put your name in),I got a bit of bullying for ya.When the facts are not on your side you talk about blliues . You talk about how we think that we have all the answers well I do have better answers than the environmental movement has had in the last 20 years. The lawsuits by the Center for Biological Diversity have created a set of rules and cannots for the forest service over the last 2 decades. When they win the court case or cause years of delay we have seen what happens to the forest (including the 3 years of delay in thinning before the Rodeo fire -the very arces that burned in the Rodeo fire were to be thinned.) When they lose court cases and thinning occurs then we see what happens (yes they joined the discussion after they lost the suit to stop thinning, then they promptly did what they could to slow it. I can come up with a plan to thin the forest quicker than they came up with except it involves profit for a logging company.) Sorry Comrade that is just how we get things done in the United States of America. Except when the center delays or stops it. You seem to think it is arrogant to talk facts and outcomes based on evidence. The center has put out bogus reports about grazing site overlays and such they of course never mentioned that many of those lease acres are not used due to overgrown forests situations. Those overgrown forests were caused by the center's lawsuits. We are no longer going to listen to your double speak #26. The facts show you to be wrong. It is not arrogance to say so. The center has been fighting a war against logging and all commercial interests in the forest. They have won at the cost of the forest itself. I would ask all middle of the road people who thought the center was looking out for the forest ..how has that worked out for more than a million acres of forest in northern Arizona over the last 2 decades? Ok wackos let the spin begin. Please explain to me how it was all the cowboys fault. Explain to me how it was all the logging communities fault. Explain to me how it is the forest service fault. Explain to me how it is my fault. Explain to me how it is everyone's fault except the Center and all their wacko friends.If you lost property in this fire may I kindly suggest a lawsuit against the center for biological diversity. We should put them out of business using the same tactics they developed. If not for your property then for the real future safety of the forest and all the creatures in it. I have cause to feel anger at those people who for over 20 years talked the loudest about saving the forest yet continue to do everything they can to insure it burns to the ground. All so some rancher or logger does not make any money. Then they have the balls to blame eveyone else. No, blaming them is what we all need to do. You who have supported the center and their activities have cause to feel shame over what has gone on the last 2 decades. Of course while #26 calls me a bully he sure as hell will not feel any shame. To easy to blame someone else. We need to come together and find solutions to the forest problems. We also need to come together and throw the center out of the discussion. They started losing in court after the Rodeo fire. They will continue to lose in court more and more now. The hunting, ranching and logging communities need to come together and fight these fools once and for all. The center has been fighting a war against us and the forest for decades. We have been too wrapped up in our jobs and feeding our families to acually notice the war. We need to go to war against them. Not just say nice things about getting along. No . We do not need to just get along. We need to fight the war and win for everything we love. If not .. your grand children will be arguing with these wackos grandchildren about how the forest burned down (again.)