Thread: Speed in waza?
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Old 03-02-2012, 10:54 AM   #9
lbb
Location: Massachusetts
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,202
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Re: Speed in waza?

"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" is something that my EMT instructor used to say to the class (and if you think it's important to be both smooth and fast in aikido, think how important it is when dealing with a seriously injured person). What I took away from that practice is that by slowing down, we gave ourselves the opportunity to do things correctly, without missteps and false starts -- and because we were doing it correctly, in one go without fumbles and false starts, we could get it done faster.

You don't get to slow it down just to suit yourself. A fist traveling at your face doesn't respect your need to slow down, and neither does a spurting artery. But doing the wrong thing fast doesn't get you anywhere.
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