I remember
when I first saw Aikido (about 30 years ago at QE II park!) - it looked like a
bunch of guys just throwing themselves around and I wasn't sure if it was
impressive or lame. About 15 years after
that I came across the exact same Aikido club while looking for a Tai Chi school
(coincidence? - yeah probably). Anyway I
tried it - and had shown to me the unbendable arm, how an unbalanced person can't be strong, and the mystery
of "ki".
OK, I didn't have the mystery of kishown to me as such, but I did get a
taste of what it might be - and so started what would become a lifelong search
for that intangible, yet powerful, "je ne c'est quoi" (and about which I could
fill pages - but not now).
So,
excepting a month off here and there for injury recovery, I've been training
for about 15 years, and after all that time I still remember the first few
classes and discovering the ‘magic' of Aikido.
Here are a few things I'd like to share with our newer Aikidoka:
Aikido is a Way, not a goal.
Don't beat yourself up because
you can't seem to get a technique straight away, or even after months of
trying (Shihonage isn't called ‘the 20 year technique' for nothing!)
Forget the ‘learning curve' - expect
your accomplishment to go in steps and accept that some of those will, of
necessity, be backwards ones.
Plateaus, in between your steps, may last for a few days, or many months.
Don't feel silly when you are
shown something and realise you've been shown it before - I still get that
after 15 years.
Expect to feel sore/unco-ordinated for a time.
You are using your body in a
different way now, some stiffness and soreness is to be expected.
Aikido training involves both
sides of your body and requires both halves of your brain (the logical
Right side and the creative Left side also) - expect to feel a bit unco-ordinated
until you get used to this.
If you find that rolling makes
your back hurt, it is likely you are not taking any weight in the roll on
your arm/shoulder, or are turning in the roll. Ask a senior student for advice. Practice before or after class to
‘smooth out' your rolls.
Aikido is simple, don't complicate it.
Try to replicate the moves as
demonstrated by Sensei/Sempai without adding any ‘extras' . This includes extra steps, extra arm
movements, etc.
Train slowly and carefully to
achieve this.
Relax.
Being stiff (especially for
those from Karate backgrounds) must be unlearned - try to relax
consciously before starting a technique.
Slow down. Going fast increases stress and tension
- not to mention that it hides mistakes in technique.
Being a relaxed uke (training partner/the
‘attacker') means the person you are training with will be more relaxed -
it also means you are less likely to get injured.
When you are relaxed your
technique is less likely to involve strength - not only will your uke feel less like resisting your
technique but your technique can flow better (more aiki).
Never stop looking for the ‘magic' of Aikido.
O'Sensei said - "If you search and
search you will never find Ki -
but if you stop searching it's elusion is certain".
Train with as many different
people as you can, as often as you can, and those ‘magic' moments, when
everything comes together and you throw your uke with effortless grace, will be found (When they happen,
try not to stand there thinking "how did I do that?", it kind of spoils
the effect!).
Remember -
everyone was a beginner once, and if we are honest about it, most of us still feel like one!
