************************************************************************** AIKIDO_L DIGEST 5. ================== *************************************************************************** CONTENTS ======== 1). No contact throws 2) The concept of Ki in Aikido 3) Wrist exercises 4) Aikido in every day life 5) Definition of Aikido 6) Pine plum and bamboo 7) Shu, Ha, Ri ************************************************************************* 1) NO CONTACT THROWS From: Kevin Jones ===================== ......... Aikido becomes more effective as it becomes less violent. I think that the strongest technique occurs not when uke is overpowered and so can't resist but rather when uke is not inclined to resist. If one needs to "overpower" uke then nage must have more power than uke and technique becomes like a lever that gives one a "mechanical advantage" and so allows one to magnify one's strength. This is obviously good but it still seems to have an upper limit. I think this is the way most people practice in the beginning stages. The other approach to technique does not look for power but rather looks for a way to lead uke so that there is no inclination for uke to use their power to resist. The movement "feels" harmonious to uke (at some level) and so they "agree" to move with it. If one can achieve this then the relative strength of nage and uke becomes truly irrelevant since uke does not even use their strength to oppose nage. A "cute little picture" I often use to illustrate this point is: I pick a (preferably large and heavy) uke, and just ask them to stand. I then walk up to them, grab hold and try to force them to the other side of the mat. Everyone automatically resists being forced in this way, even if they intend to be cooperative since this is a class environment. So, my attempt usually fails. Then I try the same thing but instead of trying to pull and force, I put my arm on their shoulder, and point at something over the other side of the mat and guide the uke towards it with a "come and look at this" feeling and demeanor. Even though they are in a somewhat more agitated state due to the previous attempt, everyone moves along since there is nothing in nage's behavior that triggers resistance. I think that the best Aikido technique has the properties of the second incident. Uke is "persuaded" to cooperate with nage's intention since there is nothing in nage's behavior that triggers resistance at any level. I think of this as leading and not throwing and is why I say that there is no "throwing" in Aikido when one gets beyond the beginners level (you know, after about 30 years or so of daily practice :-)). This is obviously not a static thing, since nage has to continually adjust to uke's response during the entire technique but I hope you see what I mean. So I think Aikido is non-violent since nage does not conflict with uke but rather learns how to lead uke in such a way that there is no resistance triggered and hence no conflict. To achieve this, then nage must indeed be non-violent since there is no way to avoid triggering conflict if nage causes conflict. So, Aikido can be non-violent and effective. Further, I state that to be truly effective, Aikido *must* be non-violent. So if we really understand our art, we can satisfy both those who want effective self-defense and those who want to practice without violence, no? Now, of course the interesting question becomes "how does one reach this level of one's practice?". That I must leave as an exercise for the interested reader :-). I think there are a number of different kinds of "no contact" throw and that they are quite different in aspect. The following are some of the kinds of no contact throw that I've experienced: 1. the "no contact 'cause uke would prefer there not to be thank you very much" throw. This is the situation where an atemi is involved or there's the possibility for damaging result if the uke receives the technique physically. If the uke is good enough, then there comes a point where the uke realizes that the technique is "done" and that they will receive it one way or another. They choose to "ride the intention" and move before the physical contact happens. This is different from just falling down since in this kind of situation, there is no choice about going or not, just a choice about when and how hard :-). Eventually as uke's sensitivity increases, then this kind of practice can be taken further and uke reacts to the intention of the nage much earlier and so an observer has no idea of why the uke fell, even though both uke and nage could tell you how the technique would have developed physically if allowed to continue (perhaps a good analogy is to a chess game where a grandmaster would resign saying "it's mate in 10" whereas beginners wouldn't see it until the checkmate is actually called). If abused, then this kind of throw leads to the fall down everytime nage twitches kind of nonsense, but if practiced wisely, I think it leads to new horizons in one's practice. It's certainly good training for finding gaps and openings for both uke and nage. 2. the sudori-nage or the "someone took the chair away just as I was about to sit on it" throw. This is analogous to the situation where one falls down after trying to sit on a chair that some "friend" pulls away just as you're about to depend on it. By timing and positioning, the nage leads the uke to expect some kind of support or impact that just never actually occurs and the uke's dependence on that "support" causes them to lose stability and fall. The classic sudori nages can work in this way (at a cruder level, sometimes one just knocks uke's feet away, of course :-)), as well as many of the kokyunages that are taught by the Ki Society and probably in all other schools as well. 3. leading the ki or the "nah that didn't just happen" throw. Here the uke's mind is lead so that the