Aikido Ground Fighting by Walther G. Von Krenner

A relatively new addition to the body of literature about aikido is Walther G. Von Krenner's, Aikido Ground Fighting.  This is a really interesting book in a couple of ways.

Suwari - perhaps the best reason

Suwari is an onerous practice for many people.  In a couple of previous posts I have discussed this idea and tried to give some good pointers and excuses why we should make suwari a regular part of our practice.  Today I think we came up with the best excuse for suwari yet.

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Do it simply because you don't want to do it.  If your spirit rebels against the idea and you find yourself trying to make excuses to rationalize your way out of it, go ahead and do it.  Immediately.

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I liken it to a sort of a mortification of the lazy part of yourself that avoids unpleasant practices.

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As we were discussing this idea today, a very wise black belt offered his own version of the same idea, "It's not just suwariwaza.  Hell, I don't like exercise of any kind.  I'd rather spend my life sitting around eating spaghetti and drinking red wine.  But I can't do that so here I am at aikido practice!"

[photo courtesy of Dimmerswitch]

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Patrick Parker 

www.mokurendojo.com

Suwariwaza in Koryu Dai Ichi

The first set of techniques in the first advanced kata of the Tomikiryu curriculum is a set of five suwariwaza (kneeling techniques).  These techniques illustrate a handful of interesting points...

• When kneeling you are just about as far down as you can get without lying down.  This means 1) you have very little potential energy, and 2) you cannot execute techniques against uke by dropping into him (otoshi).  You can pretty much only execute by rising with uke, amplifying his rise to unhook him from the earth.
• Any time you press hard against uke, your knees stick to the ground.  You cannot push and move at the same time.  This phenomenon occurs when standing too, but we hardly ever notice it.  When kneeling it becomes obvious.  In the first technique, for example, if you find yourself falling on your face unable to keep up with uke as he falls away from you, then you are pressing on uke and sticking your knees.
• These techniques illustrate different timings.  In the first technique, tori is acting before uke.  In the next technique, uke is earlier, and manages to act slightly ahead of tori (forcing tori to turn out of the way).  In the third technique, uke is dramatically ahead of tori and tori catches uke coming down onto him.  When tori is this late, he will be completely pinned in place if he does not redirect and yield to uke's strike.
• The fourth and fifth illustrate an interesting practice mode that we don't play too much - jutai (continuous) timing.  Starting so late that uke has already come down on tori and pinned him in place, tori shrugs uke off to one side, then using uke's attempt to rise, throws him decisively to the other side.

[Photo courtesy of Joshua Smith]

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Patrick Parker 

www.mokurendojo.com

Suwariwaza - why bother?

I have mixed feelings about the suwari (kneeling techniques) found in aikido.  I have written in the past that suwari is an interesting link between standing and groundwork, and that people that like groundwork should be shouting, "Yippee! We get to do suwari!" instead of the constant groaning.  But I also understand that the kneeling material has a lot of perceived negatives for a lot of folks.

On the pro side, suwari:

• is part of the art, and always has been.
• (when done right) it is a beautiful and impressive historical/cultural artifact.
• makes your legs and hips more flexible and stronger (if it doesn't wreck them completely)
• allows you to practice techniques without big falls.
• gives some hints about how aikido works at close range or in limited spaces or when your mobility is hampered.

On the con side, suwari:

• is culturally irrelevant to pretty much the whole world outside Japan.
• is boring.
• is abstract.
• is mostly inapplicable to real conflict.
• is painful to the knees!

Suwariwaza is featured in the koryu no kata of Tomiki-ryu in the beginning of ichikata, sankata, and gokata. 

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Basically I suppose if you don't like suwariwaza, it's just something that you have to trudge your way through as you advance in rank.  But you should do your due diligence to try to find and learn whatever lessons it holds while you're there.  Also, there is the added bonus of doing the suwari in ichikata because there is at least a little less of it there (5 techniques) than in sankata (8 techniques) or gokata (7 techniques).

