Kanai Sensei Chapter 4 Continued

Technical Aikido

by Mitsunari Kanai, 8th dan

Editor's Note: Following is an excerpt from Kanai Sensei's forthcoming book. The video version has been released and is available from Aikido Online. This text can be used in conjunction with the video. It is also being serialized in "Aikido East", the journal of the USAF Eastern Region. Photo's and animated GIF courtesy of Joel Posluns, San Francisco Aikikai.]

Chapter 4 - Relationship between Joints and Power, and How Power is Produced (cont'd)

Part 2

When multiple muscles are used in an organized way, the power created necessarily must be proportional to the number of muscles used.

Let us further examine this concept by taking a conventional CHU-DAN-I-TSUKI (Mid level thrust) attack as an example.

When you try to thrust an object with proper MA-AI (distance), you open both legs slightly wider than SHIZEN-TAI (natural standing posture) and lower your hips. From this stabilized posture, you place your right fist to the waist, extend your left hand straight forward, and then quickly pull your left hand to the left waist.

By using the reactionary power from this rapid pulling motion of the left fist, you strike your right fist forward from your right side at waist level. Just before the right elbow fully stretches out, you twist the fist inward. You hit the object at the moment when you simultaneously tighten your fist and body muscles. At this moment, you keep power in your body by holding your breath.

In analyzing this thrust, it becomes clear that, in addition to the reactionary power from left fist pulling and the twisting power of right fist, the only joint that is effectively used to convert body movement to power is the right elbow joint (and, to a lesser extent, a slight hip twist).

This basic CHU-DAN-I-TSUKI can be explained further as follows: the tension power of multiple muscles surrounding the elbow joint is converted to the speed of the striking motion and this speed, in turn, is converted to
striking power. This striking power (or colliding power) is transmitted to the target object when you support the striking power with your own stable body.

However, this basic CHU-DAN-I-TSUKI is not a perfect posture from the point of view of physical dynamics. In fact, if this imperfect posture can be maintained when you strike an object, it means that the reaction from the power which is transmitted to the object is small, and therefore the amount of power transmitted is likewise small.

As long as one maintains this conventional approach to the use of the body to generate power, one can never grasp a logic of AIKIDO. In other words, this approach is a limited, and, more importantly, a non-AIKIDO way, of using the body and generating power. It is a non-AIKIDO way because the final movement is not connected to KI or the release of power.

Moreover, less joints and muscles are used because of the limited use of the KOSHI. Also, holding the breath while moving means power will be held in the body by tight muscles. Conversely, the release of the breath allows the muscles to relax and, by increasing flexibility through relaxation, permits more muscles to participate in the movement. Therefore, release of the breath means relaxation of the muscles, release of power, and release of KI.

I will explain this further. This CHU-DAN-I-TSUKI is done by using one elbow joint, and by utilizing a small hip twist and the body weight. However, the hip twisting and the body weight shifting are not effectively applied because the amount of body weight shifting is so small that it does not require the back foot to be aligned and employed in the creation of the movement. It is the use of the back foot to create power and stabilize the body weight, enlarge the size of the hip and leg movement, and augment the movement through the use of weight shifting that allows one to create a release of power.

To do this technique so as to embody the logic of AIKIDO, one would proceed as follows: If one starts from HIDARI HANMI (left HANMI), the movement should start by twisting the hip to the right. Subsequently, when twisting back the hip, this hip rotational power should be transferred to the shoulder joint rotational power, then to the elbow joint rotational power as well as the arm stretching power. Finally, simultaneously using the speed of this movement to generate power, while applying a snap to the wrist, and putting all the body weight on the left foot, one uses this left foot (which becomes the back foot) as a spring board, to push off from. Thus body weight shifting, rotation of multiple joints, and speed are converted to generate impact power as one strikes the object.

The technique of breathing also illustrates two approaches to this technique. Holding the breath tends to keep the muscles tight (rather than relaxed). But, if the breath is released at the moment of the strike several things are achieved, among them, that the muscles are thereby relaxed and therefore capable of generating greater power. Release of the breath correlates with the release of power, as well as release of KI.

The back foot (left foot) must be straight enough to be a "strut" at the moment of impact. For the right arm, the elbow must be facing down and the palm side of SEI KEN (basic fist) must be facing up and the arm must be extended straight.

If the posture is maintained correctly, this CHU-DAN-I-TSUKI can logically yield a much greater instantaneous power than the conventional CHU-DAN-I-TSUKI . In addition, it permits you to maintain sufficient balance despite the reactionary power generated by the impact.

Twisting or reverse-twisting of the hips as an initial starting movement converts the speed of the elastic or rotational motion of the entire body's joints to power, and, accompanied by a good take-off (using the rear leg as a spring board) also converts the force of gravity into power during the body weight shifting. Finally, it converts in an orderly manner, compression of body air to power as KOKYU RYOKU (release of breath). This is the most practical and AIKIDO-like way of producing power.

If the above described striking method (I call it FURI TSUKI from JODAN, i.e. "Swinging thrust from JODAN") is further developed or perfected by training, the exact same motion can be applied to the AIKIDO throwing techniques or joint techniques.

To explain further, it is important to realize that the lower half of the body utilizes two types of movement to produce two different kinds of power. One movement is the horizontal plane rotational movement called KOSHI twist and reverse-twist, and the other is horizontal plane forward movement created by body weight shifting when the foot moves forward.

This power, produced by the lower half of the body, is transmitted to the shoulder where a vertical plane rotational movement of the shoulder joints generates centrifugal force which is then transmitted through the elbow's stretch and twist, and further converted to the power of the wrist snap. Thus different types of power are also produced in the upper half of the body.

Although different types of power are produced in the upper and lower body, it is important to keep in mind that the lower body, in general, produces power from movements in a horizontal plane, and the upper body produces power from movements in a vertical plane. This theory can be applied directly to a technique like IRIMI NAGE. It is absolutely necessary that you organize your thoughts along these lines and apply them to your technique.

I stated earlier that, theoretically, power generated from a movement is proportional to the number of joints involved. However, in reality, when a number of unique kinds of power, produced in diverse parts of the body, are put together, their combination actually generates more than the simple mathematical sum (or total value of power), of each power produced by each joint and its associated muscles. This can be called a synergistic effect.

To utilize one's own body to produce this synergy is the key point of AIKIDO's way of using the body.

As I hope this explanation makes clear, I believe an effective logic, which surpasses past concepts, can be established for AIKIDO practice.

If this logic is used as a basis for analyzing movement, the ambiguity of AIKIDO explanation of the past can be solved; it is no longer necessary to rely on so called "mental" aspects of AIKIDO to explain it. Only after AIKIDO can be logically explained on the physical/body level is it then possible to extend the explanation to the mental and spiritual levels and proceed toward a clear explanation of KI.

As long as ambiguity exists regarding the proper use of the body it is not possible that our investigation into the many aspects of AIKIDO will result in a real understanding of KI. Without clarification of the physical dynamics of AIKIDO, an explanation of KI will be doomed.

Only when an AIKIDO technique contains the characteristics of AIKIDO, consistent with the above-described logic, can we clearly state it is AIKIDO. And because of the existence of this logic in AIKIDO, AIKIDO's application to the use of weapons is possible and, beyond weapons techniques, limitless expansion of technique is possible. This is what makes possible the bright hope of the continuous development of AIKIDO.