O Sensei Moirhei Ueshiba was reported to have said, when asked about the meaning of aiki, "When I move around, that is what aiki is."
Much of what he said is up for interpretation - nobody knows just what he was thinking most of the time - and this one is no different. But I'd like to offer a possible glimmering of understanding for this particular statement.
I think perhaps Ueshiba was saying something like, "Look! Aiki lives within the movements - not in the techniques! It is the relative movements of uke's and tori's bodies that makes aiki."
I was watching an instructional video by Bram Frank, and he said something that put me in mind of this quote and led me to this interpretation. He said, and I paraphrase, "This is all movement. The techniques will not keep you from being cut. Movement will keep you from being cut. It is the movement that will save you - not the techniques."
____________________
Patrick Parker
www.mokurendojo.com
-
Harai tsurikomi ashi has never been one of my tokuiwaza (favorite/best moves) but it was a favorite of one of my instructors! Mac McNeese h...
-
Someone asked me a while back to post what I consider to be pros and cons of aikido and judo – sort of what I like and dislike about aiki...
-
I got to chat a while back with a long-time direct student of Henry Copeland - one of my favorite people and teachers of all time. I hav...
-
Great aiki class last night. We had a new guy (the word is spreading) and he did good. We worked on ukemi, tegatana, and evasions (aiki br...
-
Boy, I thought that Dave had found nearly the ultimate example a few months ago of a bunch of chi-tards and their hippie shenanigans, but th...