Payet Shihan is an incredible teacher.  His style of teaching is quiet and reserved with a little bit of well timed humour.

This weekend focused on BALANCE.

Every Aikidoka has had to listen to people drone on about how fake Aikido looks because one person is effortless tossing around another and pinning them with little to no strength.

Every Aikidoka who has been tossed around effortlessly and pinned to the mat with little to no strength by a great practitioner such as Payet Shihan knows that there is nothing fake about Aikido.

So how is that these movements seem so fluid and effortless?  Balance.

Keeping your upper body relaxed, your hands in a natural position – KAMAE – and your body perfectly balanced you will always be in control.  The moment you compromise your posture or your balance you become week and exploitable.  The harder uke  pushes into you or attacks the more uke will compromise their balance.

So how do you deal with uke’s overwhelming power?  Do nothing.  Payet Shihan showed us that the harder uke attacks the more you simply do nothing.

The concept sounds so simple.  Actually it is simple really when you look at it.  But please do not confuse “simple” with “easy”.  By staying relaxed and balanced you are not fighting uke, you are connecting with uke.  The moment uke feels you pushing back there is a fight.  You want uke to commit and stay committed.  It is this commitment from uke that allows you to redirect their momentum and energy back into them.

Simple and pure.  BALANCE.  It is at the heart of your aikido.

In Japanese martial arts, the term atemi (当て身, atemi?) designates blows to the body, as opposed to twisting of joints, strangleholds, holding techniques and throws. Atemi can be delivered by any part of the body to any part of the opponents body. They can be percussive or use ‘soft’ power. Karate is a typical martial art focusing on percussive atemi. The location of nerve and pressure points, such as might be used for certain acupressure methods, also often informs the choice of targets for atemi (see kyusho-jitsu).

Some strikes against vital parts of the body can kill or incapacitate the opponent: on the solar plexus, at the temple, under the nose, in the eyes, genitals, or under the chin. Traditional Japanese martial arts (the ancestors of judo, jujutsu and aikido) do not commonly practice atemi, since they were supposed to be used on the battlefield against armoured opponents. However, there are certain exceptions.

Atemi can be complete techniques in and of themselves, but are also often used to briefly break an opponent’s balance (see kuzushi) or resolve. (For example, this is the predominant usage of atemi in aikido.)  A painful but non-fatal blow to an area such as the eyes, face, or some vulnerable part of the abdomen can open the way for a more damaging technique, such as a throw or joint lock. Even if the blow does not land, the opponent can be distracted, and may instinctively contort their body (e.g., jerking their head back from a face strike) in such a way that they lose their balance.

The development of atemi techniques arises from the evolution of the Japanese martial arts, in particular jujutsu. Early styles of jujutsu from Sengoku-era Japan were created as a means of unarmed combat for a samurai who had lost his weapons on the battlefield. The purpose of jujutsu was to disarm the opponent and use their own weapon against them. As such, strikes to the body were limited as the intended victim would have been wearing extensive body armour. However, in later styles of jujutsu from Edo-period Japan empty-handed strikes to the body became more common as full-scale military engagement began to decline. This meant that the jujutsu practitioner’s opponent would not have been wearing armour and the vital points that form the crux of atemi-waza were more exposed. Thus atemi began to play a pivotal role in unarmed killing and restraining techniques.

The Use of Atemi (Striking) in Aikido
by George S. Ledyard

The use of striking in the performance of Aikido waza or applied technique is not well documented and is even the source of quite a bit of conflicting information. Saotome Sensei has made it quite clear that O-Sensei taught that atemi in Aikido was at the heart of the practice. Yet other instructors have been known to say there are no strikes in Aikido. A number of practitioners believe that Aikido’s peaceful intent is lost when atemi is used yet those who have worked to preserve the martial integrity of the art know from experience that any experienced attacker will defeat Aikido techniques if there is no use of atemi. Even those who feel that use of atemi is perfectly appropriate in Aikido waza may not have considered in any systematic manner the various ways in which it is actually utilized in the art.

The use of strikes in Aikido manifests itself in three main ways (Each of these can be further broken down into more precise description.)

