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<blogEntry id="2288">
	<title><![CDATA[Training Aikido/Martial Art and Gaining Spirituali]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Despite my busy schedule today, I need to complete this task before it fades away… 

This topic follows the discussion I have with S. Fuad (my dojo mate) after last night class and to share with it everyone else:

"It doesn't matter why it works. It only matters that it works." So say a soke of a martial art system.

For a start, let use handwriting skill as an example. Some of us started to learn to write at kindergarten, some even started before that. Some of us can't even stand looking at our own handwritings let alone showing them to others. My wife is one of those. She said that she got the ugliest handwriting. For all purpose and intend, her handwriting remains consistent and readable to all concerned. On the other hand, my handwriting ranges from bad to good depending on the purpose and intend. Bad -- when I am making notes for myself, sometimes after a couple of weeks I find that I can't understand what was written. Somewhere in between -- when I making notes to my subordinates. Good -- when I write to my superiors, even then not just the handwriting but the grammar and spellings, etc. How does this relate to the statement above? When our handwriting is legible, it doesn't matter. But given the care and patience, we can improve our handwriting for purpose of presentation, e.g. proportionate letter and spacing, putting the dots and crosses at the right places, etc.

We talked about muscle memory. The reason why some of us cannot vary our handwritings for different intend and purpose is because of muscle memory -- meaning at a certain stage of our education path (in school), we have lost the care to improve our handwritings, we were satisfied with it and our mind and body (hand muscle memory) have fused to it since then. But, it doesn't mean that we can't un-fuse and remodel it.

Learning aikido is no different from learning to write. Learning to write the alphabets is the start; in aikido you start with basics. You will then learn to spell words and then construct sentences using the rules of grammar; in aikido, this equivalent to applications of the basic techniques to different type of attacks. From the influence(s) of your grammar teacher(s), you will acquire your unique style of writing -- meaning your style of writing is either modeled from one teacher or a combination of teachers. In aikido, your techniques will be a reflection of your teacher(s). In the old days, a martial teacher was not just a teacher of physical skills; he/she also had the role of being a spiritual teacher. Having acquired the skill to maim or to kill, one must be taught to control the usage of this skill. Hence, the old saying, "You judge the quality of the teacher by the quality of his students". This saying does not refer to physical ability of the students alone but to the conduct of the students as well: if someone sees the student as "kurang ajar"  (Malay for lack of teaching meaning an ill-mannered person) and egoistic then the teacher must be "kurang ajar" and egoistical as well. In the old days, when a student had caused his teacher to loose face due to his grave misconduct, the punishment could be in form of severance of student-teacher relationship or to extent of teacher taking away the skills from the student by maiming one or more of his limbs - that was very harsh. In our current time, this doesn't happen; now instead of the teacher picking his student(s), the students pick the teacher. The student-teacher relationship now is more commercial rather than spiritual.

Though you may have a good command of a language and its grammar, what is written would have no purpose or meaning if the handwriting were illegible. Similarly, if you have not gone past the basics in aikido, your techniques will not be effective and will only give pain and injury to your partners. Aikido is an art and the skill is ones craft. 

Coming back to S Fuad's question, "When/how do we gain spiritualism in martial training?"

(IMHO) This depends on the individual and his/her teacher, and the combination of both. This is about individual's passion and attitude. 

"It doesn't matter why it works. It only matters that it works."
If a student has the passion to learn and better his skill(s), then it does matter to know why it works. The student is always seeking for details. When he understands why it works, he may learn to apply the principles and rules to other skills -- this is wisdom.

"Change is inevitable, growth is optional."
Though a person assumes a teacher's role, he himself is also student (learning is ones lifetime). If he has the passion to learn, he must have the passion to share his knowledge hoping that his students can build something from that knowledge and he himself learns something new from that process. In short, the teacher must have the passion and attitude to teach -- teaching is a two way process. The teacher must also accept the fact that the student may have the intelligence and skill to surplus him one day. 

Looking for details, learning about ones self and others, improving ones skill, acquiring good habits and discarding the bad, improving ones character by self-discipline, IMHO, will lead to spiritual growth.  If a student lacks the passion and attitude for learning, having the best teachers will not make any great difference; hence, the saying, "when one is ready, the master will appear".

"Aikido is an art and the skill is ones craft."
To be a good craftsman, one must honk ones skill to be precise and perfect. As in any trade/art, one seeks to deliver the goods at the lowest cost, the quickest time and in the perfect quality. In short: minimum effort, maximum effect is the objective. This is effiency. That's why everyone seeks apprenticeship from the very best craftsman on the land. Isn't it obvious that almost every living Aikido shihan (past 60's) claims to be a direct student of O Sensei despite being in his presence for just a brief period of time? Even Sokaku Takeda, O Sensei's teacher, was considered to be the best swordsman and martial artist in his time.

