unbendable arm question

[BladeLee]

When practicing the aikido technique, unbendable arm, the one thing im confused about is this. When your arm is relaxed and you are putting all your concentration into visualizing your arm extending a long way to do something...and someone is trying to bend your arm at the same time, should u also be concentrating on resisting the bend? I'm trying not to think too far into this but it seems like if i dont think about resisting at all, then my arm will bend. But i do completely believe in the mind/body conection and everything...just curious about that simple aspect. Thanks

[BladeLee]

also, does it matter if you are concentrating with your eyes closed or open? any other tips/suggestions are good as well as a place i can download videos of this thanks a ton!!!!!!

[omnifinite]

As far as I know, if you're doing it right you won't feel the need to resist the bend. It'll happen on its own. The force being put on it will feel like nothing. It's the unbendable arm, not the trying really hard to keep it from being bended arm .

[BladeLee]

heh, ok i guess that is what i was getting at. I shouldn't feel the need to resist at all b/c the resistance feels like nothing. Thanks a ton. When i get a chance to practice these techniques a bit(within the next couple days) ill post back on here with what happened..thanks

[KU]

I think the point of this exercise is to show that you don't need to use muscles to be strong, to maintain that relaxed feeling and still have an unbendable arm. With exercises like this it is very hard to tell someone how to do it, everyone has a different way inwhich they project there energy you just have to find yours. At first it maybe good to think about resisting the force aganst your arm and then eventualy you may find it has become automatic and you can resist the force on your arm without thinking about it.

 

Things like this take years to even start working.

[Kensai]

The mighty unbendable arm, I know it well.

 

Aikido is not about resistance, if you ARE resisting in a muscular sence, then it is wrong. You should picture water coming out a fire hose under high pressure. It cant be bent. To begin with you will think about the person trying to bend your arm, bloke it out and picture the water.

 

Take Care,

[monkeygirl]

This is my brother's newest way of freaking himself out. He picked up an aikido book at Waldenbooks and came across this "unbendable arm thingy". I tried it and it didn't work...guess I don't have that much power of mind (but we already knew that, didn't we? )

 

However, he and benedictbm both got it to work quite well...

 

So, sorry, but I can't give you any hints 'cause I can't do it yet, either!

[Caffeine King]

Even I - one of the more incompetent martial artists on this site! - can manage the fabled "Unbendable arm"! If I can, you can too.

 

First time I tried it, it was up against a friend who is six foot six and close to nineteen stones. I was really struggling to keep my mind clear. I even tried concentrating hard on the trees outside the window. I was sagging...

 

Luckily, Sensai was there to save the day! He came over and asked me whether I was coming to the pub afterwards... We chatted about the drinks we were going to buy - I fancied a nice, cool pint of Stella - and I forgot about the nineteen stones on my arm. It really was unbendable. Cracking bruise the next day though...

[BlueDragon1981]

To my understanding your suppose to be able to get your mind past the point of even knowing the person is there bending your arm. It is sometimes a drill to teach concentration and to get your mind away from things around you and concetrate on one thing. We have the unbendable arm in my dojo....it was taken from aikido.

[BladeLee]

Ok then so you would want your eyes open correct? that way it kinda stresses concentration on another object rather then your arm and the person trying to bend it.