With all due respect Szczepan, the observation that some of the Founder's students, particularly those with whom you have trained, always or often demonstrate locks and pins in half-open form is only that, an observation regarding your particular experience.Originally posted by szczepan
What I'm interested in is why Founder developed them in half-open form. He knew Daito ryu pins and locks, however he didn't use in aikido.
It is, at best, circumstantial evidence for your assertion that. I have both observed and/or felt some direct students of the Founder as well as their senior students demonstrate fully closed locks and pins in dynamic practice in both the United States and Japan. Those observations would seem to point to a different conclusion than yours.Founder developed them in half-open form
I would also add the secondary observation that those individuals only performed such fully closed locks and pins when they had an uke who could be counted on to be awake, on point, and responsive to a sufficient degree to minimize the likelihood of damage.
Third, even in a half-open lock or pin, if competently applied, as Ron and others have pointed out, the opening necessary for atemi or alternative finishes is there. It is uke's responsibility to observe those openings and danger points and respond appropriately.
How much a senior practitioner will dig out of his or her bag of tricks and actually show in any given case has a great deal to do with the quality of uke's engagement. If uke persists in stupid resistance that creates an opening that could lead to more severe consequences, the likelihood on most aikido mats is that nage won't show much more than half-open locks and pins.
Even in dojo where such things as fully closed locks are practiced, that tends to be an "after-class by mutual agreement" situation so as to maintain both decorum and safety in classes where it is the responsibility of senior students to provide a useful and safe model for junior students at a wide range of skill and experience levels.
As a dojo-wide phenomenon, that can lead to changes in an entire group's norms of practice, but again, I don't think such changes by one individual, or one school, or even a significant number of schools are the basis for broad statements about aikido in general, or the Founder's aikido in particular, whatever they may say about the individuals or schools with whom you may be familiar.
Best regards,
Fred Little