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Entering from my center can be a challenge. The attack was tsuki with a bokken…the defense… just a turn of the bokken with a slight irimi. My center came up most times I was attacked. I felt a slight movement backwards…hardly seen but felt by me.
After class I asked Ron to attack me until I could enter and turn my bokken without flinching. Without moving back …without moving my feet…or just my head …oh so slight.
By the time we left I could enter, turn my bokken and my center stayed down. My first step was asking for help…then I could acknowledge how rattled I was. Now, I am looking forward till class tomorrow when I get to do it again…a little stronger and less afraid.
This morning I realized my resistance to competitive testing for one point was because of basketball.
When I played in college it was really fun because I was good and so were they. The connection that was created was so real I can still experience it in my memory. As we defended together in a 1- 3- 1 zone our team moved liked birds when they all decide to fly and turn at once. Our offense moved into a fast break off the defensive rebound like we practiced it a million times... which we did.
The only downer about college basketball was that all that connection didn't matter to most of us if we lost. If one team got more points than we did everything sucked. I couldn't understand that then but I do now. Most people are focused on winning...I could care less. I am interested in connection...that incredible feeling of mind body coordination that happens when 2 or more people move together in the flow.
That is why I love Aikido...it is a perfect venue for an athlete like me who loves movement and flow and the beauty that comes from it.
Now about testing for Ki...I believe noncompetitive testing for Ki is so important because after a person finds IT...the real challenge is to learn how to trust the feeling. Especially for men...Men are so used to muscling through things that learning to trust one point and relaxation is a huge challenge for them.
When a person has learned how to find their center… testing can become more intense. IT should always come from a plac
...More
09-12-2009 06:47 PM 
