Aiki training and Aikido training

Once when asked about how many Aikido techniques existed, O-Sensei explained 1: “There are about 3,000 basic techniques, and each one of them has 16 variations… so there are many thousands. Depending on the situation, you create new ones.”

 

"in the end
Aikido training is nothing
but Aiki training"

 

To differentiate Aiki training from Aikido training, I‘d say that in Aiki training we use different training methods to improve our Aiki abilities, whereas in Aikido training we apply Aiki to our techniques so that these techniques can become true Aikido techniques. But in the end Aikido training is nothing but Aiki training too. To me, as I said before, Aikido is the way with Aiki, therefore Aikido training is a training method that leads us to where we are able to understand Aiki and are able to work with Aiki.

 

"Aikido is a training method
that leads us to where we are able
to understand Aiki and are able
to work with Aiki"

 

When I started with solo training methods, I didn’t really have an idea about where these methods would lead me. Over the years I learned different methods from different teachers. I explored and creatively changed them to freely use them in any possible way I felt they would benefit me to improve my body coordination, my body-unity and my Aikido techniques in one way or another. 

In retrospect, I can see and understand more clearly now how those training methods are connected and have led me to realize about Aiki and the principle of non-resistance, how those methods have helped me to develop my sensitivity and my perception abilities to the point where now I’m able to use the principle of non-resistance in my Aikido. So, depending on the training methods used and on our mindset when using them, we might, without even taking notice of the actual process, move towards Aiki, or to the contrary, we might move even further away from Aiki.

 

"by copying sensei’s technique
a few ten thousand times,
the students will
learn to understand"

 

In Aikido, as well as in other martial arts training, traditionally the students copy the techniques shown by their sensei as best as possible. The idea is by copying sensei’s technique a few ten thousand times, the students will then learn and understand not only the basic form but also the core and the deeper meaning of the techniques. As it is traditionally done this way, this method of learning surely represents a suitable way. Although I would like to add, that this way of learning needs an awful lot of training in an art to learn about the deeper meanings of the art. In modern life with a job and a family to run, most people can't really afford to bring up the time needed to make reasonable progress by using this traditional approach. In my humble opinion, training methods and methods of teaching need to adapt to new circumstances if an art wants to continue existing.

 

"This method led me
to connect my body movement
with my center"

 

It was only when I started to think about ways of how things could maybe done in different and hopefully also more efficient ways, that I began dissecting and analyzing the techniques more systematically. Actually it's a pretty simple process. To know what's inside a gift package, we have to unwrap it, layer by layer. It's the same with Aikido techniques, we have to unwrap them, layer by layer, to finely see which principles lie at the core of a technique. So I started to deconstruct simple body movement from the outside in and then reconstructed them from the inside out. This method led me to connect my body movement with my center. That was the base which later on allowed me to discover the principle of non-resistance.

"Finding out about how to
connect to a partner's center
was an important step"

 

Musubi

Finding out about my own center also made it possible to find out about my training partner's center. Finding out about how to connect to a partner's center is an important step. In Aikido, connecting with your partner is called musubi 2 or Ki-musubi 3. Musubi is the base for more things to come. Without this base, the door to further discoveries wouldn't open, it wouldn't even show itself. Musubi clearly is a very important point in Aikido. It is for good reasons, I reckon, that some senseis 4 make Musubi to be one of the central points in their practice. Some have designed special training methods and exercises to teach us how to connect with our training partner, to enable us to learn about musubi and ki-musubi.

 

"unbalancing your opponent is
part of Aiki, but not all of it"

 

Kuzushi

Other senseis in their seminars sometimes stress the importance of kuzushi 5 , to break our partner’s balance before applying a technique. Yukiyoshi Sagawa sensei explained: “unbalancing your opponent is part of Aiki, but not all of it”. Is unbalancing an opponent the same as breaking our partner's balance? Or is there a difference? Maybe there's no difference at all, maybe it's just a careless usage of words or a translation gone wrong that would want to suggest a different meaning, where there isn't one. But then, I think, as with most things, it's not only what has to be done but it's also about how it's being done. Regarding Aiki it's also about what's not to be done and how it's 'not' done.

Looking at the nature of Aiki, where the principle of non-resistance is seen as the key to Aiki, therefore being without any action directed against our partner, I take it that the unbalancing has to be done in a manner without using force against our partner. Hence it’s not so much like breaking our partner’s balance with force but more like leading our partner out of balance. 

This all may sound like picking on words and wordings, but then again, this is exactly where I see a point of difference between the Aikido of O-Sensei and a lot of the modern Aikido of today which may look spectacular or looks to be very effective but is without Aiki, as in Aiki it would just make things look super natural, though not super-natural at all.

 

"this is exactly where I see
a point of difference between
the Aikido of O-Sensei and
a lot of the modern Aikido of today"

 

To unbalance someone, we need to understand where the point is reached when a person starts being unbalanced. Where is the line to be drawn between being balanced and not being in balance anymore? But then, aren't we somehow, more or less always, kind of out of balance? Sometimes more than at other times or moments of course. Isn't it like perfect balance can't really ever be achieved?

