Hard, soft aikido

Ruth Peyser has always been one of my favorite instructors at the NY Aikikai. Her classes are dynamic, fun and instructive. A pretty good combination.

Ruth's aikido has a certain quality to it. It is generally very soft and clear, but there is a power there that can be sensed under the surface. Sort of like a muscle car cruising at 30mph. Though it isn't being utilized at that moment, one can feel the power under the accelerator.

Her ukemi is also first rate. She's not one for flashy break falls or even those super soft rolls that some others have, but she always keeps her center under her and keeps the connection to nage. Of all the things I try to emulate from her technique, her simple ukemi for, say, ikkyo is the biggest challenge.

It must be something with me, but I generally prefer ladies' aikido. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think it has something to do with understated elegance, as opposed to over-the-top force. Of course, this is a generalization which is not close to true in all cases. All the same, the few female instructors at the dojo never disappoint.

The other day, Noriko Oba taught a class. Though she is eminently qualified, she rarely teaches. Well, that was also a treat. I tried to take full advantage of the opportunity by asking a lot of questions, and I'm glad I did. Another class of grace and poise.

It's not that I don't like hard aikido, I do. But sometimes it's very helpful to ease things up a bit and really concentrate on the subtleties of aikido, instead of only "effective technique," which is a misnomer. It's those subtle qualities, refined to a high level, that make the techniques effective.

Simplicity of the "basics"

Well, the aches and pains are easing, if not completely gone. I still am having some trouble with my elbows, but my shoulder/back pain has abated, thank God. I'll make any deal with any devil not to get that back again.

Things at the NY Aikikai are merrily moving along. For the past few months, there have been extra black belt classes held on a few Saturdays. The Aikipenguin couldn't attend those, but I did watch most of them, hoping to see some secret, high-level techniques.

Well, there weren't any. In fact, I can't say they have done anything we all haven't done many times before. I'm sure there is a point to it that I'm not getting.

This month, basic classes were also added to the schedule. This was great news! Yamada-sensei's basic classes are legendary. I eagerly anticipated the class.

Well, I wasn't disappointed! Sensei spent the hour almost totally on footwork and tai sabaki (body positioning.) It was all very simple, but I have to say I think I learned more in that one hour than I have ever learned before. He just has a way of demonstrating and explaining that is very clear.

What does he say that is so different? I don't know. I can't put my finger on anything. Maybe it's the authority he inherently possesses. When sensei says something, one needn't wonder if it's right or not (as sometimes happens...). Perhaps that makes the whole learning process more direct. Just a guess.

A lot of upper class men seem to also understand the value in these classes. I was surprised at the number of black belts who attended the "beginner class." I bet if these continue, there will be more and more of them.

This week, Steve Pimsler will teach another one. I'm very sad to say I won't be able to attend. I have a rare commitment on Saturday. Steve is also a fabulous teacher.

Aikido body armor?

I've wondered before when did I get old, but it seems like the process is accelerating.

I remember when I started aikido, I noticed the older guys in the dojo had a series of taping, bracing and padding they would go through before any class. I remember thinking at the time, "Boy, if I'm a careful student, that won't happen to me." Of course, this can only be seen now as quaint sentiment.

It all started with some mild repetitive stress in my elbow, ironically, not aikido related (those computers will kill ya), and I applied an elbow brace to combat it. Unfortunately, I think I over used the brace for a few days because suddenly, I developed upper back pain in that arm's shoulder.

Unlike the elbow pain, this was completely debilitating. It felt like someone had inserted a knife in my shoulder blade. Those of you familiar with back pain will know how ever-present it is, but for me it was a new experience.

After a course of acupuncture, tui na, electrical stimulation of the meridians and -- most importantly -- rest, I've managed to subdue the pain, but it was tough going for a while.

I was able to return to the mat on Saturday, and the shoulder held up well, but I immediately tweaked my knee! Just poor footwork on my part. I'll plead the 2-week hiatus took me out of proper form.

So Sunday I found myself dressing for class, I put on a fairly heavy duty knee brace on my left knee, and a lesser on on my right. Elbow pad on one arm and tape for my bruised finger on my other. I suddenly realized I'd become one of the "old guys" I derided early in my aikido career.

The next step is total body armor -- maybe a kind of modern-samurai with a dash of medieval...

Kaiten nage

I haven't hasn't been blogging for a while -- and that's to my detriment.

Blogging helps helps to solidify the concepts learned in the dojo. Giving them some sort of expression, or rather the process of giving them expression, seems to clarify and reinforce the lessons learned.

A lot has happened in the past few months, but I'm at a loss to list them now. Well, I passed my third kyu test. That's an easy one.

