Aikido Sword Fighting: Ken-Gi One : Bokken Shomenuchi

[DaMuncha]

Koretoshi Maruyama teaches you to just drop the sword as thats the way it naturaly falls. It makes for a very powerfull attack. I've shattered 2 bokens doing that, and removed all the branches of a bambo shoot / tree just by hitting the base of the tree.

[OMFGHUGEWOLF]

I just mean you were offering your hands as a target before present the sword, mind you better then what i see the majority of people do

[OMFGHUGEWOLF]

I dont mean to be an arse but I saw ya hanjd lead before the sword

[TakemusuAikidoNL]

Most aikido schools derive their sword work from traditional sword schools such as katori shinto ryu, but in takemusu aikido (saito/iwama) the ken is used as what it is; a wooden sword. So the basic strike is an impact strike designed to shatter bone, rather then cut flesh.

It gets confusing in the kumitachi where old sword forms mix with newer ones and impact blows are alternated with cuts and thrusts. In this case it is important to know what you do and why you do it with each move.

[Mrchaplestreet]

i see this all the time shit aikido

[rapiercutsdeep]

i agree with issaxkinoxeyna. regardless of school or level, this kind of description in lesson is the mark of a good sensei. describing things thus gives students immediate recognition as we associate what we already know with what were learning. Association is the key here.

My own Hapkido instructor asks us to visualize the bokken "whipping forward" as if its slightly flexible which helped me project the tip forward for the strike without over extending both bokken or power through the strike.

[ISSAxKINOxEYNA]

@rapiercutsdeep :)

[dragateli]

too much power on right arm

[AwesomeShortz]

what a bunch of ass holes putting bad comments on this video

get a life you fuckin trolls

[b4sshunt3rgg]

Omg, hes using samurai clothes...... get a life idiot, and buy a gun,... its better thgan a katana, katana are used only in animes.

[ISSAxKINOxEYNA]

@b4sshunt3rgg -.-

The concept to learn this is not to atack people -.-

Anyway, gins are unreliable when you're out of bullets

[b4sshunt3rgg]

@ISSAxKINOxEYNA

Not really, you can throw your gun at the guy...... and wtf, you learn this, but you don't kill people with this...? whats the point? stop being justin bieber.

[ISSAxKINOxEYNA]

@b4sshunt3rgg Uh.. 1, I'm actually a REAL girl and I'm not a guy who is a fag. and 2, I learn for dicipline and not for trigger-happy idiots like you who thinks guns are the solution to every problem. Grow up. Swords ain't like guns where you go around town shooting everyone. Guns can make any pussy brave and shoot. But a real man can master a sword technique and not randomly swing it.

[ISSAxKINOxEYNA]

@b4sshunt3rgg Oh! And if you throw your gun at the guy, you would still lose, cuz you're unarmed. Dunce -.-

[Meltedchair513]

i havent had any training. and i can do that better

[uker23]

I'm starting to believe the criteria for being an "instructor" at Expert Village is that your IQ must match your shoe size.

[pr4runner]

cant see you

[Kendoka34]

1)The sword should be pushed a bit forward while beginnig shomenuchi as a threat.This is very important for a good shomenuchi.

2) When you finish the shomenuchi the end point of the sword should be on your eye level.

in brief; this shomenuchi is really bad

[3P1CPKER]

Why are you putting it by your dick? + you look pretty proud when it "stiffs"

CHILD MELESTER

[buiboyy]

for shomenuchi, i was taught to raise the sword, then bring it past my head, and then strike down making the bokken straight.

[thatpansyemokid]

I was taught to raise the sword all the way to the top of my head for shomenuchi, but perhaps that's just this area's style

[mightyyogurt]

the sad thing in traditional aikido as far as the ranking goes is after first dan the next belts are pretty much given out depending on how many seminars you go to and how many hours you put in, not the knowlegde gathered and applied

[sunreaper2]

I cannot believe this guy is a 5-th dan ............. maan what a shame.... :( :( :(

Please dont make any more videos thnx in advance

[TheMimeGogo]

@sunreaper2 why is it a shame? I'm an Aikidoka, but 'm relatively new, so I wouldn't know what bad is from good. Hope you can clarify. thanx

[sunreaper2]

@TheMimeGogo well I don't have the time neither the desire to explain or answer anything... Just watch O'sensei and his lineage also the original masters if you want to see Aikido. That's all... If you want to see a sword work avoid such videos also... There are people for that too... I see arguments about this being aiki ken..... Seriously How can you practice Aiki ken if you dont know how to use a sword ? Don't make me laugh. This dude is pathetic from each point of view

[TheMimeGogo]

@sunreaper2 Dude, thank you for taking the time to point me in the right direction.

