# What is your favourite technique



## Finlay (Jan 7, 2016)

Just that what technique do you love to practice

During my aikido days it way irimi name, nothing ever felt as good for me as when I got the timing and every right. It happened maybe once haha

The other reason I like irimi nage is that it is one of the more practical techniques in my opinion


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## MAfreak (May 10, 2016)

shiho nage.


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## Spinedoc (May 12, 2016)

Koshinage. Any of them, although sankyo koshinage is a fave (it motivates quite well).... Also like maki otoshi, and am learning to like gensaki otoshi.

Iriminage is great....I like the tenshin variation out of tsuki.

Sumi otoshi is fun as well...

I like shihonage, but I am preferential to the ura variations. Just personal preference.

Surprise nikyo is always effective and fun......it's also, almost always there.

I guess I just kind of like almost all of it. LOL....


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## AdhamPitbullKabil (May 12, 2016)

Im a boxer i really wanna do aikido


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## JP3 (Jun 4, 2016)

Dealing with Tomiki naming conventions... hmmmm.... The rest of the planet calls them something else all the time.


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## Spinedoc (Jun 7, 2016)

BTW, for Aikido students (Aikikai at least) as progress to advanced ranks, you'd better be able to answer this question. I've seen it multiple times on high level kyu tests/yudansha exams. Examiner will ask. "What's your best technique? Show me.....also, What's your favorite technique? Why? Show me".


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## Jenna (Jun 8, 2016)

Does nobody think having a favourite technique is a disadvantage?  

Like if it is the most practiced then it become the most ingrained in muscle, the most smooth & the most flowing and because we like how it feels when we become good at it, it become our most favoured and then the chance is this technique it may be used when it might not have been the most appropriate?


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## oftheherd1 (Jun 8, 2016)

Jenna said:


> Does nobody think having a favourite technique is a disadvantage?
> 
> Like if it is the most practiced then it become the most ingrained in muscle, the most smooth & the most flowing and because we like how it feels when we become good at it, it become our most favoured and then the chance is this technique it may be used when it might not have been the most appropriate?



Jenna, as you know I am a Hapkido student, not Aikido.  But I always specifically trained to react to an attack without consciously trying to pick a technique.  If my techniques were all good, I believed that which one I used wasn't important.  I saw some students pick 'favored' techniques, neglecting all others.  I think, as you said, that is fraught with danger.

How do you do it?


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## Jenna (Jun 10, 2016)

I see it just as you do my friend like you say without conscious effort.  In that case I think our range of techniques cannot have a pecking order or hierarchy leading to a favoured -or favoured set yes? 

The technique ought to be determined by the 101 pre-determined variables that call the shots in the physical situation you know like from where is the opponents offence and with what is he attacking so we can either maximise leverage or put ourselves in best position to take his balance.. also where am I my self situated etc etc.. like these 101 variables are what narrow and filter the apropos technique to use.. ought not to be our preferences or proficiencies..

Like what I mean is it is difficult enough to produce the technique while your opponent is in his animated state and in which case I figure having one or even a few technique that are in any way preferred or better drilled or we know they just flow better -which applies to combinations also! - then that little technique can push itself to the forefront of mind and shout "hey come choose me I will be so slick for you" even if it is inefficient or just plain incorrect.. 

As you say you saw students pick favoured techniques and neglecting all others.. I have found in encounters with untrained persons that I have a good chance of correctly predicting what they will come at me with because they only know one or two offensive moves.. And so it is along the scale a bit when sparring those in a dojo with favoured techniques.. a bigger portfolio of techniques means they are not so easy to predict however favoured techniques are possible to spot.. specially I notice that if opponent tries and fails.. it is often in their mind to try again.. You have noticed this too?? It is possible to preempt them as soon as their technique has failed 

My point to pass on is I mean to say favoured techniques can weaken our defence.. My suggestion upon realising we have a technique we particularly like is to pick four or five techniques which might work as alternatives and train them until they feel just as slick and lovely.. this way we untrain that instinct to have a favourite and also gain proficiency into the bargain.. Favoured techniques suggest to me looking for shortcuts.. there are no shortcuts in training.. just diligence and consistency I think  Hope you are well Jx


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## oftheherd1 (Jun 13, 2016)

Right on Jenna.  It couldn't be said better.


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## Aikidoc (Jul 16, 2016)

My favourite technique is always my worst technique.
So i can work on it until that one becomes my best one.
At that point i choose another one.
My worst.
Becomes my best.
Masagatsu Agatsu.


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