When one has the passion to learn, to search for details, one begins to look at things from a 3-dimensional view rather from a 2-dimensional view (color verus shades of grey versus just black or white). Sometime problems and abstracts including religions are not 2-dimensional, that is why every religion is sectorian and diverse within. You can say it is God's design (a test for mankind) or a man's design (selfish motivations) but underneath all there is a true purpose for every religion. Aarh!! This is another topic for another day.

The spiritualism that I refer to is not about aikido or religion but about learning about ones self - strength, weakness and purpose and how one should conduct oneself with sincerity during ones brief moment on this Mother Earth. Aikido and other martial art helps to do that by enhancing our learning process - it tests us physically, mentally and emotionally, it tests our fellowship and interaction with fellow human beings - it makes us aware of our mind, body and spirit. Spirit is not about our religious beliefs; it is about our conscience, including our will to hurt or not to hurt others. O Sensei called aikido, "The Art of Peace". Terry Dobson, who trained diligently even to the last days of his life, told his students on the mat a few days before his death, "Aikido is not about techniques, aikido is the training of the heart".
]]></body>
	<date>11-17-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2210">
	<title><![CDATA[Training goals]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Goals and Levels of Training in Aikido

There are no competitions in Aikido. How do we set training goals?

I have trained with past sempai and past sensei and find some of their technical skill even at 3rd dan not much different from when they were at 3rd kyu. Some are still grasping to find "their" Aikido at a level when they should be polishing and perfecting their basics.

In karate training, the pattern of training is based on a repeated cycle of kihon, kata and kumite. The difficulty and intensity of training increases at every cycle up to 2nd dan and then tampered off after that level. The emphasis of the training starts with form, adding on speed and strength at every kyu/dan level and then changing towards soft, subtle and flowing form. The progression in this percussion art is from hard to soft while stressing on perfection of form (posture and basics) all the time. Hirokazu Kanazawa sensei (10th karate and a leading taichi practitioner in Japan) always reminded his instructors and yudansha, "What's good for you is not good for your students". By this, he meant that we should always keep to the basics and teach the variations according to the understanding and the level of skill of the students. The maxim of martial art trainings is always to strive for "minimum effort, maximum effect"; lengthy and fancy techniques are just food for the ego.

What are the training goals in Aikido? 

In Daito-ryu Aikijujitsu (the forefather of Aikido) it is said that there are three levels of training and within each level there are two groups or catalogues of techniques to master. These levels are:

SHODEN - the basic teaching that comprehends only the 1st and 2nd catalogues
CHUDEN - the median teaching that comprehend the 3rd and 4th catalogues
SOUDEN - the advanced teaching that comprehend the last catalogue and secret teachings (Okuden)

Pre-war students of O Sensei such as Minoru Mochizuki (Yoseikan Budo) and Gozo Shioda (Yoshinkan Aikido) also did maintained similar levels or stages of training in their systems. Other than Morihiro Saito sensei (a post-war student of O Sensei), I have not heard of any other Aikikai teachers stressing such levels of training to transmit the art of Aikido. 

I excerpt from an article "Use of Resistance in Aikido Training" by David Alexander sensei (a long time student of M. Saito shihan) to describe the four levels of training put forth by Saito shihan for the Aikido training at the Iwama dojo. The excerpts are shown here within inwarded commas "..." : 

"1. KATAI (rigid); 2. YAWARAKAI (resilient); 3. KI-NO-NAGARE (flowing); and, 4.  KI (spirit) 
 
Aikido is generally associated with KI-NO-NAGARE technique, and some persons train this way exclusively in an almost dance-like manner. I personally consider it unfortunate that a widespread public conception of Aikido is based on this image." 

Unfortunately too, it is true. Indeed there are some dojo here that train this way, even the attacks are choreographed first hand by the instructor. 

"It is vitally important to establish a solid foundation in KATAI technique before moving on to KI-NO-NAGARE, and to continue training KATAI to prevent losing touch with the basics. A person who is proficient in KATAI can easily learn KI-NO-NAGARE, but a person who has trained only KI-NO-NAGARE will often not be able to move at all if gripped strongly. KATAI training is what tunes a trainee into the reality of physical strength and how to overcome it under the worst possible conditions." 

This is also very true. At the beginning of my aikido studies there had been many instances of frustration when I found myself unable to move when gripped strongly by the Uke. There was even a time when I behaved like a crybaby scolding my Uke aloud in class for gripping me with "excessive" strength. I have seen quite a number of students behaving like me even at 1st kyu and 1st dan level. Some persevere while some give up Aikido completely finding no martial benefits in Aikido. 

"It is often said that Aikido techniques do not require muscular strength to perform, and that it is not harmonious to resist a training partner who is attempting to perform a technique. Although there is some truth to this statement, it is based on an incomplete understanding of the nature of physical power and resistance. Beginners in Aikido rely on muscular strength to overcome resistance. This is natural, and should not be discouraged because it is all they have at the time. As trainees progress, they become proficient in technique, and less muscular strength becomes necessary to overcome resistance."

