What is Aiki? by George S. Ledyard
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From the standpoint of waza, or technique, "Aiki" is how
we communicate with the partner / opponent's Mind via his various
sensory organs. It is the way that we direct his "attention"
(consciousness directs the "attention" to collect information) to
create movement of his Mind. Because the Mind and Body are inseparably
connected, affecting the Mind automatically affects the body.
The Mind must move before the body begins to move. It is the Mind that
moves the body. "intention" provides the motive force for
action; it necessarily precedes action. "Aiki" is the
use of the partner's "attention" (various sensory inputs) to
create movement of his Mind so that his Mind will move his body. Of
the various senses "sight" is the dominant sense before the two
partner / opponents meet physically. Sound is also important as is the
so-called "sixth sense" which we will simply call the intuition. Once
physical contact is made, "touch" becomes the overwhelmingly dominant
sense.
In the martial interaction the opponent forms the "intention"
to attack, his body initiates action, his Mind constantly his
"attention" to pick up the information it needs to accomplish
the intended action. It is this connection with the consciousness via
the "attention" that allows the defender to use that channel of
information flow to create movement of the Mind which will, in turn,
cause the body to move. In other words, in "Aiki" one moves oneself in
order to have the partner move himself. The direction the movement
takes must work in accord with the basic physical geometry of the
partner's body - weak balance lines, locking direction of the joints
etc. But the partner moves himself along these lines because his Mind
is led long those same pathways. So in essence, you do not throw your
partner, the partner throws himself.
Key Elements of "Aiki"
Attention and Intention
The "attention" is the word used to describe the direction or
point of focus for your Mind. When you put your "attention" on
something or someone you are directing the various sensory organs to
prioritize information coming from that source. The Mind takes the
information from the various sensory inputs and tries to create an
organized picture for itself. Quite a bit about the use of Aiki in the
martial interaction has to do with confusing the Mind by creating
conflicting messages for the opponent's Mind via the different sensory
inputs. Placement of ones "attention" is critical for directing
ones energy properly.
Exercises for directing the "attention":
- Two partners stand across the mat from one another. One looks
down at his feet or the mat and thinks about something other than his
partner. The other simply relaxes and is simply "receptive". At some
point the first partner raises his eyes from the floor and looks
directly at his partner, feeling as if he is touching him with his
mind on the chest. Each partner should notice what it feels like when
this connection of the "attention" is established.
- Do the same exercise but the two partners should look into each
others eyes. This normally will feel quite a bit different.
- Now have the two partners both look down and at a signal from a
third party, look up, establish visual connection with each others
eyes, and then slowly walk forward towards each other. This is a
sensitivity exercise, not an "intention" exercise so both
parties should be directing their "attention" in a very soft and
relaxed manner. You simply want to feel receptive to what it feels
like when you reach out with your Mind and establish this
connection. Then the two partners should walk towards each
other. There is no "right" or "wrong" outcome to this. If a mat full
of people do this exercise, some will walk right up to the partner and
only stop when they are virtually touching. Others will consistently
stop some distance away.
- Now, do the same exercise, but the two partners stand with their
backs towards each other. Then they should walk backwards towards each
other. Notice how the consciousness automatically shifted to "hearing"
as the dominant source of input. Also, note how, in the absence of the
dominant visual input, the Mind will strive to get information beyond
just what it "hears" and will start to try to "feel" where the partner
is. That is its attempt to use the "intuition", a sense that is very
low voltage, so to speak. Normally the input from the intuition is
drowned out by all the "noise" from the other senses. One has to
really quiet the Mind before the input from the "intuition" starts
registering in the conscious Mind. For fun, try doing this exercise
with ear plugs. You can feel the Mind straining to get the information
it wants from any source. In the absence of the information from the
more dominant senses, it will try hard to reach out with the
"intuition" because it needs input to make decisions.
These exercises are very simple ones designed to make people aware
that the "direction of the attention" is a form of tangible connection
and that this connection utilizes all of the sensory material
available. Aikido practice should train one to direct the
"attention" properly. The moment ones bows to the partner, the
technique is already on. Long before the "attack" begins the two
partners have established this communication between them. The
information flows both ways through this connection, back and forth. A
change in one side is instantly noted on the other side.
