It is reported that Morihiro Saito Sensei, during the dan tests, was very often focused just on the execution of katate dori tai no henko (片手取り体の変更) technique, thus dismissing the candidates, promoting them or not. Within the codified list of Aikido techniques, tai no henko is certainly one of the most useless tools in terms […]
Why do some people practice a martial discipline? In general: what is the value of being faithful in training and practicing in a world that seems to cancel every kind of certainties? Sports activities have been severely impacted by the pandemic. Within them, disciplines that foresee a physical contact, such as martial arts, have been […]
In Eastern culture, bowing is an essential element of the relationship. An element that contains a wide spectrum of shades. In Japanese culture, for instance, the ojigi (おじぎ) contains a plurality of meanings: depending on the occasion and the relationship there is a, let’s say, “proper” bowing, as a rule of etiquette. At this link […]
Summer, a time of break of the facilities where we practice throughout the week. Time of necessary rest we give to our body, mind and spirit, providing us spaces and ways to interrupt the daily routine of the year so we fill up our system with new energy and new stimuli. The summer break is […]
Being invited to a wedding is always a wonderful chance. The beginning of a new family is celebrated, as a dream makes true. The -literally- creative power of love is celebrated . And if is a friends’ wedding -friends that we are lucky to walk with on the path of Aikido practice, then it is […]
“…stay grounded” . It was the year 1990 and with this sentence, a famous Italian singer, Vasco Rossi opened his concert in Milan. In the practice of Aikido, we often meet two dual perspectives. On the one hand, those who experience discipline from a strictly material point of view. Techniques are investigated, effectiveness is sought, […]
Can a discipline help to better investigate the phenomenon we call “life”? And if so, how? Faced with life, we are overwhelmed by our limits. We all have a direct experience of it, because we are all crossed by and surrounded by life. Defining life in a complete way or schematizing it in such a […]
Does it make sense to question, one more time, about truth?To what extent can the practice of a discipline support or not this research? Referring the topic of truth the human being put a lot of effort and much has been said. Let’s just think about philosophers but also the various sciences: we have to […]
If the partner gets stuck, everyone usually insists on pushing and pressing on the point of contact. Instead, I relax the point and change direction. At that point, if my mate is a living human, he will start moving However, there are also many humans who are not alive. Two years ago, just before everything […]
In “La Voie des Dieux” (The Way of Gods) , Itsuo Tsuda wrote: In a tense situation like that of a real fight, with real swords, things happen that would be unpredictable in ordinary times. Can we call this fact fixation? When we are out of focus and chat with friends, we can move from […]
