The Bruce Bookman Sensei Seminar
If you are into the Gunji University curriculums so far as a student or as an instructor in the ICT program, you will start to see that for Gunji Taiho Jutsu I am a major fan of the getting to the outside line, outside position and/or even the back position while standing up. This is, of course, gaining the outside line while also using the Gunji Taiho Jutsu PCS 1, PCS 2 and PCS 3 strategical structures/framework. If you have not gotten to the Gunji Taiho Jutsu PSCing strategies, they are coming during your 12-week curriculum.
At any rate, this weekend I put the white belt back on and attended a progressive Aikido seminar with the famous Bruce Bookman Sensei. Bruce has a dynamic background in Martial Arts. This weekend marks his 50th year in Aikido, so this was a special weekend. Sensei Bookman is a 6th-degree black belt in Aikido. In addition, he has extensive cross-training in boxing, tae kwon do, judo, iaido, and is a black belt professor of Brazilian jiu-jitsu with over 20 years experience. Bookman continues his study of Japanese classical swordsmanship and weaponry with Araki-ryu Shihan, Ellis Amdur.
What has been interesting to me since learning about Bruce several years ago when he appeared in This Week In BJJ through Budo Videos and later with his Aikido Extention program, Bookman has been able to mix effectively boxing, Jiu Jitsu from Brazil and Aikido. To bring this done to the simplest form, Bruce can pull off aikido techniques from a Jiu Jitsu clinching distance. This contribution to modern Martial Arts is big for Aikidoist.
My reflection now is that we worked on during the seminar a few aikido techniques and Gracie Jiu Jitsu techniques of closing the distance and getting out of the kata extra step on punches. Sensei twice mentioned the Gracies on this approach to closing the distance, several times mentioned the parallels of Aikido and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and finally getting close to the center of the circle aka clinching. Without participating in the next half of the seminar, I can totally understand where this is going adding aikido techniques from a clinching distance.
I was very happy to have a few of my “good” questions answered for some of the nuances of an aikido technique. Bruce had several pearls of wisdom sprinkled throughout the lessons. I liked something that occurred during the warm-up when we were just loosening our wrist with different twists and locks of Aikido. He mentioned to not grab your own wrist with hand strength and don’t worry about the finger placement during the warm-up, but focus more on the connection and the pressure that you can create with your grip. That connection and energy will be a much more powerful grip than just finger strength. I thought that was something that you need to say during a solo warm-up.
Bruce Bookman cleaned up my Irimi Nage and also a question for ikkyo from a yokomenuchi attack. He said I had good questions because I asked without a tenkan movement, how does he like to break uke’s balance when holding the wrist and elbow to transition into Ikkyo? Bruce showed to spiral uke’s arm down with more hip twisting.
I want to share a video of Bruce Bookman of him performing an Irimi Nage from a back clinch position off a boxing jab punch. You will see that he using a classic Jiu jitsu strategy to close the distance and slip the lead jab to the back clinch. From there, he moves into a classic Aikido technique.
In the Gunji University student curriculums, there are sections of classical taiho jutsu locks and learning to use them with full resistance of your training partner. In the future, do not be surprised with you see a future breakdown of this Irimi Nage technique. If you have Bruce Bookman Sensei in your city for a seminar, it is a great learning experience to add to your Martial Arts journey.
