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I think you are missing a crucial distinction here: kata vs randori practice. Or practice of a form to learn the movement (aka kata) and making that movement yours and applying it (aka randori). Kata is designed to make you do the technique in a rigid and fixed form. It is here to teach your body how to react, how to move, and why this is a reasonable ...

There are a number of common issues in maintaining a mount. Examine your mount, and perhaps you'll find one of these to be a problem: No base with your knees – When you're riding low, you need to create a strong base, and your knees offer you that base. Keep your knees out while pulling your feet in to give both control and a base at the same time. Stop ...

Not specifc to Aikido, but here's my impression from other martial arts. Generally when you do the drills, you are trying to eliminate many of the variables and focus on the technique as it flows a particular way. So if the technique in that form is supposed to be practiced with a closed stance (same foot forward), you ensure that both parties have the same ...

My answer may look stupid and comes from common sense more that from aikido trainings, but: In these exercises defender usually studies one specific technique (this includes specific stance, attack etc.). This means that before attack both uke and nage should come to specific stance (for example, Ai Hanmi). As far as nage's training is primary now, uke ...

Something I've noticed helps me sometimes is (after doing what Keith Nicholas suggested in his tip) driving my knees up towards their armpits, separating their elbows from their sides. This takes away the power from their bridge and isolates their arms somewhat, giving me attacks or setups when they try to regain that space back. Also sometimes when they ...

This doesn't directly answer your question, but instead of thinking about the missed 4 points, consider the opportunity for a submission. Pick one that you're good at from guard (triangle, guillotine, armbar, kimura, but not americana) and start setting it up before you get rolled. Finish as he comes up on top. I like working one leg high to set up the ...