Not Power, Timing: Lower Body, Not Upper Body
- Jan 23
- 1 min read
This video from Aikido Samsungdang is a continuation of the “3 Count Drill” we covered previously. From the perspective of “not power, but timing,” it focuses on a training method to ingrain the moment you “slip in” just before making contact with your partner.
The method is simple: stand in front of a line, touch thumbs with your partner, and repeat the drill 100 times. After 100 reps, if your neck/shoulders feel tight, you’re relying on your upper body; if your hips/shins feel pumped, you’re using your lower body. This makes it easy to check—intuitively—whether your force is going in the right direction and whether your lines of force are canceling each other out.
With consistent practice, this drill forces a solid hanmi (half-body) frame and naturally develops the ability to receive and transmit your partner’s weight and momentum. For the tori, it helps you steal the uke’s striking timing and learn when to enter and when to exit. For the uke, it builds the timing for ukemi (breakfalls) in a natural way, which makes the practice safer.
In this video, we use shomen-uchi ikkyo as an example. However, you can apply the same idea by varying the uke’s attacks and the tori’s responses. Once you’re comfortable with three counts, you can also progress to two counts and then one count. Simple, easy to understand, and highly effective—the 3 Count Drill is strongly recommended.
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