Tenyu

Graham,

I have no problem with the sword or the bokken, but their applications are severely limited in relation to the staff. A sword by the very nature of its construction can only be used rarefactively in mostly non-precessional planes whereas my practice with the staff is pretty much completely compressive now and open to any achievable asymptotic surface. For the purposes that the katana was originally designed I see a utilitarian benefit for nage to be psychologically ‘distanced by rarefaction' from uke. I've only slaughtered chickens once but I learned I wasn't giving them enough space out of my desire to do it right the first time. A very high-level Aikidoist friend of mine has done thousands in his life and he told me you have to learn how to distance yourself while maintaining energetic connection and cutting the chickens. I just now thought of this parallel but it's very applicable to how the form befits the function in this case.

The opposite is true for the non-lethal side of Aikido. The main purpose to promote mutual advancement of life, nage should intend on complete connection ‘without distance' with uke. This could very well be an argument that almost all Aikido training with the staff should therefore be done compressively. With my own practice I've switched to using the heaviest grade Appalachian hickory, which I never thought I'd do before, and it demands compressive action to activate asymptotes even while stepping backwards and facing/striking forwards - ‘traditionally' a rarefactive situation. I would like to clarify, as this is new terminology for most here, that asymptotic activation when done correctly does not hurt uke in any way. I've only personally experienced it once myself in the uncommon position between nage and the ground and I couldn't feel anything, I was actually ‘paralyzed' frozen for a few seconds until the asymptote dissipated. The activation in the contracted is one of the central functions with Aikibodo and its not as difficult as it looks. I might have confused people before but I'd also like to clarify the concussions I used to get was not from the stick making contact with my head but from the dissonant ‘shockwave' of an improperly activated asymptote reverberating back through my arms into my head at strike termination. This mistake can only happen at very high levels of energy so it's not something anyone should worry about after reading this. Safety is always first priority with me.

Graham, as you point out regarding ‘happiness', if uke either staff or person is treated in a way that doesn't introduce dissonance, then no dissonance(harm) can reflect back into nage. This is not aiki-bunny fluff at all, it is far beyond it and it is what O Sensei was trying to teach perhaps moreso in the decontracted. Luckily this direct manifesting contact with infinity requires deep compassion in order to achieve it.