[ihaterobbie123]

Urgh...so this is why my kendo sensei was refused from aikido dojos...because any REAL kendoka can tell from a mile off that aikido sword techniques are bullshit.

[sunreaper2]

you judge too harsh... if you look deeper in it you will know that aikido techniques come from kenjitsu and iaido.... Idiots like this one here are something I feel sorry about....

[ihaterobbie123]

@sunreaper2

I know they do, but they do it worse. I've looked deep enough to know that it's all show and no go.

[sunreaper2]

well dunno try to watch Shoji Nishio sensei and you will get a picture of what aiki ken should be... yet again I practice aikido and I'm afraid that very few even of the shihans actually do well with the sword...

[tried12usernames]

it depends on what aikido style you're considering. this one, i agree, is lacking something... i train takemussu aiki and we take aikiken and aikijo practice as seriously as taijutsu. sure aikido is the way of "peace and love" and "harmony", but what most aikidoka don't realize is that having a, let's say, fighting attitude doesn't get in the way of "harmonizing" with or using our opponent's momentum. just because your objective isn't hurting, it doesn't mean you should risk getting hurt

[ISSAxKINOxEYNA]

@tried12usernames I just started to learn how to use a bokken and I realised that i can't make right hand be a stopper for my left and the blade always lands close to the floor. My posture is also not staying the way i want to. Do you have any advice on how I can manage these problems?

[tried12usernames]

@ISSAxKINOxEYNA the striking posture should be exactly the same as in tai no henko, except in this case you're holding the bokken, but the back leg, usually your left, should be stretched and hardly taking your weight. your weight must be placed on your front leg, knee bent for a low height of your hips and therefore your center of gravity. it's all talk however, until you've practiced it a million times and start getting it right

[tried12usernames]

@ISSAxKINOxEYNA as for the hands, focus on a sort of equal grip. don't think "i have to stop the blade with that hand and thrust the cut with this one". it will happen naturally if you do it right. to do it right you should practice your strikes against a chair or something to set a height for your strike. the point is stopping the blade before it hits the chair. not progressively, as if it slows down, but just as it's about to hit, you stop the blade. again, all talk until you pratice A LOT

[tried12usernames]

@ISSAxKINOxEYNA now, during the motion of the strike, you have to be relaxed. don't misinterpret "relaxed", i don't mean soft, i mean pretty much what bruce lee once said: "be like water". don't use strength in the movement. it's hard to put in words what you should do here. the point is, your movement can't be fast and fluid if you're constricted by your own muscles. try doing it at first like guys in kendo, those repeated fluid strikes (dunno the name of the technique)

[tried12usernames]

@ISSAxKINOxEYNA finally, when stopping the blade, think of it as if you were fishing, only a bit more violently. try not to let the tip whip though. grip your hands tight with the help of an abdominal contraction. you want to stop now, so DON'T be relaxed, your body must act like it's locking into place. you're cutting down graciously and when it's time to stop it's gotta look like someone hit a pause button

[tried12usernames]

@ISSAxKINOxEYNA in due time it'll all come naturally as it did for me. practice against a chair you can spare, don't worry if you actually hit it most times, it helps locating the stopping point, but always try to stop and before the next strike take a moment to analyse your posture. your back should be straight, yet angled in relation to the ground, you should be able to balance on your front leg, so try lifting the other to see where your weight is. one day i might make a video

[tried12usernames]

@ISSAxKINOxEYNA any other questions you have, i'll do my best to give my tips

[tried12usernames]

@ISSAxKINOxEYNA also, if you watch the vid at 0:19 that's actually a good tip. i said "as if you were fishing" he says "as if you were casting the sword/flicking a piece of fruit off of the tip". i still think he does it wrong (if there really was an apple on the tip on the sword, it wouldn't be thrown fowards, as it might in a good cut, it would simply fall off the blade) but it's a good thing to have in mind

[ISSAxKINOxEYNA]

@tried12usernames Okay, thank you for the advices. Since i'm still learning, and i don't know the proper techniques yet, and of course I don't have the same muscle mass as guys, My arms are starting to aches. I have to let my arms fully recover before I can practice again if not i feel that my would break any second xD

I've taken down ur advices and I find it very useful. Thanks again! If there are any other quesitons i'll be sure to ask you. Oh! and please make your videos soon! I need guide!

