UNDERSTANDING ONE POINT

By Kirk Fowler
January, 2012


We talk about keeping one point but what exactly do we mean when we say “move from your one point”?

1. Moving from your one point means there is NO TENSION in your body. If you hold your arm out to the side and someone holds your wrist while you walk forward if there is ANY tension in your body you will have great difficulty in moving. This occurs because your subconscious mind wants Uke to move with you. Moving from one point means all the energy is emanating from your one point, not your arm, wrist, legs etc. It means you are truly moving from your one point. It is as though a field of energy is moving forward and you are moving with it. This is similar to floating in a river, the river is moving and you are moving with it. You are not causing the river to move!

2. Kirlian photography has shown that there is an energy field around our bodies. When we move from our one point it is this energy field that is moving. Our physical body moves with it (the energy field). In the Ki Society we talk about Ki being the smallest particle in the Universe. This energy field is composed of Ki. Thus by trusting the Universe (not our pectorals) we are free to move without forcing others to follow. This understanding not only improves our Aikido Arts of Self Defense but it also enables us to move through the activities of daily life with kindness and a positive attitude.
3. When you work with your partner please help each other by checking for any tension in their body while performing techniques. If you are forced to follow Nage is not moving from one point. If you feel like following (you detect no pressure on your wrist, arm, neck etc.) then Nage is truly moving from one point. 

Arizona Ki Society

New Location

We have class Monday from 8:30 to 10 PM, Wednesday from 8 to 9:30 PM and Friday morning from 7 to 8. We share space with Rising Sun Karate located one block north of Shea Blvd on Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd behind the AM-PM gas station. 10855 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. Suite 101.
The monthly fees are $50 with unlimited attendance.

Contact Information

Sensei Kirk Fowler, 7th Dan
Chief instructor of the Arizona Ki Society

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Tel: (480) 991-6467

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Some Thoughts on Ki Testing

By Kirk Fowler 
August 2011


There are many thoughts on how to pass a Ki Test. Each Instructor will vary in his/her explanation; all of us do our best to get the point across to the student. It should be noted that there is ONLY one way to do the test and that is the way Headquarters has instructed us to perform the tests. They differ according to the level of the test.


Sho Kyu (the purpose of this test is to let the student understand the feeling of coordination/harmony/unity of mind and body oneness). I mention these three words because different individuals interpret/internalize the above words differently. I seem to have greater success when I talk of harmonizing mind and body.

Sho Kyu: stand to the left side of the student; look at the whole facial area. Touch their left shoulder with your right hand and then wait until you feel him relax and then push gently. (testing someone and attacking someone are two different things). Tests are ALWAYS gentle (not pushing or shoving).

Unbendable Arm: Student should have the feeling that he is in the ocean and a wave picks his arm up. It could feel like his arm is floating in the ocean. The most common mistake is that the student raises his arm with force/muscle and tries to out muscle the tester. To test, touch his wrist and elbow and apply pressure.
WEIGHT UNDERSIDE:  Student keeps his arm in the same place; you touch his elbow and then push up gently. If the student resists his arm will go up. Wait until you feel him relax and then test again.
SITTING SEIZA:  Teach the student to sit down from his one point. Stand to his left side and push his shoulder and then suddenly raise his arm. It is OK to do this once or to do it several times. Always ENCOURAGE the student, NEVER use negative words.

COMMON MISTAKES

SITTING AGURA: Have your left leg closest to your body. To pass the test you must lean forward a little bit. You can try this on yourself. Sit Agura & lean back & raise your left knee. Then lean forward & you will prove to yourself that you are stable. The same position is important when being pushed from behind. If you lean forward to much you will be pushed over.

RAISING BOTH ARMS: Swing them up naturally & let them stop naturally. If you decide where they should stop you will have great difficulty in passing the test. You should feel Ki running out your fingertips through the ceiling. If you cut your Ki by trying to pass the test (leaning forward or using muscle) it is very difficult to pass the test.

RAISING ONE ARM: Stand calmly, feel that you are in the ocean and a wave raises your arm. Feel that you are giving a gift to someone. This way your Ki is flowing and you are not trying to pass the test. KEEP GIVING DURING THE WHOLE TEST.

RISING ONE ARM AND ONE LEG: My advice is to practice this daily for at least one month prior to being tested. Stand in a natural position with your feet close together. With the same feeling of giving a gift let the ocean raise your arm & then your leg. Do NOT forget to extend Ki out of your other arm.

BEING HELD FROM BEHIND: Before the tester begins to move bring his Ki into your one point. If you wait until he has held you (and then try to move from the one point) it is difficult to pass the test. When we do expansion and contraction meditation the one point is moving. The rest of the time try to thing of it as a spinning globe or top. I think you will be pleasantly surprised when you try this. 

The Deeper Meaning of Good Manners

We have always practiced good manners during class by not crossing our arms when observing. There is another (deeper) reason to not cross our arms when observing anything. Stand with your arms by your side and let your partner give you a Ki test by pushing your shoulder from the side. Next cross your arms and let your partner perform the same test. The difference is clear and impressive. Somehow, (in the spiritual/mental arena) when we cross our arms we stop or significantly slow down the flow of Ki. Besides being impolite crossing our arms weakens us. The study and understanding of Ki is never ending.

Kirk Fowler/Chief Instructor