Thread: Aikido and time
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Old 08-31-2015, 09:29 PM   #5
rugwithlegs
Dojo: Open Sky Aikikai
Location: Durham, NC
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 430
United_States
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Re: Aikido and time

I see several separate topics.

"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." Sensei told me "No Rush" on many occasions. Speed can cover up a mistake or a hole in my technique - until I find myself with someone just as fast or faster. Moving slow was finding moments that I might lose integration or balance, plugging those holes - and then moving with more balance and power and giving fewer opportunities away. It's like tying your shoes - you used to take several minutes to do it badly and with total concentration; now you can probably tie your shoes very rapidly and maybe even carry on a conversation or watch the news at the same time.

The closest I ever came to Mushin was surprising to me. We spend most of our lives with our brain doing a dozen different things, or having a completely different intention or no intention in our actions. Most of our daily live is reflex, and divorced from our cognition. For me, a school bully was attacking other people one by one, and the day came that I knew it was my turn. He was going to jump me from behind, but I could see what he was going to do. He had a stick, I had a book. I went from angry, a miniature hurricane in my mind, to an overwhelmingly quiet "this stops here." No dilemma, no second thoughts, no inner voices saying anything different. Every discordant thought in my head became a single voice. The world moved very slowly, there was no sound that I remember, and then I had him against the locker. He was shocked, none of his friends helped him, and I didn't inflict any injury but I felt numb. I've since heard police officers and psychiatric workers describe the time distortion effect of stress (often described as one of the more frightening aspects of the situation) and I have come close to this experience again. Most recently was a head on collision when another car swerved into oncoming traffic (me). Yes, the world seemed to stop for me briefly. No, I didn't pull out a stopwatch but I am sure the universe proceeded along as usual and no slower. I think there is research out there from psychology sources and law enforcement training.

For the rest, I got nothing.
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