Torifune kogi undo

The name, tori (bird) fune (boat) kogi (rowing) undo

(exercise) comes from the sculling motion used to
propell the boats used in fishing with cormorants in
Japan. The motion uses the hips and legs to their
greatest advantage so that the arms have to do
less work. By using the larger muscle groups of the
hips and legs, the fishermen can row harder and
longer than if they only used their arms. Torifune
kogi undo is an exercise to help you develop the
correct motion in using the hips in Aikido in
transfering body weight from one foot to the other.

This motion is used in almost all Aikido techniques

and is one of the principles of Aikido, as well as
other martial arts. It is seen most in the push-
hands exercise in Taichi and in the reverse punch
of Karate. It also
is seen is spear techniques, serving in raquet sports,
taking off in sprints on the land or in the water, football,
baseball, and all other physical activities.

The exercise is done by pretending to scull with a long

oar. The legs are spread in a wide hanmi position and
the hands are used as if holding on to an oar. The
body is rocked back and forth, shifting body weight
between the back and front feet. Care must be taken
to ensure that the knees are kept aligned with the feet,
placing body weight
directly over the
back or front foot.
The most common
mistake in doing
torifune kogi undo is to not turn the upper body
enough to place the weight over the back foot. If the
body is kept facing straight forward, the back knee
must take up a lot of body weight while it is turned
inwards.

Figure 1 shows the body in the forward position.

The weight is distributed mostly over the front knee
with the knee in line with the ball of the front foot and
pointed in the same direction as the toes. The arms
are extended at hara height to maximize the force
that can be transfered to the arms. They are
 centered on the hara.

Figure 2 and 3 show the body in the backward position

with the weight distributed mostly over the back knee.
The knee is vertically in line with the ball of the back foot
and turned toward the direction of the toes. The hands
are, again, centered on the hara and pulled back in the
same plane as the hips. Figure 4 shows how the
exercise is most often done incorrectly. You can see
that the back knee is not in line with the foot and is
facing a different direction. The majority of the body
weight is being supported by the back knee and it is
collapsing! This error can easily be corrected by slightly
twisting the upper body towards the back foot and
thereby realigning the knees and feet as in figure 3.

Figures 5 and 6 show the use of Torifune kogi undo in a

classic Koshinage. Unlike Koshinage in Judo, it is not
the upper body that is used to drag the uke over nage's
hip. In Aikido's koshinage, the power for the throw
comes from shifting body weight from back foot to the
front. Notice how the front foot reaches forward in figure
5 and the arms are kept straight. This unbalances uke
as in Ikkyo and places nage's hips in front and in contact
with uke's hip as the front foot makes an inwards
movement as in Sankaku Irimi (shown in figure 6).
Unlike Ikkyonage, the front foot is slightly twisted away
from uke. If the foot is facing directly forward from the
pair, Ikkyonage will result. With the foot turned slightly
away, uke's hips make contact with nage's and slack is
taken up with the body
as well as the arms. As nage's body weight is shifted
forwards, uke is extended towards his or her third point
in the direction of nage's front foot. Uke is not lifted up
on the hip but is rolled over nage's hip unlike Judo's
Koshinage.

Figures 7 and 8 show the application of Torifune kogi

undo in Shihonage omote. If you study all of Aikido's
techniques you will notice that the motion from Torifune
kogi undo is in almost all of them and is fundamental to
the correct application of those techniques. Study it
well whether you are practicing Tachiwaza, Suwariwaza
or Hanmi handachi.