Principles
Why do we train in Aikido? In the words of the founder Morihei Ueshiba, “The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit.” How should the application of Aikido feel? In the words of O-Sensei, “Techniques employ four qualities that reflect the nature of our world. Depending on the circumstance, you should be: hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water, or as empty as space.”
Connecting with our friends at the Greater Lansing Aikido Dojo
After a quick trip down to Lansing Thursday night we reconnected with our Aikido brother Jeremy Hix sensei. We received some excellent instruction and had a great time training in Aikido with Hix Sensei and his gracious students.
It is more about Connection than about Collections
Aikido uses a mutual partner training format to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of techniques through repetition and feedback from the Uke (the one receiving the throw). This allows for tremendous refinement and allows us to do some techniques which could be hazardous if executed incorrectly in competition. To perform just one technique (throws, takedowns, hand or foot strikes, controls, locks, submission etc.) well, in any martial art, it takes thousands of repetitions. Why is this? There are many variables to take into account such as type of attack by an aggressor, your position to the attack, your awareness of the attack, and at what distance. Your footwork, body maneuvering, your balance and kinesthetic understanding of position, where the attacker is provides resistance and your sense of connection to your movement all effect the outcome of an attack or competition. Most top level martials competitors, whether in Judo, MMA, karate or BJJ, have a few, yet very refined and practiced techniques that are used to win their competitions.
In Aikido, we also need to contend with the variables mentioned above, but, in addition to those physical and mental parameters, we focus on a connection to our center of gravity called Hara (or Dantian in Chinese martial arts) which is referred to Ki (or Chi/Qi in Chinese martial arts). There are various principles and training exercises that help support this use of connection or Ki in Aikido but, in the end, this sense of connection to one’s center is used to enhance the relative strength of the Nage/Tori (the one who is applying the technique) and exploit the weaknesses in the Uke (the one receiving the technique). The various Aikido techniques, in a sense, are also tools to help us understand this connection, not just to be collected and expressed without substance.
Indomitable Spirit
I remember training at Eric Heinz Black Belt (Tae Kwon Do) Academy in my early twenties and hearing Mr. Heinz speak of “Indomitable Spirit.” I wasn’t always sure what he meant by that term, although I learned a lot and he had some very talented students. Reflecting on this concept at 60 years old I feel that I understand what he meant by the reference to Indomitable Spirit although I have inadvertently embraced it most of my life. Indomitable Spirit does not mean that you have to be declared the winner, or to steal bragging rights, but rather no matter the outcome you will not devalue you own existence. It implies using your resources, faculties and skills to press for the best outcome, not allowing insecurity and self doubt to hide your fears with bravado. “Indomitable Spirit” is facing an inevitable conflict or uncomfortable situation with full presence and engagement.
2024 is here! What are your goals?
We have a new year to shape our lives, to accomplish goals, and to enjoy our progress in any endeavor that is important enough to invest in. Come join us in Aikido training! You can improve your balance, awareness, strength, endurance, personal self-defense, ability to fall without serious injury, develop practical and efficient ways to move yourself and others, and have a chance to socialize with defense minded martial artists. The benefits of Aikido are very gradual yet, it is worth your time investment. The reason being that Aikido is one of the few martial arts that you can practice your entire life, while continuing to make real improvements. This makes it both intimidating and rewarding, like standing in front of a vast ocean waiting to be discovered. Don’t wait! Follow though on on your New Years resolution to join us at the Mt. Pleasant Shinki Aikido Dojo. Commit to regular Aikido training attendance and enjoy the benefits of mutual rather than competitive training. We are a small but dedicated dojo, with international experience and almost 3 decades of weekly training together in Mt. Pleasant.
What is Aikido?
Aikido, also known as “the Art of Peace”, is an integrated physical and mental training method of self-defense and personal development in the spirit of the Japanese Samurai. It is derived from Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu, the highly guarded, weaponless open hand methods of the Takeda Clan used to defeat both armed and unarmed aggressors. Aikido was developed in post-World War II Japan by Takeda Sokaku’s most accomplished student Morihei Ueshiba. Aikido became more circular, had less emphasis on striking, required less physical strength and had a focus on preservation of life in contrast to Daito-Ryu. Overall, Aikido builds good and capable citizens that are truly not looking for conflict but, instead prefer to directly manage aggression to work towards peace. Of note, Aikido is the authorized defensive tactics system used by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in general as well as the Tokyo Riot Police, one of the most highly trained departments in the entire world. Aikido is also used by many prison guards, Bailiffs, and other members of law enforcement to control aggressors without damaging them.
