I don't train in aikido, but I recently attended one class out of curiosity at the invitation of a senior student. One thing that struck me about the class was the warm-up. i can best describe it as a series of dynamic streches with breathing exercises, like a more fluid, quicker version of qigong. One exercise I remember involved going up on your toes while breathing in, and slowly bringing your feet back down while breathing out and bringing your hands out and down.

I found these exercises to be very effective as a warm-up - more vigourous than qigong, and they left me fresher than the jogging and static stretching that's common as a warm-up in other activities. I have been unable to find information about them. What are they called? What's the origin of them? Is there any good resource listing them?

Thank you.

Well, why didn't you ask the instructor?

Because I'm not sure which exercises you are referring to in particular, and I'm not familiar with the one you described.

Perhaps you would like to clarify. Why do you think it is like qigong? What similarities and differences did you perceive - other than that it was faster and more fluid?

Guys,
the exercises I think he is talking about are the aiki-taiso warmups. What is hidden in them is the entire technique of aikido, and I taught a class at the Okinawan Karate Union seminar one year on that very subject. Your poster is correct that they are a series of dynamic stretches and breathing exercises, but they are also much more. They teach the correct movement for blending into almost every technique and if the taisos have the full knowledge, they also teach the movements that are necessary for correct footwork.

I can't tell you how many times I've asked a student how we did one of the movements in the warmups, and then asked them why they didn't do the same thing when we were doing a technique. If there's a secret in the martial arts, it's found in the aiki-taiso exercises used for warming up almost every aikido class in the world.

The essence of aikido is to be found in the fundamental exercises, especially the "warm-up" exercises and aiki-taiso exercises (for you Ki Society types).

However, I wasn't prepared to make that assumption without more information... considering that almost everyone does it differently or have very little understanding of its purpose.

(See my other thread on this very same topic, and the lack of response).

http://www.fightingarts.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/15765559/an/0/page/3#15765559

Or maybe it was because of my poor attempt at framing the question...