The Basics - and how to practice them

A constant phrase one hears in Yoshinkan is "Return to Basics". The idea is, of course, that the better you are able to understand the basics then the better your technique will become. We all go back to basics and try to make them better in the belief that our technique will gain from it. This is as true in Yoshinkan as it is in math or reading or anything else.

In Yoshinkan we have a set of 6 basic movements (the Kihon Dosa) that we return to in order to improve our technique. We usually do some of these basics (if not all) in every class. When a technique is taught it is taught by refering to a particular basic or maybe one or two of the "6 Kihon Dosa".

Obviously there is value to the basics and I firmly believe that using the "Kihon Dosa" as a teaching tool is a very good way to teach and to learn. By refering to the Kihon Dosa when doing a technique all the *stuff* you have studied about doing a kihon dosa comes into play when you do that part of the technique and your technique gets better because of it.

Now is where it gets interesting.

Almost everyone in our dojo tested a few weeks ago and everyone did a really good job. By a really good job I mean that each person's test was an accurate representation of their ability right now. As part of the test everyone also does the 6 Kihon Dosa and each basic movement is worth (in the test marking scheme) as much as a single technique. This really does show the importance that Yoshinkan places upon the Kihon Dosa.

Everyone's Kihon Dosa was very good and was marked accordingly.

After a test we usually give some feedback to the testees explaining the major points that we saw that were good or that could be improved upon. The interesting thing is that in this feedback session we don't usually refer to the Kihon Dosa directly. Instead, we refer back to the smaller points that make up each movement in the kihon dosa (ie. hips straight, back straight, move front knee, don't step...suriashi, etc.) and to the feeling, presence and confidence shown during the test.

The reason I find this interesting is because it seems that we use the Kihon Dosa as a tool to practice the smaller things and then basic techniques as a tool to practice those smaller things again. In Shioda Gozo Kancho's book "Aikido Shugyo" he says that the purpose of training is to practice the "Riai" or "basic principles" of how the body moves. It should also be noted that he never did the Kihon Dosa, but that they were developed by Inoue Sensei (among others) as a method of teaching a large group of people very quickly.

What this rambling brings me to is that we already know (and it was obvious in the tests a few weeks ago) that when we practice Kihon Dosa we must think about all the little points that make up the Kihon Dosa. About how to move the knees and how to keep your back straight and the numerous other little points.

What we might forget or what might not be so obvious is that we must also practice those little points in the middle of a technique and each time we move. It's not enough to practice them only in the Kihon Dosa. The Kihon Dosa are just a tool to practice only those points and a way to refer to those points as a group when teaching and when thinking about a technique. The technique itself also gives us the opportunity to practice those little points as well as things like "how to move uke off the line" and "timing".

So...keep going back to the basics. But remember that the basics are not simply the Kihon Dosa, but are instead all those points that make up the Kihon Dosa. These are the basics you want to return to...both while practicing the Kihon Dosa and while practicing basic tehcniques.