Aikido is a Never Ending Learning Process

After practicing Aikido for over 32 years, it would be fair to say that I could give my own view and comment why I believe Aikido is a never-ending learning process. For instance, whenever we think we are beginning to understand a technique or think we know how such technique is performed (with Taijutsu for instance), often, I quickly realised that I was wrong!

The deeper we study Aikido over the years, the quicker we could fall into a trap especially if we let our Ego dictate us, which is what we, as Human beings, constantly tend to fight between 3 biggest vices such as money, power and sex.

Aikido can only help us if we learn to put our Ego aside. Then, it will begin to forge your body, mind and spirit as one - just like when we practice weapons, we become one with the weapon.

Aikido is not a religion but a deep and advanced Martial Art that allows us to shape our spirit to be not only physically strong but spiritually better prepared so that we can become better human beings.

This sounds quite a cliché when you read this part, but we all know that life is far from easy, and we are all human beings, so we have vices and often we hear the wrong inner voice, which tells us we want to be the ruler and be more important than anyone else. This bit does sound a bit awful if you attain a deeper understanding with the spiritual world, but this bit would actually sound fine for many!

The fact is that we are all unique and different human beings and despite this, Aikido has a way to reconcile people and be in peace with one another but to do this, we really need to work on ourselves first!

That is why we keep practicing Aikido, we keep going to the Dojo over and over again, and we practice repeatedly with different techniques, but we would repeat them so that we learn to absorb these physical movements that follow very specific principles (triangle, square, circle and spirals) which subconsciously gradually affect our spirit for the better over years (only) if we diligently practice this Art.

There have been times, when I felt the training was amazing practicing with a good Uke who knew how to respond to all techniques I was performing but it also made me realise that it would also be, when I least learn Aikido!

Because Uke would know what is happening, so there could be an illusion that we feel no danger or worst that we think our technique works great until we practice it with a complete novice and the real challenge begins.

Understandably, we feel frustrated and let our ego think that ‘my Aikido is not good enough’ and this thought would hurt anyone’s feeling because you would have worked so hard ‘to make it work’, right? But some techniques are designed to really work after years and years of practice (and not before!) because, they require our body to be doing exactly the exact positioning with feet and hips and with the right mindset and feeling of the centre from the belly. The latter is what is truly needed to get it working but the hard part is that it does take years to understand this feeling.

However, I can say that when we practice our Aikido with a novice we do get this amazing opportunity to test our Aikido better. Indeed, we become more ready or alert for the unexpected so we raise our Zanchin (which is a good thing), so we practice in a way that we are prepared for any possible reactions.

Strangely enough, when we feel not so great about doing certain techniques with a novice, it is when you get to learn Aikido at its best because you become conscious of your mistake! So you are ‘peeling off a new layer’ to understand your Aikido deeper…

But to progress further one needs to give up his/her ego, and remain humble with a good heart, then you will be able to progress further in Aikido providing you have the skills to and tools to progress on the next higher hill. Sadly, if one is not willing to do this, then his/her Aikido will ‘stagnate’ and not progress much further.

On a deeper level, when we become ready to this, we come to realise that there is a higher level that allows our spiritual to grow but it is only deeply linked with our life journey and understanding of this Art that connects us with one another is filled with compassion (heart needs to be ready to give).

As a beginner, we visualise Aikido as something very external only indeed. We look at the external shape where the hands go, where the feet go. And we think that is all we need to understand.

But an experienced Aikidoka will begin to see something way beyond the hands and feet, and will begin to feel his centre feeling with the hips moving during very specific techniques (Irimi Nage, Kote Gaeshi, Sankyo etc).

We feel the big and small rotations and spirals and square feeling and triangle with our forming of our stance with feet positioning. We then begin to picture the principles of these shapes that when we were beginner, we failed to understand them.

Writing this blog made me realise how fascinating this Art is, as it is not like any other Martial Arts, where one would be thinking we practice with an opponent and we think we have to do whatever is necessary to win a fight and bring down the opponent (sadly, winning is important for many in this world).

A beginner joining Aikido, will find it quite different very quickly as there is no winning or losing concept, which may sound odd, but will find that we are all equal. Additionally, we do not treat our Uke (person receiving the technique) as an Opponent but as a PARTNER. So very quickly we take a responsibility to look after him/her during practice.

We also quickly (like any other Martial Arts) learn to respect one another. A beginner will appreciate this as well as anyone would want to feel safe and that we are not going to be doing any ‘beating’ with another.

In Aikido, the sense of respect really goes much further. Indeed, an experienced Aikidokas will sense the need to not only be respectful, but to connect with his/her partner with Awase (Blending) physically but ‘Awase’ in our heart.

If you watch how Mitsuteru Ueshiba Hombu Dojo-Cho bows (click on this link) you will notice that he does it so precisely, like it is an Art and he does it so elegantly and with a good heart, his body is forming a beautiful bowing like he is sacrificing his physical body, mind and spirit as one in this moment of bowing.

I found that when we practice with a good heart, remaining humble, we begin to care even more towards our partner.

There can be some spiritual aspect to this (hence why some Aikidokas will sense this feeling more deeply than others).

To me, the fact that I practice Aikido in a Martial way retaining strong effective Aikido techniques (keeping Atemis for instance), helps me know that I practice an Aikido that is  foremost effective and therefore potentially dangerous. It is the latter, that will make me want to care more towards my partner or anyone I practice with.

The same goes outside, we want to find a way that we bring peace and avoid fists to resolve any conflicts. Aikido has all these tools to make us better human beings.

I think, it is fair to say that in order to maintain peace (in terms of resolution) one needs to be taken seriously as a Martial Artist. Then, the ‘enemy’ would not dare to come and challenge this Martial Artist. So in my view, peace is preserved because the enemy knows that he would be too strong to defeat so walks away – ‘so to speak’.

On the other hand if the Martial Artist is not practicing a strong Aikido, the enemy may be tempted to attack.

Same situation that we find on the street, the mugger will carefully choose his victim. The one that is unprepared and unaware of the surrounding.

Now, to feel safe, one does not need to become a complete Martial Expert. Aikido quickly will help you to be aware of your surrounding and to keep a safe distance. So if you are sensing something is wrong down the street, your gut feeling may warn you because Aikido has taught you to listen to your primary instincts. Aikido will raise your level of alertness and you choose to avoid walking on this street and walk away. Aikido can develop this sense of prevention.

I could continue writing more about Aikido, that can help many people on so many levels and what I find even more fascinating is that it does connect us with all ages, all nations without any barriers and it does make you feel (if you have a hearing disability like I have) that you can achieve just the same as everyone else if not more!

So I would just say embrace being a beginner at your own level, like I am a beginner at my own level.

And above all, embrace the fact that we will all remain beginners at our own personal level and that we will endlessly be learning every time we practice. Therefore, I think Aikido is magic…