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...     

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!        

The basic fundamentals, refined to perfection, are your most advanced techniques.

-Bill Koll (1923-2003, Wrestling Hall of Famer)

What is the difference between a technique demonstrated by a Shihan, and the average Ikkyu/Shodan?  I'd say it is rare that I look at a Shihan doing a demo and say, “I don’t even know what to call that…”  Nearly all of their techniques are something I have at least attempted – of course, with drastically inferior results.  So, what is it about their technique that makes them so different from our own?  Yes, they’ve practiced the basics thousands of times, but their spectacular results are not the fruit of mindless repetition.  They are born from refinement.  With each set of repetitions, the basics get a little bit better.  Maybe not a noticeable amount and maybe one rep will be worse than the last, but the sole purpose of each basic movement is refinement.  Now that we are at the beginning of the semester, and back to the basics, try to channel a Shihan and focus on refinement.      

Aikido is often represented by three different shapes: Triangle, Circle, & Square.  There are a variety of opinions concerning what these shapes symbolize, and how they apply to aikido footwork and movement.  The following might be a useful framework for applying these shapes to your Aikido.  Keep in mind that most techniques rely on combinations of the shapes.  Additionally, individuals might find that they have a tendency to favor emphasizing one shape over another.  I have included examples of Shihan after each description, as I believe, although they utilized all shapes, their techniques favored a particular shape.   

Triangle – Sword, Irimi, Pointiness

                We use triangles for stabbing and slicing into the correct angle of attack.  Interestingly, a triangle attack can be on the center line (i.e. the combined vector of each side of an equilateral triangle, as in shomenuchi), or off one of the two vectors (i.e. coming in off a yokomen angle).  Triangles are advantageous when you have superior timing.  Striking first is the key to good triangle movement.  A tertiary benefit of a triangular shape is that it can deflect energy.  However, the point of the triangle is not to deflect energy, but to deliver it to maximum effect!  This quick delivery of energy, and thus instantaneous victory without lengthy technique, make triangles ideal for multiple attacker randori.

Shioda Shihan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgZCw88jx2c

Circle – Blending, Protection, Control

                We use circles for protecting, blending, and controlling.  The key to making circles work is connection between your center, and your opponent’s center.  Circular movement will not affect uke if connection is absent.  Circles are useful for keeping uke’s balance and maintaining control once connection has been established.  Where a triangle will finish the opponent with a concentrated point of energy, a circle will spiral them into the ground or project them out.  Adding a circle to the end of a triangle typically diminishes its full effect, and this can be used to prevent harm to the training partner.  Alternatively, adding a triangle onto the end of a circular movement can be devastating.  While the triangle will give you instantaneous victory during multiple attacker randori, circles can be used to convert one of your opponents temporarily into a human shield. 

Endo Shihan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylrcUJc7MIA&p=E2D52E049E2EE00B&playnext=1&index=67

Square – Stability, Internal Strength, Immobilization

                We use squares for rooting power, lifting, or dropping.  The key to a square is controlling all four directions at the same time.  A square can be pushed on in any direction and it will not budge.  Where triangles deliver energy into uke to make him/her weak, squares soak up energy, which is then used to strengthen us and root us to the ground.  Square movements take whatever force is coming in and redirects it into the vertical plane (either into the air or into the ground, or both).  Squares are most effective when they either appear suddenly or disappear suddenly.  Squares will fall apart if there is too much slack in the connection, as this will give uke time to adjust and regain mobility.  Their vertical nature makes squares ideal for kaeshiwaza (technique reversal) and pinning.  When combined with triangular entries, squares are ideal for moving through multiple attackers with very little movement. 

Tohei Shihan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfvTLP9S84o&feature=fvw

Yamaguchi Shihan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNGq93vQLdQ 

In the world of academia, there is very little learning that can be considered “mentally effortless”.  If I want to understand Hernstein’s Matching Theory, or memorize the output pathways of various sub-nuclei in the brain, I had better be prepared to spend some serious time with some serious coffee!  At times Aikido can feel similarly taxing. I can spend an entire class epically failing every single technique shown to us, and leave feeling mentally drained.  But Aikido is supposed to be “natural”… Where could this misleading concept have come from? 

