Inside Nihon Goshin Aikido ~ #75
November 2019
Inside This Edition:
- If you have ever struggled with the Spin Around: Thinking about the Spin Around in terms of stance
- What if it does go to the Ground? Front Wrist Throw Application that leads to a Come Along Submission from the ground.
So my personal October strike is over. I can resume regularly schedule months. Here are a few things I’ve been thinking about relative to aikido.
The Spin Around:
The Spin Around is one of the hallmark Aikido techniques. In Japan, the technique is sometimes referred to as "the 20-year technique" because it takes a long time to master it. For many students, the Classical Version of the Spin Around can often feel a little clunky, or maybe I should say, “I have seen many dreadful examples students trying to do the Spin Around in my training experience.” In one dojo I trained at, the common faults were so bad that no one ever even tried to do the Spin Around unless they were forced to (eg: "testing"). In that dojo, the Spin Around was to be avoided as much as possible. Few students could do it well, but most people avoided it at all costs. It became the equivalent of the “Latin Language.” Some of the people could read Latin, but no one could do anything functional with Latin. Instead of a staple of aikido movement, the Spin Around was a dead technique in danager of being erased all together.
I would cross train in other aikido styles, and see much better capacity to pull off the Spin Around technique on command, or at will at these places. It was always smooth, and these guys could implement the technique off of almost any attack. This got me to thinking about the best way to address the diconnect I was observing.
I recently shot a Spin Around video at my dojo to address some of the common faults I have seen in the technique. The video looks at the Spin Around in reference to stance and stance transitions. If you have ever wondered why some people struggle with the Spin Around (or at least wondered why more people don't seem to be able to incorporate the technique into their "impromptu" Aikido) this video may help.
Come Along From the Ground, and a Realistic Way To Get There:
Many guys who study aikido don't want to contemplate ground work because they think "Why would I go to the ground in the first place?" ~ Maybe they are being a little generous in not reecognizing that sometimes there is no choice. In other instances, ground based martial applications are perceived as another martial art style ~ and I only have time to study "one." A third notion is that "I don't study aikido for self defense." *never have quite been agble to get my hands around that one.
As for me, I see opportunities to apply Nihon Goshin Aikido on the ground all the time. Take a look at the video to see a realistic and necessary ground transition off of a Front Wrist Throw application, and Nihon Goshin Aikido ground based Come Along solution. This video is extremely accessible to most students as both techniques are in the first set.
I hope you have a great month in training. Let's meet together on the mat and soon.
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I hope you have a great month in training. Let's meet together on the mat and soon.
Jonathan Wilson
Ngaexperience.com
Unless otherwise stated, the author’s views, musings, and opinions do not necessarily reflect the attitude of leadership within any of the various Nihon Goshin Aikido associations, or unaffiliated Nihon Goshin Aikido dojos.
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Ever Had Trouble With the Spin Around? This Video May Help.
Exploring uke behavior off a double jacket grab which leads nage to a ground Come Along submission.
