On October 7th, 2019, Tristan Chermack and Robert Van Valkenburgh discussed the concept of atemi (hitting body) in aikido on Tristan’s Modern Aikidoist podcast. Click on the image or the links below to listen to is part 2 of 2 of that discussion. Listen to Part 1 HERE Listen on: iTunes YouTube Stitcher Podbean About…
Tag: taikyoku budo
On Atemi in Aikido Pt. 1 (Modern Aikidoist Podcast with Tristan Chermack)
On October 7th, 2019, Tristan Chermack and Robert Van Valkenburgh discussed the concept of atemi (hitting body) in aikido on Tristan’s Modern Aikidoist podcast. Click on the image or the links below to listen to part 1 of 2 of that discussion. Listen to Part 2 HERE Listen on: iTunes YouTube Stitcher Podbean About Tristan…
A Willow in a Snowstorm (Jujutsu and the Transcendence of Violence)
Does your jujutsu (jiu-jitsu) propagate violence or transcend it? The Japanese word jujutsu (柔術) is often thought to translate as ‘gentle art.’ Gentle implies a lack of force or lack of strength. Anyone who has ever done any form of jujutsu knows that there is nothing gentle about being thrown, pinned, joint-locked, or choked. In…
Cutting Through Closed Guard
Accepting even an expert’s opinion as fact, without testing and retesting it in different contexts, can be detrimental to growth and progress. When I first started cross-training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), I accepted the opinion that closed guard is better than open guard for self defense. It seemed logical. There is more postural control in…
Mercy is Found in Death
Mercy is the ability to destroy a person at the very moment of his or her error or mistake, at his or her most fragile and vulnerable, but choosing instead to offer compassion to that person, to teach him or her how to be better. One of the foundational training methods of classical Japanese martial…