Archive for the ‘Martial Arts’ Category
Why do I practice Aikido?
Something my sensei said in passing the other day really hit home with me. Generally this tends to happen because I love to analyse the simplest of ideas.
He said something along the lines of “there’s gotta be something more to it than just the self-defence. If you’re worried about self-defence, you could just buy a 9mm and be set.”
I found this fascinating, probably because I’ve never heard this idea put this way before. Why practice any martial art if self-defence is what you’re truly concerned with. Buy a knife, buy a gun – these are far more practical than studying an in-depth system for 3 to 30 years. It brings up a lot of points, really. My sensei, himself, wrote a small article on why he trains Aikido. You can read it here.
What this also makes me think of is an old Aikido proverb.
2 elderly masters are sitting on a park bench when the one asks the other, “have you ever used aikido in a fight?” The other responds with “No.” And the first man says, “you’re aikido is better than mine. I have.”
This small story leads the reader to believe that Aikido is not about fighting, in fact that it’s about not fighting. To master aikido means to never fight, why is that? It is because the nature of aikido is not to learn how to fight with one another, but how to avoid fighting with one another. As I’ve said before, aikido is a physically metaphoric system for how individuals should live their lives.
It has also been discussed how people take up a martial art for goals and contradict those goals by changing direction later on. In this article by Stanley Pranin, he explains how people often join a martial art to avoid injury and harm, only to compete when they’re competent to injure and harm others. Quite deceptive, really.
So what should the goals of aikido be? Are there a set number? If not self-defence, what could a martial art possibly provide?
For me, the first application of Aikido is mind and body wellness. In this short article by Bruce S. McEwen, as cited by Dr Neil Bossenger, many regular activities alter brain and body function due to elevated stress levels. He states that “the social environment has enormous impact on the individual through the brain.” So in order to repair this negative alteration, a form of therapeutic activity can be done, my choice of this activity is Aikido. Aikido provides the trainee with the understanding of a deeper life lessons, but you do have to either think or stumble on it. Example: In Aikido we are uke about half the training time. Uke translated actually means “the one who suffers”. In life we are not always doing the awesome stuff, about 50% of the time things will be good, and 50% of the time things will be bad – the difference is in that 50% of badness, the energy is absorbed portrayed in a different light, kind of like a conversion into good energy.
Before I go all hippified on you, let me just explain. Uke means the one who suffers, but how does aikido solve the pain of suffering? Simple, ukemi. Ukemi is the teachings of how to take blows and punches and techniques (suffering) and still being able to stand up later on, it teaches us to redirect and channel energy. Kind of fascinating, really; hence its therapeutic nature.
The second reason is that Aikido gives a bit of discipline. Have you ever done something you love for a few years? You know there are those nights or days where, even though you love doing it, you don’t feel like it right there and then? Those are the type of nights that training is especially important – those are the nights where you build your mind and spirit into the training. And, for the record, ever notice how when once you’re at the training right until you’re finished, you feel so much better. The lack of enthusiasm was for 5 minutes before you left the house, and you feel good because 1, you didn’t spend the night watching The Kardashians, 2, you did something stimulating to your mind and body and 3, you did something that you didn’t want to but knew that it was beneficial in the long run. That’s discipline! And a true Aikido master can only manifest when you put in the hours, even if it’s not always the most convenient; there are lessons inside the lessons.
The third and maybe final reason for me is the social aspect of the training. I personally don’t think I would have really gotten into Aikido if my teacher wasn’t who he was. Really, all martial arts have their pros and cons and I think all are enjoyable, but it’s the teacher that really makes it special. I’m speaking from a socialistic point of view (even though my Sensei is technically sound) but to have someone who is down to earth and real is a very good thing. The people you train with are also there to occasionally talk to, as well. It’s a community, where people talk and laugh and train. I don’t feel this way about everything, example: the gym, but aikido is a study that has to involve other people, why not make it something you can do to meet new people and enjoy. It’s all about networking.
Through aikido we’ve met and befriended people who is a chiropractor, someone who can give advice on your body and wellbeing; an insurance dealer, someone who has given us deals when looking for travel insurance; a design publisher, who gives deals when it comes to design and printing; nutritionist, who’s always willing to give advice. The world is full of people, believe it or not, and stepping just that small inch out of your comfort zone will allow you to meet those people.
