Formosa Neijia

In looking at how IMAs are done across the aisle, so to speak, I’m constantly struck by how many aikido people just naturally understand that we are supposed to use the opponent’s force against them instead of fighting against that force.
Why is that?
Why is it that so many CIMA people have this wrong idea that […]

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I’m finding that some throws are nearly universal. Sumi-otoshi (the four corners throw) appears in aikido, judo, and taijiquan. Consider the following clips:

This is an aikido version done smoothly against a student. Notice the positioning.

Now here’s a version from a Tomiki aikido competition. Great timing here.

This is a judo version in competition.
How […]

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This is a decent example of a softer way to do randori. I think more taiji people should be working towards this rather than us just pushing people back. This uses the off-balancing skills in ways that put the opponent down without using lots of force or upper body strength. This type of […]

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I lived in Japan for almost two years courtesy of Uncle Sam. I was stationed at Camp Zama in the sticks outside of Tokyo. If you’ve never been to Japan then one thing you need to know about it is that Tokyo is very dense. You could literally be right on top of something great […]

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This is some great aikido by Yasuo Kobayashi, an 8th dan in Japan. He’s so smooth.
I also found footage of him doing a seminar here in Taiwan:

Here he’s known as 小林保雄 and apparently has many schools that follow his teaching. I was surprised to find this because seminars here are so rare. I […]

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Mokuren dojo has an excellent post on how aikido training doesn’t involve advanced moves. You apparently just get better and better at the standard moves as you continue the practice. He provides as excellent quote from Musashi that makes a very interesting contrast when compared to the CIMA like taiji, etc.
There is no “interior” nor […]

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Mokuren Dojo is running a blog carnival in celebration of MLK Day. The theme is being a peaceful warrior and conflict resolution. My submission was this post on Aikido-like Chinese IMA.
Thinking about this theme, I’m struck by the focus on violence that most people have when thinking of warriorship instead of focusing on stopping violence […]

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Of all the arts that I’m familiar with, the one with the most attractive philosophy of life IMO is aikido. Dobson and Miller use this book to show how the martial art of aikido really goes beyond techniques to enhance your whole life. It has the power to change you and can shape how you […]

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I was going to training a few weeks ago, and I got on the subway. I looked for a seat because I was nursing a slight injury and I wanted to be rested up for training. I saw a seat next to a guy that was sort of sprawled over into the seat next to […]

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This is some of the best aikido I’ve seen in a long time. To me, this is worth striving for. The clip really gets going at about the 2:30 mark. Notice the little angles that he uses (especially around 3:08). This clip gives you some great details that others don’t. His fluidity of movement […]

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