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Old 06-17-2009, 11:22 AM   #1
Taj Mikel
Dojo: Aikido Institute of New Mexico
Location: Albuquerque
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 20
United_States
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Aikido and Driving a Vehicle

Hey everyone, I tend to notice subtle similarities (or like to think that I do) between given thing A and given thing B, in this case, Aikido and driving.

I've only been studying Aikido for about two months, so my technical skills are still very new and gaining in practice, but I have noticed that while driving at least a few of my behaviors is similar to those in the dojo.

In the car, while driving, I am operating at a level of "working" awareness in which I am closely paying attention to the events around me, but in an indirect manner.

Consider, as we drive we focus generally on the road in front of us, with some amount of direct awareness applied to what's behind us. We "intuitively" redirect our motion when something in our awareness changes the original parameters of our perceived situation. Ie; a person crossing the street, a car signaling to turn left/right, a cyclist on the sidewalk... These perceptions aren't directly attended to, but rather indirectly referenced and then acted in reference to. We even see that it occurs on several levels simultaneously. Ie; another driver "cuts you off" while a woman crosses the street and the light changes to red. We react to each of these stimuli almost intuitively, and with such efficiency that each situation is handled appropriately in the matter of a fraction of a second.

It is not that we are paying individual attention to each individual entity and it's corresponding event/s on the road, we are simply paying attention to the road as a whole.

This intuitive, "working" sort of reaction reminds me very much of Aikido, and fending off multiple attackers.

To drive it home, the beginning driver finds him/herself focusing greatly on each individual event that occurs on the road, often over-correcting or reacting in an exagerrated manner, while the seasoned driver reacts with calm, efficiency, and grace. By the same token, when I am in the dojo I find myself focusing very intently on my own motions, ie; "Am I getting the form correct? How's my back posture?" where my Senseis, and even other training Aikidoka, have a more comprehensive view of their actions, and their actions in relation to those around them. Similarly, we find this in driving in that the novice driver focuses on individual forms (things on the road) and the adept driver focuses on the road as a whole (drawing it all in simultaneously).

As I was reading a portion of.. The Five Rings (I think?) by Musashi, a portion caught my attention referring to "gaze". The gaze was defined as a way of taking information through the eyes in a comprehensive manner. "Looking far as though it were close, and close as though it were far". I see this applied in driving often, as well.

Do you think that, as a society of drivers, we are adept naturally at considering multiple sources of information simultaneously? Maybe more-so than the average Japanese man/woman from a few hundred years ago?

Do you think that focused, intentional consideration of these techniques (the gaze) say, while driving, can assist in subtle ways, the cultivation of "martial vision" and result in more efficient processing of information while in the dojo?

I have also noticed (and while discussing with my room mate, also 6th Kyu, I found him disagreeing due to driving style) that when I make turns, left or right, my arm tends to move into an "unbendable arm" position, which then moves in a 360 degree rotation as I turn the steering wheel. Specifically, it reminds me alot of performing an Ikkyo on my car.

And finally, in Aikido, we have a large emphasis on the individual portions of the body being separate from eachother, so as to cultivate complete bodily control. Do you think that driving can influence this in subtle ways as well? Specifically in the mind-body and eye-body coordination?

Sorry for the uber long post. Very interested in your thoughts though! Also, are there any other daily sort of behaviors you go through that tend to remind you of your Aikido training? Looking forward to hearing responses, and good morning!

-Ty

Last edited by Taj Mikel : 06-17-2009 at 11:26 AM. Reason: Typos and whatnots
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