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Patrick Parker

www.mokurendojo.com

Leftover questions about Sankata

Last year's (October 2009) Aiki Buddies Gathering I had intended to work on Owaza Jupon and the nidan part of Sankata (first 16 techniques) because a couple of the attendees were working on these nidan requirements.  It turned out that was too ambitious - we had a great time spending the entire ABG on Owaza Jupon and we didn't get to Sankata at all.

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So, I had a handful of questions left over from that clinic regarding suwariwaza...

• We (every aiki class I know of) only does a handful of suwari, and only in kata mode.  Why do we never progress past this kata mode in our practice of suwariwaza?
• In the other kata (not Sankata) there are hints of other suwari modes - i.e. jutai timing - that we never play with - why?
• Why don't we play randori on the ground? Why don't we do releases from suwari? Why not chains? kokyuho/kokyudosa?

...these all really boil down to one question...

• If suwariwaza has significant value, why don't we practice it more often in more varied modes? If suwariwaza does not have significant value, why not drop it completely from the requirements?

 [photo courtesy of Shugyou]

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Beginnings, middles, and ends

Aristotle wrote in his Poetics that "A whole is that which has a beginning, a middle, and an end."  This applies to aikido as well as to poetics because an encounter also has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

• Hanasu is the main exercise that we use to study beginnings.
• Randori is the main exercise that we use to study the middle.
• Kata is the main exercise that we use to study the endings.

A student told me today, "under previous aikido instructors I used to spend a whole lot more time kneeling on the ground trying to finish a pin on uke."  I pointed out that different classes like to emphasize different parts of the whole of aiki but my preference is to spend most of our practice time on beginnings and middles because if uke is finished then he's finished but if he's not finished then it's not time to play the end-game.  You're still in the middle.

[Photo courtesy of Shugyou]

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ABG 2009 - Session 6

Perhaps we picked too much material for this clinic - We'd intended to do sankata and owaza, but we've made such a meal out of owaza that we ended up not spending much time on sankata. Tonight's session was sankata section A - suwariwaza

• oshitaoshi
• gyakugamaeate
• kotegaeshi
• sukuinage
• tenkai kotehineri
• shihonage
• gedanate
• hijikime

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Patrick Parker is a Christian, husband, father, martial arts teacher, Program Director for a Cardiac Rehab, and a Ph.D. Contact: mokurendojo@gmail.com or phone 601.248.7282 木蓮
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Suwariwaza in amateur wrestling

Contrary to some folks' opinions, suwari does not suck! In fact, probably the most commonly used technique in BJJ matches (and pretty darn common in judo and amateur wrestling) is a suwariwaza technique - the shoot into the single leg pick!
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I can imagine all the aikido purists as well as all the hardcore BJJ guys out there grimacing in horror. Well, as a very basic example, check out the following video...





What? You don't think that counts as suwariwaza? It happens on the knees, there is movement on the knees (shikko or kyoshi) and an expression of principle. It just does not start with both parties in seiza drinking tea.
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Suwariwaza is groundwork

Photo courtesy of DimmerSwitch

Rob commented a couple of days ago on my suwariwaza post – I don't think Rob was wrong, but that was not quite how I would put it.

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The knife in kata is a symbol of power in that it represents the opponent that totally outclasses us. If we can learn to deal with the knife-wielding enemy and we treat everybody like they have a knife, then the empty-handed guy is easier to deal with. Knife teaches empty-hand but empty-hand does not teach knife.

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Suwari can be symbolic of standing technique with limited motion, as Rob suggested (though I prefer to just stand up and work in a corner or small space) or it can be symbolic of being attacked while seated (though that is tenuous IMO). It is also just plain good exercise for the hips and legs and hara.

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But I prefer to think about suwari not as a symbol of anything, but as a kind of groundwork. Suwari doesn't symbolize groundwork – suwari is groundwork.

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The problem has to do with the formality and the level of abstraction at which suwari is done.