A Strike as a Technique in Itself

A Strike as a Means to Facilitate Another Technique

The “Not Striking of Striking”

The use of atemi as techniques in themselves, in other words to end the confrontation without need for any other additional application, is as a means of creating physical dysfunction. This can range from strikes which attack the vital organs and are designed to kill to strikes which are targeted at specific limbs and can end an attack by making it impossible for the attacker to continue. This could include crippling blows or strikes which are meant to deliver enough impact to render an attacker unconscious. The use of atemi alone to end a confrontation is not generally studied by aikidoka of the post-war styles and most of the practitioners who have a working knowledge of this aspect of the art acquired their knowledge by way of training in some other striking oriented art. The use of strikes in this manner is generally considered the option of last resort in Aikido because of the emphasis on non-violence. The Aikido ideal is to end a confrontation without inflicting serious injury on the attacker. So this area of study is, for better or for worse, de-emphasized in most Aikido training.

When strikes are used as a means to accomplish a different non-impact technique it can be executed in two different manners. In the first case an atemi can be applied in order to cause intense pain and therefore create a shift in the resistive energy of the attacker (this could be accomplished with or without injury based on what type of strike were used and at which of the above targets). The moment the attacker shifts his attention and therefore his Ki to the site of the pain his resistance to the main technique being attempted tends to diminish drastically. This use of atemi is generally considered by most Aikido practitioners to be the proper one if strikes will be used at all. The drawback is that techniques that rely solely on pain are quite unreliable. A seriously motivated attacker simply doesn’t notice and that means that there is no shift of attention. So choosing to target atemi to non-injurious vital points can increase the risk of failure in a self-defense situation.

Another way in which impact can be used as a means to accomplish a different technique is by using strikes not for injury or pain, although those might possibly be a by-product, but to change the physical alignment of a resistant attacker. Frequently when an opponent has stopped a technique, it is close enough to success that switching to a variation is not necessary. The simple application of impact, such as a knee strike to the back of the upper thigh when an attacker resists a kokyunage, can change the alignment of the attacker sufficiently to free up the blocked energy of the technique. No pain or dysfunction is necessary in this type of impact delivery. It simply alters the structure.

The final aspect of the use of atemi in Aikido falls within what I call the “not striking of striking”. This is the use of a strike with no necessity or expectation (on the part of the person delivering the atemi) that the strike actually make contact. This is the type of atemi which many Aikidoka favor while not understanding that for effective use of this atemi to be made, mastery of the actual impact techniques previously described needs to be attained. This is the “energetic ” use of atemi and the attacker must really believe that the true strike were being delivered and feel the necessity of putting his attention on it.

Imagine that you are standing behind a perfectly clear sheet of Plexiglas and someone throws a baseball at your head. If the throw were done powerfully, with speed you would cringe and duck even if you knew the Plexiglas were there. If the throw were done by simply lofting the ball you would probably not react at all. The “not striking” use of atemi must have all the energy and potential of a real strike or it will not create the effect on the partner, which it is designed to accomplish. The weak atemi thrown by many Aikido practitioners will simply have no effect on a motivated and trained attacker.

The “not striking of striking” atemi can be used as a distraction technique in the manner described previously. To accomplish distraction and its attendant shift in resistive energy it is only necessary that the attacker shift his attention. This might come about because the strike connected and caused pain enough to register in his consciousness or it might occur when the attacker uses a block to deal with the strike and prevent impact.

Anyone who has had occasion to apply Aikido techniques on a really resistant subject as in police application knows how hard it actually is to get a technique on someone intent on countering it. We train to maintain connection but a real attacker will attempt to break with you the instant that he doesn’t feel things are going his way. It is necessary to get the attacker to create an opening for establishing connection by delivering an atemi, which forces the attacker to block. The Aikido technique can then possibly be run on the blocking arm rather than on the arm or leg, which had delivered the primary attack. Once again, it is possible that the atemi will hit but it is often not required, as it is much easier to get a connection with some part of an attacker’s body when they commit to defense than when they are throwing an attack.

Finally, the aspect of striking, which is most misunderstood outside of Aikido circles, is the so-called “touchless throw”. Every interaction in Aikido contains many different possibilities. Most of the time in Aikido practice the strikes are implicit rather than explicit. One can do a whole class and not see any overt strikes. This is because, if well trained, both partners know where the strikes could be and do not do anything within the interaction, which would require that, the hidden strikes become manifest. But in the “touchless throw” we see the “not striking of striking” used in its most artful guise. This is accomplished by subtly changing the timing of a strike. The strike needs to be just fast enough that the attacker can not avoid or block it but is just slow enough that the attacker can respond to it by breaking his posture and taking a fall in order not to be hit. The emphasis on this type of interaction is unique to Aikido. It is actually a valid martial interaction in a type of coded form. An uke trained in the use of strikes as throws will be airborne the instant the strike is perceived.

