bokken in practise

C

CiNcO dOsE

Guest
how often do you guys use the bokken during training?!

is it jsut used for form?! or actual sword techniques are also taught?!
 
We use bokken in couple of classes per week. I don't study Aikido per se (although an art with similar techniques). We use the bokken primarily for partner practice.

KG
 
In the schools I've been to, not too often. When it was used, it was so we could use Aikido techniques to throw/disarm the person with the boken.

It probably depends on the dojo as to how often, but what's important is that all Aikido techniques should be learned to be applied to the boken as well as the unarmed attacker.
 
Many of the NGA/Aikido moves can be borrowed from sword moves, thus we do use the bokken. However this month, was the first time ever touching a bokken, it may be another 6 months before we do it again, but it was neat to see how several of the foot movements and hand movements can be seen in bokken katas and moves. First wrist technique and front wrist throw were examined during our seminar.

HTH,
Andrew
 
We used to do some bokken cuts--at least 20 to 50 shomenuchi/yokomenuchi cuts, 10 cuts each side for 95 and 180 degree turns, and some tsuki thrusts, step-tenkan-and-cut, or step off-line and block, the 8 direction cut, etc.--at the beginning of nearly every class. The sensei who teaches now isn't having us start off with those standard bokken practices, but will occasionally have us bring out our bokkens to face each other and practice series of blocks and strikes, or spend a whole class doing techniques with, or taking the uke's bokken away. He also uses the bokken not only because the movements are the same for many techniques, but to help us improve our footwork. We have another black belt who would occasionally teach, and we'd call him "Bokken Bill" because he'd make us do over 500 bokken cuts. Now we only usually do our bokken routine Saturday mornings when our head sensei teaches. I don't mind working with the bokken, but wish we'd work with the jo's more often. It seems like we only use the jo's every other 4th blue moon.

Robyn :asian:
 
CiNcO dOsE said:
how often do you guys use the bokken during training?!

is it jsut used for form?! or actual sword techniques are also taught?!

Each second time we have class (about that). No, it's not just form. Many of Ueshiba's techniques are based in the sword schools he praticed.

Now I dont understand what you mean by "actual sword techniques". If you mean a ryuha, then no. No Aikido shcools I know of pratice a direct sword school. But some of them state that they are based on old ryuha.

/yari
 
In my older 'club' where I did start aikido we did train jo & bokken in every second training.
First it was mostly basic techniques later (6,8),13,22 & 31 Kata and their counter-katas developed by Saito sensei (6 & 8 are basicly part of 22/31 Kata).
Later I did train Sugawara senseis Katas (4 short distance and 4 long distance katas) that are preliminary requirements to train Katori Shinto ryu.

Nowadays I dont train much with weapons if we do its mostly Tachi/jo wasa and dori and techniques necessary for graduations.(mostly teached by me now)
Our 'style' dont contain much weapons because Endo sensei dont teach them.

Also sometimes I have trained Aiki-ken that was deviced by Tissier sensei.
---
K
 
In Korindo Aikido we have extensive Buki work, including Boken and Jo as well as multiple other weapons. In the last year, we are putting more attention on the sword (Boken & Iai) and Kodachi/Wakizashi(short sword).



Similarly to the tai-chutsu (empty hand) practice the weapons work includes chiburi - basic cuts, Korindo Tai-Sabaki with weapons, Kata - mostly from Koryu Ryuha related to korindo Aikido, basic sword technics based on the Kata to improve it's understanding and Randori (free play).





Amir
 
Working with weapons is fundamental for a deeper understanding of movement, timing and sense of distance, i.e. Maai. Bokken and jo should be practiced regularly. These training tools help you to develop yourself further. They do not replace training partners, but answer many questions.
Our dojo offers 6 training sessions per week, 2 to 3 of which are with weapons.
How it looks like: Traditionelle AIKIDO-Schule Rostock e.V.
 
Bokuto = wooden sword
Bokken = a wooden straight sword
 
Bokuto = wooden sword
Bokken = a wooden straight sword
This got me curious so I digged up this interesting article on that terminology:

 
Yes, my Japanese martial arts friends tell me they never use the term bokken so ai wonder it’s become the default term in the West?
 
Yes, my Japanese martial arts friends tell me they never use the term bokken so ai wonder it’s become the default term in the West?
probably like the general "katana" is often used in place of the more specific "shinken" or "gi" is used rather than the more proper "dogi" or "keikogi." I think the Western (American) mind is often less precise than the Oriental mind and more willing to overlook subtle differences. We're more the big picture type.
 
probably like the general "katana" is often used in place of the more specific "shinken" or "gi" is used rather than the more proper "dogi" or "keikogi." I think the Western (American) mind is often less precise than the Oriental mind and more willing to overlook subtle differences. We're more the big picture type.
Arrogant laziness then? I mean Westerners are told ‘Mumbai’, ‘Kolkata’ and adopt ‘Bombay’ and ‘Calcutta’.
 
probably like the general "katana" is often used in place of the more specific "shinken" or "gi" is used rather than the more proper "dogi" or "keikogi." I think the Western (American) mind is often less precise than the Oriental mind and more willing to overlook subtle differences. We're more the big picture type.
I wouldn't draw that kind of conclusion from this alone, and we tend to fetishize "the Oriental mind" sometimes. As a counter-example, "foot" and "leg" are both referred to as "ashi" in Japanese.

But yeah if I understand correctly, "gi" used alone is not a word in Japanese (the generic term for clothes being "kimono").
 
I wouldn't draw that kind of conclusion from this alone, and we tend to fetishize "the Oriental mind" sometimes.
That doesn’t really explain why we’ve adopted incorrect Japanese terms.
As a counter-example, "foot" and "leg" are both referred to as "ashi" in Japanese.
They have a different kanji for each, however, 足 = foot and 脚 = leg. There are many homophones in the Japanese language.
But yeah if I understand correctly, "gi" used alone is not a word in Japanese (the generic term for clothes being "kimono").
Yes, kimono literally means ‘wearing thing’. Tsukimono = pickled thing (pickles), norimono = thing to ride in or a palanquin…actually a palanquin is kago (which reminds me, I have to pick up my palanquin from the garage),

I think it’s more likely we’re just ill-informed and we’re not corrected so carry on getting things wrong. Having said that, I don’t know how many times ‘gi’ has been corrected to dōgi/keikogi on this forum and yet it’s still referred to as a ‘gi’, I suspect as an act of stubbornness , ‘you ain’t the boos of me’ 🙄
 
Back
Top