Pimple Of The Earth

My spring trip to CA was a wonderful experience.  It started out as a trip to visit my former Aikido students in California.  The young budding professionals are now married with kids.  I love going to spend time with them and play "Aikido Grandma".  Thanks to the efforts of James Nachbauer, the simple visit turned into a series of special classes in three different dojos in the Bay Area.  The tour ended with a class at Aikido of Berkeley.

Aikido students from at least five dojos participated.  People seem to know each other quite well and get along fine.  I have the feeling that they get together to train at seminars and special claasses quite often.  If you consider community building as one of the goals of Aikido, I sincerely think that the Bay Area deserves an A.

After class, some students wearing white belts came to talk to me.  Most of them were smaller people.

This is not the first time small Aikido students tell me how encouraged they are to see my Aikido.  People who have very big, tall men as teachers are particulalry happy to meet me.  They tend to say the same thing: "Watching you gives me hope."  I know what they mean.   I used to watch big men throw their ukes all over the place.  Given my size, I thought that I would never be able to do what they do.  

I am not a tall or stocky person.  I am not fast or strong.  As we get older, we are bound to become weaker and slower anyways. But, thanks to the nature of the Aikido I pursue, I do not need to be big and strong.  Physical size does not matter.  Aikido based on connection and precision is all about controlling oneself.  Swift, precise weight shifts and hip turns shape the body into a keen human blade for every occasion.  It is gentle to our own body and is much more sustainable as we age.

A yudansha commented on the light touch of my hands, and that this aspect of Aikido is something he has been pursuing.  It is delightful to run into a kindred spirit who notices what I think is important and valuable.  

A gentle interface is the result of a solid center and good connection within oneself and with partners.  Despite a strong extension, your partner does not feel much pressure.  There is no need to push or pull.  The problem with pushing or pulling is that, the moment you inject force into your partner's system, the action from you generates a reaction from them and that turns into resistance.

Gordon Sakamoto Sensei said it many times, "If you do not want resistance from your partner, the best thing you can do is to not trigger it."  By being gentle with your partner, you do not elicit undesirable biofeedback from their bodies to resist you.  

I once read an article on the similarity between Taichi and Aikido.  The author pointed out that, in both of these martial arts, practitioners can move their opponents effortlessly because the engagement is through the fascial system, instead of relying on forceful manipulation of the muscular skeletal system.  Interestingly, in order to access the fascial system, you must use firm but gentle touches.  Could this be one of the secrets of Aikido?

Centering and connection are key concepts in Aikido.  They both originate from our hara.  Yet, I continue to find people do Aikido without engaging their core.  

The core is the central coordinator that connects all the body parts together.  It is critical for good posture, stability and balance, coordination, and the delivery of power.  If you do not engage the core, you have to individually control the four limbs separately.  Since the body is not internally connected, the spine is not supported by core muscles, the action by one limb cannot be balanced by other limbs.  That would make it extremely hard to coordinate and synchronize Aikido movements.

As Clyde Takeguchi Sensei says, connection starts with oneself, then you connect to the Earth, and then with your partner.  I really like the analogy that Sensei used, "I may be a small and insignificant person.  Yet, if I can connect with the ground, I can draw the power from the Earth.  Even though I am only a pimple of the Earth, I am still part of the Earth.  Nobody can be stronger than the Earth.  By extension, I become invincible."