outcome is the desired fall without any need for physical contact. Some would argue that this is just a sub-category of either 1 or 2 above; others would say that this is the essence of Aikido and is beyond the physical/psychological concepts used in the previous two explanations and can only be understood in the framework of Ki. I don't care what people say, I just want to keep feeling it :-). When I've experienced this kind of technique from high level teachers, it feels like someone turned the lights out for an instant and then rearranged the world so that gravity worked from a different angle or something. There are probably not many people who can do this level of technique reliably regardless of uke, but there is an existence proof in my personal experience, so I have to say that this can happen. You can pick your own explanation of why, but since the folk who can do this explain it in terms of leading the Ki, that's the explanation that works for me :-). So, I certainly think "no touch" throws are possible within the scope of anyone's training, although don't think that the ability to do this comes quickly :-). In the beginning, a responsive uke helps one to get the idea but this is not a requisite for all such techniques once one understands the ideas. Are they practical? I think so. Are they necessary? Probably not. Can they be resisted? Just like any technique, it probably depends on the relative ability and expectations of the uke and nage. Are they interesting? I think so. Are they fun? Yep! So in my book, this is a worthwhile aspect of study. I've often wondered about the statements some people have made about O-sensei's later technique, such as "uke's were just humoring the old man who was past his prime", since when I watch film of these movements, it seems to me that O-sensei's technique is entirely in the no contact realm and that he has controlled uke so completely from the first instant that there is just no need for anything more - they had absolutely no choice, whether they realized it or not. **************************************************************************** 2) The concept of Ki in Aikido ============================== From: Minhhuy Ho The concept of KI in Aikido. A Literature survey. Part I. Introduction: ============= Ask a Chinese what is 'chi/qi' and you will get as many answers as you would asking an aikidoka how to perform a kokyunage. A common answer is that chi refers to a particular mental and physical state that exhibits in a psychophysiological power associates with blood and breath. A chinese philosopher will talk about this microcosmical 'matter-energy' which is fundamental in forming and governing the universe. A traditional chinese physician, usually also a taoist by education, speaks about a microbiomaterial that circulates within the body, maintaining the living force that makes the body function. The chinese will probably accept any of these definitions in a 'matter-of-fact' manner and do not expect questions or disagreements concerning the meaning of chi. Of course this does not mean that they actually had a very accurate idea about the meaning of chi or that everybody knows exactly in what context one means when one talks about chi. In fact, the chinese probably means all of the above definitions, and more. This raises immediate problem for the western mind which makes clear distinctions between matter/mind, material/nonmaterial, physical/psychological/ physiological etc.. However one disagrees with the chinese blatant disregard for the cartesian dichotomy, this is in fact the way in which the chinese conceptualizes chi, or any other phenomena at all. Furthermore, they seems to be happy to trade off the analytical clarity for the imaginative richness. When the chinese cosmic system which uses chi to explain the structure and function of virtually every phenomenon in the universe finally got transmitted to Japan in the seventh century, it had the shinto and tendai buddhist flavours added on. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the meaning of chi/ki did not get any clearer crossing the japanese sea. At any rate, from the oldest extant japanese work on traditional medicine, Ishopo by Tamba no Yasuyori, in the tenth century to modern works such as 'Qi: From the Analects to the New Science' by Maruyama Toshiaki, 'Qi: the Flowing body' by Harada Jiro one can see that both japanese and chinese traditional medicine share a basic conception of what it means to be fully human. Life is constituted by ki (in the sense of breath and energy), a force that manifests in respiration and that can be felt circulating within the body. Similarly, japanese drugs and concoctions are aimed specially at nourishing ki and enhancing its functioning. Akido, a japanese martial art developed by master Mohirei Ueshiba earlier this century makes heavy use of the concept of ki. Aikido is one of the more spiritual martial arts and has been considered as 'moving zen'. The name Aikido means 'the way of harmony of ki'. Just exactly what is this ki that one supposes to harmonize with is a controversial topic among aikidoka's. Some believes that the physical entity ki simply does not exist. Instead, the spirit, the intention, the bio-physico-psychological coordination through relaxation and awareness are concepts being used in the teaching. These aikidoka's sometime tend to frown upon the philosophical/spiritual aspect of ki. Other aikidoka's believe that ki does exist as a physical entity and can be transmitted through space. They, on the other hand, make use of concepts such as ki of the universe, extending ki etc.. By citing these two extremes, the author does not wish to imply that the 'truth' lies somewhere in between. But the fact of the matter is that there is a large portion of aikidoka who are still, and no doubt will continue be, on their 'quest for ki'. The task is not