Short End Of The Stick

On this day, we practiced morotetori (uke uses two hands to hold onto one of nage's wrist) techniques with a tenkan entrance.  

Everybody tried to use their arms to pry their partner over.  Needless to say, the smaller people had a hard time when a big partner latched onto their wrist with two hands.  Yet, even the big guys found it difficult to turn around when a small person held on to them.  After all, in the case of a big arm vs an entire small person, the small person still prevails.

I went to check on the pair involving the biggest and the smallest persons in class.  On the side, I gave pointers to the small nage.  He seemed confused.  Setting the technical details aside, I do not think he believed he could deal with such a big attacker.  Within seconds, he gave up and gestured at his big partner, as if to say, "Look at how big and strong my parter is!  Why don't you try it yourself?"

I had his partner hold my wrist tightly.  Then, I moved very slowly so as to show that I was not using any force or momentum to overcome the uke.  I did tenkan as my held arm goes up as in ikkyo undo, just like what they had been practicing.  

"You see?  It can be done -- without using muscles or relying on speed.  Mind you: I am turning around my stiff shoulder that has limited range of motion!  It really does not matter."

The student still looked unconvinced, nevertheless.  Practice resumed, and the pair went back to prying each other's arm forcefully . . .

After practice, I pulled the smaller student aside and explained to him the idea and the mechanics behind the move:

Once the uke holds onto nage, the two bodies become one system.  Most Aikido technique involves spinning this system in space.  The most critical question is: What is the system spinning around?  

For simplicity sake, we can think of the relationship between the nage and uke as a see-saw.  What everybody in class has been doing is to use the nage's shoulder as the fulcrum. Being eager to move the uke, nages lean forward, thinking that will help them become stronger.  Doing so is the equivalent of leaning over to the other side of the see-saw, and hope that you will be able to move the uke better . . .    Does a see-saw work this way?  This thinking simply defies physics.  

Understanding the Concept of Moments

The ingenuity of Aikido moves is that we play a seesaw of which we get to redefine where the pivot point is, so that you always are on the winning side of the game all the time.

Henry Kono Sensei once said, "Do not disturb the point where Yin and Yang meets."  

So, in a system composing of the uke and nage, what is the Yin and what is the Yang?  Where is the point they meet?

Clyde Takeguchi Sensei also says, "Aikido involves constant switching position of the uke and nage."

Does it mean one person is Yin, and the other person is Yang?  

Anybody who has worked with the jo knows the figure 8.  Figure 8 is infinity ∞.  Aikido is infinity.  The jo movement is a good diorama of it.  The Aikido see-saw can spin in any direction in the 3D space.  They are one and the same.

In an Aikido system, the nage and uke each controls half of the universe  -- just like the black and white in the Yin-Yang sign.  The split can be in any direction:  it can be vertical; it can be horizontal.  Since we live in a 3D world, the edge between the two halves can even be a curved plane.  Your imagination is the limit of what is possible.

To do a simple tenkan movement like we are doing in class today, as nage, you just pick a point between the end of the uke's grip and your elbow as the fulcrum.  Whether it is one-handed grab (katatetori) or two-handed grab (morotetori), the closer the pivot point is to the uke's grip, the larger the moment against your partner is because you just, literally, handed him the short end of the stick!  That is why nages should never have to worry about how big or how strong the uke is.  

As Takeguchi Sensei says, "It does not matter who your partner is.  You should always be able to practice Aikido with anyone!"