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All turning moves happen from the waist with both arms kept in front of my center, and end with both feet planted flat on the mat.


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If your description is correct, then it would be an "external" movement in which movement is initiated from the middle - which I would hazard is incorrect. Rather, it should be the opposite, where the forces should originate in the feet, and the torso twists and spirals the force from the ground to your hands. IOW, the twisting and spiraling of the torso stores power from the ground (the point of origin) for the impending release at the hands (the business end).

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Eyrie, I hope I didn't confuse Iaibear more by agreeing with him about his turning motions. I had "centered" movement on my mind when I posted, and while you're correct on "grounding", I think for the time being, he would be satisfied with simply being able to "get through the techniques". He simply sounded like he was having a very difficult time getting through the movements of techniques and needs a little confidence in them before getting the details right.

He practices sword work, so his body movements should be very close to what he needs in Aikido. For now, the external portion of it should help.

Just my thoughts...

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<<All turning moves happen from the waist with both arms kept in front of my center, and end with both feet planted flat on the mat.>>

If your description is correct, then it would be an "external" movement in which movement is initiated from the middle - which I would hazard is incorrect. Rather, it should be the opposite, where the forces should originate in the feet, and the torso twists and spirals the force from the ground to your hands. IOW, the twisting and spiraling of the torso stores power from the ground (the point of origin) for the impending release at the hands (the business end).
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I could nit-pick that the move described clumsily above started from a (receiving) tenkan. The inside foot is the pivot and the outside foot would not plant until the move was nearly over.

BTW If <all the "warm ups" are tanren-ho> what are taiso? (Might have the spelling wrong. Not used to this computer.)

I looked at that glossary of terms. Red and yellow print on a mottled blue ground was not the easiest thing to read. Did find out about undo, tho.

<<I think for the time being, he would be satisfied with simply being able to "get through the techniques". He simply sounded like he was having a very difficult time getting through the movements of techniques and needs a little confidence in them before getting the details right. >>

I was pretty well into 5th and 4th kyu techniques in the first dojo I attended. Three or four weeks and a new technique would feel quite comfortable and start getting smoothed out.

Since 2000, when I had to switch to my teacher's teacher, I have never seen a technique, only variations. They do not stick around more than fifteen minutes during class, never to be done that way again. Believe me, wristtwister, my sensei confuses me more than you ever could. You have brought some sense into what has become a passtime called "Aikido".

<< He practices sword work, so his body movements should be very close to what he needs in Aikido. For now, the external portion of it should help.>>

I am not a left handed swordsman; right handed only, not both sides. Muso Shinden Iaido is straight forward shoulders square, not circular. The butt of the sword is held one-fist in front of my tanden, not in front of my hip bone like the photos of Osensei. The stance is straight ahead or slightly pigeon-toed, not triangular with the rear foot toes out. It's a different breed of cat.

Once upon a time I fenced foil. A third breed of cat. They get in each other's way.

Once again, your concern and advice have been very reassuring. The idea of ikkyo as part of a set of related moves has already removed a lot of clutter. Thank you again. :-)

Point taken Grady, but I was writing under the assumption that iaibear is not a "noob"...

I didn't think he was a "noob" either, but he's clearly having issues with terminology and (possibly) coordination of movements with that terminology. What he described was "correct" as far as his external movement was concerned for most techniques, and right now, instead of trying to change everything, he might just need to change the things he's having major problems with... the blending and "grips".

Both of us would have an easier time if we could show him, rather than describe it in words, snd he'd be miles ahead, but it is what it is... so I was just letting him focus on "upper body" movement for the moment. Once he gets that, he'll develop the feel of it.

Ah yes, the voice of experience... ... my bad...

Sometime down the track, he's going to go... "oh.. why didn't you tell me this before?!!"

Reminds me of the time I had to crawl thru the roof space to run Cat5 cabling to the other rooms in the house, and thinking, why the heck didn't I do this when the house was being built...

You could have my problem... a floor support that is trying to come up through my floor... which means the floor's sinking.
Pulling cat-5 is a snap compared to jacking up the house...

Funny that... the parallels between buildings and MA...

Sorry to get off-topic though, but it doesn't address the issue of what is a "real" aikido dojo.... although, I guess in a roundabout way it sort of does...

If the "foundation" of one's practice is some combination of AI and KI, then by inference, it must be "aikido", and the difference would be in the HOW of the DO?

<< Sometime down the track, he's going to go... "oh.. why didn't you tell me this before?!!" >>

Been there often enough to recognize what you just wrote. Pity is that "telling" is simply not done in this dojo. "Figure it out for yourself" is the "way".

I am not a noob but I might as well be. Should have started twenty years earlier.