Life Is What Happens When You Are Busy Making Other Plans
"You attack WRONG!"
I have heard that line multiple times in my Aikido life. Sometimes the nage says that because the uke attacks with the "wrong" hand, or that the uke just delivers the attacking a different way than the one that the nage expected. Honestly, can one really attack wrong?
During Aikido practice, particularly for beginners, we systematize things in such a way that nage knows for certain which hand of his partner will come at him in what way so that he learns to respond accordingly. I occasionally would interfere to help junior students learn the Aikido attack conventions for practice. Other times, with more experienced students, I just let it go and observe how the nages deal with the "wrong" hand.
Cottier Sensei once told a story about unexpected attacks: At a demo, he asked two young hunks to hold his wrists on each side. The enthusiastic students held Sensei's wrists and hunkered down like anchors. "I quickly realized that I couldn't do anything. Just as I was about to panic, it dawned on me that while I cannot do anything, they can't do anything to me either. That is not really an attack!" The epiphany freed his mind and thus his body.
Endo Sensei also talks about unexpected attacks by students during demos. At one occasion, he asked someone to grab his wrists from behind. Not only did this student held Sensei's wrists tightly, but he also added the special bonus of lifting them up high. It was very different from what Sensei had in mind. He could not do what he planned to do. His immediate response was feeling annoyed. "What kind of attack is that? Who is this person?" Sensei turned to try to take a look at this person. His deliberate movement was so strong that, before he even finished his turn, the attacker was sent flying across the mat.
"That was an aha moment for me." Sensei said. "At practice, we have the convention of attacking a certain way, but it is not so in real life. You cannot tell people how to attack. So, if someone really comes at you this way, and you are not trained to deal with it, what do you do? That's when I realize I need to be able to adjust and deal with whatever comes my way."
Most Aikido people I know have no plans or hopes of using Aikido techniques in real life. If you wonder why, then, we spend so much time in practicing, this is one of the reasons why.
I have heard that line multiple times in my Aikido life. Sometimes the nage says that because the uke attacks with the "wrong" hand, or that the uke just delivers the attacking a different way than the one that the nage expected. Honestly, can one really attack wrong?
During Aikido practice, particularly for beginners, we systematize things in such a way that nage knows for certain which hand of his partner will come at him in what way so that he learns to respond accordingly. I occasionally would interfere to help junior students learn the Aikido attack conventions for practice. Other times, with more experienced students, I just let it go and observe how the nages deal with the "wrong" hand.
Cottier Sensei once told a story about unexpected attacks: At a demo, he asked two young hunks to hold his wrists on each side. The enthusiastic students held Sensei's wrists and hunkered down like anchors. "I quickly realized that I couldn't do anything. Just as I was about to panic, it dawned on me that while I cannot do anything, they can't do anything to me either. That is not really an attack!" The epiphany freed his mind and thus his body.
Endo Sensei also talks about unexpected attacks by students during demos. At one occasion, he asked someone to grab his wrists from behind. Not only did this student held Sensei's wrists tightly, but he also added the special bonus of lifting them up high. It was very different from what Sensei had in mind. He could not do what he planned to do. His immediate response was feeling annoyed. "What kind of attack is that? Who is this person?" Sensei turned to try to take a look at this person. His deliberate movement was so strong that, before he even finished his turn, the attacker was sent flying across the mat.
"That was an aha moment for me." Sensei said. "At practice, we have the convention of attacking a certain way, but it is not so in real life. You cannot tell people how to attack. So, if someone really comes at you this way, and you are not trained to deal with it, what do you do? That's when I realize I need to be able to adjust and deal with whatever comes my way."
Most Aikido people I know have no plans or hopes of using Aikido techniques in real life. If you wonder why, then, we spend so much time in practicing, this is one of the reasons why.
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