Aikido today was a mix of suwari-waza, which is the Japanese method of moving from a kneeling position that is used in Aikido. It is important to help learn how to move from your center, but is derived from the Edo period requirement that samurai move on their knees while in the presence of a daimyo.... We don't do very much of this, but my sempai is working on his shodan exam and so we will be mixing in more advanced techniques. (I used to do this a lot more in my old dojos.) Interestingly, I ran into the sensei at a dojo in Brooklyn who is a student of the lineage in which I started. Apparently he forces his students to do lots of suwari-waza and tries to retain some of the traditional forms in his approach to teaching. I'm going to check out his dojo at some point and, perhaps, try to stop in once in a while to remind myself of that style.

My shinsa is a week from tomorrow...