Newsgroup: it.sport.arti-marziali
Titolo: On Katatedori - Hiroshi Ikeda

http://www.bujindesign.com/newsletter/current/training.shtml
On Katatedori
By Hiroshi Ikeda, edited by G. Ikeda 
"Next, grab your partner's wrist..." is a common refrain heard in 
practically every beginner aikido class. Grasping a partner's wrist is 
such a simple move, akin to shaking hands or reaching for an object. Of 
all the movements we make, reaching out to connect with someone or 
something is one of the most familiar and comfortable. And of course 
this is precisely the reason katatedori is commonly used to introduce 
students to the intricacies of aikido. 
The uke side
We should practice always with the goal of controlling our partner's 
center, as opposed to merely controlling his or her arm with superior 
muscle strength. 
As beginners we stand face to face in front of our partners and reach 
for the offered wrist, working in a spirit of trust and not yet mindful 
of the more dangerous aspects of the art. We move easily and 
cooperatively, as we should at this point. In a short time, however, our 
bodies gain some knowledge of forms, and there is more room in our minds 
for new observations. That is when we realize, or when our teacher 
points out to us, that we are totally exposed and open to any manner of 
kick or punch from the partner whose wrist we are grabbing. This is a 
big problem. 
So we must learn to combine the hanmi stance and the wrist grab, 
standing obliquely to the side of our partner while grabbing - still 
facing our partner, but from a protected position. At the same time we 
also realize that, just as the partner's free hand (or legs) can deliver 
a blow to us, so too, can our free hand or legs deliver a punch or kick 
or serve as an active defensive shield. We begin to adopt a more martial 
stance, a safer approach, when we perform katatedori. 
Once we have learned how to grab from a protected position, we can next 
explore variations of the grab...either pulling, pushing or holding. 
After all, in a martial or street situation the grab is only the first 
step. It is used to hold or to draw the victim closer, in order to gain 
control. That accomplished, the next move could be a blow to the face or 
a choke or some other controlling move. 
In the days of the battling samurai, a disarmed warrior had no choice 
but to grab the wrist of a katana-wielding opponent, in a lifesaving 
attempt to prevent the armed party from drawing his sword. If muscle 
strength alone were relied upon, obviously the stronger man would win, 
but the real test was who could gain control of the other's center. This 
involved an understanding of power on a deep level. 
As we explore variations of katatedori, we should practice always with 
the goal of controlling our partner's center, as opposed to merely 
controlling his or her arm with superior muscle strength. As we grab the 
wrist, we should use a yonkyo-like grip that is backed up by connection 
to our own center. We must also learn to "get through" to our partner's 
center to create ittai, or the state of "one body." When we can do this 
quickly and effectively, the nage will be unable to perform a counter 
technique. 
The nage side
...At this point, nage can then make a slight circular shift of the 
hips, connecting fully with uke's center, and creating ittai, or the 
state of "one body." 
Going back to basics, when we assume the role of nage, allowing our 
partner to grab our wrist, we first learn how to irimi (enter) or to 
tenkan (turn). We are taught to move our arm in such a way as to either 
slip out of the grip or to stay within the grip, depending upon the 
particular lesson of the day. 
In the beginning this seems pretty easy, until one day a linebacker of a 
student comes along and applies a grip commensurate with his size. The 
message our wrist sends us is, "I'm really stuck, and if you try to 
move, our arm will be broken off at the elbow." What a surprise - we 
can't tenkan; we can't irimi! This is because in the early stage of our 
practice, we have been merely training our bodies in the forms and the 
flow, and now we have encountered a partner who does not cooperate and 
whose strength exceeds ours. 
Suddenly, irimi and tenkan, once familiar security blankets, have become 
the most difficult things in the world to do, and we have to start 
