"I Don't Have Noises."

Takeguchi Sensei used to say, "Do what you saw.  Or, what you think you saw."  

People laughed.  I was perplexed.  "Is Sensei teasing us?  Is he joking?"  I always wondered.

Now I realize Sensei was just stating the truth.

A student takes ukemi for Ikkyo by throwing his head and upper body away from the partner.  His ukemi puts him in a very stuck position every time.  

"I don't understand.  I can't do what you ask me to do.  How do I stay connected with my partner without doing this?" he asked.  

His question made me chuckle.   I asked him back, "By doing this, are you connected with your partner, then?"   He paused to ponder, and then mumbled, "Hmm, no."  

I explained to him that his situation was the simple result of his picking the wrong thing -- his head and torso -- to balance the movements of his striking front hand.  

"But I thought you move your head when you rotate to take this ukemi . . ." he went on.

Sigh.  "I thought"!

When practicing a morote-tori technique, another student scooted to the side as soon as her partner moved his grabbed hand.  Every single time, she landed at a place when she could instantly be hit.  While I was pleased to see her respond to her partner's movements, acts like this are suicidal.  When I looked into her eyes, I saw what motivated the move . . .

"Do not preemptively jump to random spots out of fear.  It puts you in even more danger." I advised her. 

"That's not what I am doing!!" Student raised her voice to protest.  

"Oh, okay.  Then, what are you doing?" I asked.  

I was encountered with silence.

At the end of class, I reminded people that, what we should strive to do at practice is to watch and mimic what is there, instead of doing what we think.  Replicate what is demonstrated as closely as possible without adding or subtracting anything.  Do not tamper with the sequence of movements just because we are not getting the result that we think the technique should end with.  

A student came to me afterwards to ask about how to watch correctly.  I gave him an analogy:  Make yourself a piece of clay and let the instructor's demo, like a key, make an impression on you.  You, then, examine the impression and try to replicate the key yourself.  

"I have to know what I am watching before I know what to see." the student declared.  

"Well, if that is the case, you will never see anything because we all start with knowing nothing."  I replied.

Honestly, how does one learn anything new following such logic?

"Many people think they are very focused when they practice.  They pour all their attention and awareness towards their partner and stare hard at their hands to make sure they are doing the right moves.  But that is not being focused.  That's being consumed.  The key to learning the Aikido way is to block out the noises in your mind and listen to only what we are practicing.  From the way you asked the question, I have the impression that you are used to having noises in your mind."  

Student snapped, "No, I don't think so."  

"No?  Really?" I asked.  

"Nope.  I don't have noises."  He was determined.

My student is entitled to his perceptions.  I have my many years of experience interacting with him and observations, but who am I to argue with him?  It is his reality to him.  

"Then, help me understand:  So many times, I show what I show, and then you do what you do.  The two are not the same thing.  When I come to give you corrections, you are often very surprised by what I have to tell you.  How do you explain that difference?"