What does Aikido offer?
Aikido develops coordination, endurance, flexibility, strength, focus, timing, awareness, compassion, altruism, camaraderie, self-confidence, self-defense, and a positive, relaxed mind set. Other activities such as meditation, yoga, weightlifting, running, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Jujitsu, and Tae Kwon Do also cultivate some of these attributes, but not necessarily all of them with one training method.
What makes Aikido different?
Aikido is based on mutual benefit, partner training rather than solo training like shadow boxing, or training through competition. The advantage is that you are generally training with another human being, sensing their intentions, balance, mechanical structure and the holes in their attacks, timing their responses, along with mechanical or verbal feedback on the holes in your own techniques. Not having competition promotes more constructive dialog and allows for a greater variety of techniques, more repetitions and more experiences. Having evolved from the Samurai arts, Aikido is inherently geared towards defense against traditional hand held weapons such as fixed blade knives, two handed swords and Jo (staff), and in the more advanced ranks many of the techniques are specifically trained against wooden replicas of these weapons. Aikido help develop the relaxed Samurai mindset of Mushin which is achieved when a person’s mind is free from thoughts of anger, fear, or ego during combat or everyday life. In practice, you develop a feeling of moving meditation, as you focus on a sense of effortlessness and connection with your Hara (center of gravity) while working on techniques. This is not a yoga class as it is practiced in the context of dealing with an aggressor. One of the most difficult things to remember is that the techniques are geared at neutralizing aggression and that there are no pre-emptive attacks in Aikido techniques. If the attack is neutralized and both the attacker (Uke) and the defender (Nage) are virtually unharmed, then this is a constructive resolution to this training conflict simulation. The attacker doesn’t have to be tied in knots or fall to resolve conflict although this is often the ending of Aikido techniques. So, the first place to neutralize aggression is in ourselves while practicing and learning through trusting in our techniques and martial concepts since we are not given the option of surrendering to this aggression. Much like dance or gymnastics, Aikido requires that you move in a relaxed and coordinated manner that incorporates your entire body in each technique. These training goals make Aikido slightly more difficult to learn than other martial arts but, it also offers a lifetime of techniques, development, and accomplishments.
Is Aikido effective?
Many martial arts are set up as duels with rules, for safety, that end up defining the techniques. Other schools look for an enemy to “step over the line” and then attempt to damage the enemy or disassemble them in retribution. Some self-defense schools have very specific “if/then” techniques that are committed to memory and would have to be recalled when threatened. Aikido uses a mutual training format to develop your abilities in various techniques and concepts that allow one to redirect and neutralize aggression with joint and life preserving techniques. There is also the assumption of multiple attackers in Aikido training that is absent in most other martial arts studies (like mixed martial arts and other forms of dueling). Because of this Aikido does not have much emphasis on ground fighting since ground fighting on the battlefield would expose Samurai to a spear thrusting enemy. This may also be the case with ground fighting on the street where one of the other opponents stabs you in the back while you are grappling. Another attribute of Aikido is that it allows for varying degrees of application which address both severe and minor threats, effectively and appropriately. Most threats in our daily lives do not warrant destroying the opponent.
Why chose to train in Aikido?
Aikido is a martial study that cultivates a philosophy and physical method that can be applied to our daily lives. Every moment in life involves some sort of conflict – with others, with our environment, with our bodies and with ourselves. It is our choice to see this conflict as something to be avoided and to struggle with, or as a creative force of change which allows us to grow and learn in harmony with the world that we live in.
- Ah-ha! Early in our training we focus on conventions of Aikido training and remembering our right hand vs. left hand, posture, foot placement, distance, and the bio-mechanics of our techniques and attacks. This requires some time and repetition but, is very similar to other martial arts. The whole thing gets muddy when you are told use “Ki not brute force”. You are “thrown a bone” when our instruct gives some hints like “be more fluid”, “relax”, “connect with your Uke” or “flow” with your techniques. You are then reminded that the Aiki-Taiso, the odd Aikido specific warm-ups exercises performed at the beginning of Aikido classes, provide a dynamic clue. You discover for yourself that the “unbendable arm ” exercise, demonstrated early in our training, is actually a key principle used on virtually every Aikido technique. Later you are reminded of other principles like rising and falling, moving from the center, stepping off the line of attack, dropping Uke to the “third leg“, keeping the connection point (the nexus) in your center, and several others, in a piece-meal fashion as the instructor watches and feels for holes or weaknesses in your techniques. Then, one day you have these “Ah-ha moments” where several principles come together, and you have an effortless throw on receiving an earnest attack by your Uke. You weren’t thinking about the technical details individual principles, or the Aiki-Taiso, there was no time for that, you just trusted the Aikido programming, let go of your ego efforts to force a “win”, and the Aikido technique flowed effortlessly and effectively. Ah-ha!
