Biomechanics and Aikido

Beauty and Aikido ©

Reader Advisory: Beware as I am getting really scientific in this post :) 

A PE teacher with physics background made a great experiment

He has proven through an experiment that students who understand the mechanics of Aikido perform a lot better the various techniques. Also using aikido in teaching mechanics appeared to be a much more effective approach then the conventional ones. I really believe that learning through experimenting is really important. The principles from physics were learned easier though experimenting with aikido, but also your aikido can get better if you understand its mechanics. However you can only get better if you keep on trying and experimenting. And this is a really interesting path you can try out by reading about it or talking to friends who have a background in physics. You also need to keep open and eager to learn more and more. So I am offering you a new opportunity to learn more about aikido. Here you can find the entire article about the research:

http://aikidoforbeginners.blogspot.com/2011/09/teaching-aikido-using-biomechanics.html

If you read it, let me know about your feed-backs. Would be really interested what you think! Were you convinced or do you think it is just another of those weird experiments from which one has no gains?

Planning to Teach Aikido?

It could be also an interesting article for those who at some point want to teach aikido. I am sure that one can not only perform but also explain a technique much better if he or she fully understands how the technique works.

The Voice of Aikido- Ukemi

Another voice recording this time Chapter 4 from The Principles of Aikido by Mitsugi Saotome (1989 p.23-25)

As a beginner one of the first things you will learn in aikido is ukemi. It is used in aikido in order to prevent injuries when you are thrown. This voice material presents further explanations about the uke nage relationship and about ukemi. I cannot emphasize the importance on ukemi in the aikido training. The excerpt I am reading in this recording states it once again that taking the ukemi is not a break during doing techniques but an opportunity to improve it. Seeing how it feels like being thrown can make you understand better how the given technique is best performed. I think all of you already experienced how different it is to be thrown by a beginner or an advanced aikidoka. From person to person it is also different. From being gently rolled to finding yourself flying across the dojo, that is how varied ukemi can be. You can find further reading about ukemi here. 

My opinion is that the only way you can improve your ukemi is practicing it a lot. My ukemi started improving slightly when I went to my first summer aikido training camp. 

Please share with in a comment me how you improved your ukemi.