So that sums it up for me in a very short, concise understanding. There are 2 or 3 more minor points that I could talk about, but I try to keep my blogs under 1000 words (which I’ve already surpassed). Remember, do something you love. Aikido (or even martial arts) is not something everyone enjoys, but some of these ideas can be applied everywhere in your life. Anything you do should have a goal or a focus, even if it is to better yourself in any respect. Do it as best you can, don’t do it half arsed or you’re just wasting your time, and possibly others. Give 100% and you will succeed, whatever that word means to you.
The Aikidoka Within
Click here to download this document in PDF
What Aikido is To Me
Aikido has been given many titles and explanations to me over the past few years which I have been training – from the generic “way of harmony”, to 1 hour lectures at seminars to illustrate that particular sensei’s understanding, to YouTube user flamers stating the rubbish it is and how it’s the most useless idea in the 21st century. From my perspective it’s probably the most useful practice in the 21st century – because we lead such modern and busy lives – we don’t take that time to stop and think about what we’re doing and the effect it has on ourselves and the people around us. The modern man is impatient like this and wants everything right now, without the realization of consequences which could follow.
When Aikido was developed, it was made with the idea of a metaphor in mind. O Sensei created a martial arts system which anthropomorphized the way he wanted human beings to live their daily lives. This is why Aikido is very unique in its training and practice, because it’s much more than what happens on the mat.
Way of Harmony
The most common expression used to explain what Aikido is that you’ll often find on sites like Wikipedia to gain a general understanding is the direct translation – “the way of harmony”. Several institutions adapt this one step further with translation such as “the way of harmonious energy”. Besides this being quite airy fairy, it’s actually quite cryptic to the outsider’s understanding – and was so to me until, quite recently, I got an explanation from my sensei. The way of harmony is directly related to the nature in which we train – which is cooperatively. By the first sounds of this, when you think about it, to train cooperatively is what most skeptics will point out about the art. It can’t be used in a real situation because your attacker won’t be cooperative. But think about it a little harder and note other martial arts – I can’t think of many where, when learning basics, your partner isn’t somewhat cooperative. This allows us to learn the technique so that if need be, we can successfully use it.
Aikido techniques have a lot of opportunity for atemi, which are strikes and other movements done to take the mind of your uke. O Sensei, himself, said that atemi is 70% of the effect; technique is the other 30%. Note that atemi is not solely a physical strike; it can be various movements that take the mind – ki-ai being one of these ideas. It’s important to remember that, although we are nice to each other on the mat (to allow us to learn), a kick to the groin and a gouge to the eyes is easily possible and will allow most Aikidoka to perform their technique with great ease.
Self Defense System
As mentioned earlier, O Sensei didn’t develop the Aikido system purely for self-defense, but rather to personify how human beings should live. With that in mind, I feel it’s important to reiterate that Aikido shouldn’t be taken up if you’re looking to beat people up, or show off what moves you can do. In order to become a true practitioner of Aikido, your energy must match the energy of the universe – and to do this, one must let go of his or her ego. In saying that, though, I feel that the principles of Aikido can easily be applied to a self-defense situation, in that there are various movements, ideas and techniques which can help neutralize an opponent. But more importantly than that, Aikido offers principles which help defuse a situation before it turns into situation — a life lesson much more valuable than disarming an attacker.
Principles over Technique
As just mentioned, I think it’s more beneficial for someone to be able to defuse a situation than disarm an attacker, because in life, situations don’t always come in the form of a person starting a fight. Situations can come in the form of a business deal, relationships, and 1 to 1 contact with other people. O Sensei didn’t want his pupils to go home thinking they had a way to defend themselves, he wanted them to go home knowing that they had the power resolve issues without conflict. Aikido is about stopping something before it starts, about blending with your life partner so that you and he/she live a happier life. This is where the harmonious practice comes into play. Aikido is about knowing that when life knocks you down, you don’t fall flat on your face and submit, it’s about learning to roll out of those situations and stand back up on your feet – the purpose of Ukemi.
Metaphor upon metaphor
As you can see by a lot of the explanations I’ve given, there’s a lot more to Aikido than simple techniques – and it’s a lot to take in. This is also why Aikido is not a 1 week course you can take and get the certificate for, it’s a lifelong practice which is about forever growing, learning and letting go of your ego. When you accept that you are not in control of the universe around you and can take a hit but still get back up — that will allow you to be happier.