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And my question from my previous post stands - why do we have to practice suwari in such a way that it is onerous, painful, and useless. Why can't we practice it such that we benefit from it and enjoy it? What would have to be done to our practice of suwari to make it worthwhile and fun?

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Yippee, we're doing suwari!

Photo courtesy of Dokiai

A few days ago I was having an email discussion with an aikido guy whose opinion I respect a lot. We were talking about suwariwaza and he had this to say...

I hate the kneeling techniques. I don't really get a lot out of them and they always make my knees hurt.

At the time I didn't really think twice about this. I even half agreed. This is a pretty common sentiment - that suwari is a time-waster, is out-dated, is culturally irrelevent, and doesn't add anything to your practice. But the more I think about this, the more bothered I am by it. Not by his opinion (everyone has opinions), but by the situation behind it (aikido suwari sucks).

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Why does aikido suwari practice have to be terrible? People should be shouting, "Yippee, we're doing suwari!" when we work on it. Why is it such an onerous time-waster? People in BJJ don't moan, "Damn, it's time to do groundwork again!" Consider the following spectrum of martial arts practices arranged in close-and-tight to loose-and-far order...

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(close) judo newaza - BJJ - suwari - standing clench - aiki (far)

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If you buy into this ordering, then suwari becomes the missing link between close standing work and loose groundwork. Some BJJ guys call suwariwaza 'kneeling takedowns' and some old amateur wrestling books refer to these techniques as 'short takedowns.' Everybody does suwari as a link between ground and standing, so why does aikido suwari suck so much to have to practice?

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Helpful handful: Ichikata as an intro to power

Photo courtesy of BekiPeti

Power can be defined as the ability to make something move or get something done. One of the fundamental theories of aikido and judo is that people's power is always ebbing and flowing, waxing and waning as we move. The techniques that we do are timed based on the ebb and flow of the opponent's power.

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Suwariwaza (kneeling technique) is one way to see this phenomenon in action. For instance, in Ichikata, the first five techniques are suwari, and they vary in their timing condition with respect to uke's build-up and application of power.

• Suwari oshitaoshi (provocative timing) – tori catches uke sitting back, all the way down, before uke has started building power. Tori attacks uke's face, provoking a response that tori uses to throw uke. As such, tori is well ahead of uke in the timing of this technique. Basically, tori overwhelms uke before uke can build up a resistance.
• Suwari tenkai oshitaoshi – uke attacks tori's face and tori rises with a rising block but uke is not so far ahead in timing that tori is overwhelmed. Still, because tori is behind he cannot run over uke as before so he turns out of the way and throws uke. Tori has successfully played catch-up.
• Suwari tekubiosae – uke attacks tori's face and tori is ever farther behind. Finding himself in the hole, tori knows he'd better not try to apply power, so he fades around and moves with uke's arm until uke's power peters out and tori's power is relatively high. Then tori pins uke.
• Suwari ryotedori sukuinage – here tori is absolutely caught flat and dead (energy-wise) and uke grasps both of tori's wrists. Tori retracts his wrists, slipping uke into off-balance and activating uke's back muscles, which tori can then follow into a pin.
• Suwari ryotedori sukuinage (juntai timing) – this is an odd exercise in timing. Tori is actually pulling uke up from the previous pin and getting in synch with him as he rights himself so that the throw on the opposite side happens immediately as uke regains his knees.

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Do they do it or don't they?

A few days ago, Chad asked me a question about suwariwaza (aikido kneeling techniques) - specifically, aikido is so concentrated on movement and evasion and blending dependent on mobility that it seems that the underlying principles of aiki are not seen in suwariwaza (at least not in the aikido demo video I posted a few days ago). I'm working on an answer to this excellent question but it is taking me a while, so while you are waiting, check out the following video, or perhaps the video Chad commented on, looking to see if the following principles are apparent:

• centered
• unbendable arms
• evading off the line of attack
• moving generally in tune with uke's energy

Check it out and see what you think and give me another day or two to post a response.

