The language of Aikido

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[Peter Boylan]

I was catching flak in some other forums for my blog about etiquette in budo. Several people came out against foreign etiquette and language because they live in America and don't need it. I responded with this blog about language and budo:

http://budobum.blogspot.com/2014/06/on-language-and-budo.html

The issue I see in Aikido is there is no standard language across aikido styles anymore. The Aikikai uses one set of jargon, Yoshikan another, Ki No Kenkyukai a third, and Tomiki styles use still another. Would it be better to share a single terminology across the aikido world?

[James Sawers]

http://budobum.blogspot.com/2014/06/...-and-budo.html

Makes sense......

[Rupert Atkinson]

I like variation. If you made them all the same, you would likely lose a lot of that variation = a lot of stuff. If you go to other schools you want to learn new stuff, right?

[SeiserL]

Perhaps if we want everything in our own language/etiquette, we have not really learned what Aikido has to teach us ...

[Millsy]

I've heard a sensei of mine say: These are the tools of our trade bother to learn their names, if you were a plumber you wouldn't ask another plumber to pass the long turny thingy would you?

As you say using the correct terms with those who know simply conveys the entire concept in ways imprecise language doesn't. Though things get tricky between arts: eg. Maki Otoshi means something different if I'm doing Aikido, Jodo, Jo, or Naginata. So it also helps to know what it actually means sometimes to keep things straight :)

[jonreading]

Perhaps if we want everything in our own language/etiquette, we have not really learned what Aikido has to teach us ...

+1

The language is intended to communicate the curriculum of aikido. I think sometimes we lose the bigger picture when we get caught in up "what" and forget about "why."

[lbb]

Perhaps if we want everything in our own language/etiquette, we have not really learned what Aikido has to teach us ...

Indeed. It's natural for humans to want to things be comfortable -- easy to access, easy to do, easy to understand -- but it's not very good for us to expect this, to depend on it, or to indulge in it much (if by great good fortunate you are able to always have things your way). The world is what it is, and insisting on receiving the world always on your terms does not change the world -- it just paints you into an increasingly smaller corner of it.

[JP3]

Personally, I'd like one consistent nomenclatura for the aikido techniques, if nothing else. Your nikkyo meets my kotemawashi? I don't know if it does or doesn't!

I DO know that when I've trained with other aikido folks, the classic "What do y'all call this?" works out, but we both have to be physically present, or have live video feed, which is even more rare than hanging out together.