The Hijiate Spiral

There are only a few basic principles that encompass the whole of our Aikido techniques. The problem is remembering to apply all of them at all times in all techniques...

Yesterday I was working on hijiate kokyunage which is my absolute least favourite technique. However, as often happens when training I had a breakthrough in visualization or understanding...maybe a re-breakthrough since I should already have known this.

I'm talking about The Hijiate Spiral.

We know that Yoshinkan works in circles and that spirals are circles that move forward. When I first started doing the technique yesterday I was focusing on the shoulder and using the crook of my elbow to turn over uke's elbow and have that force move in and around (over top) of uke's shoulder to throw them forward and then down.

What I realized as I was doing this is that my circle was very two dimensional. It only went from uke's elbow to uke's shoulder and over it. There was no sideways motion in the circle I was using. No spiralling.

I found if I thought of my elbow pushing into and over uke's shoulder as well as moving the shoulder to the side away from uke's body then I took the balance much more and uke couldn't resist the shoulder manipulation ending up in a much easier but more powerful throw downwards as the spiral kind of arced over uke like a giant slinky.

Again...just applying the basic principles. It's amazing how such easy concepts are so hard to remember let along apply.

Spirals are circles that move forward. I like that :-)