- Why train children in Aikido? Outside of direct martial application there are a number of physical benefits to studying Aikido techniques, warm up exercises, skill drills (Aiki-taiso) and falls/rolls (Ukemi). Physically children can improve their Fitness, Balance, Flexibility, Strength, Coordination, Connection, Injury Prevention, and Resilience. But, even more important than physical development, kids have a training environment that promotes Focus, Respect, Self Confidence, Adaptability, Awareness, Courage, Humility, Integrity, Politeness, Communication, Leadership, Trust, Perception, Improvisation, Kindness, Sharing, Friendship, Equanimity, Compassion, and even a sense of universal or platonic Love, due to the type of partner training practiced in Aikido. This is the only truly defensive, international scale, martial art in the world. Rather than addressing aggression with greater aggression, or by running away, the Aikidoka is taught to redirect and neutralize the aggression. The first place that the aggression is neutralized is actually in the Aikidoka. Developing these physical and mental attributes requires training, a lot of failures (learning experiences or mis-steps) and successes, constructive criticism, self examination and time. There are no real heroes in Aikido training. We are all here to grow, mature and develop in this martial art and to help our training partners do the same. Why worry about your training partner’s progress? The more your training partner progresses with you the higher the quality and intensity of Aikido training is possible. Why wait?
- Aikido progression. Early in Aikido training the focus is on the methods, conventions and remembering obvious things like what is our right hand vs. left hand, posture, foot placement, distance, and the general bio-mechanics of techniques and attacks. This require some time and repetition but, is very similar to other martial arts. The whole thing gets “muddy” when you are told, by your instructor, to use “Ki not brute force”. You are “thrown a bone” when your instruct gives some hints like “be more fluid”, “connect with your Uke” or “flow” with your techniques. Later, you are reminded that the Aiki-Taiso, the odd Aikido specific warm-ups exercises performed at the beginning of Aikido classes, provide a dynamic clue. In time you re-discover that the “unbendable arm” exercise, demonstrated early in your training, is actually a key principle used on virtually every Aikido technique, and you try to capitalize on this insight. As you advance over the years, you are reminded of other principles like rising and falling, moving from the center, stepping off the line of attack, dropping Uke to the “third leg”, keeping the connection point (the nexus) in your center, and several others. These were presented to you in a piece-meal fashion as the instructor watched and felt for holes or weaknesses in your techniques. Then, one day you have these “Ah-ha moment” where several principles come together, and you have an effortless throw on on receiving an earnest attack by your Uke. You weren’t thinking about the technical details of individual principles, or the Aiki-Taiso. There was no time for that. You just trusted the sense of fluid connection that you kinesthetically programmed through years of Aikido training, and used “Ki”. 07/15/15.
- The concept and utility of Aikido as a martial art and philosophy is not as self evident as driving a car or brushing your teeth. It is equally difficult to grasp what is “going on in Aikido training by just watching it, or or even participating only a couple of times. Aikido training offers a middle path in response to aggression that is not commonly exercised. Rather than destroying or submitting to the aggressor we are seeking to neutralize the aggression it self to create an outcome that is ultimately, mutually advantageous. Such concepts and applications are difficult to approach without some familiarizing through training.
