Thread: No Touch Throws
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Old 12-10-2004, 03:28 PM   #49
Rocky Izumi
Dojo: GUST Aikido Club
Location: Salwa, Kuwait
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 381
Kuwait
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Re: No Touch Throws

I watched a Kendo match between two hachi dan once. The came together in chudan and just stood there with the points of their shinai almost touching. There was barely any movement by either one but we were enthralled. At the end when the judge called hikiwake, the entire stadium jumped up and cheered wildly. It was the best match of the day!
As I stood there cheering, the person I had dragged there with me looked up and said "What happened? Why is everyone cheering? What was that all about?" I responded "Didn't you see that great battle? It was marvelous! I have never seen two guys fight like that!" He said "What fight? They were just standing there."
I realized then that my friend had never done Kendo. He couldn't see the great battle that was taking place between the spirit or Ki of the two people. When one would extend his Ki and try to climb over the other's spirit, the other would respond with a counter. The fight was all between the spirit of the two Kendoists, their shinai hardly moved at all. In Kendo, like in war, you have to destroy the spirit of the other person before you attack if you want a successful attack. At the level of those two fighters who were exceedingly well-matched, the fight was all in the spirit. Is it real? Well, it does take effort. The keikogi of the two fighters turned black with sweat as they fought. Does it work? Well, consider how difficult it is to defeat your teacher even as you get better than him or her. They have a spiritual advantage because you already have some doubts about whether you can beat them. It is all summed up in the saying from Kendo -- Ki-Ken-Tai (Spirit, Sword, Body). All have to become one to do good Kendo. The Ki is an important part of doing something just as is the body and the sword. You can't separate them and talk about doing something with each separately. Kendo, Aikido, Karate, Judo, No-touch throws, it is all the same.

Rock
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