TAE Journal, Edition 13, Questions and Answers with Lewis Bernaldo de Quiros

FROM EDITION 13 OF THE TRADITIONAL AIKIDO EUROPE JOURNAL – SUMMER 2025

How long should we be training each area? I.e. do you focus on ikkyo for several weeks or months and then move onto other things such as ushiro waza or do you leave that for events and seminars?

In my own regular Dojo teaching, I essentially follow the system that Sensei taught when I was in Iwama and that makes sense to me. In Iwama roughly 80% of the regular training was done within a small group of basic core techniques, both in the morning with bukiwaza and in the evenings with taijutsu. We would train ki no nagare and the rest of the curriculum in the remaining 20% and hence the technical system as a whole took some time to come into focus for me.

My idea as to the difference between core basic techniques and advanced waza is that the former have a ‘wide window’ of access to the principles while more advanced waza have a ‘narrower window’ of access. So being able to perform advanced techniques requires first a firm grip on the principles underlying the techniques and this is more easily accomplished with a smaller set of simpler techniques.

Taijutsu

To be more specific I consider the ‘core’ basic techniques in taijutsu to be just six: three osae waza and three nage waza:

• ikkyo, nikkyo, sankyo

• kote gaeshi, shiho nage, irimi nage

If you study these techniques you can appreciate how they form a sequence. Ikkyo is a straight arm, nikkyo is a bent arm and sankyo is a twisted arm technique. Also, the hand positions are sequential: the lower gripping hand is either on the wrist (ikkyo), the hand (nikkyo) or the fingers (sankyo).

Likewise, the nage waza actually traverse arcs and spirals further away from the body (kote gaeshi), at an intermediate distance (shiho nage) or close and across the body (irimi nage).

Bukiwaza

With the weapons we have three levels:

• Solo work: suburi and kata

• Awase: one or two attack blends

• Advanced: kumitachi, kumijo, ken tai jo, etc.

Likewise, I spend most of my teaching in the first and second levels where we focus on:

• Body use and making the weapon an extension of one’s body and movement.

• Awase where we take the joining with our weapon further into joining with the intent and attack of our partners. As I often express it in migi awase with ken: ‘two swords, one cut’.

  
  

Advanced techniques

The advanced techniques are really extensions of the basics and hence the depth of our basics will decide the ‘ceiling level’ of our ability as regards more advanced and complex waza. When we are having problems with an advanced technique the problem can be usually sourced to a break with our connection to the principles at a more basic level.

The importance of basics is a common idea in all the oriental martial arts. I was once told by a veteran Tai Chi practitioner that he realised after years of training with his Chinese teacher that the most important part of the class was the ‘warm up’ at the beginning of the sessions!

So, a very beautiful structure and plenty to work with at the level of ‘basics’.

How can we keep it interesting for new starters that always want to learn something new?

This leads on from the previous question. You need to be a bit tricky as a teacher in this regard. Keep them training within the basics but present it from different angles and approaches that add apparent variety and challenge. In this way you keep them oriented to the same basic issues yet keep their attention through apparent variety. More senior students will come to understand the variety, depth and challenges inherent in the simplest techniques (we can spend a lifetime perfecting a simple sword cut!). But it takes some time before students can take on board the axiom ‘essence through repetition’.

In the tachi dori basics we step to the left (attacker's right) and place the left hand on the sword hilt and our right hand behind our back. I find that many people leave the hand trailing or become lazy with the placement when executing this movement. Is there any advice on how to get them to do it consistently?

This is an interesting movement that later in advanced forms is abandoned. It is really about connecting both arms to the body axis even though the technical movement and engagement asymmetrically calls out the front hand and side of the body. Our attention goes to the front and easily empties out the connection to the back unengaged hand. This technical point in the basics is about correcting this, thus balancing the connection to both hands.

With that understanding of the body dynamics underlying the technique I first slow everything down focusing on correct form. If the issues above break the form then I isolate the form and have it practiced as a solo form before ‘reinserting’ it back into the technique.

But this is where instructors should be creative. Teach a form. Step back and watch the issues coming up in the class. If they are in the ballpark, then usually nothing further needs to be added. If problems persist – as in the issue you raised above - then create an auxiliary exercise to address it. The possibilities are endless!

The dan grade examinations in the Syllabus we follow only go up to 4th dan. Beyond that the grades become recommendation grades. On what basis does the Senior grading committee in TAE make these recommendations?

Let's get the easy part out of the way first.

Candidates need to satisfy the time requirements as set out by Aikikai and be in regular weekly training – at least twice a week on the mat – plus having participated in three full seminars in the previous 18 months. These are the basic requirements for all dan candidates and do not change for the senior grades. This sounds simple but regular Dojo attendance represents commitment and a disciplined mind without which nothing can be attained in any area. Seminar attendance is also important as we never stop being students and learning. Seniors also contribute by being present and training with all levels and with new people. I think it was Bill Witt Sensei who said that there are no secret techniques in Aikido. That the only secret technique is training. I agree. Beyond that, candidates need to be also contributing to Aikido as a whole in various ways: holding teaching and board positions within Dojos or organisations, giving demonstrations, teaching seminars, being on work committees, etc. This last requirement is especially important for 6th dan candidates.

And now the more difficult part to assess, the technical side.

Of course, we expect technical excellence at these levels and a thorough knowledge of the teaching system (the levels) and the technical corpus and how it is organised and fits together. The technical expression needs to be much more expressive of the principles. For example, the whole issue of ‘centre-work’ needs to be very apparent in terms of movement generation as well as connection with one’s partner. Techniques are generated from an impulse and movement in the centre which passes out through the body throughout the technique and connects with the partner's centre in turn. Other related qualities such as dynamic balance and recovery, ‘weight underneath’, soft yet powerful engagement, blending that goes beyond matching speed but includes both body energy and intent, a calm non reactive state of mind capable of explosive focus, power that is generated from the ground through the whole body plus many other inner qualities and principles need to be apparent at 5th dan and more at 6th dan.

The key word above is apparent. There is no such thing as perfection. This is the work of a lifetime. Technique and Principle are like two wheels of a cart, and both need to be present for balanced practice. What gives the techniques their quality and functionality are the principles and development as to depth here is endless and what we are primarily focused on when evaluating candidates.

In addition, each candidate is considered in terms of their own trajectory and development individually and assessed in the light of the above. The Special grading Committee in TAE currently consists of myself, Lars Landberg and Torben Dyrberg. All of us have trained directly under the late Saito Morihiro Sensei and between us have over 150 years of experience as Aikidoka. Each of us has our own expression and understanding of Aikido so we complement well when evaluating candidates from different perspectives. I – and TAE as a whole – am very lucky to work with Lars and Torben.