There is just no way...

[Ian]

I remember someone here wrote that Okamoto Seigo was 'a beast', but from the looks of it, all of these guys are throwing themselves.

Take the guy at 0:09. He goes from full tilt backwards to throwing himself forwards... To say nothing of the rest of them...

This is not to bash DR or anyone who trains in this line, but I just don't understand the clip. Any comments?

[cdobe]

I like the technique at 0:21.

[Alexander]

Looks like a lot of silly cooperation.

[Chris Fleming]

Loved the umbrella, but the best (worst) was at 0:58. I wish I could get an avatar of that. The last one, stage dive mosh pit defense was just awesome too.

[GrahamB]

1.01 for me. Loved the chain-gang approach.

[kshurika]

You mean this isn't real????!!!!

Damn - another MA disappointment.

[lazyboxer]

The improbability bar has been raised yet again!

Very entertaining, nonetheless.

[Bodywork]

There is no way!
I know people who train with him and one of his top men also trains with me. The difficult thing to wrap your head around is that his skills are real. The actions of his student's are not. They are dive bunnies, who over exaggerate just about everything. Sadly, he let's that stuff happen. Secondly, no one challenges each other; you actually can't do that stuff on someone who trains in the same methods that produce it; your actions would cancel it out, then you could play IP to IP. Instead they do the "one technique / one move" dance.
Yet my buddy has taken swings at his teacher- full force and ended up on his ass...with no technique applied and no idea of how he ended up there.
The IP in the art is real, but it's just not going to progress until more and more people in it train IP to IP, or IP to grapplers in free continuous motion.

[Walk the Torque]

There is no way!
I know people who train with him and one of his top men also trains with me. The difficult thing to wrap your head around is that his skills are real. The actions of his student's are not.

I'm interested to know then; Why would someone continue to practice in this way? Fun? yes I guess. For exercise alone? Maybe one would just enjoy feeling in an empowered state.

I have had students in the past who have done this sort of thing, although not as exaggerated; and while it is nice to be given a centre or frame with which to work, I found it kind of counter productive in the long run. It might be good for rank beginners to work with that level of compliance, but it negates the necessity for working on your timing, sensitivity and developing more refined levels of ability to exploit smaller gaps in your opponents defenses; whether your using internal power or not.

I mean no disrespect, and I am not dismissing the validity of this type of practice, but at a certain point I found that being given this many allowances and for such (relatively) long periods, did not help me develop.


And as I say I'm interested in others take on it.

[Bodywork]

I mean no disrespect, and I am not dismissing the validity of this type of practice, but at a certain point I found that being given this many allowances and for such (relatively) long periods, did not help me develop.
And as I say I'm interested in others take on it.

Critiquing is not disrespect, but if it is- I mean every disrespect. It's a terrible way to practice and in light of the real power within the art it is a piss poor method to develop the real power in the art into the students-were that a true goal. Moreover, it fails to developed deeper aspects all together. The Japanese Tori/ uke model is a beginner level of training that should progress to the student and teacher vying with each other with aiki to aiki, then on to freestyle. Oh well.

[Walk the Torque]

It does appear that whether it be Tori - Uke , one step attacks or pushing hands; there seems to be a point or practice method that people for a variety of reasons, do not move past. The silly thing is that in a great many cases it appears that the foundation gained from doing these practices are quite solid, and would provide an excellent platform from which to climb to another level. Still as you say, Oh Well.