Hips as Ball and Socket Joints

This photo is of Tojima sensei. It is easy to get caught up in the cut. But  he would say,"Koshi kara kiru" or" Cut from the hips. It is common to put the hips into the cut or thrust with the spear, But to make the hips the motive force from which the movement comes is different. So in the video attached to this blog we explore the hips as ball and socket joints. The movement becomes spherical. Instead of a twist, the movement becomes a glide that can almost effortlessly change directions. The center generated by this floats but does not drift. The feet are grounded but easy. Tojima sensei woud say left foot as if on a cloud, right foot as on water. Then one can move swiftly(hayaku ugokemasu). So this was a theme of one of our recent online weekday classes. Enjoy!

hips as ball and socket joints