The Progression of Aikido Technique

I came across this excellent article and decided it was well worth including. It's very rare that I ever find myself agreeing with every word!

The Progression of Aikido Technique from Basic to Advanced
by George Ledyard
Published Online

An area of much confusion in Aikido is the relationship between advanced practice and the basic foundations of technique. The vision of Morihei Ueshiba walking unperturbed surrounded by attackers who seem unable to put a hand on him and instead fly in every direction with little or no physical contact is one that most Aikido practitioners have seen.

Interestingly, there is no generally agreed-on viewpoint as to what O-Sensei, Founder of Aikido, was actually doing when he showed this Aikido to the public. Amongst the many different styles of Aikido and amongst the even larger group of individual teachers, many of whom trained directly with the Founder himself, there is almost no common ground when it comes to how the art progresses from its basics, which differ little from style to style or teacher to teacher, to the “Advanced” level.

For some teachers, “advanced” Aikido looks very much like its foundational basics, simply smoother, more effortless, flowing like a stream from technique to technique. Here, “advanced” seems simply to indicate the level of effortless relaxation achieved by the practitioner in dealing with committed attacks initiated by a partner / opponent. But there would seem to be no attempt on the part of these teachers to “lose the form” as the Founder clearly had. Other teachers seem to have taken Morihei Ueshiba at eighty to represent the quintessential Aikido and these teachers have attempted to duplicate the formlessness exhibited by the Founder at the end of his career. For these teachers there is more importance placed on being sensitive to every shift in energy, physical or psychic, from the partner than on developing good strong physical technique. Some, in fact, denigrate powerful physical training as counter to what the Founder intended.

The problem with both of these approaches is that Aikido for O-Sensei was a process which continued right until he died. Those who try to pick a particular time in the life of the Founder during which he was doing “orthodox” Aikido inevitably fail to understand the foundations on which the Aikido of that particular time period rested. They also choose to ignore everything which the Founder developed after that point in time, which for him represented often decades of unremitting training. To do this seems to represent more personal preference than having any particular justification.

For those who wish to jump directly to the end of the career of the Founder and make his advanced and formless technique the model for their own practice, they are attempting to understand an art without understanding the foundations upon which the whole edifice rests. Some teachers would maintain that we do not have to re-invent the wheel, that the Founder did much of this work for us so we wouldn’t have to.

This argument might hold water if there were any examples of this in reality. But I have not yet encountered a single instance in which someone had reached an ethereal level in his or her technique without having had a background in very hard physical training. Attempts to pass on their understanding to their students without having them go through the same process have in my own experience failed completely.

The reason for this would seem fairly obvious in that every insight, every epiphany which leads to a qualitative jump in the level of training seems to be based on the firm foundation of a previous understanding attained. I myself, have yet to see anyone skipping stages and going directly to the highest level of training without going through the necessary preceding steps of the more mechanical and physical training process. Uniformly, the attempts to do this which I have encountered have resulted in students whose movement is hollow, missing the necessary intention necessary to perform technique at this level.

So what I would like to attempt to do is outline what I see (at this stage in my own training) as the natural progression of technique from the basics as depending on good solid understanding of the mechanics of how the body works, how to use one's own movement to develop power and how to join that power with that of another without conflicting, to the advanced which depends more on aiki as the interaction of the physical with the energetic, the place at which the Body is effected by the Mind and technique becomes less and less physical and more a matter of principle in action. This should allow the student of Aikido to see the relationship between the different steps in the progression from basic to advanced. This relationship exists equally for empty hand and weapons as well.

The first level of training is revealed via static technique. This level of technique is designed to develop an understanding of structure. How does one's own body work, how does the partner’s? How can one meet power without conflicting? To pass beyond this level one must understand the mechanics of the art, the jiu-jutsu component, so to speak. One must learn to relax and one must understand the basic “geometry” of technique. In this training we encourage the partner to be as powerful as possible so we can gain feedback regarding our “understanding” as expressed via our technique.

The next step in the progression (which is often done simultaneously with the first stage) is technique done from movement. While demanding a continuing focus on the skills being developed via static training, training with movement begins to teach how the manipulation of spacing (ma-ai) and timing (de-ai) can serve to neutralize the power of the attacker. The strong “center” developed through static training is now shown to be moveable, wherever the practitioner is, even when moving, that sense of “center” is maintained. At this stage the nage allows the uke to initiate an attack and he receives it by using his movement to blend with the attack. The energy of the attack is then redirected into the structure of the uke for locking techniques or into the uke’s balance points for a throwing technique. It is at this stage of training that the student begins to work with the concept of how to “lead” the energy or attention of the partner. Leading the Ki of the opponent is one of the hallmarks of Aikido technique.