"Intention" has two aspects "strength" and "quality":
First, "intention" refers to the strength of the
"attention". For instance, the act of Reading a book normally
requires a relaxed placement of the "attention". However, if
the material in the book is highly technical or is less interesting to
the reader, he will have to put effort into keeping his
"attention" on the material; this is "intention". In the
martial interaction the "intention" required is very high. It
is necessary to keep ones "attention" on the opponent's center
and stay non-reactive to his kiai, feints, strike, grab, or sword
cut. (This is fudo shin in Japanese; it means
"immoveable Mind"). It requires strength of "intention"
to deliver a committed strike and not be distracted by the opponent's
attempts to defend or counter attack. In others words, this aspect of
the "intention" is about what we would call the
"will".
Second, "intention" is the action of the Mind that determines
the "quality" of the interaction. In this aspect its function has to
do with directing the movements of the body towards a desired
outcome. What is the "intended" outcome of the interaction? If it's a
training interaction the intended outcome is mutual growth, if it's a
low level conflict with another person some sort of non-violent
conflict resolution might be intended. But if the encounter is a real
life and death martial encounter, then the "intention" will
create actions which will probably result in the destruction of the
opponent. In other words, this aspect of "intention" matches
ones actions to the quality of the interaction.
The Japanese concept which regulates the interplay between "strength
of "intention"" and "quality of "intention"" is
"Makoto", or "sincerity". "Makoto" works
to ensure that the energy of an interaction is honest, that it is
completely consistent with the type of interaction that is talking
place.
This aspect of Aikido training is very important to
understand. Because training is about working with friends and
acquaintances in a simulation of conflict, many people train with weak
or no "intention". When they strike, they take the energy out
of the strike or strike at an unrealistic distance. When they take
ukemi they are anticipatory or over reactive. Weak "intention"
is a lack of sincerity. The cause is almost always fear. Fear keeps
ones "intention" from being clear. One can be afraid for
oneself or even afraid to hurt another, it doesn't matter. Unclear
"intention" is insincere, lacking in the crucial quality of
"Makoto". In the movie The Last Samurai this was nicely
described when Tom Cruise's character was described as having "too
many Minds".
What separates the training interaction from the true martial
encounter is not a difference in the "strength of "intention""
but rather having a different "quality of "intention"". The
Founder created techniques which allow the whole hearted practice of
the art with strong, clear, "intention" without injury to the
partner. Because of this change in the physical techniques of the art,
we can train in the spirit of "shin ken shobu" or the "live
blade encounter" in which each instant, ones life is on the
line. Training with this attitude is training with "Makoto". If
the character of the interaction were to be different, as in a true
life and death encounter, the "quality of the "intention""
would change and the direction given the action of the body, i.e. the
techniques would change accordingly and the result would most likely
be the destruction of the opponent.
Ki Musubi
Ki musubi is the term which describes the joining of ones
"attention" with that of his partner / opponent. Obviously an
attacker must reach out with his "attention" to the
defender. His mind must form the "intention" to attack before
his body starts to move. In the martial interaction this
"intention" must be very strong. It is essentially a flow of
Yang energy proceeding outward from the attacker to the
defender. Energy is a form of vibration. Ki Musubi involves reaching
out with ones own "attention" and touching the opponent's
center. This does not mean that you push back against his
"intention" with your own but rather your "intentions" merge
his to your center and yours to his. A tuning fork will vibrate
sympathetically if another vibrating fork is placed nearby. If one's
Mind is relaxed and he extends his attention, he starts to feel the
formation of the "intention" to attack rather than merely
reacting to the visual cues that may be there as the attacker
translates the "intention" to attack into movement with his
body.
The ability to do this completely changes how one experiences temporal
issues such as "timing" and "speed". In the paired interaction, ones
Mind is already at the attacker's center before he initiates the
attack. His body simply hasn't actualized what the Mind has already
done. This is the key concept to be investigated. What do conventional
concepts regarding timing and spacing (sen no sen, go no sen, sen
sen no sen, etc.) mean when one starts to operate with the feeling
of "already"? The reactive aspect of the interaction with the partner
simply disappears and ones perception of time completely
changes. Everything slows down and one feels as if there is plenty of
time for whatever movement is required.
