Training

Day 98 of writing every day.

I woke up early this morning to make my way to a joint practice class by Osaka Aikikai, one of the largest Aikido organizations in Osaka. I think all of us prefer to sleep in at least a little, especially if we were busy Saturday as well. But it was one of those “The early bird gets the worm,” kind of days where I had to get up early to do something I wanted to.

The weather was nice: A little cool but clear and sunny. The sun provided warmth but was not overbearing in the heat it provided, making walking outside a pleasant experience. Practice was higher intensity than necessary in my opinion, but it was good exercise. I personally don’t rush techniques, but the pacing really is set by partners who sometimes seem to make it a contest of endurance.

Aikido practice is noncompetitive. We’re not trying to prove one is better than the other as a form of entertainment for paying spectators wanting to see the outcome. However that does not mean that practice should be laid back and lacking any seriousness, especially when engaging one another and making it to be techniques against an attack. Intent is a very critical part of practice, and lacking any sincerity just turns it into half-assed exercise.

By sincerity, I mean that the amount of force applied and speed should reflect a hypothetical attack, even if the type of attack might not reflect the reality of brawls. Practice should be conducted with the mutual safety of all involved. If you’re okay with injuring your partners at a dojo, that’s not a healthy relationship and is simply physical abuse under the guise of keeping martial arts “martial.” You’re gonna run out of people to practice with unless you fill your place with a bunch of people who want to be tough guys and are willing to give up a long healthy life in pursuit of such an identity.

Anyways, some people are willing to make the sacrifice of health for what might be seen as pride or insecurities in their masculinity. I and I think the norm in Japan for Aikido is that practice is a path to self cultivation. It is done through the practice of martial techniques that isn’t what most combat sports do, and there’s no need for Aikido to conform to the perspective of what training needs to be in terms of content. The focus should be on the qualitative aspects. Build a better understanding of human anatomy and learn how you are using your own body, not just how to interact with someone else’s actions.

Thanks for reading!