In Aikido, there are over a thousand empty hand techniques. Over a thousand! I’ve practiced a couple hundred, perhaps, at best in my 30 years of training.
There are just four basic Aikido body movements that form the foundation for these many techniques. Tai sabaki are these four basic movements that match-up with the opponent. The two entering movements are called irimi. The two pivoting movements are called tenkan.
Will I ever know, much less practice, all these thousand techniques? Doubtful. But, years ago, Sensei Dan told me, “You can never practice tai sabaki enough.” When it comes down right to it, you must constantly practice the basics. Here, at least, it’s about going ‘old school’.
The ‘basics’, according to Sensei? Keep it simple.
Put the work in and practice your ass off: The Art in Mastery lies in simplicity. However, simple rarely translates as easy. That takes dedication. Mastering the basics in whatever we pursue takes a lifetime of practice.
Right now, I practice the 13 basic movements or kata for the jo (wooden staff) and the bokken (wooden sword). The training distinguishes the original body movements that O-Sensei created for Aikido. These basics are the fundamental principles of all Aikido technique and philosophy. It’s difficult and challenging. I virtually kill myself trying to get this down, grind out the basics. I do so out of my love for the Art.
There is no defense in Aikido…at least not in the conventional sense. I match attack for attack. That’s the authentic matching-up or awase. I enter the attack, move into the threat. Then, I move off the line of attack, letting the attack pass me. My body will naturally hesitate out of fear of harm or death. Yet, I train my mind to enter the attack as if it might be my last. Whether your opponent is better than you really doesn’t matter. You really can never know the outcome in any moment. What happens…happens.
Bruce Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who practiced one kick 10,000 times.” He understood that Art in Mastery is practice.
Sensei said, “It’s all about repetition.” Repetition and practicing the basics transforms the ‘unnatural’ into the natural. After correcting my Aikido technique, he would watch. Then, Sensei would remind me, “Everything natural.” I have applied this lesson to my Aikido and to my own life.
I have little or nothing to do with what goes on in another individual. However, as Werner Erhard said, I get to choose who I’m going to be in any given moment. Perhaps, kindness in the world starts with me, with us.
My dear friend Cheryl said, “Be kind to others. Be kind to yourself.” My spiritual Twin – martial artist and actor Dolph Lundgren said, “You have to learn to love yourself.” Having grown up with the abusive father as Dolph did, I got that I have to forgive and love me. Of course, I can blame others for my past hardships, but I’m not going to discover my peace going down that road.
But, how do I be kind to me? Well, I have to practice. When I mess up at work or on a date, I always go to, “Jon, you suck!” Instead of listening to that voice, I listen to Sensei: “You’re a better teacher than me.” I listen to Mom: “I’m proud of you.” The people that I love teach me how to be kinder to myself.
So, what are the basics of kindness? Maybe, it’s ‘getting’ another person. You regenerate within yourself what’s going on within another person, and that person is left with that experience. That’s being ‘gotten’. That’s beginning to understand what it’s like to be them. Perhaps, ‘being gotten’ is the source of having compassion for others. Perhaps.
Maybe, listening to others and not making it “all about me” is the key. Listen to others from that space of nothing before you speak or Tweet. Just be wiser.
Cheryl also wisely said, “Kindness begets kindness.” When I’m kinder to me, I give myself the ability to give kindness away. In Aikido, it’s like applying “the technique” to myself.
It’s the little things–not the grand gestures–that count. Keep practicing the basics, whatever they may be. Practice the basics so that everything transforms, organically. Practice the basics to become more than you are, more than you dreamed. By design, our hearts and minds want to make a difference in this life. So, just do it or–at the very least–practice.
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Photo credit: By ipopba @ iStock by Getty Images
David – This is beautiful. Thank you!