thanks for the info guys.
what does it mean to use aiki at the moment of contact? how would a technique work differently with the aiki and without it? do most instructors know the difference?
Hi,
To use aiki at the moment of contact means that in aikijujutsu, it is imperative to unbalance your attacker at the very moment that he touches you. There are several ways to do this. Kondo sensei teaches seven primary ways of applying aiki. In his organization, you will hear the phrase "touch equals unbalance" frequently. This means that you must unbalance your attacker at the very moment of contact, and maintain that unbalance until you complete the technique.
Once you have taken the attacker's balance, you never give it back to him. You maintain the aiki (imbalance) throughout the technique.
Techniques that don't rely primarily on aiki (basic Jujutsu) use leverage, physical force and other means to dominate the attacker and apply the technique. It's a bit hard to describe... the best thing would be to find a school that teaches a legitimate form of aikijujutsu and ask an instructor to demonstrate a given technique in both its jujutsu version and its aikijujutsu version.
Do most instructors know the difference? I believe that they should, especially if they claim to teach aikijujutsu. If you find an instructor who does not, I'd be suspicious of his ability to teach you aikijujutsu.
btw, please don't take my comments as criticism of basic Jujutsu. Jujutsu is a very effective art, it's probably the basis of most forms of my primary art (Hapkido), and it's easier to learn for most people than aikijujutsu.
Yeah, Fredericksburg is too far from the Richmond area to consider for regular training... sorry.
Good luck to you in aikijujutsu if you take that path. Also, you might consider posting questions about the school you're considering over on e-budo. There is a fair number of people over there who are pretty experienced in aikijujutsu and know or know of many of the people across the US who teach legitimate aikijujutsu.
