The following is from Sensei Chris Johnston, Shindokan Dojo

In Yoshinkan Aikido, the Kihon Dosa are considered to be a distillation of the key physical skills and principles inherent in everything we do.  They include:  Tai no Henko, Hiriki no Yosei, and Shumatsu Dosa.  Each of these has a #1 and a #2, so this gives 6 movements altogether.  They can be performed solo or in pairs.  The #1 techniques emphasize entering (irimi) and the #2 techniques focus on pivoting (tenkan).  All of the exercises train us to use smooth, centred and unified movements.

As an aside, I find the English name “Basic Movements” a little misleading.  I prefer to translate the Japanese phrase — Kihon Dosa — as “Foundational Movements.”  It seems to me that this gives a better transmission of the phrase’s full meaning.

Tai no Henko (Body Change) movements include cross-stepping in as you change directions, as well as guiding as you pivot.  In the #1 movement — Cross-Step In Body Change — the hips are key in the change of directions as you step forward from your back foot.  In the #2 — 95 Degree Pivot — the hips are used again to generate a stable guiding movement that pivots on the front foot.  The use of the hips in both cases is the source of power and stability for the movements.  The practice of these hips movements helps us to move in a stable, centred and, at the same time, circular manner.  Tai no Henko movements also teach us to co-ordinate the movements of our arms, legs and body.  When practicing these, be sure to move in a unified manner.

Tai no Henko teaches us that “going with the flow” from a position of strength can result in our success.  Irimi (entering) and tenkan (pivoting) used at the appropriate times result in our strong position vis-a-vis the opponent.  Give the opponent what they want . . . but win in the end.

The Hiriki no Yosei (Elbow Power) movements are said to come from the raising and cutting of a sword.  In Yoshinkan Aikido, Hiriki no Yosei is a basic practice of moving your centre of gravity.  Forward and backward is called #1 and shifting is called #2.  It is important to keep in mind that this set is not called “Shoulder Power” or “Arm Power.”  Keep the shoulders down and do not use the strength of your arms.  Move with the power of your lower body as it is transferred from your feet through your knees and hips and along the lower part of your arms (triceps).  Keep your weight on the balls of your feet and keep your back leg straight.  Don’t fall down.

One of the things that Hiriki no Yosei teaches us is that aikido does not use muscle power.  It uses unified and centred body power.  The more we can focus the power of the entire body the more effective our technique will be.  The more we can bring our entire beings to bear on a project or problem in life, the more effective we will be.

The final set, Shumatsu Dosa (Finishing Movement, After Class Exercise), are movements drawn from the Ryotemochi Shihonage technique.  In the #1, the movement reinforces blending, entering, shifting, extending and the transfer of body power to the hands.  The #2 movement emphasizes guiding and pivoting along with shifting, extending and power transfer.  This set is the most complicated of the Kihon Dosa group both in terms of physical movement as well as integration of key principles.  In the practice of Shumatsu Dosa you must bring all of these key concepts to bear.  Make big movements, move sharply, step deeply and smoothly.

The lesson?  In aikido, find a position that is at the same time strong for you and weak for the opponent.  This is not achieved through confrontation and muscle, but rather through blending and guiding.

As I alluded to above, the Kihon Dosa are anything but basic.  They are really the foundation of everything we study.  Pay attention to every detail of these and your aikido will become extremely effective.  I believe it is Robert Mustard Shihan who always says:  “The way you do your basic movements is the way you will do you basic techniques.  The way you do your basic techniques is the way you will do your freestyle.”

Seems basic enough.
Practice well!
OSU!

Chris Johnston
Chief Instructor, Shindokan Dojo
Aikido Yoshinkai Canada

From Sensei Jason Moore, Aikido Durham:

Meditation is about relaxing the mind and the body, so that you can tune in to what is going on internally by tuning out the external stimuli of the outside world. Breath and your internal energy flow through the body like water through a garden hose.  It is this flow that allows the body to heal and generate internal power. Kink the hose in any section and you reduce or potentially shut down the flow.
There are many methods and areas of focus for meditation, all with tons of detail to explore.  For the purposes of this blog, I would like to explore some basic meditation principles.  Then in subsequent blogs we will look at how to incorporate these principles into our Aikido training.

Here is a basic exercise you can do to help tune in to the central channel of your body.  Running from the crown of the head down the spine to the tanda (energy centre) two inches below your navel.  The central channel is the core of balance and awareness and is the source from which all other energy channels derive.
Let’s begin in a chair with your back straight, your feet flat on the floor and your hands placed on your lap.  Close your mouth and eyes and breathe in through your nose.  Follow the breath down your throat and let it fill your belly like a balloon. Let your stomach expand, but don’t hold your breath.  Once the air feels like it should exhale, let it go back up your spine and out your nose.  Continue this in and out process for a few breaths just working to have a nice even in and out rhythm.

Now, the first place people build tension when breathing is in their chest (your first kink in the hose!).  On your next inhale, take one hand and place it on your chest and the other on your stomach.  Just notice as you inhale and you follow the breath down into the belly, does your chest move.  Ideally, your chest should remain still.  Spend the next few breaths in and out, relaxing your chest as you breathe. Just let the chest relax and feel heavy as your breathe in and out.

Once you can breathe easily with a relaxed chest, follow your breath in through your nose and down your body towards your belly, and just take notice of any smaller areas that might be holding tension.  As you breathe in, is your neck tense?  If it is, let the breath relax your neck.  Are you holding tension in your shoulder blades? Let them relax and round away from the spine.  Continue this process down your spine to your hips, just scanning for any places you might find tension. Slowing removing the kinks from the hose, and letting the blood flow more openly through the body.

Now let’s observe the breath as it returns up from the stomach.  Follow your breath down as before, and now as the breath begins to flow back up the spine follow the flow up to the crown of your head and let the breath wash over your head towards your forehead.  Then down and out your nose.  This flow will create a circuit of energy that you can follow along with your breath.  Through the nose, down the throat, relaxing the chest and into the stomach.  Then filling the belly and returning up the spine, relaxing the shoulder blades, up to the crown of the head and over the head to return out the nose. Practicing relaxing your breath and body through this circuit will help to open your central channel, from which all other energy channels of the body are fed.
The benefits of meditation can be realized at any age.  Becoming aware of your breath gives the mind a much needed reprieve from the busyness of our day to day worlds.  In an age where we are all inundated with screens and external demands, taking time to reflect on what is going on inside is critical.  I believe, this process is an essential step to bringing our martial arts training to the next level, which we will explore in the next article.

This article was written by Sensei Jason Moore, Aikido Durham
For more from this author, visit: aikidodurham.ca.