Aikido Spirit
In one class, I break down the elements of a technique using Nadeau Sensei's notion of "Form and Flow". It seems to help some students appreciate the importance of both the mechanical basics as well as the energy side of the technique.
In another class, I tell them about Endo's Sensei's metaphor: Aikido is like a two-wheeled carriage. One wheel is called "Kata (Form)". The other one is called "Spirit". If one wheel is larger than the other, the carriage will spin in place instead of moving forward.
Maybe because of that, a student was confused. He came to ask me, "Is flow the same as spirit?"
"No, flow and spirit are different. Form and flow are the two elements of a technique like the two sides of a coin." I used the metaphor of a boat and water current to explain how the form rides on the flow. Read [Let Body Body]
"Spirit, however, is the intangible emotional state you carry inside of you to support both the form and the flow. Without a strong spirit, no matter what kind of physical skills you have, when push comes to shove, everything falls apart like a house of cards."
I guess we all have seen this familiar scene in TV drama or movies in which someone points a gun at another person with trembling hands and yells in a shaky voice, "Don't get any closer or I'll shoot you! I mean it. " But then the other person does not seem all that convinced and keeps inching forward, "Really? Shoot me then. C'mon. Shoot me!" Tears come down from the first person's face as he attempts to aim the gun at the other person, "Stay away from me. I will shoot you. Don't make me . . ." To keep a long story short, even though he has the gun, and the target is right in front of him, the gunman breaks down emotionally and drops the gun to the ground.
This kind of plot may be just stale, old drama, but it demonstrates the importance of one's spirit. Who cares what kind of techniques you know. If you do not have inner strength, there is no way you can pull it off. As simple as that.
In another class, I tell them about Endo's Sensei's metaphor: Aikido is like a two-wheeled carriage. One wheel is called "Kata (Form)". The other one is called "Spirit". If one wheel is larger than the other, the carriage will spin in place instead of moving forward.
Maybe because of that, a student was confused. He came to ask me, "Is flow the same as spirit?"
"No, flow and spirit are different. Form and flow are the two elements of a technique like the two sides of a coin." I used the metaphor of a boat and water current to explain how the form rides on the flow. Read [Let Body Body]
"Spirit, however, is the intangible emotional state you carry inside of you to support both the form and the flow. Without a strong spirit, no matter what kind of physical skills you have, when push comes to shove, everything falls apart like a house of cards."
I guess we all have seen this familiar scene in TV drama or movies in which someone points a gun at another person with trembling hands and yells in a shaky voice, "Don't get any closer or I'll shoot you! I mean it. " But then the other person does not seem all that convinced and keeps inching forward, "Really? Shoot me then. C'mon. Shoot me!" Tears come down from the first person's face as he attempts to aim the gun at the other person, "Stay away from me. I will shoot you. Don't make me . . ." To keep a long story short, even though he has the gun, and the target is right in front of him, the gunman breaks down emotionally and drops the gun to the ground.
This kind of plot may be just stale, old drama, but it demonstrates the importance of one's spirit. Who cares what kind of techniques you know. If you do not have inner strength, there is no way you can pull it off. As simple as that.
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