Ki musubi is essential in allowing the complete
relaxation that can then result in the physical musubi at the
time of physical contact. If one is in the reactive mode of trying to
respond to external cues from the attacker, one is always just a bit
behind, just a bit late. "Irimi" or "entering" is almost
impossible in this situation. The experience of being late, feeling as
if there isn't enough time to complete the desired action creates
tension in the Mind and Body which makes "Aiki"
impossible.
Exercises to feel and project "intention":
- Two partners stand across the mat from one another, as described
above. They should direct their "attention" towards each other
and make eye contact. One of the two partners will try to feel as if
he were streaming energy from his hara towards the other
partner. Doing this will probably make the partner doing the
projecting feel like dropping his center. He should simply go with
what feels natural. Then the partner walks towards the other and tries
to maintain a constant strong pressure forward into the other's
hara. Both should feel what this is like. It is possible that, if one
of the two has very strong "intention", the other may actually
feel moved to step back as the other moves forward. Some people
actually feel uncomfortable when someone approaches them in this
manner. That is the Fear that we spoke of earlier. Training is about
learning to deal with that Fear.
- Now, have both partners do the same thing described above. If
both partners are projecting their "intention" strongly at each
other, as they move forward there should be a feeling of building
tension or pressure building up between them. Not how it is fairly
easy to stand up to strong projection at a distance but as the
distance closes, the feeling of the projection magnifies
exponentially. One can feel that one is actually approaching some
point in space / time at which action MUST take place if this were a
martial interaction. That is called "de-ai" or "the critical
instant". Some people doing this exercise will feel unwilling to walk
any closer to their partner than this point. Others can do so but will
definitely feel as if they had to put more energy into their
"intention".
- Now, have one partner do the projection, as in number 2, and then
move forward and strike with full speed and power with a yokomen
strike to his partner's neck. The strike should not hit the partner
but should not stop farther than an inch away from contact. (Anyone
who can't do this must work on his striking.) Both parties should
"feel" what happens to them during this interaction. Often the
"struck" partner will involuntarily flinch, even though he or she
knows that they aren't really going to be struck. Sometimes, the
striker will flinch when he strikes. This "instant" of tension is
caused by Fear and it must be dealt with through training. This
instant of tension will actually prevent the transition from ki
musubi to physical musubi No real progress in
Aikido is possible while this reaction remains the involuntary
response to strong energy coming towards one.
- Do the same exercise as above but have both partners walk towards
each other. Only one partner strikes but the other partner strives to
move straight to the attacker's center without breaking stride or
altering course in reaction to the strike. Once again, the ability to
do this is a prerequisite for any real success in doing Aikido
techniques. If one finds this difficult to do, one has discovered some
internal source of fear that needs to be acknowledged and dealt
with. Tension is the enemy of "aiki" and fear creates tension.
"Irimi" or Entering
Joining the Minds or joining the "intentions" is the aspect of
"ki musubi" we just described. It is really essential to
have ki musubi if one is to establish "physical
musubi" at the instant of physical contact. The term which
describes this concept is "ittai ka" or "single
body". It refers to the establishment of a state in which it is
impossible for the attacker to move separately from the
defender. Yamaguchi Seigo Sensei maintained that no technique should
take more effort than allowing the arms to drop their weight on top of
the partner's structure. This is the essence of Ikkyo,
the core technique of Aikido. Ikkyo is about running a spiral which
disrupts the alignment and allows you to rest your weight on the
partner.
In order to accomplish this it is necessary to have several factors
operating. Once again, we have to re-emphasize the need to complete
relaxation. Physical tension prevents the establishment of
"ittai ka" of which "Ikkyo" is the
ultimate expression. On an emotional level this relaxation can only
occur if one completely accepts the attack. If one tries to escape
(due to fear) or to, in a sense, attack the attack (which also comes
from fear) one cannot establish "ittai ka". The partner
can then proceed to resist or counter the technique.
