Aikido ABC - Vol 1. Body preparation

Following the very typical warm-up routine of Aikido, energetic and dynamic, this full body stretch can be done in a slower pace with more precision, or faster and more energetically as you feel up to. Every day is different. Listen to your body and exercise accordingly. But either way, do it with a complete control over your movements. From top till toe connect your whole body throughout the series of postures and stretches. Keep a centred awareness round your hara; the lower abdomen and hip area. Try to remain concentrated and balanced throughout the complete session. Bear with it, it’s not easy.

A few select exercises that will improve lower body strength and stability. The main point is to learn to balance your upper body on your hips and legs so you can begin to relax held tension in your frame. This will improve your general posture and ease movement when executing technique.

There are innumerable ways to promote your lower body strength so do extend your research beyond the present series.

This may be a little difficult to grasp at first. Usually it takes years of Aikido practice to develop it. But with these few examples you will get an idea of what to look for. What we are trying to do is to use our muscles without tensing up, letting them work in a natural manner of contracting and opening. So we must learn to be at ease when we use our muscle strength. Please note that aggression is detrimental to the correct use of muscle power while joy and love allow and enhances the ability to use it to its maximum capacity. This will become fundamental to our understanding of Aikido and it will also serve as the link to its spiritual understanding contained within.

It goes without saying that Kokyu-ryoku is a deep study and in order to fully understand it we also need to search beyond the scope of this series.

Hand exercises to help you strengthen and stretch your wrist. Learn to connect the whole body not to injure your joints when we apply technique.

Stretch your body through intent in all directions at once, expand and fill out through the ‘pulling’ of your fascia, your interconnected web of tendon, ligaments and muscle tissue.

1-2. We learn it step by step, the  first two, up and down your vertical line.

3-4. Then side to side horizontally, pull from fingertip to fingertip. Across the chest and back.

5-6. Front to back, fill both back and chest as you do.

Accentuate the pull throughout the body. Gently twist without undue rigidity, expand in all directions, fill up all areas.

The science and method of internal strength training can only really be conveyed by an accomplished teacher. I myself is but a novice so I ask that you pursue your training in all related fields beyond this mere introductory series.