This can give an onlooker the impression that the attacker is throwing him self. At that point he either decides what he is seeing is bogus and involves the cooperation of both partners or, if mystically inclined, he believes that he is seeing people being thrown energetically, without the need for actual physical contact or force. In fact on one level each of these points of view is true but not for the reasons they would think. The point is that here we are looking at a form of Aikido interaction which doesn’t normally exist outside of the dojo. If one tried to throw an untrained partner without touching him it would merely manifest itself as a strike which hit. The partner would not understand that the agreement exists that I run the strike in just such a way that there is just one “out”, to take the fall.

There are probably other, more subtle ways in which Aikido utilizes atemi but the main ones are covered here. If one expands the definition of atemi from striking to include anything which nage does to catch the mind of the partner for a split second, then a whole new area of discussion opens up. One of my dear Aikido friends was fond of planting a big kiss on your cheek just before hurling you with her iriminage. It is indicative of the varied approaches to Aikido practice that many students seem to pick only certain of these aspects to incorporate in their technical repertoire. But as soon as one is interested in application of the Aikido techniques outside the controlled environment of the dojo it is necessary to put some emphasis on understanding each of these applications.

Shodo means “first move” and seisu means “to control”. Therefore, shodo-o-seisu literally means “to control the first move”. However, shodo-o-seisu is easily misunderstood; it has a deeper meaning than simply overpowering one’s opponent with speed or technique.

The true meaning of shodo-o-seisu is to keep calm, to be ready with the right attitude in our daily lives so that we have complete control over ourselves before a conflict arises. Our ki should be flowing calmly so that whatever comes in contact with it will blend and melt into the flow. We must put ourselves into a state of tranquility and readiness. The appearance may look static but the flow of ki is dynamic. Like an engine idling calmly at an intersection that is ready to accelerate with a light touch on the gas pedal, we must be ready to spring into action with efficiency at any time. Preparing yourself [and remaining] unnoticed always gives you the advantage.

Example: Let your partner hold onto your wrist with all his/her strength and then try to turn your body to lead him/her around you. You will find that you must be much stronger than your partner to move him/her. Now, visualize your ki flowing naturally out your arm as you let your partner hold with equal strength and think that you touched him/her first. You will naturally control the situation from the beginning, and should be able to move your partner with ease. This is a good example of shodo-o-seisu.

Having a better understanding of others is also shodo-o-seisu. We won’t lose friends in our daily life if we can control a situation before it deteriorates. By understanding each other well, we will be able to prevent misunderstanding and automatically avoid confrontations.

The body can be considered to be a form of ongoing communication, a shaping of and container/containment of all of the messages (chemical, electrical, nutritional, verbal, etc) that we receive and transmit in the course of our lives. When considered as such, we can understand that the overall health, shape, size, proportions, and flexibility of the body is greatly affected by everything we take part in, and all that we believe in. Consider a young Japanese boy training to be a jockey, as compared to a young Japanese boy working out every day in the gym and at the dining room table, in order to become a Sumo wrestler. It is no coincidence that these two boys will have a very different sense of aesthetics, and different ways of approaching life’s challenges, just as a tiger has a very different way of being in the world as compared to a porcupine. The overall health, shape, size, proportions, and flexibility of the body, is an ongoing communication process, and not only does our body contain all of the messages that we receive and transmit in our life, but to a large extent our body determines how and what we receive and communicate as well.

The body can further be considered to be a symbolic translation and transformation of all of the communication/information that we receive in the course of our lives, both from our own internal world, and the external world as well. In order for the body to “make sense out of” all of the various food, chemicals, and electrical impulses that flow through it, it requires a certain intelligence that can translate all of the various input received, in order to give such input meaning, and react “logically”. This intelligence of the body is what I call “somatic intelligence” and this intelligence appears to be organized and controlled largely by the enteric nervous system (what Dr. Michael Gershon calls “The Second Brain” in his book by the same name). The body is able to “speak” a neuromuscular biochemical language that makes it possible to understand and direct all of the massive information exchange that it takes part in, on a moment to moment basis. We create and continue to shape and modify our body to match our experience, and vice versa as well. We shape our body in order to facilitate meaning making, and communication.

