Sotai Renshu

Paired exercises

Although solo exercises are of great importance to improve your body movements, it is a delusion to believe you can study Budo without an opponent. An opponent also called “uke” is the person who will point out your weaknesses during training. There is also another function of paired exercises: improvement of body movement and increasing the ability of generating power. But the most important items are: Metsuke and Shisei

Metsuke

The eyes are the windows of the mind.

The difference between “to look” and “to see” is basically that “looking” is being able to confirm through our sight that the world is as our reason tells us that it is, and “seeing”, is the ability of men of knowledge to perceive the world through energy charges.

(from Conversations with Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda).

Practising with a partner is all about how we “see” our opponent. Don’t “look” at the weapon (handblade, fist, knife….), but see where the attack starts. Keep your eyes on the face of the opponent.

This advice is for tori and uke

(Picture from Goshin Jutsu by Kenji Tomiki)

Shisei

Without a proper posture, we cannot see the truth in the eyes of the opponent. Most of the people will give a signal when they really start to attack. By keeping a proper posture, you have the possibility to avoid or to control the power of the opponent. This is already explained somewhere in this document, but it is very important to emphasise this matter.

By using a proper shisei there will a communication between you and your opponent. This is only possible when the communication line has the proper tension.

Basic Tomiki Aikido Sotai Renshu (paired training)

•Tegatana awase

•Shotei awase

•Old style Sotai dosa – included tenkai waza

•7-hon no kuzushi (New style sotai dosa)

• Nigiri gaeshi – taking over the grip