- “Sunao — Being honest in training,” by Stanley Pranin ( http://blog.aikidojournal.com/2013/03/14/sunao-being-honest-in-training-by-stanley-pranin/ ) is an excellent article which addresses one of the pitfalls of mutual training rather than competition training…the need to discipline oneself to perform the right attack, right intention, and honesty in the attack in order to correctly program our neuro-muscular responses and martial perception. Incorrect attacks, bracing for a known counter while attacking, or quitting mid-attack by Uke does not promote an accurate learning environment, creates frustration and negates the benefits of mutual training. Uke emphasis should be to provide HONEST attacks that are just short of the limit of Nage’s ability to perform the desired counter (so long as Uke can safely take the fall at that speed and intensity). Aikido training is not a competition, or an exercise in Ego gratification! Therefore Uke is NOT to “cheat” the confines of the prearranged dojo scenario by using every bit of predetermined intelligence on Nage, like knowing what technique he/she is performing in order to thwart his/her technique. Uke is “the one who takes the fall”, not “the one looking to win at all costs”. On the other hand, Uke is NOT supposed to let parts of his/her body go limp during mid-attack, fall over with minimal contact or to stop attacking before Nage’s technique is complete. Honest attacks within the context of our Aikido training will allow us to safely increase the speed and intensity of our training as our Aiki-biomechanics and martial perceptions improve. It is exceedingly difficult to train in an honest, competitive manner in a martial art that is defensive in nature. Besides this large obstacle to training competitively, our method of Aikido training allows us to train on certain techniques that would be too dangerous to practice in a competitive environment and develop a heightened sense of moving from the center that would be difficult to achieve in purely competitive training. Although competitive training has its merits, this is not the method of training that O-Sensei chose. So in Aikido, Nage is training to understand and improve on his/her technique and Uke is providing the attack that fits the technique being practiced.
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In Defense of Ukemi
Ukemi is the art of receiving the throw or commonly known as falling. I like Richard Strozzi-Heckler, term “flying”, in the sense that, being able to take Ukemi well is liberating. Good Ukemi skills, justifiably improve your confidence that you will not be harmed when your joints are suddenly twisted and your balance is unexpectedly, taken away.
As opposed to most other traditional Japanese martial arts, in Aikido and Aiki-jujutsu, the instructor does not take Ukemi, the student does. Through this method of training the student develops an understanding of the neuro-muscular “feel” of the Ki in Aikido and how to safely respond to it. With gentle and persistent instruction, the student over comes the aversion to having their joints manipulated and falling to the mat. The Aikido student eventually learns to attack earnestly within his or her ability to receive the throw. Both O-Sensei and his instructor, Sōkaku, felt that this was the best way to impart core of Aiki principles. When students train with each other in Aikido, they look to replicate this connected, “small effort – big results” feel, called Ki, within each of the Aikido techniques that they practice. Eventually the Aikidoka pursues a sense of Ki in everything he or she does. But, it all starts with taking Ukemi.
Most importantly, Ukemi skills can be applied to your daily life. I have had several instances, while cycling, where my front tire was taken out by another cyclist at a high rate of speed. I was sent over the handlebars, rolled, and stood up with only a small abrasion on my shoulder and opposite buttocks. I have similar instances trail running when tripping over a root or unexpected terrain changes. In those instances, I was able to roll and pop back up, seemingly, without breaking my stride. Falling is common when you walk on 2 legs. In virtually any age group one of the top three causes of disability or death is falling. So unless you need to constantly prop–up your ego by getting into fights at every opportunity, you are much more likely to use your Ukemi skills, than any other martial skill, in “real life situations.”
- When asked if Aikido works, I ask, “what you mean by works?” Do you mean being able to take out Rambo if he blows out the second story window of our dojo from his helicopter full of armed henchmen? Or, be able to chug a couple of shots of liquid courage and then take out the biggest guy at the local bar, beating him into submission and having him cry for mercy? If these are your definitions of “works”, then I cannot promise that Aikido alone help you achieve this goal. So why do so many people in the world study Aikido? Much like the Chinese tradition of “internal martial arts” such as Pakua Chang, Hsing-I Chuan, and Tai Chi Chuan, Aikido is in many ways like a graduate study of martial arts. Until recently people in China did not study internal martial arts unless they were relatively well versed in Shaolin Kung-Fu or were experience fighter such as caravan guards or close guards of the emperor. Aikido, which is a relatively modern development of a combination of particular form(s) of Samurai fighting arts, allows virtually any earnest student in, not just experienced fighters. In Chinese internal arts, the techniques were not so much explicit applications as much as exercises to develop Chi in essential fighting movements. It created an almost magical enhancement of these fighters’ power, fluidity and fighting prowess. Aikido also emphasizes the harmonious use of Ki or natural energy. The student slowly discovers and applies Aikido principles through the guided practice of Aikido techniques. One of the advantages of Aikido is the almost exclusive training in techniques with one or more partners, which can provide nearly continuous feedback on how effectively the student is applying the Aikido principles. Some examples of these principles that lead to effective Aiki (harmonious energy) are “the unbendable arm”, keeping the connection point in the center and unbalancing to the “3rdleg”. The founder, Ueshiba Morihei, chose to transmit Aikido in the form of mutual training (and emphasize the defense side) rather than through competition (with an emphasis on attacking) as Jigoro Kano did with Judo, around the same time period. This mutual training allowed for deeper exploration and training in a variety of movements and to adopt a defensive emphasis. In competition based training the major advantage is a form of proof against full resistance. But, due to safety and the confines of the competition rules only a limited number of techniques will be deployed. The risk of mutual training is that without an earnest training partner or an experienced instructor, it can become more of a dance than martial arts training. The risk of competition training is to believe that the conditions in the ring are the same as on the street. Overall, Aikido does not teach explicit self defense or detailed fighting applications. What it does offer, from a martial arts stand point, is advanced training in enhancing the natural strength in martial movements, determining proper distance timing and positioning with one or multiple opponents, and a more detailed familiarity with redirecting and controlling the physical aggression of a martial encounter.
