Down On Your Knees

I woke up yesterday morning from a dream about Aikido. I don't know if this means that I am thinking about Aikido too much or whether I should eat less cheese before bed?

For the training session yesterday, there was a knee theme. Sensei had us practice several techniques (ikkyo, nikkyo, sankyo, yonkyo, shiho nage) from the kneeling position, then alternating with the standing versions. White belts worked from first form (wrist grab) where higher grades practiced from the jacket lapel grab.

It's quite noticeable when you work from your knees that there's a lot less flexibility in applying a technique. Of course you can't move about on your knees as quickly as on your feet, but also when standing you have the option of bending your knees to lower your centre, and I find this especially useful in shih nage. On the knees your technique has to be executed much more precisely, as there's no "plan b".