Maybe we can gain some insight by thinking about the training patterns of the Shihan who espoused this ridiculous statement in the first place.  O’Sensei, Saito Shihan, and others were farmers.  Not only did they develop “farm strength”, they used that strength to do thousands of bokken cuts every single day.  They didn’t have to consciously think about connecting their centers to do techniques because the farm work and solo exercises did that for them.  It WAS a natural byproduct of their lifestyle.  Does that mean that if we hope to make our Aikido effortless, we need to be able to crush bamboo under our arms?  Well, it probably wouldn’t hurt.  Unfortunately, I am all out of bamboo – BUT, I do have a nice little 15lb suburito.  Did I mention that it’s all natural Bradford Pear?

mpgtaijiquan.blogspot.com

·         In Malcom Gladwell’s book, Outliers, he posits that actual “mastery” of a skill requires approximately 10,000

           hours of practice. 

·         According to the ASU testing guidelines*, reaching the 1^st milestone of 6^th kyu requires 3 months or 30 hours

          (1 class = 1 hour…yes, our classes are 1.5-2 hours, but ASU doesn’t roll like that.) 

·         Translated into “Emory Aikikai training time” roughly gives you about 50 actual hours of training before you can

           reach 6^th kyu.

·         850 Emory hours before you reach the level of shodan. 

·         If you come to ALL three classes per week, you will have trained 5 hours per week.

·         10,000 hours/5 = over 38 years of consistent training

·         Adding an extra 2 hours per week will cut it down to a mere 27 years. 

*http://www.aikidoschool.org/ASU_Handbook.pdf

In Aikido circles, it is common knowledge that O’Sensei, and virtually all of his top students had prior martial arts experience.  But what specifically was it about this prior training that catapulted a select few into the upper echelons of Aikido mastery?  I believe that in addition to bringing prior knowledge of “martial awareness/suki”, what differentiated the good students, from the great students (Tomiki, Tohei, Mochizuki etc…) – those who advanced both in skill and rank very quickly (ex. Tomiki reached 8^th Dan equivalent in 10 yrs at age 36!) - was that in addition to their sense of martial awareness, they had already trained and mastered three critical elements: Connection, Kazushi, and Control (the Three “C”s*).  These “C”s* can be found in many martial traditions, but importantly are common to the relevant arts that were trained by these top level masters, specifically, Sumo, Judo, and Aikido.  Below, are some examples that clearly represent these elements.  Note that the Sumo, and Judo players represented here, as far as I know, did NOT train in Aikido, yet if you look at the connections, angles of attack, and control, you can see many similarities to our aikido techniques.  The fourth clip from Endo Shihan I believe elevates those skills to a level wherein these masters in their own martial arts, were convinced that they could learn something important from O’Sensei.    

*Requires some imaginative spelling…

 Watch these as you would any aikido demo, start by observing the footwork, then look for how body position is used to achieve connection, kazushi, & control

Sumo Match: Asashouryuu (Yokozuna) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEe-UIvftUg

Judo Demo: Mifune Shihan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFXbuszijCM

Judo Match: Koga Shihan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6i3WaVNpGM&feature=related

Aikido Demo:Endo Shihan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylrcUJc7MIA

Sumo Match: Chiyonofuji (Yokozuna) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnLBxW_GBG4

Chiyonofuji spent time training with Tohei Shihan (could not determine the extent of the training)

Plateaus occur naturally in everything we do whether it is physical, educational, or spiritual in nature.  I have experienced several plateaus within my Aikido training.  During these plateaus, it seems as though my abilities show little to no improvement for weeks at a time.    On the advice of others, I’ve experienced several successful ways of overcoming the Aikido training flat-line.  The following are three methods that have helped me overcome a training plateau.  I have arranged them in the order that I have used them, but lately I have found myself going back and forth between these strategies - as my ukemi (Strategy I), for example, now is currently much different than it was four years ago.  What strategies have worked for you?