As usual, I was nervous and overanxious before the test. I was particularly worried about kaitennage ura (see above video) for some reason. I had prepared, but not as much as I would like and felt a bit overwhelmed. Even so, I decided to go for it and see what would happen.

For the test, I was partnered with a guy from Michael McNally's dojo in Hoboken. I was lucky to get partnered with someone who knew the techniques and ukemi! (The memory of one fellow's test about a year ago kept haunting me. He just didn't know the techniques and Sugano-sensei stopped the test to call him out on it.) I can't remember my partner's name now, but he did well.

One scary moment, though, was when I was thrown during kaitennage. I came within an inch of the table Sugano and Mike Abrams senseis sit at when conducting the test! I just saw it go by out of the corner of my eye. The next day, I ran into Mike. He said some nice things, to which I answered, "Well, the best thing I did was not hit the table!" He said he put his hand over the corner to offer some protection as I went by. Honestly, I hadn't seen it. Just thinking about it makes my temple hurt!

Anyway, getting past that, things seemed to have gone well for everyone. The second and first kyus looked pretty good. Soon-jun, in particular, impressed the Aikipenguin.

After the test, as I do after every test, I swore to myself I'll prepare better next time. Maybe this time I will.

A check of the calender tells me I can test in November if I go over 5 days per week. We'll see if I can make that happen!

A goalless goal

All my life, I've always been driven to be the best at whatever I took seriously. Sometimes I even made it, or pretty close, but at least I always strove to work as hard as I could. When the Japanese are about to do something, they don't wish each other luck, they say rather, "Gambate!" which means to "Do your best!" I admire those who always strive for perfection.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with being driven and I don't plan on changing my ways any time soon. However, this sort of thinking can be over done and lead one into the trap of competitiveness.

I no longer care for being "the best" at something. I only care that I am doing my best. Which is a subtle but significant difference. One promotes the ego, the other may take it down a few pegs.

I know I should strive to not only do my best, but rejoice in the accomplishments of others. There is no need to prop myself up by putting others down.

Of course, I don't always succeed in this, but when I fail and catch myself with envious thoughts, I'm able to center my mind and bring myself back to a more quiescent state about the whole thing.

For a guy who has lived his life in unbridled desire to win, this is an improvement.

There is a peace and beauty in letting the other guy have his moment in the sun, too...

The famous motto of Osensei, "Masakatsu Agatsu", contains the essence of the spirit of Aikido: "True victory is victory over the self."

Forging the sword

Iron is full of impurities that weaken it; through forging, it becomes steel and is transformed into a razor-sharp sword. Human beings develop in the same fashion.
-- Morihei Ueshiba

NY Aikikai Christmas seminar 2008

A few folks have asked for a detailed schedule for the upcoming Christmas seminar at the NY Aikikai, which will take place on Saturday Dec. 20 and Sunday Dec. 21. One day, $50. Two days $80.

Time	Rank	Instructor
Saturday
10-11	Mixed	Steve P.
11-12	Kyu	Yamada
12-1	Dan	Yamada
1-2	Dan	Sugano
2-3	Mixed	Sugano
3-4	Mixed	Harvey
4:15	Dan Tests
7:30	Party
Sunday
10-11	Mixed	Yamada
11-12	Mixed	Yamada
12-1	Mixed	Sugano
1-2	Mixed	Sugano
2-3	Mixed	Donovan

Atemi

The vast majority of aikido techniques have an atemi (strike) in them somewhere. (I've heard it said that there is always an atemi available somewhere.) Often we allow the atemi to be de-emphasized in the dojo. I think this is a serious mistake.

The raison d'être of atemi is usually given as a "covering" move for nage. Especially in irimi moments, nage may be open to attack. The atemi, then, gives uke something to deal with instead of having the opportunity to reinforce his attack. This may very well be true. However, I think it's less than half the story.

The compelling reason for an atemi is to disrupt uke at the moment nage will apply a technique. This is crucial against a skilled opponent.

Aikido is usually described as a "blending" with the opponent's attack. The matching of uke's direction, speed and timing is meant to unbalance uke and allow a technique to work. True as that may be in theory, this pollyannaish approach wouldn't hold up under all conditions. Even if an aikidoka executes a perfectly timed technique at speed, there is one other consideration not often dealt with in the dojo: What if the attacker has a stronger center, is much more firmly rooted and possesses a superior ki flow than the aikidoka? What if he is more relaxed, calm, and focused? In other words, the attacker is a high level martial artist.

Well then, without something to change the equation, blending with that punch and pulling off an effective kotegaeshi would then come down to which one has the most ki happening at that moment? (Of course, we are assuming the aikidoka can execute a perfect technique, with enough speed and perfect timing -- leaving the Aikipenguin out of the discussion entirely.)