- “Does Aikido really work?” This was the question that came at the end of an Aikido demonstration by our dojo. “Does it really work?”, is a very good question for reasons beyond the simple “yes” or “no” answer. First off, what is a “real” attack or provocation? I was also asked if I ever had to use Aikido in a “real conflict.” Well, I had a very muscle bound an potential assailant setting me up for a sucker punch after a local concert a few years ago. My Aikido training helped me to recognize the set up before the attack was launched, keep proper Ma-ai which discouraged the attack, and I did not mentally engage in the assailant’s hostile aggressive language. He walked away frustrated without throwing a punch. About 15 years ago, I was confronted in an empty parking lot by 2 out of state (transient) men around 25 and 35 years old and using by using a similar approach, I was able to send them away without physical contact. Does this count as a “real attack” or do I have to escalate the aggression to a point of physical conflict and somehow physically dominate or injure the assailants for it to count as “really working”. Or, does stopping aggression before it turns physical count as a martial art “really working”?I think that most Americans watch TV and see Mixed Martial Arts and assume that this defines “real conflict resolution” and “real self defense” because “there are no rules”, “well, no eye gouging and groin attacks”. Actually, I hear that there are now over 30 rules in MMA contests. Two men train up specifically for their known opponent and assess their fighting preferences in advance (no one is ambushed). The fight takes place in a relatively large enclosed space (not smashed into an ATM or your front door), on mat (not uneven concrete, no glass or gravel on the ground and no curbs), the arena is lit and there is a referee to make sure no illegal or dangerous moves are taking place (not in a dark alley or parking lot where there is no one to rescue you), the two opponents square off and fight each other (there is no angry girlfriend or partner(s) in crime, no weapons, and, after the fight, no family, friends or lawyers/judges to answer to for retribution). But, there is a difference between a duel and combat – duels take place in controlled environments with some form of rules, combat does not. What is the “real” scenario, which we are looking to handle? I trained for 12 years in a variety of martial arts that taught me to hit, kick, slice, break, choke and systematically disassembled opponents before I started training in Aikido. All of them claimed to be defensive – if you stepped over the line then we would have license to destroy you. Aikido presented an interesting contrast, Aikido doesn’t focus on escalating the aggression and destroying the opponent, it focuses on neutralizing the aggression. In addition, Aikido is the only open hand style that I know of that has multiple opponent training, randori/ Jiyu-waza, as an explicit part of the martial art. Is handling multiple opponents realistic? Every martial art has combat assumptions in their training, and has inherent strengths and weaknesses in their methods. Personally I did not choose to study Aikido as my primary martial art because it “doesn’t really work”.
- While focusing on Aikido dynamics last night, we worked towards an ever stronger sense of connection and moving from the center using Ikkyo omote (uchi-tenkan) and Kote-gaishi ura (soto-tenkan), from the simple Katate-katate tori, aihamni attack (which is a “hand shake grab”, except grabbing the wrist). The sensation for Uke (the attacker), when the attack was performed with a fluid sense of connection, was like leaning on a large, well lubricated vertical roller. If Uke’s attack “energy” was directed slightly to Nage’s (the one performing the technique) open side then Ikkyo is the natural response, leaning more to the closed side invites Kote-gaishi as a response. This became more evident with randori (multiple attackers), which creates more variety in the angles of attack. Also in randori, there are different degrees of “readiness” on Nage’s part which rewards more natural responses, the necessity of which is not always evident in the more controlled environment of one on one training. So, in this pair of complimentary techniques, one can readily experience how Uke’s attack determines and even drives the natural response of Nage. In the process Nage still needs to perform proper Sobaki (footwork) to maintain proper Ma-ai (distance and timeing) and remain centered on the connection point for this to take place. Play with this!
