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Old 03-23-2010, 10:15 AM   #3
ChrisHein
 
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Dojo: Aikido of Fresno
Location: Fresno , CA
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,646
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Re: Martial, spiritual, and jujutsu (split off from Funakogi Thread)

I think a really big problem in the Aikido community is the fact that we all call Aiki different things.

To some Aiki is what others would call kokyu, or internal skills. While others don't think Aiki hinges on this at all.

Others relate Aiki to rhythm and timing. Or the ability to project or lead intention. Some even call Aiki the type of techniques we use. There are lots of things that we call Aiki, but when we talk to each other we are not talking about the same things.

I know above you related Aiki to the "body quality" show by Takeda, Ueshiba etc. What exactly does that mean? I would guess you're talking about their ability with kokyu. But you could mean the way they move their body, or the way they use their body (leverage, angle, development). There are lots of things we can be talking about.

I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong in their definition of Aiki, just that we need to come to a common understanding so we can talk about this. For example the Iwama kind of Aiki, or the Aiki of the kodokai, or Aikikai Aiki, etc. We have no foundation on which to start our conversation.

The same goes for martial. You used boxing as an example of martial, while I know where you are going with that, I giggled a bit. Boxing doesn't seem very martial to me, it seems like a sport, like MMA, or Judo. Fighting with guns seems martial to me. When we say martial, some mean fighting in the streets, some mean fighting in a gym, some mean on a battle field; all very different animals, while all being valid in their own right.

We all throw these things around like everyone has the same understandings and definitions, but we don't.

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