Aikido & Personality

A lot has been written about how the way a person carries themselves is a reflection of their personality. I was curious if anyone has seen a correlation between personality types and specific aikido techniques. For example, does an introvert have trouble with extension? Does a passive/agressive do poorly with irimi but kick butt with tenkan? Can an anal retentive ever hope to excel at free form randori?

I'd guess that different personalities do the same technique differently, rather than excel at different techs. The sadistic may excel at slamming ppl with irimi-nage, while others are gentler. This may lead to a change in body mechanics? (but then, you can't say whether that's better or worse without context).

Good question, but I bet it ends up as a nature Vs nurture debate.

Of course there is a massive correlation between how one practices Aikido and one's personality, and it's something fellow trainees can perceive on an intuitive level. However, I don't see much coming of the simplistic way you are attempting to codify it. You have loaded the question with several dubious assumptions... similar to the old cross-examiner's trick: "Is it true that you still beat your wife?".

To start with, trying to correlate complex psychological constructs with the superficial aspects of particular movements is highly suspect, and reminiscent of astrology, nephrology or any number of other psuedoscientific intellectual disasters. Also, off hand, I'd say you can perceive more about someone from their ukemi than their throwing technique - something which you've categorically excluded from the question. I find the question of how one perceives and relates to others via Aikido practice and what is unique about it an interesting one, but this seems like a conceptual dead end.

Kevin Wilbanks wrote: Of course there is a massive correlation between how one practices Aikido and one's personality, and it's something fellow trainees can perceive on an intuitive level. However, I don't see much coming of the simplistic way you are attempting to codify it. You have loaded the question with several dubious assumptions... similar to the old cross-examiner's trick: "Is it true that you still beat your wife?". To start with, trying to correlate complex psychological constructs with the superficial aspects of particular movements is highly suspect, and reminiscent of astrology, nephrology or any number of other psuedoscientific intellectual disasters. Also, off hand, I'd say you can perceive more about someone from their ukemi than their throwing technique - something which you've categorically excluded from the question. I find the question of how one perceives and relates to others via Aikido practice and what is unique about it an interesting one, but this seems like a conceptual dead end.

Ouch Kevin! I'm not looking for research material for a thesis or anything! I was just wondering if anyone had made any interesting observations along those lines (the examples were intended to be humorous but I guess I shouldn't quit my day job). Anyway you brought up an intersting point about ukemi and I certainly didn't intend to exclude it from the question. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go finish whittling my boken into a dowsing rod!

Somebody told me that the direction you look in affects your ki flow;f you look at the floor in front of you, or if you are looking right in front of you, or up. It's something to think about, although I can't explain this. Maybe you can register those ki lines with Ken's dowsing rod?

Taras Poltorak (taras) wrote: Somebody told me that the direction you look in affects your ki flow;f you look at the floor in front of you, or if you are looking right in front of you, or up. It's something to think about, although I can't explain this. Maybe you can register those ki lines with Ken's dowsing rod?

As a Shodokan aiki-thug I don't have anything to say about 'ki flow'.

But a couple of things do spring to mind about this:

One is that your head is actually pretty heavy. Maybe looking down (or up) will compromise your posture a bit just because of the way you're holding that big ol' block of bone and squishy grey stuff at the top of your body.

Another is to do with the psychology of the thing. Could it be that when a person adopts the posture of a shoe-gazer, they automatically become a bit more introverted than when they feign confidence and look the world in the eye?

Just a thought.

Sean

x

Taras Poltorak (taras) wrote: Somebody told me that the direction you look in affects your ki flow;f you look at the floor in front of you, or if you are looking right in front of you, or up. It's something to think about, although I can't explain this. Maybe you can register those ki lines with Ken's dowsing rod?

I have also read this in connection with driving(!). That if your car starts to skid (on snow or whatever) that you should look at where you want to go, not at what you are trying to avoid. The article never used the phrase "ki flow" of course, but it seems related. At least on my planet

Interesting that Kevin's perception of the original question justified 2 whole paragraphs...being a conceptual dead-end and all.