- Aikido is like a White Oak tree in that doesn’t look like much at the beginning. The growth is slow and seems to almost stand still, at times, compared to, say, a Big Toothed Aspen tree which can grow a meter or more each year. After 100 years the White Oak is still growing and is just starting to becoming magnificent in its large splendor where as the Big Toothed Aspen has long stopped growing years before. We have 2 White Oaks on our property that are over 300 years old and require 3 or more men, with outstretched arms to span their circumference. Their branches shade an area close to a quarter acre each. They are still growing beautifully. Our young Big Toothed Aspen trees, on the other hand, are 15 to 20 meters in height, with up to a 1/2 meter in diameter. Their trunks break spontaneously and they are easily uprooted in the wind. They are more of a hazard now that they are mature rather than a developing thing of beauty. Most things that are worth a lifetime of study cannot be mastered after a weekend seminar. Aikido would be more of this nature. And secondly, things that are faster to learn because of their deliberate simplicity are not necessarily “better” or more desirable in the long run.
- Ikkyo, Ikkyo, Ikkyo! Like Pi Chuan (metal) in Hsingi Chuan, the first palm change in Pa Kua Chang or Echekete in Filipino Kali, Ikkyo is the fundamental movement in Aikido. It is what Kiri Otoshi is to Ittoryu kenjutsu. Ikkyo is the most “basic technique” and holds the key to understanding what Aikido is about. It is the first technique we learn and the last one that we master. Ikkyo is the yardstick of our progress and laboratory where we discover what Aikido really is. Ikkyo is very humbling. At one point, when I had over 20 years of Aikido training and almost 33 years of martial arts training in general, I practiced Ikkyo for 60 minutes straight in class and came away with the assessment that I can perform Ikkyo fairly well but, that there is still much to learn. It is like pealing the layers of an onion that has an infinite center; there is no end to meaningful learning and refinement. This can be disturbing to those who want to master something and move-on. But, for me, to find something with the depth and complexity worthy of a lifetime of study is a true “find”. This is even more useful as I age and may not be as strong or as fast as I was in my 20’s. Studying Ikkyo unveils “secrets” that allow more efficient and effective movements; effective Ikkyo starts to manifest with less effort and that leverage time in my favor. Ikkyo is the mirror that I polish in order to clearly see my Aikido.
- Sabaki: In order to have proper distance and timing (Ma-ai) you need to be in the right place at the right time. This needs to occur almost subconsciously to support closing the gap or evading an attack while you are more consciously engaging with your upper extremities to apply a technique. The importance of Sabaki or footwork should never be down played. It is vital in supporting the Aikido techniques that we focus so much on. You cannot effectively apply your Aikido techniques without being in the right place relative to your aggressor (or the techniques of any martial art for that matter). What complicates the matter is that there is no time to think about how far to step left or right, or to look at your own feet while turning to evade a strike. Although it may seem boring and redundant, it is very worthwhile to train on your tenkan and soto-irimi footwork. Train on these to the point that they are smooth, spontaneous, effortless, relaxed and substantially connected with the earth through out the entire movement. The tenkan drills that we perform at the beginning of class can even be used as a form of Misogi where you focus on feeling that profound sense of kinesthetic integrating and connection that we call Ki. At this point there are no calculations or thinking about your footwork, your position becomes just a manifestation of your intentions.
- Ma-ai: Don’t just look at the hands “waving around”; look at how and when the feet are getting you out of the way of the attack and in proper position to redirect, control or throw Uke.
- Rather than destroying the Aggressor or submitting to defeat, we focus on neutralizing the aggressive act itself. The first place to remove the hatred, fear and anger is within our own hearts. We often mistakenly empower aggressive acts by our emotional responses which inadvertently make these acts appear more ominous and powerful than they really are. Think of redirecting a toddler who takes a swing at you. Do you get angry? Do you want to hurt the toddler? Do you obsess over this act? Aikido provides you with techniques and principals which, in turn, provide the potential for this middle path of neutralizing the aggression itself. I have studied many martial arts, originating from many different countries, and none of them explicitly provide this option.