Takemusu Aikido Intercontinental
Transmitting an authentic knowledge of Traditional Aikido as founded by Morihei UESHIBA
Tachi dori #1
Start: hidari hanmi.
Uchi tachi attacks your left side with yokomen.
Slightly step off the line on the right with your right foot and rise shomen at the same time.
Cut shomen, bringing back your left foot in hanmi.
Don't try to "parry" uchi's ken, cut the center of his body.
Cut all the way. The end of your ken ("kissaki") must be parallel to the ground.
Uchi is now considered out of action but he symbolizes a new opponent who could appear in any angle. He attacks shomen.
Step in when he rises his sword while freeing your left hand from the ken.
Grab the sword between uchi tachi's two hands as he begins to cut down.
Bring your right leg back...
... as you cut behind yourself with the sword grabbed with the right hand only. Your feet are now in the same position as uchi tachi's.
Your movement has unbalanced uchi on his right side.
Your left forearm puts pressure on uchi's right elbow.
Step in with your body with an angle towards uchi's direction. For this, bring the left leg forward while pushing your left arm in kokyu, it maintains a pressure an uchi's right elbow...
... and unbalances him on his left side. Do not push towards uchi's front foot direction: he is stable on that axis.
Now throw, keeping a firm grab on the ken.
Sections
What is Traditional Aikido?
Aikido is not a sport, it is a martial art which laws (takemusu) are in harmony with the laws of the universe. Studying them allows the practitioner to understand his place in the universe. Aikido was born in Iwama, O sensei achieved in that village the synthesis of tai jutsu, aiki ken and aiki jo.
Where to practice Traditional Aikido?
The International Takemusu Aikido Federation (ITAF) brings to the practitioner the structure he needs in order to work as close as possible to the reality O sensei MU defined. The official national representations are the guarantee of a teaching faithful to the Founder's.
The weapons of Aikido, aiki ken and aiki jo
In modern Aikido, weapons are hardly taught, if taught at all. In O sensei's Aikido, on the contrary, aiki ken, aiki jo and tai jutsu are unified and form together a riai, a family of harmonious techniques stemming from one unique principle. Each techniques helps understand all the others.
Aikido, a martial art or an art of peace?
Peace is a balance between a human being and the world around him. The true martial art's goal is not to become stronger than one's opponent but to find in that opponent a way to realize harmony. There is no enemy anymore as such, but an opportunity offered to reach unified ki.