simple since many sensei's are reluctant to talk about ki. Those who do, do it in a very oriental way: full of metaphor, image and lack of clarity. The aim of this article is surveying the writting and teaching of Kaiso, his deshi's: Ueshiba, Tohei, Yamada, Shioda, Saito, Saotome, Nadeau, Dobson, Homa ... (listed in no particular order) to find out what they did mean when they mentioned the concept ki, or to find out whether one can come up with a definite answer at all. For the sake of simplicity, let's propose three simple definitions of ki: (1) Ki: the principle that governs the universe AND the individual, the cosmic truth. (2) Ki: the action from a particular state of mind and body that can have physical/psychological/physiological effect. This ki can be expressed, and hence, perceived through physical apprearance, behaviour, and body language. (3) Ki: similar to (2). However this ki can be expressed and perceived by means including but not limited to those listed in (2). One can see that from (1) to (3) the degree of abstract decreases while the physical component increases. The meaning of ki of course is not limited by the individual or combined definitions mentioned above. References: =========== W.-T. Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, Princeton University Press, 1973. Y.-L. Fung, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, McMillan Press, 1966. T. J. Kaptchuk, The Web that has no Weaver. Understanding Chinese Medicine, Congdon and Weed, New York, 1983. W.-M. Tu, Confucian Thought, State University of New York Press, 1985. S.-C. Huang, Chang Tsai's concept of Chi, Philosophy East and West, vol. 18, pp. 247, 1968. Y. S. Kim, The Concept of Chi in Chu Hsi's philosophy, Philosophy East and West, vol. 34, 1984. Y. Sakade, Longevity Techniques in Japan. Ancient Source and Contemporary Studies, in Taoist Meditation and Longevity Techniques, Eds. L. Kohn and Y. Sakade, Center for Chinese Studies, The University of Michigan, 1989. ***************************************************************************** 3. Wrist exercises =================== Tom Valesky ------------- 1) Rapidly clench your hand into a fist and open it again so that the fingers are splayed out. Do this 100 times with your arms straight out in front of you, 100 times with your arms straight out to the sides, 100 times with your arms straight up over your head, and 100 times with your arms at your sides. Go as fast as you can. No stopping halfway through, and no cheating -- fully expand and contract your hand each time. This is the standard forearm strengthening method in Danzan Ryu, and I've found it to be quite effective. 2) Get a long wooden pole (a bo staff will do nicely). Grasp it at the very end with your hand. Now raise it so that the tip is above your head, and lower it to the ground again. Repeat as many times as you can. 3) Get a rubber ball (or some stiff putty, or something similar), and spend a lot of time squeezing it. Kim "popeye's my hero" Taylor --------------------------------- Get a bokuto, jo or suburito and turn it around so you're grabbing the light end. Hold the sword out at arms length in front and raise the tip up to vertical and then down to horizontal repeatedly, this is for the upper side or the arms. Now hold the arm straight overhead and move the wrist to take the stick from horizontal (behind you) to vertical, this is for the underside of the forearm. Hold the stick in front again, in a vertical position, now let it drop to either side in a twisting motion, be careful of this one. You can hold the stick and arm horizontally at angles to the body to work different parts of the deltoids as you hold the arm up. Now put the stick down, bend your legs into a "horse stance" (just so as not to waste time exercising only one thing) and hold the arms straight out in front. Bend the wrists back as much as possible as if pushing the far wall away. Now close the fingers starting with the little one and doing them all in sequence until you have a fist. Do this repeatedly pushing the arms forward and pulling the wrists back all the time. When you think you can't do sets of 10 any more, do a set of 50 as fast as you can... it's an interesting feeling getting a charley horse in your forearm. ****************************************************************************** 4. AIKIDO IN EVERYDAY LIFE =========================== Mickey Tibbetts wrote: How do you manifest your aikido in your life in terms of the physical side of it. From: Michael Cottam ----------------------- .............make sure there is never a moment when you are not practicing Aikido. Aikido is not just techniques for self-defense, but, as the name implies, "Harmony of Ki". I find that extention of Ki is helpful whether or not I am on the mat. Just dealing with the physical side of things for now, I find that Ki helps improve posture, enegy levels (as in tiredness), and confidence. Ok, so that last one wasn't exactly physical... These things becoming habits for me -- as one conciously practices Ki and other philosophies during daily life, they become a natural part of life. I'm not sure if that last paragraph was very coherent, so here are a couple examples I hope will clear it up a bit. When in a crowded hallway (I get a lot of experience with this, being a college student), try extending ki to inhabit your entire body. It is interesting to notice how many fewer people you bump into... If someone starts needling you, get off line! Don't let the insult hit you personally. Sure, it's difficult, but everything takes practice. From: "Craig G. Hocker" --------------------------------- I found the most useful crossover into everyday life on the physical side has been the breathing. If you make a habit of practicing meditative breathing during the day (we call it Ki breathing), it tends to occur unconciously after a while and