Anyway, to lead our partner out of balance by following the principle of non-resistance, we are not allowed to go against the natural movement of our partner’s center. Going against our partner and trying to force her to go somewhere else than her movement would naturally take her, would also mean that we would go against the principle of non-resistance.

As a sidenote, since Aiki is where our partner’s movement is naturally going, I would also suggest that omote 6 and ura 7 don’t refer to tori's position towards uke (when tori is doing a technique), but rather refer to the direction in which uke’s center of gravity is moving, to the frontside or to the backside of uke itself. Looking at it this way would also mean that omote and ura is not so much about me and where I stand or what I do but more about the situation itself and where my partner is going to be lead. Anyway, this definition of omote and ura in Aikido techniques only reflects a impulsive thought of mine and is of no importance at all when it comes to actually move in Aiki.

 

"according to the situation
we create new techniques"

 

So then, if our partner changes the position of her center, our technique has to change too. Still we have to understand, that this is all not done by reacting to our partners movement, but by leading our partners movement. What happens then is, that we change the direction of our technique, and maybe also change the technique as well. O-Sensei explained 8 : “according to the situation we create new techniques”.

Looking at O-Sensei’s Aikido, this is exactly what he always did with his ukes 9. In contrast, in today's Aikido a lot of times we can see how uke in full balance is allowed to grab tori 10 and then tori will break uke’s balance by applying a strong technique. Further more I would like to remind, that in Aikido, as there are no attacks, there's no one attacking and there's no one defending, but there are only training partners. Therefore more correctly we probably shouldn't not talk about tori and uke, but more correctly we should talk about aite 11  . Because if we speak about tori and uke we might already creat specific rolles relating to attack and defense, whereas in true Aikido training there are no such roles really as we are to be equal partners in a training situation.

 

"musubi and kuzushi
are essential to the understanding of 
the principle of non-resoistance"

 

The understanding of the principles of musubi and kuzushi are essential to the understanding of the principle of non-resistance. Both, musubi and kuzushi are essential to develop Aiki abilities. Once we are able to use musubi and kuzushi in our practice, we need to take a step further and use them in an Aiki way. By applying the principle of non-resistance we will be able to connect with our partner and to move our partner's center without pushing or pulling, but by leading our partner’s center. Likewise, we will be able to unbalance our partner, not by breaking our partner’s balance by using force against her, but by leading her out of balance.

 

"every movement done this way
is and looks easy, completely
unforced and natural"

 

By applying the principle of non-resistance, there might not even be a visible physical connection with our partner. Yet we control our partner perfectly. Every movement done this way is and looks easy, completely unforced and natural. 

This kind of natural body movement can only be achieved when the body movement is done firstly with high precision regarding our own posture and position and secondly with connection with our partner. This can only be achieved with a completely relaxed body and a completely relaxed mind. As Koichi Tohei once explained 12  : "Ueshiba Sensei was an individual who showed what it means to exist in a relaxed state, to possess true ki, and to have a unified mind and body. His posture was as solid as a rock and you couldn’t budge him no matter how you pushed or pulled; yet he would toss me effortlessly without ever letting me feel that he was using any strength at all. I was astounded that such a person should actually exist in the world. More than anything, what Ueshiba Sensei taught me was that a relaxed state is the most powerful. He himself was living proof of that." 

To get there, it is necessary to apply the appropriate training methods in order to broaden one's own understanding of Aikido and Aiki through the practice of our daily training routines. However, without having the correct mindset and following a few simple guidelines and rules in our training, combined with the will to continually look for and search for a better understanding of the matter, we will most probably not really move towards Aiki. Sadly enough, we might even go in the opposite direction, moving even further away from Aiki.

 

"We should give it
all we can to make
this one more step"

 

However, as Aikidokas, we probably shouldn’t just be happy with Jujutsu techniques alone, no matter how beautiful, subtle or perfectly we are able to do them. We should give it all we can to make this one more step which would eventually bring us closer to Aikido with Aiki. Understanding the principle of non-resistance and using it in our Aikido training may be key to this.

To develop Aiki awareness and capabilities, besides musubi and kuzushi there are other things to be aware of. In Aikido, just as in any other budo discipline, unity of the body is essential. To move with body unity we first need to have good body coordination, that means our body in movement is well coordinated and well connected. Coordination and unity of the body can be practiced with suitable exercises, be it with or without training partners. 

 

"In Aikido, 
just as in any other budo discipline,
unity of the body is essential"

 

To move correctly in Aikido, we need to be able to be aware of suki or openings, be it on our side as well as on our training partner's side. It’s absolutely necessary to follow the budo principle of not having openings in our stance and position. Michio Hikitsuchi sensei explained 13 : “Aikido is budo. This means you can’t even ignore half an inch of vulnerability. A suki (opening) of even one centimeter can do you in”. The bo-katas, as left to us by Michio Hikitsuchi sensei, are a helpful practice method to train our body coordination and movement. These katas also teach us a lot about position and angles. A good understanding of position and angles leads to a good perception of suki or openings. In Aikido, at every single moment in a movement or a technique we have to be exactly at the right place with no openings whatsoever. 

