CI-Labs Core Group

Aikido Investigation

Context

During Friday’s core group session we worked with Emily’s Aikido teacher. The practice introduced unfamiliar interaction patterns for Contact Improvisation, particularly the use of wrist grabs, arm manipulation, and structured deflection of force. Although grabbing a wrist sits outside the usual etiquette of CI, the constraint created a clear entry point into studying center, grounding, and the redirection of force.

What became particularly salient throughout the practice was the felt downward pull of the center toward the floor and how this grounding reorganised balance, responsiveness, and the manipulation of a partner’s momentum.

The exercises also introduced a shift in tone. With the center grounded and directed toward the floor, the legs provided stability while the upper body softened and remained responsive. This modulation of tone allowed pushes and manipulations to be received with ease rather than tension.

Invariants

These elements appeared consistently across multiple exercises and interactions.

• Attention directed toward the center of the body
• A downward pull toward the ground felt through the center
• Connection between center and floor
• Circular pathways of the arms during deflection or manipulation
• Relaxed shoulders and waist combined with grounded legs
• Stability arising from a bent, slightly wide stance
• The ability to redirect incoming force rather than oppose it

The most dominant invariant was the continuous grounding of the center, which functioned as the organising principle for stability and redirection.

Constraints

Several constraints shaped the movement exploration.

Interaction constraints

• One partner grabs the wrist of the other
• Manipulation of the arm and wrist to expose the partner’s back
• Deflection of incoming pushes or strikes

Postural constraints

• Center directed downward toward the floor
• Slightly bent and widened stance
• Relaxed upper body

Task constraints

• Escape or redirect from a wrist grab
• Deflect incoming pressure
• Maintain grounded balance while moving the arms in circular pathways

Potential CI integration constraints

These emerged as possible directions for further exploration.

• One partner remains strongly grounded
• The other partner pushes continuously into the grounded partner
• The grounded partner attempts to hold their center through movement rather than rigidity
• Movement occurs through rolling points of contact and instability

These constraints begin to shift the investigation from Aikido technique toward contact-based exploration of center stability under pressure.

Tendencies

Under these constraints, several tendencies began to appear.

• The body tends to drop weight toward the floor through the center
• The upper body tends to relax when the center is stabilised
• Shoulders and waist become more mobile and responsive
• Incoming force is redirected through circular arm pathways
• Partners become easier to destabilise when their center loses grounding
• Momentum tends to spiral rather than collide directly

Additional tendencies that suggest future investigations:

• Pushes tend to create instability that invites movement rather than resistance
• Forward momentum tends to search for continuation rather than stopping
• Circular hand manipulation tends to generate vectors for new contact points
• Deflection often produces moments of surprise that open coupling opportunities

Attractors

Several stable movement solutions appeared repeatedly.

Grounded deflection attractor

When the center remains connected to the floor:

• pushes can be redirected easily
• the upper body remains relaxed
• balance is preserved during redirection

Circular arm manipulation attractor

The arms naturally move in circular pathways, exposing the partner’s back or destabilising their structure.

Rolling continuation attractor

When forward momentum becomes unstable or blocked:

• the body tends toward rolling pathways
• rolling allows continuation of momentum without collision

Momentum continuation attractor

Instead of crashing into the partner:

• forward momentum can travel over the partner’s body
• rolling becomes a solution that preserves flow and reduces impact

Affordances

The constraints and attractors created several movement opportunities.

Grounded mobility

Connecting the center to the floor affords:

• relaxed shoulders and waist
• stable legs
• ease of maneuvering

Momentum redistribution

Deflection practices afford:

• redirecting pushes away from the body
• turning linear force into circular pathways

Contact surfaces

Arm manipulation exposes:

• the partner’s back
• new surfaces for contact-like interaction and weight sharing

Circular vector exploration

Manipulating wrists through circular pathways affords:

• the creation of directional vectors
• opportunities for catching surfaces
• subtle redirection of a partner’s momentum

In a contact context these grabs can become more tentative, appearing briefly and dissolving quickly rather than requiring a formal escape.

Dynamic rolling

Rolling affords:

• safe continuation of forward momentum
• avoidance of high-force collision
• translation of downward or forward momentum into directional flow

Rolling may be particularly useful in contact practice because the form often produces forward momentum and drops, and rolling offers a way to absorb and redirect this force more elegantly.

Coupling through deflection

Deflecting a push does not necessarily need to send the partner away.
It may also afford new coupling opportunities, where both partners continue moving together through the redirected momentum.

Movement Chains

Several recurring chains emerged from the practice.

Chain 1

Grounded deflection

center attention
→ downward grounding through legs
→ relaxed shoulders and waist
→ incoming push
→ circular arm redirection
→ partner momentum diverted

Chain 2

Arm manipulation to contact opportunity

wrist grab constraint
→ circular arm pathway
→ partner structure destabilised
→ back exposed
→ new surface for contact or weight sharing

Chain 3

Momentum continuation through rolling

forward movement
→ obstacle or partner contact
→ forward momentum becomes unstable
→ rolling pathway appears
→ body travels over partner
→ momentum preserved without collision

Chain 4

Center stabilisation and responsiveness

center connected to floor
→ legs stabilise
→ upper body relaxes
→ responsiveness increases
→ deflection becomes effortless

Chain 5

Grounded partner under pressure

partner pushes continuously
→ grounded stance maintained through center
→ instability appears
→ rolling points of contact emerge
→ grounded partner adapts through movement rather than rigidity

Chain 6

Deflection into coupling

partner pushes forward
→ deflection redirects momentum
→ moment of surprise
→ surfaces align
→ partners re-couple into shared movement

Observational Notes

One notable observation was the effect of tone regulation.

Emily pointed out that my tone was responsive without becoming overly downregulated. When the center was grounded and connected to the floor, the legs remained stable while the upper body relaxed. This combination created a tone that was both stable and dynamically responsive, allowing fluid redirection of incoming force.

During the later jam, many of these patterns reappeared spontaneously. The grounding of the center produced a feeling of being both deeply connected to the earth and dynamically available for movement.

For now, these integrations remain somewhat open and exploratory. The aim in upcoming labs will be to build constraints gradually and allow the movement ecology to reveal further attractors and affordances as the practice developsies