Josh GoldThis is an outstanding video featuring Morito Suganuma Sensei, 8th dan, of Fukuoka, Japan. These exercises were taught in various forms and combinations at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in the 1950s and 60s. Here Suganuma Sensei expertly performs the jumbi taiso or warmup exercises taught by O-Sensei in his later years. The Nishi Health System contributed some of the exercises incorporated into these aikido warmups.
These exercises constitute a wonderful legacy and a reminder of the importance of thoroughly warming up the body prior to practice. Notice the outstanding physical condition of Suganuma Sensei, a man now over 70 years old.
Morito Suganuma Sensei’s Shohei Juku Dojo
I would like to see the warm-up techniques, but the video below shows other.
There is a 12-minute section in the beginning of the video devoted to warmups.
Personally I stretch every warm up and mediation before I practice. You stretch so your muscle and blood circulate regularly, so your body and mind focus. Fewer mistakes and injuries. Stretching is part of yin/yang …meditate and then stretch for 1/2 hr daily.
If you’re like me it’s embarrassing to show how stiff I am. That’s been true forever. I used to think that diligent stretching would make me able to do all sorts of cool things that more limber people do without effort. Oh well. Meantime, however, I can still do pretty much as well as I could 40 years ago. That’s not trivial. As for embarrassment, that’s easier if you don’t have any students or training partners… 😉
Hello you all!
In our dojo the so=called warmups lasts 30 minutes. So called because it is actually and already aikido keiko. Most of the movements are set to do aikido. But they have a difference with the rest of the practice: It’s a routine. It helps us to relax and to focus on the second part of the training. I have visited many dojos in France and Germany, none of them do a warmup routine like ours. Most are much shorter, and all have a cardio warmup purpose. Doing warmups for cardio means that we’re not in a martial art training goal, but in a sport training goal. Martial arts are not sports.
Aikido Yuishinkai still maintain a warm-up routine and possibly Ki Society. I would never start without them.
BTW, Aikido Yuishinkai’s Master is Koretoshi Maruyma, last official disciple/otomo of O’Sensei.
I actually train in one of the same dojos as shown in the video here in Fukuoka – Suganuma-sensei is my shihan. The warm-up that you see is the same through all of the various dojos that fall under the Shoheijuku name. The warm-up definitely has its merits and do help in getting one limbered up and the blood flowing.
The dojos here are not air-conditioned or heated, so you either work up a sweat in the summer or get warm in the winter by performing these exercises.
Where have these exercises been abandoned? I’ve trained in South Africa, England, Wales, Singapore, Japan, Holland and South Korea and they all do similar or variations of the same.
I have been around a great deal in my 54 years of aikido. You often see some of these exercises practiced but in a casual manner. You will see nothing like the incredible flexibility and agility that Suganuma Sensei displays at over 70 years of age because of the regularity and intensity of his practice. That’s what I am referring to.