The founder often associated the essence of Aikido with that of weaponswork, most notably swordwork. In doing so, he ultimately was acknowledging the timing and role of aikido was that of a striking art, not a grappling art. Aikido is not jujutsu and to perform aikido well we do not train with the timing and intention of twisting wrists or bending arms.

Ki is not strength, it is an internal power that can be harnessed. Aikido is the study of aiki, the union of ki between multiple persons. Part of our training is necessarily to build and refine ki. Exercises like tenkan undo, sayo undo, Tori fune, ten chi nage and others help to refine and build ki. Also, sword and jo exercises can help to build and refine ki. Ki building exercises can be performed by oneself and outside of class. I encourage students to undertake this training as a means of developing their ki.

Categorically speaking, Aikido is a "ju"jutsu, that is a system based upon "soft" principles of movement.The opposite of ju is "go"; go is a system based upon hard principles of movement. These definitions may also refer to external and internal sources of power for the systems. It is from this categorization that we can derive Aikido is based upon softer, internal movements to generate power and affect.

Aikido has structure. The stance and movements we apply in aikido are done so from a structurally superior position. By aligning our skeletal and muscular systems as we adhere to principles of mechanics and physics we are able to create solid structure. This structure is comprised of 2 horizontal axises and 3 vertical axises. Maintaining structure is about preserving the integrity of these five rotational axises and applying the correct rotational axis in movement.

Despite taking on a fair share of martial challengers, O’Sensei specifically stated that there was to be no competitions in Aikido.  This has always confused me because I have found that competition provides a key “litmus test” for the level of my aikido.  In short, my ikkyo sucks in real life!  Kotegaishi, not too bad.  Nikkyo, passable.  Given the importance of the feedback provided by a “competitive partner” (AKA non-cooperative jerk, AKA bad energy-giver, etc...) Why would O’Sensei take this highly useful instrument out of Aikido’s toolbox?

 

Masakatsu Agatsu (True victory is victory over the self) is one of the major tenants of Aikido, and difficult to obtain if one puts winning competitions as the primary goal.  Ego kills technique, whether it be nagewaza (receiving energy) or ukewaza (initiating energy).  To see some great examples of this, watch some modern Judo competitions and watch the loser hitting the mat (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tma_lEb8N8c&feature=related).  Despite being successfully thrown, ukes often find the most awkward way to land.  Why is this? This is because in modern Judo, your opponent gets the instant win if he can throw you with complete control over your body.  By landing on your head, you can prove that your opponent was not controlling you, and thus avert the potential loss.  This is Ego.  This is in contrast to normal Judo training where winning is not the focus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhOmAyjTimc).  Judoka effortlessly take picture-perfect breakfalls outside of tournament.  While it seems a little ridiculous to purposefully land on your own head, it is fundamentally similar to hunkering down on an ikkyo, or delivering an insincere attack that will never connect with uke so you can stall out a technique.  There are only two possibilities: a) idiocy b) ego.  So, is there a way we can get the benefits of useful feedback without the downsides of competitive winning or losing?

 

I treat the dojo like a research lab.  Every interaction is a miniature experiment.  I try to limit experimenter bias (being emotionally invested in the outcome of the experiment), which takes the ego out of each interaction.  When I attack, I am sincerely interested in the results!  Poor input, leads to poor output.  First, I identify the purpose of the interaction.  Are we perfecting the proper methodology (i.e. footwork, hand placement, proper kazushi); are we testing its effectiveness (i.e. can uke intelligently counter/reverse the technique); or are we working on higher level aspects (i.e. aiki)?  Each purpose comes with its own set of physical parameters in which uke must work within.  “Competing” against a given technique is not only OK, it is necessary if the purpose of the interaction is to determine one’s effectiveness!  In reading the interviews of O’Sensei’s original uchi deshi (ex. Kuroiwa Sensei, Shioda Sensei, Mochizuki Sensei, Saito Sensei), it appears that competition was not only a part of the daily training, it was hugely important (and this is not counting post-class excursions to the local bars to try techniques out).  In summary, while tournaments are not a necessary aspect of Aikido training, competition is undoubtedly fundamental to developing a functional skill set.  We can call it research...     