O Sensei taught Aikido as a way of life, he wanted the world to treat each other with respect and learn to get back up when being hit to the floor.
Connecting to the Universe with and without 3rd Suburi
In Aikido there are various weapon exercises and techniques – some martial and some not – which basically encourage correct body movement when performing the movement. It is stated that our Ken and Jo waza (technique), in Aikido, are directly related to our open hand waza. As such it is also stated that if you are able to perform your Ken and Jo waza correctly, you are more likely to perform your open handed technique properly. Just so we’re clear when I say open handed I mean without another object – a fist/punch doesn’t mean that it’s not open handed.
The weapon system in Aikido is another layer which basically represents something deeper; in this case it’s the open handed technique. Everything in Aikido represents something else, the entire system is a bunch of metaphors related to a way to live your life – O’ Sensei saw Aikido as a means to deliver his message to the world.
The way to do 3rd Suburi as shown by Saito sensei is to begin in right hanmi with the bokken parallel to the floor – you begin as if it was 2nd suburi and raise the bokken up while engaging the hip causing a step back, as such changing posture. From here you lower the bokken down to your right side, being relaxed – and after you bring the bokken up to head height again and cut, from the centre of your body. (The movement of the cut should come from the part of your head where there’d be a balled spot).
They call this the “Sword of Universal Ki” and the reason for that is because it is said that once you lift up the sword and hold it there for that small portion of time, you are breathing in the energy of the universe. Once you lower the sword, my interpretation of this is “accepting” the energy of the universe and of course the final movement is exertion through Kiai.
In all honest that was just some simple background information for you. The real reason for this piece is that there is an underlying idea in Aikido, which is if you can avoid and/or resolve conflict without pain on the mat in a physical representation, you can do so off of the mat in your daily life – physically, mentally, emotionally. Now if you take 3rd suburi and apply this understanding: If you can use a weapon (which is merely perceived as an extension of our bodies) and accept the universe, and thereby becoming one with the universe, you should be able to do this without the weapon, in your physical technique.
Two quick points: Weapons in Aikido are done as a means of increasing the understanding of our body movement without the weapon and 2 would be that when you breathe in the energy of the universe you are in fact breathing in the universe itself, or taking it in. Do not think of the energy of the universe and the universe as two separate entities. The universe is energy and hence energy is the universe, and if we are all energy then we are already in fact connected in some way which we are not consciously aware of, but I’ll come to that in a sec.
With the idea in mind that weapon work in Aikido is directly related to open handed technique and physical technique is a metaphorical understanding of real life application, the idea becomes that if you can consciously connect to the universe with a bokken, you can be one with the universe always. This is the nature of what Aikido’s fundamental reasoning, to physically represent the way life should be lived for a happier civilisation. It is why we endlessly get put down on the mat and endlessly do it by rolling out, in life you will suffer but it’s important to know that you can get back up smoothly without much damage – ukemi in its utmost real life application. Everything in Aikido gives meaning to something else, and thereby creates a visual pathway to the way one perceives the world.
One of the things I’ve said here is “be” one with the universe. You will notice, though, that technique and bokken cuts are not “being” anything, as such, because you are doing something. Once you can accept that this movement is merely a representation of how to, in this case, connect to the universe and do it over and over and over again, you become what you do, and as such this connection happens, not only in 3rd suburi, but every weapon technique, and therefore it will happen in every open handed technique (waza), and once you can achieve that you will find that it seeps into the way you live your entire life, with this bond and connection to the universe.
Acceptance of the universe are results in their own right. The universe is energy, and energy is the universe, and because everyone is energy, everyone is universally connected. Once you can see this deep connection you can feel everything and everyone around you without feeling them in a physical way. We are all already connected to the universe whether you like it or not, but it is this acceptance which will allow you to see the world in a different light, where everyone is connected to everyone else and everything.
O’ Sensei had an idea of physical technique to bring the world together and show them how to ‘not’ fight. And I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way, I mean it in the way that you don’t have to punch another man’s brains out to show that you’re tough, you don’t have to yell at someone to get your message across. Being connected to people and everything else will allow you to see things from their point of view, and as such you wouldn’t do things to hurt people because you wouldn’t want to be hurt yourself. To be one with the universe is to understand the nature of human interaction, human perception and human beings themselves.