Tenkei Aikido Dojo

But once again we have a fundamental problem. In encouraging this type of tension on the part of the attacker we are developing habits which are extremely bad from a martial point of view. Immovability has no function in the martial arts; it simply creates all sorts of suki, or openings, which the nage can exploit. Technique should never be simply “stopped”. If nage leaves an opening, then the attack should be reversed, not forced. A good reversal is one that the uke doesn’t feel coming until it happens. It is the result of allowing the energy of the interaction to complete itself naturally without artificial force being applied. So what is the solution? Choosing between practice that is too cooperative, too soft and flowing, and martially ineffective versus practice that is too rigid, too physical and equally martially ineffective is not much of a choice.

Think there are ways around this dilemma. First of all Aikido practitioners need to know how to strike; not just the powerful but stiff and slow strikes done by many Aikido students but real striking with speed and power utilizing combination techniques developing focus while requiring relaxation. This would help people move away from the heavy handed technique used by people who think Aikido is just about hurling people hard to the ground. Weapons work helps in this area as well. One simply can’t do weapons work with any proficiency if one is tight physically. It is helpful if the teacher makes frequent connection between empty hand and weapons technique so that students can execute their hand techniques with the same relaxed energy they use in their weapons technique.

Uke must not only attack with power but with an awareness of his openings. Nage should be encouraged to test these openings by throwing appropriate atemi at any point in the technique in which he thinks his .partner is open (Uke should be able to do this as well). When an Uke grabs his partner, he should be able to defend against any atemi thrown by the defender at that moment. His attack should be designed to do just that. This would keep him from over committing to a single attack and would cause him to put his attention in covering his suki. Technique at that point becomes more about pointing out the attacker’s openings than grabbing him and hurling him to the ground or torque-ing his joints.

Once technique becomes more about openings than physical power the mental angle becomes more important. The perceived threat of an atemi to an open point can cause an uke to change his movement, adjust his balance, present an arm, etc. Technique becomes more about putting the attacker in a place where he gives you the technique than about you taking it. This part of what ki is about, using the mind to shape the body.

Intensity of practice needs to be slowly adjusted in such a way that it does not create tension. Some people believe that severe training is necessary to develop their strength of intention, their physical toughness. While true this must be accomplished in the proper way. If practice is done in a way that it produces a fear response along with the resultant physical contraction it is not being done properly. Practitioners will internalize that tension on a cellular level and it will appear any time a similar martial encounter is perceived. Instead practice should only gradually increase in intensity to allow the student to handle greater and greater amounts of energy with fudoshin or “immoveable mind”.

While it is clearly necessary for a beginning level student to simply repeat a single technique over and over until the movement is ingrained, students from the third or second kyu onwards should be encouraged to use henka waza (adjusting from one technique to another as a situation dictates) when a technique they are attempting isn’t working. Rather than force any technique the student develops the skill and sensitivity to feel where the energy is going and to direct his technique appropriately. This puts more emphasis on relaxation and sensitivity than muscle strength and false ideas of power.

The central challenge of Aikido training is one of finding the correct balance between developing strong intention, or will, and removing physical tension from technique. Yamaguchi Sensei taught that no technique should require more effort than simply resting the weight of ones arms on his partner when he is off balance. Yet, if we are “attached” to an outcome then we can’t find the place where the energy wishes to go of its own accord. This very much has to do with the Mind. The only instant in which action can take place is the present instant. The past is over and can not be changed. The future has not yet arrived so no action can take place there. The present instant is the result of a flow of past instances which pass through the present instant towards the future. All events in the future are a set of probabilities which are a result of the past actions as viewed in the present instant. Whatever actions we take in the present instant will shape the probabilities of the future. So our actions can be executed with the idea that we are developing up a set of probable outcomes but we can not be attached to any of those. Attachment to an outcome means that the Mind is stuck in the past (it is stuck on the idea of the technique, not the reality of the instant). This is not aiki.

Anticipating the actions of the attacker puts the Mind in the future. This is very dangerous since the anticipated reaction of the attacker may take a different form than one thought. This can result in injury when taking ukemi and it can result in an attempt to execute an inappropriate technique when acting as nage. This is also not aiki. It is fine and necessary to see the probable outcomes of a action in this instant as this gives ones technique structure and forms the basis for strategy. If one can resist the temptation to step out of the present then we can be ready for any eventuality and technique can flow easily as a result of how the attacker and defender come together.

I think that a way to address this is to put emphasis on jiyu waza or freestyle practice earlier than is often customary. The students should be encouraged to find the easiest path possible for the energy of a given technique. If the technique they are doing doesn’t work it should be permissible and automatic that they be able to make the adjustments to flow into a variation. A teacher who tries to force a student to do a particular technique a specific way is encouraging him to force his technique. He will have his Mind stuck on the “idea” of the technique, not the reality. This also not aiki.

Aikido is really about developing the capacity to stay relaxed and to stay in the present moment, even under stress. I think that we as Aikido practitioners and teachers can do a better job of teaching this to our students. This may involve getting creative about our teaching methods. Articles I write in the future may address this issue again.

* George S. Ledyard (b. 11 May 1952). Aikido 6th Dan Aikikai, Aikido Schools of Ueshiba. Aikido & Defensive Tactics Instructor. B. in Syracuse, NY. Direct student of Mitsugi Saotome beginning in 1976 at the Washington DC Aikikai. After moving to the Seattle area in 1982, attended the Seattle School of Aikido under Mary Heiny as well as the Seattle Aikikai under Bruce Bookman. Other aikido training influences include Hiroshi Ikeda, Tom Read, Ellis Amdur, and William Gleason. In 1986, became chief instructor of the Seattle School of Aikido through 1989 when he opened Aikido Eastside where he currently teaches. In 1993, founded “Defensive Tactics Options,” an aikido-based police defensive tactics training program and has conducted training for local departments, corporations, and security agencies. Also, teaches at the Bellevue Community College Administration of Criminal Justice program. Demonstrated at Aiki Expo 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Taught Defensive Tactics class at Aiki Expo 2003.