The placement of ones "attention" is vitally important
here. Ones "attention" must be "inside the attack", not
"outside the attack". Regardless of the type of attack, whether armed
or unarmed, whether the attacker's weapon is his body, a 3 1/2 foot
katana, or a 10 foot spear, one must place ones "attention" on
the attacker's center, inside the reach of the weapon, inside the
point of focus of the attack. The placement of ones "attention"
in this manner is part of the "ki musubi" which we have
described. Since the Mind precedes the movement of the Body, placing
the "attention" inside the attack is essential to execute the
primary factor in establishing the "physical musubi">,
namely "Irimi", or entering.
If one is to actualize the "Ikkyo" principle and
establish "ittai ka" by physically resting ones weight
on the partner's structure, one must absolutely be "inside" the
attack. One cannot rest ones weight on the attacker if one is outside
the attack (aside from the point that all of the attacker's power is
on the outside of his attack). So at the very heart of establishing
the physical connection or "musubi" of the interaction is the
Principle of "Irimi".
Many Aikido practitioners believe that "irimi" means
moving the body physically inside the opponent's ma-ai
(this would be a way of describing moving the body inside the
attack). But if the attacker's "intention" is strong, it is
difficult if not impossible to accomplish this if one is
reactive. What allows the "physical irimi" to take place
is the "mental irimi" of placing ones "attention"
inside the attacker's ma-ai on his center. There are
various reasons why this is true that have to do with how the
attacker's perception works but that is outside the scope of this
discussion.
So what we now have is that "ki musubi" is required for
effective "irimi". Now one might, as a practitioner,
have the experience of being able to physically do an
"irimi" without having an understanding of "ki
musubi". I would maintain that this is the result of unskilled
attacks rather than the utilization of the proper principles which
govern "irimi".
So "ki musubi" precedes the physical
irimi. Since that attacker has a strong "intention" to
get to the defender's center, what prevents conflict when the defender
performs his "irimi" to inside the attacker's ma-ai? The
answer is another key component to Aiki, "spiral rotation".
Many people when asked to describe Aikido would say that it as an art
in which the defender "gets off the line of attack, leads the
attacker's energy in an arc and then redirects it back into the
attacker's balance point." I would say that this is an incorrect
understanding of what is really going on in Aikido.
There is a picture in Mitsugi Saotome Sensei's book Aikido and the
Harmony of Nature in which two opponent's face each other while on
a log bridge over a chasm. I believe this much better describes the
fundamental requirement of Aikido as a martial art, namely, that the
defender must "own his own space". This is actually the essence of
"irimi". In the picture mentioned above one can clearly
see that any movement "off the line" by the defender would put him off
the log and into the chasm. But we "know" that Aikido is about
blending right? If the defender holds the line and owns his own space
when the attacker enters with his attack, how can he avoid a clash?
How can he "resolve the conflict" so to speak?
"Rotation" Resolves Conflict
The answer to the above question is "rotation" and
"irimi". The Founder had a quite complex explanation of
why the coming together of the defender and the attacker would
naturally result in "spiral rotation". For a good exposition of why
this is so, read William Gleason Sensei's book, The Spiritual
Principles of Aikido.
"Rotation" inherently contains "irimi". If
one has a spherical object and it is rotating on some axis (it doesn't
matter what axis), at any particular instant in time half of the
sphere is Yin and half is Yang. Half of that sphere is moving "axis
towards you and half is moving away from you. So at the instant of
physical contact between attacker and defender, if there is
"rotation" on the part of the defender, the energy of
the attack begins to be deflected away from the defender's center in
the direction of the rotation. At the same time, half of the
"rotation" is moving towards the attacker, this begins
to create the "irimi".
However, "rotation" by itself doesn't resolve the conflict nor
does it automatically result in "irimi". One more factor
must be considered to understand how rotation removes the conflict and
results in "irimi". The location of the "axis of
rotation" is crucial to the act of "blending" with an attack.
Human beings are not symmetrical. One can, however, think of our
bodies as roughly cylindrical (for practical purposes). So the above
statements about rotation apply if we have rotation of the body. But
we have two supports for our structure, the legs. What makes this
important is that our legs are not on the line of attack. It is the
shift of weight from one foot to the other which serves to move the
"axis of rotation".
Most Aikido students of any experience at all realize that they should
be using their hips to produce whatever power they wish to utilize
(actually it is more complex than that but let's stick with that for
the time being). They also realize that hip rotation is required for
all entries whether omote or ura.
