aikido wisdom

[kirkcudbright]

lyonesse and I went to her regularly scheduled aikido class tonight (as in, she was supposed to teach), and, predictably, no one showed up. But you never know who's going to be around and bored the day after Thanksgiving.

Anyway, we talked about the philosophy of aikido, and the things that don't make it onto Sensei's Four Basic Principles. We made a list, and left it on the chalkboard in the wrestling room, as a gift to whoever walked in. And I'll probably work some of it into Monday's lesson (which I'm teaching).

AIKIDO WISDOM: WORDS TO THE FOOLISH

• Don't be there
  
• Stand like a normal person
  
• Bunny hands
  
• Tripod spot (not)
  
• Breathe every day
  
• Don't escalate
  
• Take out the slack
  
• Don't stiffen up
  
• Fingers are tender (Plan B)
  
• Avoid the force (you are not a Jedi)
  
• Practice the demo'd technique
  
• Give appropriate attack

"Aikido is Love"
-- O Sensei

Comments

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

you should post this to the aikido community, see what it provokes there :)

[iabervon.livejournal.com]

Stand like a normal person

Followed by the more advanced "Walk like a normal person". The funny thing I've noticed since getting this advice is that normal people actually stand and walk really awkwardly, even when they're really not doing anything. Of course, in order to notice this, you need to know enough to take the advice correctly despite its actual inaccuracy.

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

Bunny hands

Now all I can think of is "JAZZ HANDS"!!

Curse you.

Reminds me of words of Winston

[(Anonymous)]

These reminded me of some pearls from Ou-san from the old U Chicago Kokikai site - had to go to the wayback machine to find them, but here they are:

"Here are some reminders for my students. If they're of any use to others, even better."

Before everything, eliminate the self.

Lead the mind.

Cultivate the intuition; listen to nothing.

Don't lie to yourself. You are that jerk walking down the street.

The more tension one encounters, the more one should relax.

Zero physical force; a lot of nothing.

Extend up, extend down.

Great fullness comes only from great emptiness.

Weight underside

Open the muscles; open the mind; open the heart.

Relax into the present.

The seven virtues of budo: compassion, rightness, courtesy, wisdom, faith, friendship and piety.

Practice in a such a way that you could practice without stopping for one year.

Please stop sweating so much.

Take the slack out, keep the slack out

Open the joints

Head suspended from a string, back of neck slightly taut

Consciously develop a body awareness / sense of morality

No muscle, only intent.

Where is your mind?

Don't anticipate - empty mind

Don't cheat yourself out of the full experience

Lead the situation from the start, don't force it later

Walk to a place where your opponent cannot stand

Developing good ukemi is the quickest way to developing your aikido.

Uke must cultivate unnatural naturalness

Relax through pain.

Don't get stuck.

Nothingness, and then explosion.

Thought without action is self-defeating.

Lose preoccupation with the self, the ego that claims itself not one with the universe.

Chase it and you're not far; think you have it and you've lost it.

Follow the laws of nature

What goes down must come up

The greatest stability lies on the edge of motion.

Ki is the difference between this and this

It is compassion which precedes the principles.

Causing pain has nothing to do with taking balance

Being able to throw the uke has little to do with practicing aikido

Cultivate the calm equanimity which reinvites miracle

Practice like an old man.

Have faith

Relax! Relax! Relax!

Don't be discouraged. It's just something to work on.

Aikido practice is about life and death; don't make a big deal out of it.