[MrLotharofhillpeople]

@ISSAxKINOxEYNA Strength is not everything. It only takes a pound of pressure to cut human skin, 2 or 3 pounds of pressure cuts deeper. I am also into mass building and body building (lots of strength), and as I learn with the Bokken I have to "let go" some of my strength for speed. I have to move from the elbows and wrists, and not move so much from the shoulders. So, you may not have strength, but you could develop speed with the lower arms and wrists, maybe.

[bonstertime]

Who has a sword when you need one?..

[insanemax21]

@bonstertime you need a special permit ^-^ *has such a perit*

[icefiredarksector748]

@bonstertime

bokken is just as good if you know how to use it.

[mcss327]

Awesome!! I just got my bokken in, gonna start practicing now!!

[Rohan4basu]

same!

[SuperFreeTutorials]

i'm a beginner shuold i start here

i'm starting to work out and learn this stuff i'm ordering my first bokken right now

[sliznic]

" mr." " i believe, the pronouncation might of been misinterpeted ." " i believe , he or she meant a counter move to avoid an attack from emidiately behind you, a stright back thrust , from holding the blades handel or staff ,and thrusting it emiately behind you, as if someone was aldready on top of you from behind you ." and then spin turning while swinging the staff\sword at a an imaginary threat behind you, at low leg and then follow up with a stright thrust, at the imaginary target ."

[drstrobe2]

The strikes being demonstrated here are very different from those taught by Ueshiba or Saito at Iwama. The 'casting' of the mono-uchi here is more typical of an Iaido school of swordsmanship. The function of Aiki-ken is not really to learn how to use a sword. Particularly in partner practice, the real aim is to develop awase/ blending with the partner's action. Bokken & Jo practice helps magnify problems with posture, timing and centring and is intended to improve unarmed practice.

[george385]

@drstrobe2 In Iaido (and Kendo) we are taught from the very begining BIG CUTS - the kissaki should lead (trying to scratch the ceiling). Something I consistantly see lacking when other martial arts use the (Japanese) sword? Is there a reason for the difference (that I'm not aware of)?

[drstrobe2]

@george385

If you're using a shinken for actual cutting practice, then the reaching up and out (more with the feeling from one's hara than the blade) is important. However,  Iwama style Aikido tends not to do this- and if you tried to cut a tameshigiri mat using Iwama-style technique, it wouldn't give a clean cut. But as I said, that's not a criticism- it depends what you're trying to achieve. In partner practice Aiki-ken cuts deflect the attack while leaving your bokken centred on your uke.

[george385]

@drstrobe2 Thanks for the comment. This helps me to understand the apparent differences in style (from my perspective).

[pimphics]

if u want to make a good combo chaining and balans, u should attack from up to down and up again and then come from the sides. this will keep u in balans and hold much strength...give it a try:D

[AikidoEnth]

Aikido Ken movements have almost nothing to do with Samurai Sword movements. Ken and Jo in Aikido are really to improve body movement so that you may understand how technique came about and works.

[emdog2564]

this is not a style :)

[Ranziel1]

Hmm, in european fencing we are taught that a sword should start to move first, then the body follow and the foot goes down together with the sword. This is done to conceal the strike.

[DudeNumberOnePlus]

Hmm... but swords for fencing are light, and to score point you do not need any energy in your strike. Try swinging iron pipe, thats closer to wielding heavy sword. Good thing to do with medium weight weapons without signaling your attack is to move all patrs of body unisono, but it is not allways possible and its more difficult, especially for young practicioners.

[sliznic]

"dude ouch, hitting like it would help you when you leave." great idea." hope you get it right as to the opponent not really believing it would be a thing like that." have fun, and remember worst comes to worst, a whole bunch of side steps."ouch."

[DonMeaker]

"He killed me with a sword, how weird is that?

[Deke101]

Hah! Can't stop the signal...

[KurokiKaze666]

u r bad...

[flurtenmaniac]

HA HA HA HA,,,,Yamada sensei corrects people when they whip the end in this fashion..Thats not to say i think this is BAD.. it's just funny how there are SO many diverse opinions about CORRECT...oh well

[j0ely24]

awesome help my shomenuchi was horrible until now thanks for the tips! from, ontario canada