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This is an introduction to the second technique. The footwork of getting away from the attacker's free hand threat is the same as the first technique. This response is stronger than the first technique. The attack also teaches the student what to do if grabbed and held at the shoulder.

This is the first technique from a cross hand grab. It shows take-downs to the front and to the rear. a number of techniques build off of this technique.

This is known as the first technique in Aikido. It literally means first technique in Japanese. A number of the subsequent techniques build off of this technique. This shows both same side and cross hand grabs, both to the front and the rear.

This is from a cross hand grab. This twists the attacker and flips him right over his feet using off balancing and twisting the wrist back. It's great response to someone attacking with a knife. The pin makes it easy to take the knife away.

This is a wrist turnback from a cross hand grab. Again, Ura means to the rear. This technique is one of the best for disarming someone with a weapon. The pin causes the hand to open so it's really easy to take the weapon away once the person is down and pinned.

This is another Wrist Turnback video. This time the attacker is twisted and dropped forward. At higher speeds the attacker is flipped right over his feet pretty quickly.

This Technique is another Kotegaeshi from a same spide wrist grab. This will be the throw backwards form for this attack.

This was a really good test. This first technique is a Wrist Turnback from both wrists grabbed from behind. Once you know how to do this it's pretty simple and also kind of strong. In Japanese its called Ushiro Ryote Dori Kotegaeshi.

This video shows the final portions of the 9th Kyu Children's test at Aikido of Gainesville. I teach Long Staff at Aikido of Gainesville. The Bo Staff works the whole body with coordinated movements from both sides of the body which generates lots of activity across the left/right mid-brain barrier. The final portion of the test is Empty-hand freestyle, any attack / any technique. They both did pretty good for their ages and level of training. I see an average of a throw about every 4-5 seconds. I think they both did better than that, but I have not stopped to count exactly how many throws they accomplished.

This section shows Walking Staff partner practices I teach at Aikido of Gainesville. We have a full counter kata for the 13 movement Jo Kata. The separated partner practices for the 13 no Jo were too boring for me. So, we developed a counter kata. The interesting thing that showed up was that the 13th movements of both the 31 and 13 movements katas are the same. So, we can tack on the back end of the 31 movement kata and create two 31 movement katas.

This is the standing section of the empty hand portion of the test. This is the more common form of attacks and responses. It is arguably also the easiest section because most of the training is done in this format. If you are observant of the techniques you may notice they are scattered throughout the test and also used in the knife take-aways. Eventually many of the same techniques will be used in the other weapons disarming techniques. A consistency that makes it easier to remember and react under pressure.

This section shows various basic partner practices of the Iwama Style. The ultimate purpose of the weapons practices will be to learn how to take the weapons away quickly. They will start to have wooden sword and walking staff take-aways in their next test. First they learn to use the weapons, then they learn partner practices, then they learn basic take-aways. Later they will learn how to do the take-aways during the partner practices. When they start learning the Nishio weapons, there will be similar take-aways but different manipulations.

This is the second section of Chris and Simone's empty hand portion of the test. This is called Hanmi-Handachi which means half seated, half standing. The standing person is the attack role. This can be the most difficult section of the test. The seated person has to be able to manipulate the standing person's balance. They are both learning how to do this pretty well.

This video is showing the Knife Take-Aways portion of their advance test. I would have liked them to do faster attacks. They have both practiced against faster attacks from me. They know a lot. more than what they showed in this test. If you think it won't work, show up and test it. Don't cry if it hurts.

This is the first section of the empty hand techniques portion of the 9th childrens' test. There are alot of techniques in this test. Simone has been coming off and on for 7 years. Chris comes much more often, usually 4 classes per week, so he is advancing fast. He has been coming for maybe four years. The Aikikai Hombu Dojo wants children to be at least 15 when they test for Black Belt. If Chris keeps coming he may be there before he gets to 15 years old.

This video shows a Batto kata class with an old Japanese 10th degree Batto Master, Tasuburo Tokutomi Sensei. He is about 78 in this video. I ws introduced to him in 1994 and began practice with him on Saturday afternoons and evenings when my ship was in port. He told me his father started him when he was 13. This was the true "Old Master".

This is practice on a Saturday afternoon before cutting class. This was about 2 weeks before I left Japan. This class was like a final test on how to execute the katas as kumitachi. I am surprised with how well I was remembering how to do these katas. Most of them were good on the first time through. We only repeated about 4 or 5. This shows that we were practicing cutting draws as I have stated previously.

This video is mainly kids showing Kids and Teens techniques and activities. It gives a pretty good smorgasbord of what is taught at Aikido of Gainesville from beginning to advanced techniques and practices.

This demonstrates a Batto manual I am developing. The first three katas did not show correctly on the video so they are missing here. We reset for #4 and this video shows mostly correct katas up through #15. The manual is still in work. There will be some changes in order, an evolution of #4 and some additions which showed up when I had some old tapes from Japan digitized. Some of these katas I am designing from experiences in Iaido and Batto.

This is the Aikido of Gainesville Aiki Laboratory where we study and practice applications of the Aiki Toho Iaido. Uke Nagashi as Aikido is a Shomenuchi Iikyo Omote. In English this is an overhead head strike, catching the wrist and looping the arm up and over to take the aggressor down. This is the wooden sword to wooden sword and wooden sword attacking someone with a walking staff. Uke Nagashi roughly means to receive and parry.

Tom Huffman Aikido of Gainesville Sensei test for 2nd Degree Black Belt October 3rd, 1993

This is showing and explaining the Yin and Yang Symbol in a way that may not have been approached before. It has some religious connections, but is not necessarily a religious symbol.

These are the type of cutting draws that were taught in the Tasaburo Tokutomi Sensei Dojo in the village of Toyama near the city of Zushi on the Miura Peninsula, in Japan. Tokutomi Sensei taught basically the Japanese Army tech manual that was written by Lt. Col. Morinaga who ran the sword training for the Japanese Officer Cadet school at the Toyama Basic Training Base before and through WWII.