Move Smoothly, Not Fast

5/27/10 w [1s, 6v] B Four new vets, although one of the "new" people is back for one of the regular three week tuneups. This is a pretty good program to be associated with. There is good backup support for these guys after they finish the six week program; the scheduled three week and one of two day refreshers when ever someone needs it. This also means that when I do a few minutes feedback this Friday, there will be someone with some feeling as to whether Aikido practice has been any continuing help.
I started with a "new guys" intro but I am continuing to place more emphasis on how relaxing to center, moving from the hips/center, and how powerful it is to maintain a calm mind and smooth, balanced movement throughout a technique. My mantra has sort of become my favorite quote from Kanai Sensei, "Do not try to move fast, practice moving smoothly. Fast will come from smooth". [Apologies Sensei, if I have misquoted.]
Getting them to focus on slowing down, relaxing the upper body and maintaining balance really makes a difference in their technique. One guy told me "I messed up that technique, but kept my balance and could feel how he was moving, so I ended up in a good pin anyhow!". One of the vets who has been here for a while said, "It is real nice when sometimes a move just seems to flow!"
It will be nice [I hope] to hear what I get for feedback Friday. Thank you for that suggestion.

(Original blog post may be found here.)

This just happens to be the focus I have been working on for the past week or two most particularly my aim for my 5th kyu test that I took this past week.

Moving smoothly is what I'm focussing on right now. I have developed the bad habit of stopping when I make a mistake. Just keep going, this has been emphasized lately and I see the sense in it. It feels better too, and one can always adapt to the movement.Even with the newer students (I've only been doing it 3 months) I make sure to tell them to keep going, we can always do it over and analyze as we go along.

I once heard one of the most awesome shooters I have ever seen say, "Smooth is fast; fast is smooth."

I tend to agree.

Me,too.
I'm not worried about being fast, i tend to worry more about being smooth.
Slow and smooth leads to fast and smooth.

Michael Varin wrote: I once heard one of the most awesome shooters I have ever seen say, "Smooth is fast; fast is smooth." I tend to agree.

I've always heard it as "slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

That said, it is something to take to heart in any stressful encounter.

Greg Maroda wrote: I've always heard it as "slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

That might have been it

I say this about 5 times a day these days...both on the range and in doing empty handed training. It is applicable in everything involving kinesthetic and proprioceptive movement involving skill.

The great John Wooden, of UCLA basketball fame, is credited with saying "be quick, but don't hurry". No doubt, thorough preparation and commitment to team goals were paramount. But by isolating what each player had to have decided personally, was what would eventually carry the day.

It appears that the one truth of martial effectiveness, nay for that of any human achievement, is the role of speed in the equation.

The Founder's axiom of "Katsu Haya bi", reminds us that instantaneous victory, together ;with "Masakatsu Agatsu", or self mastery, are the key components of his Aikido' Budo connection

Speed of thought, speed of action, and the speed of one's willingness to commit the spirit to the task, is crucial to both survival and to true victory, whatever that is.