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Tomiki aiki demo

This is a really good demo of Tomiki aikido.  Of course, not everything is exactly how I'd do it (but that's  how art works) and not everything he does is perfect (but that suggests reality instead of weakness).  Overall, I very much enjoyed his demonstration of technique, and especially his demonstration of knife techniques at the end.

Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba

Here is a new video I found of Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba demonstrating a wide variety of technique. This demo, like many of his previous ones, showcases his superb suwariwaza (kneeling techniques) and his unbelievable lightness of movement on his knees. He also demonstrates some excellent weapons techniques, including an interesting section of jo techniques in which he alternately performs techniques with the stick and the same techniques empty handed.
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Sometimes I wonder what it must be like to be the Doshu. This man did not simply learn this art to a high skill level - he inherited the thing from his father (the previous Doshu) and from his grandfather (the founder, Osensei) with the responsibility to preserve it and pass it on into the next generation of the family. I wonder what it is like to have people want to revere you for something over which you have no control (i.e. a hereditary title). My first thought is that it must be a huge ego trip, but humbling at the same time. I figure it must be tiresome.
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Have any of you readers ever met this man? Layed hands on him during practice? Talked with him over a beer? What is he like as a man?

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Training log

Judo with Todd - ROM, ukemi, footsweep to control, deashibarai, kosotogari, ukigatame, ground mobility cycle

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Aikido with Kel, Todd, Jesse, and Justin - ROM, ukemi, tegatana, evasion&brush-off, release#1, shomenate, suwari oshitaoshi, tekubiosae

Magical kotegaeshi night

Aiki with Kel and Whit

• ROM
• tegatana with emphasis on balls of feet and the 'washing the mirror' exercise
• we worked 'washing the mirror' into a sort of general-purpose evasion and offbalance program using attacking partners
• gyakugamaeate
• chain#3 including wakigatame, kotegaeshi, and gyakugamaeate
• variations on kotegaeshi with emphasis on taking the slack out of the arm without crushing the arm, striking to induce a vibration in uke, then following the vibration. (the magic kotegaeshi)  We also played with siilar mechanics in the suwari munetsuki kotegaeshi from sankata.
• We ended up tying it all together with kotegaeshi from owaza, using the 'washing the mirror' idea, getting in synch, and throwing on the step
  

Thursday aikido

We had no 5AM class this morning - Rob had a test to study for.
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Kid's judo with Gavin, Whit, Mason, and Emma

• Warmup, ukemi, spider-crawling alternated with big falls (teguruma) with a spotter
• Osotogari uchikomi "by the numbers" sets of theee throwing on the last rep and trading partners. Whit was doing especially good on the osotogari, and hammered Gavin once. Gavin tried to whine about it but then started laughing.
• Osotogari into kesagatame
• Uphill escape from kesagatame. Mason was majorly out-doing the others on this escape with an excellent bridging action.
• Crawling man

Aiki with Rick

• tegatana emphasizing balls of the feet and short, conservative steps.
• hanasu #1-4 emphasizing the feeling of release.
• partner evasion exercises using release motions to evase and brush off lunges.
• suwari kokyuho (kneeling freeform pushing exercise)

A helpful handful: 5 ways to improve your suwariwaza

One of the characteristic things about aikido is the practice of working with techniques in which both partners are kneeling (suwariwaza) or with the defender kneeling and the attacker standing (hammi handachi). This makes movement more difficult and offers very direct examples of various principles with generally low-amplitude falls. It also makes your hips and legs stronger and more flexible. This handful of helpful hints is about the practice of suwariwaza as a whole rather than being about one particular technique.

• Watch Doshu in the above video to understand the awesome potential for kneeling movement (starting at about 2 minutes). You usually think of kneeling as being less mobile, but this is a remarkable example of mobility and flow. This is also a good demo of suwari.


• To get better at doing aikido on your knees, play with both structured techniques (suwariwaza) and freeform pushing (kokyuho). Play with throwing into a pin as opposed to continuous throwing (juntai).


