Aikido and Traffic

Am I the only one who thinks that changing lanes, elegantly, on a busy highway during rush hours requires substantial blending skills?

So many can do it well on a hwy, and so few can do it well on the mat...

Does it mean driving a body is much more complicate business then driving a car?

Usually, the other drivers are not trying to hit you.

Depends on your perspective - they don't hit you, but they they don't want you in either, so you have to do Irimi, not Tenkan.

Yann's rule of traffic number one: EVERYONE else on the road is trying to kill you.

Yann's rule of traffic number two: Never be in a hurry when you drive.

... nothing to do with Aikido at all...

Dmitry Doronin wrote: So many can do it well on a hwy,

I don't know where you live but I'm in Baltimore and that is most definitely NOT the case

Well, in the UK, I've often found myself agreeing with you Dmitry, especially on roundabouts. Sometimes the circular flow can be very elegant, and sometimes people crash

in the Metro DC area...yes you have to irimi the car quite frequently. Where I live in Germany, it is not so true as most people follow the rules, drive politely, and don't have such a huge chip on their shoulder and take out their frustrations on fellow drivers!

I thought this thread was about various methods of avoiding oncoming vehicles. I think practicing ma-ai and zanshin while on the road are two main wazas. The other thing is being courteous and providing the uke the opening whereby you lead them to place where they cannot hurt themselves or others. A police officer said the shizoku is behind an opponent that is likely to cause trouble.

You have to remember that in America a driver license doesn't mean the driver has mastered the way.

Where I live in Germany, it is not so true as most people follow the rules, drive politely, and don't have such a huge chip on their shoulder and take out their frustrations on fellow drivers!

Really? My (British) husband always complains about the Germans´ driving being egoistic, dangerous and rude... it´s nice to hear the opposite for once.

I find that aikido doesn´t only happen on the street but also when changing gears as one releases the clutch and accelerates . My husband sucks at that and I keep telling him that it´s all just blending... it hasn´t helped so far, though

I think a relaxed mind that doesn't get angry at other drivers but instead focuses on the real objective of getting somewhere is extremely beneficial (I think anger and attempts at retribution often result in accidents).

Once a van pulled out about 5 yards in front of me at a junction whilst I was going around 40 mph. There was also an oncoming car but I managed to swerve gently between the front bumper of the van and the uncoming car with only a couple of feet to spare. If I had attempted to stop or slow down I would have still hit the van. It seemed so natural and easy at the time, but about 5 minutes later I was sweating profusely as I realised I'd narrowly avoided quite a major accident (not sure what the other drivers must have felt!).

I think aikido is about doing the right thing at the right time - and this can only be achieved through not having excessive attatchment to one course of action, but by adapting.

P.S. I do believe there is a cultural/local bias which affects our driving behaviour (though Germany doesn't really come to mind when I think of this)!

Yann Golanski wrote: Yann's rule of traffic number one: EVERYONE else on the road is trying to kill you. Yann's rule of traffic number two: Never be in a hurry when you drive.

Rule #3: Everybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and everybody driving faster is a maniac...

Clark Bateman wrote: Rule #3: Everybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and everybody driving faster is a maniac...

Sorry, I'm one of those weirdos who keeps to the speed limit -- which is 30 in built area and 70 outside,,, more or less. I find it makes driving much more pleasant.

Yann Golanski wrote: Sorry, I'm one of those weirdos who keeps to the speed limit -- which is 30 in built area and 70 outside,,, more or less. I find it makes driving much more pleasant.

I guess that ties in with Yann's rule number 2?
I should really check my speed more, but I like to drive fast!
I'm bad... i know....

Robert Townson wrote: I guess that ties in with Yann's rule number 2? I should really check my speed more, but I like to drive fast! I'm bad... i know....

*grins evilly* Yeah, it does...

As for driving fast, why don't you go go-carting or ralley driving? I am sure that there's a place that does either eithin 2 hours drive of your house. That way, you get to drive _really_ fast, learn how to do it properly and get a massive adrenaline rush as a bonus.

/just an idea.

from my mirror column on irimi:
I often joke that irimi is the operating principle of my driving: take the path of least resistance; unhesitatingly but smoothly slip into openings as they appear. So perhaps what I need to bring back to the mat is: perceive everything that comprises the attack (ma'ai really being the integration of speed, distance, intent and time that experienced drivers automatically work with), have faith that the opening is there, and simply MOVE.
and
Once again, driving a car teaches me the lesson. My standard Brooklyn style u-turn on a busy street to physically claim a parking space reveals the irimi within tenkan: there is no way this maneuver involves an iota of backing up or retreat. It is nothing less than a fully committed entry. It just happens to involve a 180 degree pivot.

Having experienced Janet's Irimi Driving (TM) on more than one occasion (like yesterday) I can testify that as a passenger her Entering U-turn can feel like a well executed kotegaeshe...and actually is a lovely illustration of "circle and center"!

I ride a motorcycle, so I guess that counts as hanmi handachi.

(It's a Ninja, appropriately.)

I've been lucky (or not?) to experience a need in entering very busy lane where no one agrees to let you in, in many places; Tel Aviv and Montreal were the most impressive in this regard.

Highway is a place where use of brute force is very dangerous, even though too many do that. What I noticed is that I could do more-less elegant entry (i.e. not forcing nearby cars to hit breaks) only in drive-by-feeling mode, i.e. not thinking and considering any separate moves, but reacting instantly on the changing situation. I also noticed that even very brief hesitation while employing the opening breaks the established rapport and... I have to pull back.

Something tells me this is about how I should feel my techniques on the mat.
For some reason on the mat it appears to be much more difficult...

Dennis Good wrote: I don't know where you live but I'm in Baltimore and that is most definitely NOT the case

haha, too true!

Sonja,

All I can tell you when I am driving on the Autobahn at 190 KPH and I come up on a car that has GB tags, is I slow down and make sure he sees me! I have had too many British Drivers pull out in front of me, or stay in the wrong lane!

Germans do seem to drive fast, and they have their own sense of the "rules". they are not patient, but they do not do many of the stupid things we do in the United states.

When I have driven in GB, once I get over the fear and brain lock of driving on the Left, I find that british drivers drive fairly patient, politley, and consistent....so yeah I guess from their perspective, Germans are a little rude...but much less so than the Wash DC area, or NYC!

Now you want to see aikido in action in traffic, try Beijing or Nanchung China! Holy cow, people, carts, bikes, and autos all in the same intersection at the same time...it is absolutely a dance of amazement! I never say aikido in action until I sat at a rush hour intersection in China!

Dennis Good wrote: I don't know where you live but I'm in Baltimore and that is most definitely NOT the case

If more people then not are bad drivers... maybe it's not them driving badly?