Advanced aikido tonight. I worked with a few of the senior students, concentrating on openings and 'breath.' One of the fundamental techniques in Aikido is called kokyu-nage and is roughly translated as 'breath throw.' It's primarily a timing and balance technique where you are to use uke's momentum and energy to help guide them into being off balance and then to take their center and throw them. But they also consist of a diverse and not obviously connected set of techniques so it can be hard to connect them (and the idea of 'breath') together. In these techniques breath implies drawing uke in and then as the uke becomes connected and off balance guiding/throwing them as you wish. O-sensei apparently called kokyu-nage a "20 year technique" because it took him (already a master) 20 years to perfect it. This is my sensei demonstrating one kokyu-nage.

Here is another example, performed in a way similar to how we perform the technique. It should be noted that this is one class of techniques were there is some variation between our school and some other schools--I think both variations have merit that that effectively doubles the number of this already diverse set of techniques.

I also had my ukeme practiced upon me. Ukeme is your ability to take a throw (roll, breakfall etc). One of the senior students decided it was time I start improving my ukeme by varying the throws he was pushing at me--including very fast 'short-cut' versions of the attack.