examining them all over again. Now we ask our partner to give us a tight 
grip, and we begin to try those small movements that help us "tie the 
hands together," to help us connect with our partner. In order to move, 
we must learn how to connect with uke, unbalance and weaken his or her 
grip - somehow bypassing and/or using their strength. In the process, we 
become very absorbed and caught up in the one connecting point - the 
grip uke has on our wrist. While such focus is a necessary part of the 
discovery process, we can't stop here. For one thing, by putting all our 
attention in one spot, we let our guard down elsewhere, leaving 
ourselves vulnerable to attack from another angle. And for another, for 
some reason, we still get stuck. 
And then our teacher points out that we have forgotten the rest of our 
body. Oh. When we run, both arms and legs work in unison. When a 
tightrope walker performs, she uses both arms for balance. (And you 
might have noticed that the better the tightrope walker, the smaller and 
less perceptible are her counterbalancing arm movements.) When we do 
aikido, or any other martial art, we must remember to unify our body and 
make use of all our parts, eventually including our inner power. When 
one arm is grabbed, we must pay attention to using our free arm in ways 
that enhance our balance. And further, we must remember that our free 
hand is available for atemi. 
Going back to our earlier of example of dueling samurai, the unarmed 
warrior would necessarily use a kosadori, or cross-hand grab, with his 
right hand attempting to immobilize the right (sword-wielding) hand of 
his opponent. The unarmed man's next move (in reality, everything would 
happen in one move) would be to get behind the swordsman, with the 
intention of choking him with his free, or left, hand/arm. This maneuver 
is known as kosadori ushirokubijime. 
The swordsman (nage) would properly be holding his saya with his left 
hand and the hilt of his katana with his right. While he deals with the 
attack on his right hand, the position of his left hand, near the center 
of his body, serves to stabilize and balance him. 
In order not to be overcome, at the instant the unarmed warrior (uke) 
grabs for nage's wrist, nage must twist his right hand in such a way as 
to place the attacker's hand (and arm and body) in a slightly unnatural 
position, so that he instinctively wants to reposition it. If nage is 
successful, he has rendered uke just uncomfortable enough so as to 
compromise uke's strength, balance and concentration, while avoiding 
separation. At this point, nage can then make a slight circular shift of 
the hips, connecting fully with uke's center, and creating ittai, or the 
state of "one body." In ittai, uke simply cannot escape, nor can he 
attack further, and nage can then resolve the conflict. 
The intrigue continues... 
Katatedori and its variations are deceptively simple, especially to the 
casual observer and the newcomer. As with all forms, the more we delve 
into body mechanics and the more partners we "confront," the deeper our 
level of discovery becomes. While we can write about ideas to further 
our progress, it is simply impossible to describe the information that 
we get through the sense of touch. Testing and experimenting with 
katatedori on the mat may eventually give us a glimmer of O'sensei's 
vast understanding. 
Tac
(oggi lo aggiungo al mio sito..)

 "Next, grab your partner's wrist..." is a common refrain heard in....
Le ricordo, mi consenta...., che questo e' un NG della gerarchia IT.....
Quindi almeno un parvenza di traduzione, Please !!!
^_^
            ----------OSS !!!-----------
               Maestro Mario Cosentino
                    Juko Junior Club
                           Milano
 
http://www.juko-junior-club.it
 
http://web.tiscalinet.it/MarioCosentino
               icq number 46225702
                      --------------

 Quindi almeno un parvenza di traduzione, Please !!!
Mi consenta lei, sono un presidente operaio, l'inglese non lo so... 
(guarda le illustrazioni!...)
Tac
(aikido)
p.s.: l'articolo parla della presa ad una mano tipica dell'allenamento 
dell'aikido, delle varie difficoltà che si incontrano e di ciò che cerca 
di creare: 'Ittai' cioè 'un solo corpo'.

 di creare: 'Ittai' cioè 'un solo corpo'.
Un solo corpo...........???
PORCELLO !!!!
^_________^
Lo so io dove vuoi arrivare.......
;-Prrr