From my visits to various dojo, training with past sempai (and even sensei) I find most of them are still using muscular strength to overcome even the slightest resistance. Have they not progress at all?

"In parallel, trainees develop KOKYU-RYOKU (abdominal breath power) as a direct result of their physical training. KOKYU-RYOKU is much stronger than muscular power, and eventually the techniques become almost effortless, even against strong resistance. After a number of years of hard and dedicated KATAI training, it becomes true that Aikido requires little muscular strength."

IMHO, the purpose of KATAI is not for the Nage to practice muscular power or speed to equalize or overcome opposing force or resistance (based on the equation of Force = Mass x Acceleration2) as put forward by another sensei. One might as well head straight to the bodybuilding gym for that. The mechanical equation of Force = Mass x Acceleration2 is advocated and applied in percussion arts such as karate and taekwondo where Tamashiwara (the art of breaking using hands and feet) is emphasized. On the other side of the scale Aikido is a soft and internal art and students should be taught to discard rather than to adopt this mechanical formula. On the contrary, Aikido students should be taught principles of intrinsic instead of explicit forces or energy.

The main purpose of KATAI training is learning to accustom with the strong grip of the Uke, the objective is not to fight strength for strength but to accept the strength offered by the Uke. This is the first process of blending (awase).

Continuing to practice KATAI to prevent losing touch with basics means that it is the perpetual role of a Uke to give strong (committed and constructive) grips at all time.  The Nage should learn to relax with every strong grip. Eventually his body would accept that a grip is just a grip and his mind would not be at least disturbed by the grip. Similarly, training weapons in class does not mean that you carry a weapon with you at all time for protection. It trains you to be spiritually prepared when faced with an armed attacker on the street or at home. Eventually KATAI training will take you to the second level -- YAWARAKAI (resilient). You would know that you have not reached this level when you find that you still cannot handle strong grips and attack and have to resolve to the use muscular strength to overcome the resistance/attack. 

At YAWARAKAI level you would have learned to relax and not fight the Uke's strength; you would offer minimal resistance to the Uke not allowing him to connect to your center -- your mindset remain passive until Uke completely loses his balance and once that happens you take control (your mindset changes to active) and the choice of being vicious at that point is yours to make (and of course, it will reflect your humanity). 

As your skill and confidence progress at YAWARAKAI level, you become less and less concern with the Uke's strength, commitment or lack of commitment in the attacks. Mentally/spiritually, there is only you, the attacker becomes part of you and cease to exist. As your mind is the least disturbed, your Aikido becomes more flowing. You lead the opponent (the Uke), his attack becomes your attack -- this is the level of KI NO NAGARE (let the KI flow).
 
"After a number of decades, it is possible to enter level 4 (KI) which is much stronger than KOKYU-RYOKU. However, beginners should not think about this, because they will only become frustrated."

It does not take the number of decades to learn Ki. Koichi Tohei (10th dan)'s brand of Ki-Aikido is formulated so that students start to learn and apply Ki from day one and that does not take decades to acquire. The KI level indicated by David Alexander described more aptly the mindset (spiritual being) of the practitioner tuned by years of training and polishing of his skill. At this level, one can be centered, focused and in control, yet properly relaxed in all situations -- mind and body is one.

Conclusion
Most people train without knowing these four levels of Aikido and it become quite frustrating when they do not know exactly how far they have progressed. Equally frustrating is when they cannot comprehend why techniques that they can do so well in their home dojo are easily resisted by others from another dojo. Aikido is intrinsically a kinesthetic art -- without the ability to feel our partner's body and, more importantly to feel our own body, progression in the art is very difficult if not impossible. KATAI is the first level availing us the opportunity to feel and to progress.  

Ironically, Tai Chi practitioners view Aikido as the equivalent of their Pushing Hands (a simplified form of sparring). Tai Chi teaches the Push Hands combatant to use a minimum of energy, for an excess of energy can be exploited by a skillful opponent. Circular motion is used to divert attacks from the critical center of the body. The body must be relaxed - if the body is tense or stiff, the center can be influenced from any point, while if the body is relaxed, energy can easily be dissipated or diverted. Awareness and reaction often triumph over force and aggression. For the Aikido practitioners we perceive our art as non-competition and yet others see it within their own art as a competition and a test to gauge their skill. No wonder there is so much egoism in Aikido. Yet with so much egoism, most of us have no training goals. We train aimlessly - seeking new fancy techniques rather than the polishing of core basics -- meaning we have not arrived at one level and then we would hastily jump onto the next and the next. Some of us even take a BIGGER leap -- we become instructors and then instruct others aimlessly.

Let's start with KATAI again. Let's give each a strong firm grip -- a handshake ;-)

Best training

David Y



]]></body>
	<date>10-23-2005</date>
</blogEntry>


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