Aiki principles, Aiki in action (part 2)

 

"It’s quite difficult
to explain Aiki"

 

It’s quite difficult to explain Aiki, but then again, that does make sense, doesn't it? Since, if it were easy to explain and easy to understand, many more people would be using Aiki in their Aikido. One could argue that Aiki probably should rather be felt. And exactly there is another point that makes Aiki difficult to understand. Since Aiki means to lead our training partners without using force against them, it's not exactly possible to feel the power of Aiki, yet we are making the experience of it.

 

"If these things are visible,
or can be felt, it's not Aiki"

 

Aiki is not visible as a cause resulting in an effect. No connection can be made between Aiki as a source to an effect being caused by it. When dealing with Aiki, it is helpful to understand what we actually don't want to see and feel, when Aiki is in use.  Because if these things are visible or can be felt, it's not Aiki.

In Aiki, we lead our training partners in a way so they can not perceive the direction of the force acting on them. Aiki follows the laws of nature and is therefore absolutely in harmony with what is naturally happening. In Aiki there are no opposing forces. Aiki is the working of circular forces. In a circle, a force does not have a starting point or an end, it circles endlessly, unless the circle is broken.

 

"It only seems to be mystical.
In Aikido we utilize the power
of the opponent completely"

 

O-Sensei's students, according to their own statements, had no idea from where or how they were thrown. This also is a strong indication that O-Sensei was working with this kind of Aiki. Aikido with Aiki seems to be magical, but there is no magic involved. As O-Sensei explains 1:”It only seems to be mystical. In Aikido we utilize the power of the opponent completely. So the more power the opponent uses, the easier it is for you”.

"Aiki is the technique or the principle
that stands behind all Aikido techniques"

 

Aiki is the technique or the principle that stands behind all Aikido techniques. It is a principle that we can learn to understand and practice with our body and our mind. This requires a lot of training and also the capacity and willingness of allowing oneself to leave the all so secured and safe road of known to be effectively working techniques. At first we have to fully accept our faults and our weaknesses and we have to be willing to take the risk of not being successful in our Aikido techniques. Since most of us were not born with perfect Aiki abilities, we have to allow ourselves to make mistakes. According to my own experience, only by completely overcoming the will to win over the opponent it is possible to use this Aiki. I must admit, indeed a task not so easy and a great challenge again and again.

 

"In Aiki, the word 'success'
takes a new meaning"

 

In Aiki the word 'success' takes a new meaning. Whereas in the martial arts, normally success is defined by winning over the opponent, so it's the result that really matters, not how it was done, in Aiki things are a little different. Aiki is like walking on a rope crossing a river or a gorge. It's not the last step that gets us across, but every single step is crucial in the process. Just one step off the rope and we are lost. It doesn't matter if this happens on the first or on the last or on any other step in between. In Aiki we have to have a good balance at every single moment, at every single point in our movement. Hence every moment we are able to do so, we might see as 'success'. Looking at it this way, being unsuccessful or making mistakes, is just normal, because it's just normal not all the time being in perfect balance. Still, we should try to get as near as possible to the best perfect possible. In addition we have to do it without desperately wanting to be perfect, because if we want it to much, we get tensed up and being tensed up really isn't such a good thing when it comes to being balanced.

Maybe this is what it's all about? Training ourselves to better ourselves, to become a better self, step by step, little by little, day by day, everyday.

 

"isn't it like, that from the mistakes
made this time, we can learn
to really make it better next time"

 

Unfortunately, all to often in modern life and society we feel like we are not allowed to make mistakes. Hence we try to do everything to avoid making mistakes or we forcefully try to convey our mistakes by selling them as "no-mistakes". Actually, if we want to understand this Aiki, neither of these ways will work. These ways won't help in the process to get to Aiki. Really, making mistakes is part of the process and is not the real problem here. Only making the same mistakes over and over again, would have to be considered to be problematic. Anyway, isn't it like, that from the mistakes made this time, we can learn to really make it better next time? To be able to do so, we must admit our mistakes in the first place. Without doing so, real progress cannot be made, can it?

If we look at Aikido merely as a system made for self-defense, then surely enough, all to often we got to see the same patterns of behavior. We are not allowed to make mistakes, because in self-defense our life may be at stake. We then might see ourselves standing in situations competing for life. Even if a situation isn't about life and death, as long as we are or we see ourselves in a situation of competition, in a situation where we want to win and where we are afraid to lose, this Aiki will not show. 

Even when the techniques are executed with the highest and the most refined technical skills, without Aiki, we just got to see Aikido as a Jujutsu, that is Aikido without Aiki. Aikido as I understand, was designed and promoted by the founder as a training method to find, understand and work with Aiki, to train with a partner, not to fight against an opponent. Only with a mindset that is completely without competition, will we be able to work with this Aiki.

1  Quote taken from an interview with O-Sensei as published in Aikido Journal online

 

Page first published on 04.10.2023
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: 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.
--------------------------------------