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Old 11-12-2007, 03:20 PM   #8
DH
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,394
United_States
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Re: Poll: Which is more important in your aikido training: "aiki" or "ki"?

There is no separation. They go hand n hand. Thinking of Aiki as a collection of principles or a technical approach, and all these years of language that go along with it is so low level it is of little consequence or meaning.
Aiki is a trained state of being. Developing and maintaining In/yo ho in you will lead to a powerful state of equilibrium. A state that will increasingly be maintained with little thought on your part. And this is a balance of ki or chi on a very physical level in many ways. The more competent you become at maintaining this state the more disrupitve your state of "being stable" will be on contact. And this is where "Aiki" is created.
The easiest way to make it digestable is to consider doing Aikido with a small and weak person. They would be pouring their efforts into you with little ability to disrupt your balance. Since it would take little effort to control them, you would be freeing up more of your senses to "listen" and deal with their changing forces. Thus your ability to freely manipulate them would just be natural without giving much thought to "doing" something to or with them. They on the other hand would be non-plussed at your ability to move them around like magic.
Thinking to blend and how to "make an aiki connection" and concentrating on THEM... is everything that is wrong with aikido. It's full speed...in the wrong direction.
So, my answer to the poll is yes to all three
Aiki is important
Ki is important
and Yes ...I don't do Aikido any more.

Last edited by DH : 11-12-2007 at 03:28 PM.
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