View Single Post
Old 12-09-2011, 07:57 AM   #12
TimB99
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 22
Offline
Re: Rethinking the meaning of various phrases in light of "aiki"

Been playing around with this stuff quite a bit in my head lately whenever I'm bored..

Endo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM-re...feature=relmfu

Unbendable arm trick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHCXrAqtKD4

Ledyard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...EuO61sY#t=813s

To me, these things are starting to look like the same things. Connecting to your partner's center via intent and being able to unbalance him/her in that way, unbendable arm trick through intent, 'sending ki' behind the other person and being able to unbalance him/her in that way, etc. etc.

I've heard irimi being defined once as 'piercing' or 'devouring' your partner, utterly passing through. Maybe, instead of a merely external notion on footwork, we could look at irimi as in fact being more of an internal/intent thing.

Now, just imagine these lines of irimi/extension/intent/ki/whatever-you-want-to-call-it going into every single direction you can think of, with each having an infinite 'length', so to say. Not just to your partner's center, but beyond, and in all them glorious directions, as a kind of sphere. You'll have yourself a suit of armor made of irimi.. Dayumm! Instant piercing-through-unbalancing whenever your partner makes contact. And you won't have to do something to your partner at all.

Quote:
O Sensei: Absolutely not. It is not a question of either sensen no sen or sen no sen. If I were to try to verbalize it I would say that you control your opponent without trying to control him. That is, the state of continuous victory. There isn't any question of winning over or losing to an opponent. In this sense, there is no opponent in Aikido. Even if you have an opponent, he becomes a part of you, a partner you control only.
Quote:
Seeing me the enemy attacks, but by that time, I'm already behind him.
(if I remember correctly)

And in that sense, there is no resistance. Because you do not do something to your partner, you're just standing/walking there, minding your own business, just occupying your space, being inside your bubble of awesomeness. So then, when your partner would attack you, your partner will in fact be unbalancing him/herself.

On a related note: I've heard zanshin being defined once as exactly this: this idea of awareness and intent going into every direction at the same time.

Now, I've heard Tamura being quoted once as saying that aikido was all about 'irimi and atemi' and 'kokyu and zanshin'. Imagine how much cooler aikido would be if we substituted those ideas in stead of the usual 'triangular entry footwork' and the 'be mindful of your surroundings' that we usually see..

Now, disclaimer: I'm in no way high ranked or good at this aikido stuff, so I'm in no way representing the ideas of the authors/demonstrators in the quotes and the videos.. Just bouncing ideas off you guys

G'day to y'all!

Tim Bergman
  Reply With Quote