Where most Aikido students go wrong is that they do not understand
that the "axis of rotation" in a technique is seldom ones
center axis. Rotation on the center axis does not produce
"irimi" and therefore will not result in a joining of
the two energies of the attacker and defender.
- For example, try going a static exercise with a partner: stand
with your legs evenly apart (not in hanmi) about shoulder width; your
partner will do ryo kata dori (grabbing both shoulders). If one
attempts to rotate the hips while having ones weight evenly placed on
both feet, the result will be that one side of the body is attempting
to pull the partner (the Yin side of the rotation) and the other side
of the body is attempting to push the partner (the Yang side of the
rotation).
I will make a statement here that the student of Aikido will have to
verify for himself through his own training. THERE ARE NO PULLING OR
PUSHING MOVEMENTS IN AIKIDO. All attempts at pulling or pushing result
in conflict with the partner's strength and essentially empower
him. This should be readily evident in this exercise if the partner
doing the grabbing is at all centered. He should be able to easily
defeat any attempts at rotation on the center axis. But if the
defender shifts his weight to one foot or the other, that foot, leg,
hip, shoulder structures becomes the "axis of rotation".
- By making one side or the other the "axis of rotation" the
defender has put one of the two points of contact (the shoulder grabs)
on the axis. Now, without introducing any tension in the arms or
shoulders at all, step back with the un-weighted foot until it is on
the same side of the original "line of attack" (defined as the
line which runs from the attacker's center to the defender's
center). Now, the side of the body that carries the Yang energy (the
side that rotates towards the partner) actually produces
"irimi". In other words it can enter in around the
attack to be "inside" the attack itself. With the
"irimi" comes the possibility of the "draw" whereby the
hip / shoulder that carries the Yin energy will draw the attacker into
the movement thereby achieving the rotation of the hip and shoulder
line which is the essence of the "ikkyo curve".
"Suberu" or Sliding
So if there is no pulling or pushing in Aikido, what is happening when
movement takes place? One might visualize it this way Take the Yin /
Yang symbol as representative, the line or curve where the White Yang
and the Black Yin touch is always in balance. I call this the
"seam". In Aikido all movement of the attacker must be along
the "seam" or an imbalance results which instantly empowers the
attacker. So, one can look at movement along the "seam" as a
form of sliding the attacker along the "seam" rather than pulling or
pushing. This is "suberu".
Exercise showing "suberu":
- The partner holds arm out as if he had done a shomen
uchi. The partner places his hands on the underside of this arm as
if he were doing an ikkyo technique. First try to do an ikkyo on the
arm by levering the elbow (the usual but incorrect way of doing an
ikkyo). The partner should be strong and centered. The ikkyo applied
in this manner should not work. Then, simply touch the arm with light
contact and shift ones weight into the partner along the entire arm
and shoulder curve. If one is not using his arms to push, one should
see the whole body of the partner start to shift. At that point rotate
the hips toward your front and let the hands rest on the partner as
your arms fall to your center. If you have managed to do this without
actually pushing or pulling with your arms, you will find that you
have done an ikkyo on the partner and his arm can still be absolutely
rigid. The action of sliding his whole arm and shoulder
structure along the "ikkyo curve" (see below)
results in the ability to use the principles of spiral rotation
without clashing with the partner's structure. This is
"suberu".
This is especially important to understand when investigating the
locking techniques of Aikido. Many Aikido practitioners look at joint
locks as a form of attack to one of the body's weak points. The
attacker submits due to pain and to avoid injury. But this is a
misunderstanding. It is quite possible to get strong enough to make it
impossible to injure some of the joints. Many people have an extreme
pain tolerance and techniques that depend on success do not work on
them. Finally, even if one can succeed in injuring a joint or causing
substantial pain, in a real martial confrontation a committed attacker
may choose to sacrifice that joint in order to complete his attack
with another weapon or part of his body. Joint locks must catch the
whole body, not just attack a joint. So, one can look at proper joint
locking as a method of sliding the attacker along the
"seam". Pain and physical dysfunction may be a by product of
the technique but it is not the basis on which the technique works.