I don't think this is an acceptable state of affairs. After all, if we are practicing a martial art is designed to peacefully end conflict, we should be able to do that with a degree of confidence.


The solution, ironically enough, is a bit of aggression! A well placed and timed atemi will disrupt the opponent's energy flow as well as his concentration and attention. This is very important as that will then allow the now more energetically coherent aikidoka to successfully apply the technique.

Note the difference between a skilled attacker and one who simply resists the technique. An opponent who resists is not all that unusual, even in an aikido dojo. It often takes years for uke to soften up, in the meantime, resistive partners offer plenty of opportunity for practice, even in the best dojo. By definition, a skilled aikidoka will have more energy at his disposal than a resistive attacker and should be able to handle him with relative ease.

Osensei has been quoted as saying "Atemi is 90 percent of aikido."
I think to many people, as it was to me, that seems to be just another one of Osensei's perplexing statements and is soon put aside without making much sense of it. I now am not so sure about that. I think a man with his martial experience and skill would know as a matter of course how vital it was to disrupt his attacker's flow and rhythm. (It is also said he had a devastating kiai.)

By the way, this discussion shouldn't presuppose a passive nage who just waits for the attack -- but that is a discussion for another day.

A link?

Well, about a bazillion things to say, martial arts wise, this week. I'll spare you most of them.

Aikido gives me the framework to address taiji and taiji gives me lots and lots of new ways to think about aikido. It's a very cool kind of reciprocal relationship.

As posted earlier, I'm finding the hip joint (kua) to be more and more related to what's going on. I'm playing with it and testing it daily.

On the one hand, it seems to be a source of power. This makes sense for, among a number of reasons, it's pretty close to the Dan Tien. On the other hand, I'm also starting to feel the kua as merely a link between my center and the ground.

Briefly, during push hands the other night -- just a moment or two -- I felt absolutely rooted. Looking back on it now, I seem to sense that the center (Dan Tien/Kua area) was not the source of power but the conduit of it (if that makes any sense). In my mind's eye at least, the source of power seems to have been the earth. My center, which I had always thought as the "main thing," was just my main link in that chain.

That would mean we don't ever really own this ki, we just make use of it. Even if, on one level, we produce it or store it. On another, we are just manipulating the energy that is available in the universe. The better we are at doing that, the more ki we seem to "have," but in fact, we don't possess it at all. I guess we just make use of it for ever longer periods of time as we improve our skills.

In aikido, I am also feeling more in the flow of things. I think during these moments, mindfulness of the balls of my feet starts to take over from mindfulness of the center. It's sort of like the feet are at one end and the torso/head are at the other and the center connects the two and makes them come alive.

I'm not sure if this idea is correct or even really important, but it was a flash of something, anyway. I'll figure it out sometime.

Confluence

Things are starting to come together.

I decided to start tai chi because I believed and hoped it would improve my aikido. The fact that I am starting to love it as a marvelous art in it's own right is a bonus.

Practically every day I'm gaining new insights into aikido from tai chi. Now that I'm starting to understand the kua (hip joint/region) a little and how to "energize" and "release" it, I am wasting no time putting this knowledge into aikido to the best of my ability.

This joint/area is not one we pay much attention to in the West. According to Rick Barrett, there are not many nerve receptors in this area so we may not be as aware of it as other joints. I also heard this area is not easily injured, making it even easier to ignore.

Releasing the kua occurs in the moments when one wants to send the ki/qi down. It's basically relaxing and closing the joint. Now that I'm looking for it, I'm finding lots of such moments in aikido -- and not just the obvious ones.

This is how the sempai are able to create that drawing power, I think. It's the kind of thing that, once you are caught in it, you can't get out. These moments are extremely brief and easy to miss, which is probably why I had missed them up until now. In tai chi, the time over these moves is expanded, which makes the subtle points easier to notice and focus on. (Note I didn't say easy.)

Energizing the kua is just the opposite. It is done in moments when the energy is activated (used, extended) in the body and technique. CC Chen says this starts from the toe. You know, it works in a kind of cool way? Thinking of a throw coming from the "center" certainly has helped me. But now, the energizing of the kua has begun to make it more powerful. It gives the throw a rotational quality that is pretty powerful. I think this is how guys like Luke Machado can throw with such explosive force with out much lateral movement, which had always stumped me. I'll be working with this more to find out for sure.

Speaking of CC Chen, he was explaining about switching the energy from the toe, energizing the kua at a point in the form, when he said, "Of course, this is how it looks in the form." Then he walked over to the wall. "On the street, it's like this," and he gave a vertical mat some pretty explosive punches -- fa jing, the explosive expression of energy. It would be impressive at any age, but I believe the man is 73. Wow.