In Aikido there's only the 'here and now'. This makes it all the more understandable that Aikido is all about position and at any given moment being at the right place, it's not so much about speed or force. Hence, to be at the correct position or place doesn't depend on strength or technical abilities. It depends on our abilities to correctly perceive the situation we are in and to be able to move our body accordingly. 

 

"All body movement is connected"

 

Coordinated body movement allows us to move our body as one, in unity. All body movement is connected. Moving this way following the principle of non-resistance allows us to lead our partners through the techniques without doing harm to them. We need to lead our training partners through a technique instead of forcing a technique upon our training partners. To do this we need to be able to connect to our partner’s center, be it with or without having a physical connection, such as touch or grab.

 

"In order to understand the principle
 of non-resistance, we need to experience it
with our own body"

 

In order to understand the principle of non-resistance, we need to experience it with our own body. Although we can experience the principle of non-resistance when we are thrown with it or when we apply it, we cannot actually perceive it as an acting force itself. Because in this state of non-resistance there is no forced action in play from one person against another person.

 

"We don’t feed the fight
by adding to the fight,
but we literally starve the fight
by not giving the fight
anything it could feed on"

 

In order to understand this principle, we have to change our thinking. It is no longer a matter of orienting ourselves on the feedback of the training partners, but rather of leading the training partners to where they cannot give feedback because they lack the clues to do so. They can not fight against us as we don’t give them anything which they could actually fight against. We don’t push so they can’t push back. We don’t pull, so they can’t pull back. We don’t feed the fight by adding to the fight, but we literally starve the fight by not giving the fight anything it could feed on.
 

"In aikido, there is
absolutely no attack"

 

To correctly apply the principle of non resistance, we have to forget about the technical application of the techniques learned so far. The only thing left to do is to follow the principle, or as O-Sensei puts it, to be completely in harmony with the universe. O-Sensei explained 14 : "In aikido, there is absolutely no attack". Where there is no attack, there can be no reaction to it. Furthermore, O-Sensei states 15 : “We must not look at our partner's eyes because they will take our spirit. Don't look at your partner's sword because it will take our ki. Don't look at your partner because you have to suck your partner's ki... The real bu is the training of aspiration, of the attractive force (inryoku no tenren), to suck in the whole partner.”

 

 "the more I know,
the more I understand
how little I know"

 

Reading O-Sensei's explanations about Ki, I can only start to imagine what more there is to know about Ki, Aiki and Aikido. I guess it's just as the saying goes: "the more I know, the more I start to understand how little I know".

1 Quote taken from an interview with O-Sensei as published in Aikido Journal online
2  Musubi = jap.: connect
3  Ki-musubi = jap.: connecting or joining of energies
4  also see Endo Seishiro's video series where he explains about musubi exercices
5  also see "Kuzushi: An Aiki Perspective" by Francis Takahashi as published in Aikido Journal online
6  Omote = jap.: front side
7  Ura = jap.: back side
8  Quote taken from an interwiew with O-Sensei as published in Aikido Journal online
9  Uke is the person that receives a technique
10  Tori is the person that gives or executes the technique
11  Aite = jap.: partner
12 Quote taken from an interview with Koichi Tohei as published in Aikido Journal online
13  Quote taken from "Michio Hikitsuchi - The essential teachings of Aikido, Vol. 1"
14  Quote taken from an interview with O-Sensei as published in Aikido Journal online
15   Orig: “Il ne faut pas regarder les yeux du partenaire parce qu'ils prendront notre esprit. Il ne faut pas regarder le sabre du partenaire parce qu'il prendra notre ki. Il ne faut pas regarder le partenaire parce qu'il faut aspirer le ki de votre partenaire... Le vrai bu, c'est l'entraînement de l'aspiration, de la force attractive (Inryoku no tenren) pour aspirer le partenaire en entier.” Quote taken from “Aïkido, des paroles et des écrits du fondateur à la pratique” by Gérard Blaize, 1994

 

 

 

Page first published on 29.10.2023
Page last updated on 17.07.2024

-------------------------------------
Disclaimer: everything presented in this post only represents my personal opinions based on my personal  knowledge, understanding and experiences made regarding the matter in discussion except where quotes are made. Other opinions are highly respected as long as they can withstand the argumentation. Some of the points presented may be purely speculative on my side due to the lack of evidence known to me. Any evidence presented to help clarify the points in question is highly welcomed. The post may still undergo little changes, although the content will mainly remain the same.

Notes on Copyrights: None of the content was written by AI. Neither text or parts of the text may be used or published elsewhere without the consent of the author. It is OK though to quote with correct references made to this text.
--------------------------------------