The Ikkyo Curve
So the question now becomes, what is the "seam" in practical
terms? Although much of what constitutes "Aiki" has to do with what I
would call the "energetics" of the interaction between the attacker
and the defender, no technique can ignore the basic physics or
geometry of the relationship. One of the reasons that "Ikkyo"
represents the fundamental technique of Aikido is that embodies
virtually all of the principles of the art.
In this case we have come to a discussion of the "ikkyo
curve". Look at the line that runs between the partner's
shoulders (two points always have a line in geometry). Now visualize a
curve that would run through both of those points and would pass just
behind the partner's head. That is the "ikkyo
curve". Almost every technique in Aikido has to do with
sliding the attacker's energy along that curve
("suberu"). One might use an extremity, as in the
various wrist and arm locking techniques, or move the whole body
itself along the curve as in various throwing techniques. But if one
seriously investigates technique, one can usually find the
"ikkyo curve".
Recapitulation
- As soon as the partner as an awareness of the partner forms one
extends his "attention" out to his center to establish
"ki musubi"; essentially, this is the
"irimi" of the Mind. It places the "attention"
inside the attack.
- As the defender meets the attack, and this requires a relaxed
clarity or Makoto, he sets up the desired "axis of
rotation" by moving appropriately according to the
circumstance. At the instant of physical contact he is already
rotating on this axis. This produces the physical
"irimi" which simultaneously allows the sliding movement
along the "seam" which is "suberu".
- The "rotation" must have an element of verticality
to establish "ittai ka", or single body. The defender's weight must
rest on the partner.
- Additionally, the direction of rotation will usually accomplish
the "suberu" along the "ikkyo curve". In
this manner, the vertical alignment of the attacker is disturbed and
the weight that rests on him makes it impossible for him to move
separately from the defender, "ittai ka".
The Wave
The various parts of the body are responsible for creating movement on
the different directions. Movement in the vertical dimension is
created by the legs and by changes in the angle of extension in the
arms. Movement in the horizontal dimension is created by relative
movement of the feet and the movement of the hips. If you look at the
movements that result from putting correct spiral movement of the
vertical plane together with correct spiral movement of the horizontal
plane you will see three dimensional spirals in the form of waves.
Saotome Sensei's Aikido and the Harmony of Nature offers
copious examples of how the wave is one of the fundamental shapes in
Nature. If one takes the "irimi" of proper rotation,
combines it with the physical meeting of the two bodies (attacker and
defender) which will result in "tai atari" or "full body
contact" (tai atari is a physical expression of
makoto), adds the element of "suberu" one
can run the "ikkyo curve" which achieves "ittai ka".
Once this "physical musubi" is achieved one has achieved a
unity between of the attacker and defender, or more correctly, one has
allowed the essential unity to express itself. This becomes like the
two sides of a scale in which any change on one side is instantly
reflected by an equal change on the other side of the scale. So any
movement or energy put out by the attacker is instantly reflected by
the defender in his own body. This creates the path ways along which
the energy of the movement will run. If the defender is relaxed in
mind and body, he will be able to feel what is happening and allow the
energy to manifest in the way that it naturally wants to as opposed to
attempting to force the technique. This results in the ultimate
expression of Aikido, "Take Musu Aiki" which means that
the techniques of the martial interaction arise spontaneously from the
state of aiki. In other words the techniques create themselves. Often
the Founder would say that the techniques were not his but rather they
were "given to him by the Kami". When understanding of
this principle starts to develop, a sort of "Aiki Koan"
is revealed.
If the defender is "blending" with the energy of the attacker, and
the attacker is blending with the energy of the defender, who controls
the interaction?
If one gets to the point in ones training in which this question
starts to make some sense, then one is at the starting point for
understanding how O-Sensei may have thought about what he did.
This is just a basic description of the aspects of Aiki
that govern the successful performance of Aikido technique. The other
ways that Aiki expresses itself and the implications for
the practitioner of training to understand these principles both in
the Mind and in the Body is beyond the scope of this discussion. This
exposition is meant to be of practical help in taking ones Aikido to
another level. All good Aikido technique has these elements. Training
is about developing an understanding of the various ways these
elements can combine and the different qualities or aspects these
elements can have. I believe that almost inevitably, this study leads
one to want a deeper understanding of the Kototama which offers
a description of these various aspects in the way that the Founder,
himself understood them.
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