 

There are many different philosophies surrounding aikido, and in your training you will need to reconcile how each philosophy affects your aikido style and personal beliefs. It is your responsibility to learn these philosophies and educate yourself about them. In your education hold no sacred cows; take seriously your task to understand aikido and those philosophies which drive aikido. In my education, I have yet to approach a solid concept which is not demonstrable, reproduce-able, and explain-able. Likewise, I seek those instructors who can concisely and clearly explain their aikido. I believe that aikido is founded in mechanics and principles of physics. At an elevated level of understanding, I believe aikido also includes physiology and psychology. Challenge your training and your beliefs. Understand what and why you believe it. Your training is your responsibility.

Surrounding us is a sphere of influence in which our body is designed to function. In addition, our muscles are designed to function in particular capacities, within areas of particular strength and function. It is important to learn how to best use our bodies and the space in which we function. Establishing our space with our partners is also important to our training. The timing of claiming space from our partner is critical. Proper distancing, ma ai, not only means the distance between partners but also the exchange of space between partners.

Like many academic pursuits, there is an order to the educational process of aikido. First, the martial educational paradigm in which we train is important to shifting the student's thought process into one of combat and military strategy. Second, the order in which we learn concepts and transcend from one level of understanding into another is important. In academics, it is understandable that one does not teach algebra before arithmetic. Similarly, in aikido there are concepts which should precede other, more advanced, concepts. We are building blocks upon which to stand to better understand what lies above us.

To loosely define "aiki" as we see it physically applied in aikido, we are simply talking about a transference of balance for two or more elements into one. The connective state under which we seize our partner's balance and transfer that balance under our control is the physical realization of aiki. By doing so, your partner(s) become dependent upon your balance structure to support their [now broken] balance.

Yes, I believe there are kata in aikido. I think much of what we commonly call "kihon waza" probably should be called "kata." Kata should be performed collusively, if not cooperatively, in the spirit of learning the proper mechanics of technique. Kata is learning the specific mechanics of body movement employed in technique; a key component in this explanation is that much of kata is conscious and precise movement. Kihon is a separate concept from kata. Kuriowa sensei often referred to the connection, musubi, between partners as "kihon", the root of any technique which would follow the connection. In this sense, kihon waza must first contain "aiki", then the technique application. Kuriowa Sensei often referred to this "learning" form as kata no kihon waza, the spontaneous application of root technique. Kuriowa sensei advocated that this form, kata no kihon waza, required both components or one would not be correctly performing kata no kihon waza.

We’ve been incorporating suburito workouts for quite a while now, and I have to say that everyone doing the suburito drills are getting quite a bit better!  Despite raising the number of repetitions, making up new and even more evil ways to swing them, and adding more suburito as they are crafted, cursing seems to be down ~50%!  So, how are people getting better?  Anyone pack on a few extra pounds of muscle?  Do we all now have Popeye forearms?  Well, my grip has gotten a bit better, but unfortunately, swinging my Bradford Pear Suburito has left me as –well “Pear-shaped” as ever.  So, if it isn’t a change in musculature, why are we all having an easier time doing this? 

It has to do with our centers.  Through repetition, our bodies are unconsciously learning how to load and move extra mass.  We do this by taking this mass, and connecting it to our centers.  Thus, with greater and greater connection, a center moving a 15 lb suburito begins to feel more and more similar to moving a 1 lb bokken.

 Obviously, swinging a suburito has clear benefits when we do sword work.  We have muscle memory due to the hundreds of cuts, along with the extra control needed to control something roughly 15 X the mass of a regular bokken.  But, how is this helping our empty hand work?  As has been discussed by Ikeda, Ledyard, Fasen Sensei, and our own Sensei, Aikido is about connection.  As we practice connecting and controlling an outside mass with our centers we can begin to apply this to other people’s centers as well.  It still takes practice to learn how to connect to other people’s centers (and suburito drills alone will not get you there), but once the connection is there, moving a person’s center will feel similar to moving a bokken.  Maybe this IS a sword art!