I don't like that man.
I must get to know him better.
Abraham Lincoln
People often wonder why
O Sensei decided upon which techniques to include in Aikido. Certainly, his
experience was broad and his Aikido never remained static. Did he tire of
traditional kata based teaching and switch to an aiki centred one?
Did he have a fixed syllabus in mind at each stage of development? Or did it
just evolve, as techniques were added, or devolve, as superfluous movements were
excluded? Did he catch the peace bug after Japan’s loss in the War? Was he
somehow freed to go his own way after the death of his mentor, Takeda Sokaku?
This curiosity is no doubt felt by many and fuels their quest in studying O
Sensei and the arts he studied, most notably, Daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu.
(b) Aikido styles
Judo, Karate, and
Aikido are all quite different arts with separate histories having no apparent
connections. It is almost as though the heads of each school got together,
decided their particular territories, and determined that they would not
trespass – I have even heard this said. There are several schools of Judo and
Karate, and Aikido is no different. But analysing the differences in Aikido
styles is of little use; it is the similarities that make them all Aikido. For
example, aiki, as a fluid feeling that exists between two practitioners
can be found in many arts, not only Aikido. But Aikido names it and practices
it; no matter what the style of Aikido, all aim to develop an aiki
feeling.
Style is no different
to tradition, some people do it one way, others another. The defining essence of
a style is usually found in its head teacher - it is personal - and to some
extent all develop a cult of personality around this person. Even within a
style, each individual teacher will have their own idiosyncrasies that give
definition to their club. Some of these differences are apparent in capability,
personality, and purpose. Teachers will always tend to concentrate on what they
do best and thus their capabilities define their form. For example, flexible
teachers will have lots of stretching exercises. An athletic teacher will have a
vigorous warm-up. Shorter teachers might incorporate more hip throws. A
teacher's personality will also reflect in their teaching; some may be meek and
polite in nature, others may bellow and pound their uke's into the
tatami. The purpose for which a given student trains could be anything
ranging from boredom, fitness, stress reduction, weight reduction,
self-confidence, or self-defence. The teacher's bias will likely give direction
but may be moulded somewhat by their student's perceived needs and the local
environment. All these differences add up to one teacher being slow and
meticulous and another fast and furious. This can be the case even though both
of them studied under the same teacher previously.
(c) Comparison
with other arts
Who would win, a table
tennis player or a tennis player? And what if they play with a shuttlecock
instead of a ball? And who would win if they played badminton instead? We should
not worry too much about comparison. We need to concentrate on developing the
self and the method of choice is vigorous martial training. There are many
martial arts and some are more rigorous or realistic than others. In sport one
trains to win and the path is narrowed by rules. In Budo the path is broad,
encompassing the whole experience of life and death. The one who survives the
day is the one who trains in the most appropriate way. Today, in my country,
there is no war, so I train accordingly. If war is imminent, I will train
accordingly. If war is upon me, I will act accordingly.
(d) Visiting
other aiki arts
(e) Studying other arts
People study additional
arts because they find something lacking in their own or find something
interesting elsewhere. As Aikido does not place emphasis on kicking or punching,
it is only natural that the curious mind seeks the answer in another place.
People seem to make two kinds of choices. The majority seem to choose an
additional art that adds something new yet at the same time offers to improve
their overall ability. These people might choose Judo to improve their throwing
skills, Kenjutsu to improve their sword skills, or Taichichuan to improve their
balance or develop their Chi, or Ki. Others might choose something
completely different such as Karate, or Kung fu. I too have been down these
roads studying a mixture of these arts. At first, it was simple curiosity.
Later, I was seeking to improve my Aikido. If one goes down this road, what is
important is to keep the arts separate. On cannot enter the Aikido dojo
and use a Kung-fu stance. And if one has learned to box, one should not chide
fellow Aikidoka with the dumb "What would you do if …" type of question.
If they want to know, they have to ask it to themselves. If one has practised
other arts it may be that one has asked oneself this very question and has done
something about it to find the answer. After much training though, one comes to
realise that there are many inconsistencies between movements within different
arts thus necessitating a decision - one may eventually quit certain arts, or
modify what one does within the preferred art for oneself. What is important
here is that if one comes to teach a particular art, one should teach it as it
was taught, not with one's personal modifications, otherwise the tradition will
be lost and the students will likely be confused. One's own personal methods are
based upon one's own personal experience. In this sense, rather than teaching a
certain 'move' from say, Jujutsu, it might be better to encourage the students
to take classes in Jujutsu, just as you did. Or, if one is capable, give a whole
class in it from time to time so as to let the students know just what it is.
Variety can add spice to life but what one needs from the other arts are
principles that match those of Aikido to steal and make one's own. It is the
similarities that determine the strength of the principles, not the differences,
which could sometimes be interpreted as being mistakes.
(f) Giving a class to
non-Aikidoka martial artists
Give a lesson that
shows the totality of Aikido to make sure they get the whole picture. A possible
lesson plan might be to start with a couple of simple kokyu-nage covering
the concepts of irimi and tenkan. Show most or all of the basic
techniques, and if possible, do each one from a different attack. Then explain
how each of them can be done from each attack, perhaps giving a short
demonstration. Do kokyu-nage again and explain how the method of training
can be used as a bridge to make the techniques more effective. At the end, allow
the students to ask questions, and answer honestly. If one just goes in with the
one-technique-per-lesson is best I-am-God approach then do not expect a second
invitation. The mistake here is assuming that one could actually teach them
anything in just one lesson - such is impossible. Instead, giving a brief
insight into a more total picture of Aikido might spark natural interest. And
even if it does not, at least they will be better informed.
Caution must also be
taken when approaching more competitive arts as their students will naturally be
keen to test your mettle. Starting with suwari-waza techniques may give
advantage in that they will likely encounter great difficulty. If answers to
questions are lacking then doubt is created and the whole process is wasted
effort. Students with good etiquette may still show respect, but the doubt will
be sewn nevertheless.
(g) Giving a
demonstration
Spectators view
demonstrations as entertainment and Aikido demonstrations are usually awful in
that respect. Worse, they are often placed amidst demonstrations of other arts
that audiences find far more appealing because of the violence unfolding before
them. That being said, if a demonstration is to be done, then it ought to
provide an audience with an idea of what Aikido is. Equal emphasis should be
given to the more 'boring' aspects such as etiquette. Boring to the ordinary
spectator perhaps, but such attention to detail can spark the interest of the
right kinds of people - parents who want to inject their teenagers with some
discipline for example. Techniques look pretty much all the same to the average
spectator so a slower methodological demonstration coupled with an explanation
would inform the more intelligent listeners of what Aikido is, and show that you
do, indeed, know what you are talking about. The finish might be more dynamic in
nature but not overly so. Keep it simple. Sword taking, suspect at best, ought
be kept away from demos. Likewise, throwing five ukes on top of each
other is fun in the dojo but can look ridiculous in a demonstration to
eye of the critical spectator. The simplest rule is to never show what you
cannot do well.
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