At the dojo we’ve been focusing lately on the quality of initial contact when engaging Uke. I’ve been calling it “One,” as in step one. It seems to be helping a lot with peoples’ integrity of form and application. Here’s the basic outline. Upon initial contact Nage has a base with a center line extending out of it, and that base-center is in deliberate relation to Uke. It’s really simple, and at the same time, kind of challenging. One is about the integrity of a first impression that greatly effects the whole engagement. Or we could say, the better the integrity of One, the more naturally technique seems to unfold. There’s no particular thing to do in order to practice the basics of this other than to take a moment after initial contact. Pause. Notice your base and center line. Notice how you’re aligning with Uke. Carry on…

One
There is connection
The touch of a leaf in a breeze
Grown from the center of the earth
Lightfully speaking its words
of ‘I am here’