Now this is a beast of a whole different color! I really like this the best of any of the tachidori videos that I've posted this week. This aikidoka has a lot to commend his performance...
- Tori is much smaller stature than uke - he is giving up far more with respect to ma-ai than would a larger tori but he still overcomes that disadvantage with relaxed but decisive irimi.
- Atemi, atemi, atemi! Tori thumps uke in the solar plexus or side of the neck each time, further leveling the playing field.
- His technical range is larger than the 8-10 tachidori that everyone does - and the standard ones that he does do, he does in interesting directions after following uke for a step or two. This demo has a distinctly randori feel to it.
- But what I really like the most is his relaxed demeanor. No big deal, it's just a big guy swinging a sword.
Overall, this performance points at what tachidori could be - more than a nod to the past, more than just another set of 8-10 things to have to do for rank. This is verging on randori with a sword (or stick).
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Personally I think a format similar to this, with foam bats or kendo armor and shinai, would be a much more interesting mode to play Tomiki aikido shiai in than the rubber knife thing.
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Patrick Parker
www.mokurendojo.com
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