If you have mastered the way of the sword, you needn’t even draw your sword.
– Yagyu Munenori
Yagyu Munenori was one of the greatest samurai and martial artists of the Tokugawa Period in Japan. He founded the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, one of the two official swordsmanship styles in Japan. Yagyu was a Master.
I’ve trained in Aikido for over 35 years. I’m Godan (5th degree black belt). I have not mastered Aikido. I’m no master. I’m a life long student of mastery. I just train.
Over the years in Aikido and martial arts training, I’ve trained with those, who needed to prove that they are better than others. Prove that they were Badass. That’s one way to go. With all due respect, that’s the utter waste of a life. There are all kinds of Aikido, like there are all kinds of people. People will always do what they want. You can’t change people. They have to change themselves.
Aikido Founder O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba said, “True victory is victory over oneself.” O-Sensei said there are no external opponents. It’s only me against me. I’m my greatest opponent. I have trained for over half my life to be the Badass, who doesn’t fight. I don’t look for fights. I don’t get into fights. I have not drawn my sword. I train not to.
When the bigger, stronger man punches to my face, I wait it out. I enter the attack and take a glancing blow if I have to. I’m not always going to get away scot-free. It’s one time. The late Mizukami Sensei taught me that.
Ishibashi Sensei said, “The safest place to be is under the attack, in the danger.” I get under the attack, under what I fear. I hold my position. Make my timing. I apply the Aikido technique to myself, not to the attacker. I apply nikkyo (wristlock) to myself and match the attacker’s punch with yoko-iriminage (strike to side of the head) to the attacker. I choose to let the attacker pass or end the attack. The bigger stronger man chooses to take the fall or get struck down. We both choose.
When someone attacks me, there is still no fight. I don’t oppose the attack. I don’t resist it. I invite the attack. My feeling is out. If I defend, I can be defeated. I choose not to strike the attacker and let them pass or end the attack. I choose to draw my sword or not. The attacker chooses to continue their attack or stand down. There is no need to fight. Again, we both choose.
Badass is not thoughtless, not fearless, not proving I’m better than someone. Every time I enter the attack, enter what I fear, I let go my fear inside that I’m not good enough. I do what I have to and be what I need to in what I fear. I let go my fear inside over, and over, and over again. Although my fear inside never completely disappears, when I enter what I fear, I release more of my fear inside. I free myself. That’s badass.
I master the way of the sword in letting go my fear inside that I’m not good enough. Mastery is about what I can do, what I can’t do, and what I used to do. On that path, I love myself for who I am and forgive myself for who I’m not. I have nothing to do with what goes on inside someone else. I have a say in what goes on inside me. I don’t have to get somewhere or be someone else. I have nothing to prove. Just train. Although I’ll never be a master, I follow that path.
Times have changed since the Age of the Samurai and the Days of Yagyu. In the Social Media Age, attacks are not just physical or visceral. Faceless cowards and repugnant bullies use Social Media platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram to attack with their threats and unkind words. Sticks and stones can break your bones, but sometimes cruel words hurt even more.
Regardless of the attack, there is no fight. No need to fight. O-Sensei reminds, “True victory is victory over oneself.” The only fight is inside me. I overcome myself. That’s it. The only meaningful comparison is me to myself. I work on myself, not on the attacker, not on others. That’s all I can do. That’s all that we can do.
Badass isn’t about fighting everyone and kicking ass. I work on myself, not on others. That’s all I can do. I let go my fear inside that I’m not good enough over, and over, and over again. It’s only me against me. There is no fight. No need to fight. If I defend, I can be defeated. I don’t oppose. I don’t fight. I needn’t draw my sword.
On the path, I love myself for who I am and forgive myself for who I’m not. I work on myself, not on others. When I work on myself perhaps that helps others to work on themselves, too. And world is all the greater for that. Just train.
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Photo by Ricardo Cruz on Unsplash