• Do groundwork randori (judo or BJJ rules) at different intensities all the way from scratching-and-scrambling anaerobic newaza randori to light-and-compliant flow. Skill in standing work (tachiwaza) and ground work (newaza) both carry over into skill in suwariwaza.


• Suwariwaza is a good opportunity to play with the Kito principle. Define an acceptable level of effort in your mind and gauge every push against that standard. If you can’t effect the technique with less than that level of force then try something something else at 90 or 180 degrees to that initial force. I like to think of this as “pinging” uke and then using arms as “feelers” to gauge the resistance. A good example of this is kneeling shoulder-push sumiotoshi paired with a “Japanese pass” arm snapdown onto uke’s belly.


• If you are doing your structured suwariwaza practice using the Tomiki kata set, don’t forget katamenokata and especially kimenokata from judo. These are different ways of doing the same things and the things in kimenokata back up the suwariwaza in Sankata (for instance) very well.

Boiling poisonous acid lava

Tonight we had the pleasure of Sensei Dave Shorey of Acadian Judo visiting our kids' judo class. He seemed to enjoy the class and I sure enjoyed having him drop by. It's good to get to know some more of the local grassroots judo crowd.

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Kids' judo with Dave, Jill, Gavin, Whit, Mason, Knox, and Emma

• ROM and ukemi as usual.
• Laps across the mat galloping, alternating one kid out per lap to take an assisted teguruma fall. Of all the types of movement skills I've worked on with these kids, galloping has been the toughest, so I had them gallop with a flag held in a hand and gave them the condition that they had to keep the flag out in front of them the whole time. Worked like a charm to get them galloping.
• Crab war. I told them that the mat was boiling lava and poisonous acid and they had to keep their bottoms up out of it while trying to knock the other guys into the boiling poisonous acid lava. Again, they loved it.
• Repetitions of suwari kubinage into kesagatame. I was pretty loose on the form of the thing - just wanted to get them knocking each other down with something approximating the technique. Then we had races to see whih judoka could throw his partner seven times in the least time.
• Amazon wrestling (the river, not the naked, one-breasted, warrior women) This was our approximation of the ethnic wrestling style featured recently on Discovery Channel's Last One Standing. They did well and seemed to have fun. They've practiced tactics to get around to the back and secure a bearhug but they pretty much all favored the knee control route to winning.
• Cool-down with seated meditation. Really just a quiet concentration game at this age. Quiet sitting with eyes closed trying to remember all the sounds they hear.
• Tomorrow is the kohaku shiai for this month.

Goofy-foot parry, hikitaoshi, and tekubiosae

We had another small class last night. Jill and I warmed up, did some ukemi, and got a little farther into tegatana no kata. We've been adding 1-2 new motions to the kata each night and last night we got into the first goofy-foot turn, sometimes called the "helicopter pivot." One possible application for this is to build on our reflex to partly sidestep an attack and block/parry with the opposite arm. Well this is not always a great position - particularly if you happened to sidestep inside, so the helicopter pivot fixes the position by swinging uke's parried arm between uke and tori, placing tori behind.

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We worked on hanasu no kata (wrist releases) getting through 6 of the 8. Jill was doing much better last night of creating mechanically sound ground-paths during the releases (especially #1). For some reason release #3 is uncomfortable for her but she naturally does #5 just right.

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For the technique of the night we worked on hikitaoshi from the point of view of offbalancing, switching hands, and continuing your motion away from uke. We got into the idea of how the technique changes for reluctant vs. aggressive ukes. Aggressive ukes tend to get smeared onto their face, while reluctant ukes getbrushed off into shomenate. Ukes that become too aggressive to deal with get kaiten nage or udehineri.

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At the end we worked on suwari shomenuchi yonkyo (seated head-konk forearm press), also known as tekubi osae. This builds on the idea of the goofy-foot parry from tegatana, a blending loopty into an awkward posture for uke, followed by an immobilization of the arm/shoulder on the ground.