helps you stay centered. From: "CORRO.JOHN" --------------------------------------- For me, keeping good posture in everything. To often I catch myself hunched over my 'puter (how many of you are now correcting your posture? ;-) I am always trying to correct my posture and relax while doing it. While in line for food at Summer Camp a couple of years ago,Sensei Maruyama corrected my standing posture. Every since then, I try to practice good posture in everything and at all times. From: Steve Zimmerman ----------------------------------------- I show newbies how to use unbendable arm & move from their center to go through "push" & "pull" doors. I tell them whenever they're standing in line (at a movie box office, supermarket, bank), to stand in hamni (some spell it "hanmi") & imagine how they'd move if various people around them suddenly attacked them, one at a time, of course. They are newbies! *************************************************************************** 5. DEFINITION OF AIKIDO ======================== Aikido (the way of harmony) is a Japanese martial art, founded by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969). Its highest aim is the fullest integration of physical ability and mental focus, resulting in balanced and harmonious interaction with the world. The use of Aikido as a form of combat is in some sense incidental, even though it is a very effective form of self defense. Aikido is strictly defensive, using no blows or kicks. It emphasizes the neutralization of an attacker's force as both more effective and more responsible than inflicting damage. The practice and techniques of Aikido are derived from Japanese forms of meditation, from older martial arts and from samurai swordsmanship and its accompanying strategy. mmoore@linc.cis.upenn.edu Aikido (Japanese: "way of spiritual harmony"), self-defense system that resembles the fighting methods jujitsu and judo in its use of twisting and throwing techniques and in its aim of turning an attacker's strength and momentum against himself. Pressure on vital nerve centres is also used. Aikido was developed to subdue, rather than maim or kill as in jujitsu and karate, but many of its movements can nevertheless be deadly. Aikido especially emphasizes the importance of achieving complete mental calm and control of one's own body to master an opponent's attack. As in other Oriental martial arts, the development of courtesy and respect is an integral part of aikido training. The basic skills of aikido probably originated in Japan in about the 14th century. In the early 20th century they were systematized in their modern form through the work of the Japanese martial-arts expert Ueshiba Morihei. There are no offensive moves in aikido. As taught by Ueshiba, it was so purely defensive an art that no direct contest between practitioners was possible. Later a student of Ueshiba, Tomiki Kenji, developed a competition style (known as Tomiki aikido) that incorporates aikido techniques. A competitor attempts to score points by swiftly touching an opponent with a rubber or wooden knife, and the other tries to avoid and disarm the attacker. The two alternate in wielding the knife. See also martial art. Copyright 1993, Encyclopaedia Britannica **************************************************************************** 6. Pine plum and bamboo ======================== The pine, bamboo and plum (sho, chiku, bai) are common images used in popular Japanese culture. They are auspicious symbols: The pine is longevity and endurance, since it is ever-green and stays green even in winter, and it lives a long time and grows gnarly and beautifully weathered with age, like people who age well. The bamboo is flexibility and strength, as it bends in the wind or under a weight of snow, but never breaks. The plum is the Japanese plum, which is the first to blossom before the sakura cherry blossoms, so it signifies strong beauty in the face of winter harshness, albeit a fleeting beauty. The plum blossom also matures into the ume fruit, which is salted and pickled and is reputed to be a cure-all; a sort of Japanese chicken soup. Sho chiku bai. That's the name of a sake (Japanese alcohol) brand, too. The shochikubai is often grouped for New Year's decorations so that the household will be blessed with those attributes for the coming year. In Japan, we decorated our tea ceremony practice hall with shochikubai decorations for New Year's, and the doorways of Japanese homes and companies are decorated with kadomatsu (made of various combinations of bamboo, pine and plum) Yours, Wayne Muromoto, Tengu Press (Furyu the Budo Journal) **************************************************************************** 7. Shu, Ha and ri ================= "There are three levels of practice for any Japanese art, corresponding to 'shu', 'ha' and 'ri'. Roughly speaking these are 'keep', 'break' and 'leave'. The student first 'keeps' or copies the instructor without question, seeking to train the body in the movements and discipline the mind to patience. 'Ha' is the process of breaking them down and with them, breaking down the relationship between the teacher and the student. This understanding does not come from the instructor but from the student himself. Words cannot transmit the feeling of a motion; only the correct performance of that motion will do. In the final stage, 'ri', the student understands the essence of the art and must 'leave' the teacher. This stage is vital to the health of the art since a teacher whose students do not leave to become more skillful than he, is a teacher who has failed the art. Teachers who 'hold back a few secrets' so they will always be able to beat their students guarantee that their art will die within a few generations." from endnote #4 of "History of Iaido" by Kimberley Taylor, published in the "Journal of Asian Martial Arts", Volume 2 Number 3 - 1993.