On Knotting

When asked what Akido is based upon, under a technical point of view, we at times hear as an answer: leverages and projections. That is, for instance there is no tsuki...
It is a fair answer, IMHO.

Yet at a second look, those are not the kernel of Aikido techniques, but a consequence.

It is in fact too easily dissimulated, in daily practice, what we are really doing: actually, we are making knots.

Leverages and projections are a consequence of the fact that on an arm, a wrist, and an elbow a knot cannot really be performed.

When the attempt of making a knot meets the resistance of the medium, the leverage or projection ensues as a consequence, not as the goal - the dissimulated goal, or the proxy, was an attempt to knot an arm.

This is, spiritually, less immaterial than one may think.
http://books.google.it/books?id=_Peg...page&q&f=false
Go to the menu scrolling one or two pages and click on "Solve and Coagula" which is the ancient Latin for "dissolve and bind".

The key that open or closes.
The knot that may bind and unbind.
The solution that may coagulate or liquify.

It is, also, my contention that the Hebrew letter that represent fighting is the Lamed (I derive this allegation of myne from the fact it's the starting letter of Psalm 144). It seems, indeed, a rope. Besides, the Lamed is the L - in Italian at least "laccio" means exactly knot - whence the Anglo-saxon and Spanish "lazo".

This leads to an implication: attempt a knot whatever, it will evolve into a technique. Attempt unbinding a knot whatever, it will evolve into a projection.

There isn't much difference between tying your shoes and making a kotegaeshi: same gesture. A shiho nage transition to ikkyo, is indeed a knot where the rope is an arm.

Well that's musubi for you ain't it? Making a knot?

Making a knot on a medium that is unsuitable to be knotted, exactly. Stressing the knot aspect dives into an esoteric tradition too (thence the link).

musubi is another side of it - feeling the adversary, merging with his/her directions. Indeed, it is "binding".

What I am emphasizing here is that musubi normally doesn't put enough stress on the fact that we not only tie up with the adversary momentuum: our gestures are, actually, like making knots in the void. This becomes particularly apparent with katas.

The reason I am stressing this is the following: if you start thinking about your techniques as knots, you may invent them on the spot (with due cautions when training, of course): they may start flowing out of your hands by themselves.

It is one of the ways ("my way"?) to attain the ultimate idea: there isn't but _one_ technique.