Aiki-Jo: the 31 Jo Kata, Part 4

The virtual dojo - learning the sanju-ichi no kata

Part of the general education of pretty much any Aikidoka at some point should be to learn the 31 Jo Kata, or Sanju-ichi no Kata in Japanese.

A Kata is a stylized form of practicing predefined movements that are supposed to instill the basic concepts of the art into the body of the practitioner. In most arts, this kind of practice is being done solo, against an imaginary opponent. In Aikido, one could argue that all basic techniques are a form of Kata - with a partner. But especially the weapons practice allows us to dive into this generally rather uncommon way of practice by ourselves.
The 31-Jo Kata was handed down originally by Morihiro Saito Sensei, one of the long-time students of O-Sensei who learned the weapons system directly from the founder. The name of the kata simply implies the amount of movements it contains.

In this video series, we will try to break the kata down into smaller pieces to give you a chance of learning it by yourself, in case your teacher isn't available at the moment. In this fourth video we will be working on movements 19 through 25.

Karl Ruben teaches at Kokoro Aikido Dojo in Berlin, Germany.

▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

00:00 introduction
00:33 side view
00:51 frontal view
01:08 movements 1-25

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The "Kokoro Aikido Dojo" is the Youtube channel of our Dojo in Berlin. This is one of our ways to share the love for our art with you. If you have questions about techniques, certain exercises or even the mindsets practiced in Aikido you have come to the right place. We'll show you movement, have discussions and try to answer questions about practice you might have. #KokoroAikido

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