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Originally posted by Bruce Baker
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Aikido in the synthesis of many arts by O'Sensei. His contribution included the study of many arts, and the final results, for us, was Aikido.
Well, no, he didn't study MANY arts, but he did get around a bit. Technically, aikido is mostly Daito Ryu jujutsu with a few bits grafted on here and there.
Have any of you looked into Pressure Points? Use of Chi/Ki with the positive and negative effects found in Aikido? Or even the use of sounds to draw upon the power of the universe itself?
Yes. I have. Pressure point application (kyushojutsu) is highly touted in some circles, but my experience has been that the results are highly variable. The human body is so diverse in structure, that it's simply damn near impossible to say 'This will work on ANYONE' ...
The study of kyusho is integral to most of the older arts, and most folks who study koryu or modern budo get a dose of that along the way. It's a part of any good training regimen, but must be viewed as an adjunct, not a pillar, I believe.
Ki (chi is one of the many Chinese versions, in Japanese -- since we're discussing a Japanese art -- it is almost always 'ki') is another concept highly touted in somce circles, highly doubted in others.
I've done ki training and learned most of the testing, and found it a wonderful paradigm in which to express some concepts that are pretty foreign to the modern western mind. However, like kyushojutsu, the study of ki can supplement and reinforce, but -- to ME -- cn never supplant solid technical knowledge. The secrets lie in the manrta: keiko keiko keiko ... in other words, practice, practice, practice.
Kiai (which has nothing to do with shouting, folks), and kotodama are different critters. I've studied kiaijutsu to some extent and have my opinions, but I think what Bruce is talking about is kotodama. I can't speak to that because I've never pursued it.
I know folks who have and some are convinced, some are skeptical. Looking at it from the outside, it appears to me to be a fascinating construct within which one can explore some very subtle mind-body interactions. Herein, again, I can't say I'd place it as an absolute pillar of aikido, (didn't Shirata say the three pillars were tenkan, irimi and kaiten? But he may have been speaking of something entirely different... )
To me, the secrets lie in the training. I'm not sure pursuit of mastery of the esoterica is the answer at all. Like so many things, you can chase ephemera all day and in the end you've got smoke and mist. I believe that if you go to the dojo and train, day in, day out, stick with it, deal with it, stay resolute, then the secrets will reveal themselves.
How that relates to the topic of this thread, I don't know.
But that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Chuck