Strategy I: Ukemi Improvement

When I first began training, I experienced a rapid rise in learning similar to driving a car.  I found I had to pay attention to a million things at once!  Where are my feet?  What the heck is “katatedori”?  Why am I not breathing?  After a few months, I had the hang of the vocab, and usually could get my feet in the right orientation.  A few months after that, I could do the basic shapes for ikkyo, kotegaishi, and one out of ten times an iriminage with a full tenkan.  A few months after that, I had reached my first plateau.  At this point, my ukemi was still very basic, and nothing that could be considered “pro-active”.  I began to try to improve my ukemi, first by trying to take control of my own “destiny” during ukemiwaza.  So, rather than letting myself be controlled and thrown by nage, I began to take active measures as soon as my balance was taken to improve my position by rolling and breakfalls.  This had the added side effect of improving my sensitivity as nage, as well as beginning to expose potential vulnerabilities!  Both Sensei will tell you that your Aikido will only progress as fast as your ukemi, and I have found this to be very sound advice.  So, during that first plateau, try to focus on your ukemiwaza, specifically with the goal of getting to a place of safety.

Strategy II: Mix up the Training

After a few kyu tests, I had now gotten most of the basic shapes down, and could reliably produce techniques during kihon practice.  However, the nagarewaza was still a big hurdle for me.  For the life of me, I just couldn’t perform techniques if I didn’t know ahead of time what the attack would be!  As obvious as this fix should have been, it was a plateau that I spent several months struggling with.  Again, on the advice of others, I started staying after class and working just on jiuwaza.  I found that others were willing to stay and work on repeated attacks, first, slowly, with only one kind of attack (i.e. menutsuki), then mixed with other attacks.  With this practice, my body slowly started to focus on principles of movement, and less so on the specific technique.  I found that techniques would open up, with the caveat being that I had to struggle to not use the same movement – which in turn opened up the same technique over and over and over…Lastly, I had the chance to spar with a very good karate guy, who clearly demonstrated that I was completely and hopelessly unable to apply ANY aikido techniques in a live situation.  As Kuriowa Shihan noted, kihonwaza training is necessary for live application, but so is practicing with resistance.  Don’t expect to be able to apply your kihonwaza to someone who is prepared to offer resistance right off the bat, and don’t expect it to be pretty.

Strategy III: Setting One Goal at a Time

This third strategy is somewhat inspired by old school training, where a student works on a single technique until they have mastered it.  In the traditional old school Kodokan Judo, it was not uncommon to spend the first year simply watching on the side while sitting in seiza, and the second year doing nothing but getting thrown by senior students.  I remember spending five months doing nothing but Osotogari!  Of course, our Aikido classes are structured much differently, and this can lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed by the hundreds of techniques and variations we might learn in a single year.  Over the last few years, I have been employing a hybrid learning strategy that both focuses on a single elemental skill, but is applied to nearly every technique we practice over the period of an entire semester or year.  For example, in 2007 I made it my goal to focus on using my hips more.  Thus, while every class would emphasize something different (i.e. various techniques, kazushi, timing), I would always try to incorporate moving my hips in addition to what was being shown.  In 2008, I chose to focus on getting three inches deeper on every single technique, and in 2009 I focused on speeding up my timing so that I was initiating the technique.  Overall, the purpose of this strategy is to help organize your training so that you are building muscle memory reflexes, even while practicing different techniques for every class.  I was amazed at how building these elemental skills one by one helped to overcome various training plateaus!

In summary, training is full of starts and stops, and is rarely a steadily rising learning curve.  In my experience, I have found my training best characterized by periods of rapid learning, followed by periods of very slow learning.  I am sure there are many great strategies to overcome a learning curve plateau, but here are at least three strategies that have proven to be helpful in my own training.

Shoshin,

AK