On Your Mark, . . .

Ever wonder why an uke would follow the nage after the initial attack has failed?  I did.

"Why don't they just withdraw and move away?  Why do they follow the nage and get thrown?"

It is a fascinating phenomenon that intrigues many Aikido practitioners.  It can look so unreal and choreographed to those who do not practice Aikido.  Maybe that is why there are so many negative comments on YouTube Aikido videos, particularly for the more gentle style practitioners.  This is something that people who can only perceive strength and impact will never understand.  

Some attribute it to the cooperative nature of Aikido practice.  They say, "Aikido is useless because it is not realistic."  

Ultracrepidarians tend to be quick to judge, 

We chose to move to the DC area mainly because of our desire to practice Aikido under Clyde Takegchi Sensei.  It was not only because "Clyde is a nice guy," as most people who know him tend to say, but it is because he is one of the very few untouchable nages who send you flying without inflicting impact.  

The encounter with Takeguchi Sensei is almost always the same routine:  You think you are going to attack the man.  Before you know it, your life flash across your mind as you spin your way through the air, as if gravity is suddenly on hold.  You land nicely without feeling any pain.  You look up and find Sensei smiling at you from fifteen feet away.  You wonder to yourself how you get to where you are.  Yet, you always get up with a big smile and want to go back for more.

To be able to create such "magic" on the mat, Takeguchi Sensei has brought a lot of innovative ideas into Aikido.  The concept of "Set" is one of the them.  

The ingenuity of "Set" is that it is like pushing a pause button on the world.  Suddenly, the uke is pinned in place, teetering to maintain his balance in a position where he can stand up, but has no way of getting out, and is incapable of attacking the nage with any strength.  Usually, it means standing with one shoulder over the other hip.  Nage has all the time in the world to move to a new position and to do whatever he wants, with his partner stuck in place.

The most basic movement sequence when applying "Set" in an entrance move is: with core engaged, touch the uke, cut straight down his center while shifting weight backwards.  (Try to visualize tsuki kotegaishi entrance, for example.)

The tension/ pressure at the interface remains constant -- it doesn't go up, doesn't go down.  No force is directed at the uke or he will regain control of his center and be freed.  Nage's hanmi is aligned, pointing at the center of the uke,.  Nage uses his front hand to cut right down the center of uke.  Nage uses his arm in a spiral, not a single-dimensional movement so that in addition to feeling the vertical cut, uke can also feel a force directed through his center.

A very common mistake is that the nage attempts to push into center of uke.  That just liberates uke from the teetering position he is trying to achieve.  

Alternatively, as nage is cutting down, he turns his center in to line it up with the cut.  As such, the uke's attack is now pointing right at the center of the nage.  Conceptually, nage just committed suicide.  Dead people do not get to control any situation.

It is important that nage's front hand cuts straight down.  His hands should not recede.  While maintaining the forward extension in his hands as he cuts down, nage shifts his weight back in order to allow room for the uke to move forward to take ukemi.  If not, eventually, the two parties will crowd each other and the connection will fall apart.  

Coordinating so many movements in multiple directions simultaneously is not easy.  Sometimes things can get convoluted: the nage end up breaking at the waist leaving his butt protruding towards the rear while trying to stretching his arms forward.  Imagine: The body being one system, if something (arms) flies forward, something (butt) flies backwards, essentially, the nage just exploded, no?  The nage is supposed to be the center of the universe.  In reality, however, nobody is home.  The nage has lost himself in a self-inflcited explosion.  No wonder he cannot exert any influence on the uke.

Applying the same concept, it is possible to set upwards and keep the uke dangling, too.

Upward set can be done for techniques like iriminage and shihonage at the transition moment just before the throw by dropping your center while raising your hand/ arm.  The feeling is akin to nage turning himself into a tension rod between heaven and earth.  All of a sudden the uke feels like they are hanging in place.  If you do not apply a set, the uke and nage can both be moving around.  There is no reference point in the techniqe anymore.  The nage will be chasing after the uke forever.  That is often the reason for ukes to spin out of a shihonage instead of taking a fall.

In addition, in order to perform a technique, a nage starts seeking to grab hold of the uke.  Suddenly, the nage has turned himself into the attacker -- uke.  Now that the table is turned, who do you think should be the one performing a technique and who is to take ukemi?  Talking about being convoluted , , , 

Many people get captivated by the movements of the arms as they watch a demonstration.  Little attention is paid to the overall feelings and how the bodies are connected within themselves.  I have seen even experienced students move around on the mat by only employing their limbs.  Please let us never forget that the core is the central coordinator that keeps all the different parts of the body connected together.  

At all times, one should engage the core.  It does not mean you squeeze your core hard.  In fact, when performing "set", the intensity of the engaged core determines the strength of the set.  It is not controlled through your hands.  The body parts that nage uses to touch the uke and to perform set is just a representative of the core.   

Mind you:  The core is more than just your abdominal muscles.  It is a term that refers to many muscles that stabilize and control your pelvis and spine.  Engaging different core muscles can create very different effects that may be hard to describe on paper.

Good luck experimenting with "Set".  If you cannot understand my description above, come practice with me.  I will show you everything.