Orenaite (the unbendable arm) is a good thing for some motions and a bad thing for other motions. But which is which?
- Good for pushing and pulling directly forward or backward in line with the arm. (Think about how you would push a car.)
- Bad for twisting (like a steering wheel) or pushing sideways in the plane of your shoulders. For these motions, an arm bent about 90 degrees with elbows close to, and in front of the body, is generally good.
Whatever force you put out is reflected back at you equally. When pushing or pulling through unbendable arms, the reflected force is simpler and more easily managable, but other motions (particularly twisting and pushing sideways) reflect a complex type of force back onto you that is terrible for your posture, balance, and mobility. For those reasons, we typically try to almost completely eliminate twisting and sideways motion from our aikido, leaving us with push and pull, which we do most efficiently through unbendable arms.
____________Patrick Parker, is a Christian, husband, father, judo and aikido teacher, Program Director for a Cardiac Rehab, and a Ph.D. Contact: mokurendojo@gmail.com or phone 601.248.7282
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