[Aikido Tutorial] Shiko Walking (Japanese Walking on Knees)

[@joysmith4696]

From a sword teacher....Shiko does apply in other ways. It is an exercise to develop koshi and the ability to walk strongly. Just imagine stilts extending from your knees downward and you are walking. A swordsman must be able to move quickly, strongly, and in a way that plants him so he can do it again, WITHOUT TELEGRAPHING. Shiko is an exercise for reaching that goal. One has to learn to move from the center of the body. Not theoretically, but actually. There should be no shoulder action whatsoever. When learned correctly one can move quickly from seiza to standing in one strong move. I have seen no examples of shiko or any other tai sabaki on the internet done correctly. This example, though, is not actually incorrect, but is on an introductory level.

[@Mituchi]

shiko is "urine" in Japanese...this is a demonstration of "shikko". subtle, yet important destinction...

[@kalsword8917]

I didn't know that how to turn back for tenkan sikko. but now i know exactly what i should do to watch this video. Thank you for your teaching Sensei!

[@MartialArtsJourney]

Glad it helped!

[@ricardopc73]

Domo arigato Sensei. I am struggling with Shiko since beggining. Now it is much easier for me

[@MartialArtsJourney]

Awesome! Glad to hear it

[@燕北山前萬梅山莊主人]

The Japanese adopted sitting on the knees from China during early Tang Dynasty. It has been formal sitting for Chinese since at least early Zhou Dynasty in the 1100 BCE.

[@darrenp2096]

After 8 months it still kills my legs but I'm getting there

[@youspriz1]

does help to have flexible toes and strong mid section muscles

[@softwhere07]

Thanks for posting this vid. I could use this information in my learning for applying

[@MartialArtsJourney]

glad to hear it's helping

[@jamieoliver7947]

Thank you Sensei Rokas and team for the video :)

[@MartialArtsJourney]

Thanks :)

[@dr.eduwylber]

This is d best tutorial!!! Tks

[@rogeriobb81]

First congrats for the channel, i ve been following it for some time. I was looking for aikido knee walking today, i saw this video and it got me thinking about your journey. Do you think the knee walking and kneeling work helped you somehow with your ground work in MMA and also how to go from stand to ground and the opposite way? As i watched this video i saw the similarities with wrestling knee walking. Maybe it would be a good content to work on.

[@MartialArtsJourney]

Thanks! There should be a video somewhere of me explaining standing and sitting from knees too. I think learning to walk on knees can have benefits from wrestling knee walking, but the bad side is that eventually such sitting puts stress on the knees,

[@LindaEskin]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@luisframirez2]

Thank you so much!

[@WhatSoEverThingsAreLovely]

He has very bendy toes. I dont believe my toes know how to be that bendy!!

[@luciengrondin5802]

It's probably just your big toe that is stiff. Mine is stiff too. Not sure what is the best way to improve that, but searching "big toe mobility" pointed to various resources.

[@anthonycarter1528]

Thx, sensei

[@MartialArtsJourney]

My pleasure :)

[@SKim-lo7vz]

Good job

[@MartialArtsJourney]

Thanks

[@SuperCasualPleb]

I could have used this wen I was working at my last job

[@AKlover]

Don't see the utility of this anywhere outside of a dojo. Want to open up the hips try "Duck Walking"

[@zeebest1004]

This DEEESTROYED my knees! I can no longer walk without support! I could never defend myself now - I can barely stand!!

[@dajoker8998]

Cry

[@towag]

It may be good for some, but even after doing it for years, it ended up in my having problems in my right knee and now I refrain from doing it. There are much better ways of strengthening legs and hips for martial arts. Shikko just happens to be synonymous with the Japanese martial arts, but that doesn't mean that it's actually good for the knee joints...

[@MartialArtsJourney]

I agree. I also think it's terrible for the knees

[@towag]

I think looking at it from a historical sense, shikko was developed from the end of the warring states or Sengoku period and became more synonymous with the Edo period where if a "samurai" had to defend himself from a sitting position or a seiza position which was adopted when in the presence of a noble or aristocrat, they had to stay "low" while defending themselves from an "attack" This is very obvious from the Daito Ryu aiki jujutsu tradition and also followed on in aikido ... I have observed that many, but not all Japanese people who have done this all their lives end up with "bow" legs and have trouble in walking and/or climbing stairs later on in life... I find that climbing a staircase or flight of steps two at a time is far better for developing stronger legs and do it everywhere I go, or doing squats and western style training for legs and hip stability...Also, the sumo method of "shikko" is far better for developing strong legs & hips...When I took up aikido in 1975 I found that I picked it up really fast and even surpassed those who "taught" me as I've also practised isometric/isotonic exercise since my teens and found it to be an excellent way of strengthening the core and the muscles required to develop the spiral axis that Kenji Tomiki explains in his teaching of aikido & judo and how it makes one's aikido really effective, which has been lost in post war "aikido"... What many do not realise, is that Tomiki was also licensed in Daito Ryu and graded 8th dan by Morihei Ueshiba...What I find ironic is you rarely see this type of exercise utilized amongst modern martial artists so its no wonder aikido and TMA has generally become weak... My advice is only to do it for short periods and even then make sure you are thoroughly warm, but even then don't think its the be all and end all... It isn't...

[@zeebest1004]

This DEEESTROYED my knees! I can no longer walk without support! I could never defend myself now - I can barely stand!!

[@girthingtonquakington]

I'm white belt and I can almost do this my ghee is frustrating x| but I'm getting there master (green belt) says by yellow I'll have it :D

[@rumblefish9]

Oh god I'm having flashbacks during my 2nd degree brown belt test.

[@nokaibutsu5432]

I thought shiko was the leg strengthening exercise that sumo do for their legs??

[@lukealadeen7836]

It is, actually used to ward off evil spirits

[@gunnyakdo1653]

cool walking but will it harm your knees?

[@MartialArtsJourney]

Probably yes

[@pranakhan]

If you strengthen the legs through conditioning the deep squat alongside the hip flexors, this should actually strengthen the musculo-tendon structures of the lower trunk

[@youspriz1]

use volleyball knee pads and make sure your quadriceps is relarively strong before starting shikko

[@bryanbrown8870]

Right... because I will be fighting on my knees...

[@girthingtonquakington]

Oh yeah it's also spelled shikko ho :D

[@moist_onions]

Looks exactly how I’d expect a white dude living his late 20s at a dojo to look

[@MartialArtsJourney]

I think it was my mid twenties 🤔

[@moist_onions]

@@MartialArtsJourney figured you’d look like it after all the intense cosplaying

[@joysmith4696]

This comment was from Tora Mitsu

[@afendiujud4684]

Why european to talk so much aaah