Kaze Uta Budo Kai Forum Archive

Hi All,

There is a lot of talk going around about the fascia and it's role in Aikido. The general drift seems to be that Aikido has missed a trick here and that through the study of Chinese systems one can add a missing element to Aikido. Have you come across this before? I am not opposed to it, but I have practiced with some pretty old (83+) Japanese guys who are as rooted as a 400 year old oak tree, and yet as pliable as a baby. My feeling is that the fascia is developed through Aikido kata, relaxation comes through correct alignment of attention, posture and breathing and power comes through getting one's self out of the picture (no mean feat) and allowing natural movement to do the job. Of course all this takes time. I can't help feeling that people are in a hurry to get powerful - stealing a march on nature - and that an overly self-conscious application like 'inflating one's suit', reverse breathing, etc, will quite possibly ( I am not a doc) cause problems with diaphragmatic strain (quite painful), kidney and lower back issues, prostate strain and high blood pressure for those of us with that kind of history.

A similar problem occurred in relation to ki. Lots of people standing around on the mat, po faced and expressionless self-consciously extending ki. Some people even developed health problems from too much ki breathing. I was one of them. Later of course one stops this on realising that extending ki is a natural function of a relaxed mind and body and the self conscious part is a part of the learning process - a bit like always looking at the gear shift before changing gear (manual transmission). Everything takes time - what's the hurry. Find a good teacher, trust them and turn up for training. Job done. I miss the simple approach. Does anyone else? Perhaps I am over simplifying?