 Aikido decides life and death in a single strike, so students must carefully follow the instructor’s teaching and not compete to see who is the strongest.

• Aikido is the way that teaches how one can deal with several enemies. Students must train themselves to be alert not just to the front but to all sides and the back.
• Training should always be conducted in a pleasant and joyful atmosphere.
• The instructor teaches only one small aspect of the art. Its versatile applications must be discovered by each student through incessant practice and training.
• In daily practice first begin by moving your body and then progress to more intensive practice. Never force anything unnaturally or unreasonably. If this rule is followed, then even elderly people will not hurt themselves and they can train in a pleasant and joyful atmosphere.
• The purpose of aikido is to train mind and body and to produce sincere, earnest people. Since all techniques are to be transmitted person-to-person, do not randomly reveal them to others, for this might lead to their being used by hoodlums.

Morihei Ueshiba (ca.1935)

We spend hours in the dojo sweating and training.  We follow traditions and rituals and prescribed rituals.  Most of us will never have call to use the skills that we have learned.  Others….

Those that have read my about page will know that I am a paramedic in a major metrpolitan city.  Many people may be unaware of the volotile scenes that paramedics are faced with day to day.  On a recent shift I was called into just such a volitile scene.  We were called to an emotionaly upset and “chemicaly enhanced” patient.  The call was placed from a third party in another city.  Our patient had no idea that we were being summond to his residence.  We were greated by his wife and infant daughter.  The wife told me that our patient was very upset and had a strong propensity to violence and would without question fight with us if he knew we were there.

Here is the dilemma.  Do we leave the wife and infant home alone with a violent, “chemically enhanced”  person who has made staements to a family member preffessing his intent on violence or do we run away and wait for police.  As I spoke to the wife, our patient suddenly appeared.  We were both “Shanghaied”.

My patient quickly became aggressive and confrontational.  He was not willing to listen to any form of calming talk or reasoning.  Police were no where in sight.  Withing seconds he dropped his dominant foot back and swung.  Without thought or reasoning I was able to enter into his strike blocking it and executed a gentle rotary throw that sent my assailant off the porch and into the shruberry below.  He did not know what I technique I was going to execute and as in light of fact neither did I, yet I was still able to send him to the ground safely and defeated.

Causing injury to this person, even in self defence, would most certainly have had repurcutions for me.  Thanks to my training with Yoshinkan Aikido I was able to go home to my wife and children safely and avoid legal repercussions.

Just enough.  A phrase I have heard repeated over and over again.  My instructor, Bindner Sensei repeats this constantly.  It seems to be the answer to many questions.  Mustard Sensei is also fond of this answer as well.  Inevitably whenever I ask how much I should move to take someone off balance or how hard I should step forward the answer comes back to “just enough”.

In Yoshinkan Aikido the purpose is not to jump out of the way of an attack, but to move at the last moment and move just enough.  You are not trying to not get hit as much as you are moving at the moment of first contact.  In here lies the power of Yoshinkan Aikido.  In moving at this moment you are able to take Uke’s momentum and power and use it against him.  It is at this point that (as recited by a great man) that you are able to “Steal Uke’s Heart”.

Do not try to bend the spoon — that’s impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth: there is no spoon.

Only when you are able to stop thinking about what you are doing can you actually “do”.  Yoshinkan Aikido teaches you to react, not to think.  Once you are able to let go and flow with the technique you can achieve greatness.  I think back to Mustard Sensei’s last visit to Sendokan Dojo and he repeated this time and time again:  “RELAX!”  Now that I have several months to engrain this concept into my everyday practice I see the power it yields. 

If you want power, don’t use power.  Mystical words.  In simpler terms: Just do it!  When you are truely able to let go your body will move as it has been trained to do and the true power of Yoshinkan Aikido will be brought to bare.

This would seem easy but alas appearances are quite decieving.  It is easy to get caught up in focusing on why a technique did not work or in the case of jiawaza focusing on which technique will be excuted next.  This should not be the case.  It is hard but one must make their aikido more organic.  Just flow with the go.  Turn your mind off and do.  Realize the truth, there is no spoon!