I find this post very interesting because one of my students loves asking people what their favorite technique is. She is able to actually judge fairly acurately what their personality is like.

E

Kevin Wilbanks wrote: To start with, trying to correlate complex psychological constructs with the superficial aspects of particular movements is highly suspect, and reminiscent of astrology, nephrology or any number of other psuedoscientific intellectual disasters.

I read an interesting article in the Boston Globe (7/6/03) about computer scientists who have written a program that determines with about 80% accuracy the sex of the author of writing samples. While I'm sure the program is very complicated to reach that level of accuracy it is interesting that one of the biggest differences between the sexes involves the use of small words. From the article:

For example, Koppel's group found that the single biggest difference is that women are far more likely than men to use personal pronouns-''I'', ''you'', ''she'', ''myself'', or ''yourself'' and the like. Men, in contrast, are more likely to use determiners-''a,'' ''the,'' ''that,'' and ''these''-as well as cardinal numbers and quantifiers like ''more'' or ''some.'' As one of the papers published by Koppel's group notes, men are also more likely to use ''post-head noun modification with an of phrase''-phrases like ''garden of roses.''

This makes me optimistic that there are big hints to personality within the performance of techniques, it is just a matter of learning to spot them. After all who the heck would ever have consciously picked up on personal pronoun thing for determining the sex of an author ? I do think some people could make the correct intuitive conclusion by subconsciously processing many of these small clues. It seems like it would actually make for an interesting study !

Brian

If we belive that certain personalites prefer certain techniques, can a person select certain techniques to modify their personality?

What techniques go with what personality?

Eric Novak (Bogeyman) wrote: I find this post very interesting because one of my students loves asking people what their favorite technique is. She is able to actually judge fairly acurately what their personality is like. E

Psst...I dig the paired Aiki-Taiso exercise. Kind fond of the backwards ukemi and anything to do with bokkens. Ask her for me ok? ;-) Inquiring minds and all that.

(imagines an aikido 8 ball...)

Bob - She said that paired aiki-taiso means that you are outgoing and like to be around other people. The backward ukemi indicates being more of a risk taker and, again, outgoing. The bokken is fast and shorter meaning that you are closer to your partner (providing more danger) and willing to live on the edge. Let me know if this is close or not.

E

>She said that paired aiki-taiso means that >you are outgoing and like to be around other >people.

Well...sometimes. But not so much, to be honest.

>The backward ukemi indicates being more of a >risk taker

I prefer the term "stupid", but risk taker look nicer on the resume ;-)

*shrugs*

Hey - rolling backwards is more fun.

> willing to live on the edge

Say, that's not too bad. At a pinch, I'd say 2 out of 3. (Course it's all open to interpretation)

Hello Aikidokas,

Been practicing different group of aikido since 1994. but was refine with alan tan, sensei of aikido centrum cebu, phils.

for nine years, correct me if i'm wrong. in terms of technique, my opinion is as long as there's no collision, no blocking then there's is fluidity of ki(force, energy)and trying to depend yourself in such a way that you u will not harm ur aggresor if possible -- it is aikido. u can even create your own technique as long as it follows the things i mentioned above. Am I right?

call me "shiete"

[shiete] I definitely agree with you. somewhere in another thread this was already discussed, and one reply was that as long as there is blending, tenkan, etc... then it is aikido.

harming the assailant? i think it depends on situation upon situation. if its a matter of life and death and multiple attackers are involved, i think you would want to end the situation as quickly as you can. and in order to escape such a situation, i really think you should hurt them real bad, preventing them from doing you any further harm.

atemis before immobilization, after, atemis before projection....

i am not an expert this is just my own view others may not agree...

regarding harming an aggressor, that's why i said IF POSSIBLE. In randori, even if you have only one attacker at first, we considered it multiple attack because in every attack we make sure that the assailant cannot stand up anymore. when he stand up and attack again, we consider it another guy.

suggestion:

we can practice randori first with one attacker but from any direction and in any technique and attack. wherever he falls, he should start another attack from there. all throwing, when you as nage gets tired, pin em down and finish. or if you think your uke is exhausted, pin em down and stop.

-shiete-