In order to turn on itself, a vertical axis needs very little space, in fact only its footprint on the ground.
Man is this vertical axis that spins on itself when he performs an Aikido movement.
The purpose of the video is to show that it is not necessary to move too far away from uke to perform the Aikido technique, but that it is sufficient for tori to pivot within what might be called the thickness of his own body:
On a hunting day, the safest place for a rabbit is between the feet of the man holding the rifle - that's his safety distance. Tori's safe distance is also as close as possible to uke. And it just so happens that this is where his movement achieves maximum power and efficiency.
It takes quite a long time to understand how to move by spinning around like a top, and it is not possible to start Aikido directly by teaching and practising in this way. This is why the method first teaches the beginner to ‘walk’, which is the first step. It is only much later that he will truly understand the principle of Aikido movement, which is rotation, and that he will abandon walking. But for this to happen, he will have to go beyond the horizon of the method.