From the martial standpoint the previous level of training is limited in that it cedes considerable power to the attacker by allowing him to decide what and when an attack will be. Given the fact that all people have a certain reaction time between when they perceive something and when they can act on what they have seen (about a half a second for most people), allowing the attacker to have the initiative is a major advantage for the attacker. This is a problem as it a) means that from the start of a technique the nage is being re-active to the uke and b) if the attacker chooses to utilize less than fully committed techniques such as feints, the uke can cause the nage to move as he wishes and then suddenly change the attack, thereby making the nage’s attempted technique incorrect.

So the next level of technique changes who initiates. No longer does nage simply accept whatever the uke dishes out. He uses his own movement to begin to draw out a reaction from the attacker at the moment of nage’s choosing. If nage closes the ma-ai (space) with uke, he will hit a point at which uke MUST either commit to his attack or back up. Failure to do one of the two will result in his being open to being struck by nage. Since it is nage who determines when he is crossing the ma-ai point and arriving at “critical distance” he has no “reaction time” because he knows when uke must commit. This is very important in the development of martially effective technique and must be researched carefully. The difference between this stage and the last is that in the last stage the nage allowed uke to initiate and then he led the “attention” of the uke via his own movement. At this level of technique he takes control of the “timing” by manipulating the “spacing”, this begins to make considerations of “fast and slow” in technique irrelevant. The practitioner begins to operate outside the temporal zone as he begins to control the issues associated with timing and spacing.

What has been happening so far in the development of these “stages” is that technique is getting progressively less physical as the principles of space and timing are used to shape the movement of the attacker. In the next level of technique not only does the nage initiate action to draw out uke’s movement, but he uses the energy of his action to lead the response given him by uke. At this stage of practice the attacker ends up being almost completely reactive to the nage. The nage is controlling his actions even before they start to occur. Technique appears to be lighter and more energetic than powerful and physical although it is quite possible to do technique at this level which is quite powerful if one chooses. This is accomplished by manifesting the principles as atemi waza rather than as throwing or locking techniques. Quite explosive and effective martial technique can be generated in this way. In practice, of course, atemi waza isn’t utilized to inflict injury or create physical dysfunction. Rather, it is a way to use potentially explosive energy to draw a response from the uke. This can serve to distract him and shift his energy away from the area of the body on which a technique is being done (as in a locking technique) or it can be used to draw his attention making an entry possible without being struck. In other words, at this level of technique atemi is about directing the attention or energy of the partner towards what one wishes him to see and away from what one doesn’t.
When this level of technique is reached, there is often no physical contact which precedes the “throw”. A technique that had been, in its basic form, a technique from a grab of some sort, would now be timed in such a way that there was no grab. There might or not be an intention to grab but the actual technique has moved to the energetic stage at which the partner’s attack is drawn out by the nage, then by leading the attacker’s attention and producing movement by exposing the attacker’s openings (suki) the nage gains control of the attacker’s center without physically manipulating him but rather by creating the situation in which the attacker moves himself as desired. An atemi which is placed in the space which the uke needs to occupy in order to complete his attack will result in uke breaking his own balance in order to escape being hit.
When this level of technique is reached, the technique is operating via pure principle rather than by the physical factors that had produced the technique at more basic levels. A technique like ryote-tori tenchi-nage exemplifies the principle of “splitting” the partner’s energy (physical or mental). When it finally gets to its energetic expression it no longer requires the ryote-tori attack. In fact tenchi-nage can be done against a front kick for example. The tenchi exists in how the attention of the attacker is split from its perceived target and directed away allowing nage to enter without being struck. But this manifestation of the “splitting principle” cannot be achieved without a thorough understanding of the basic physical execution of the technique. It cannot be bypassed.

When technique is presented to the students in this manner, with variations progressing from the elemental, physical, static versions to the advanced, energetic, flowing versions, it can assist the student in understanding both where a given technique has come from and where it might go in its development. This can serve to demystify the energetics of the advanced technique since the principles can be broken down and taught, but it can also clearly show what elements are essential in providing the foundations of a technique before movement towards a more sophisticated version can be reached. Each level assumes understanding of the previous level. Using this type of methodology perhaps there can be more students who do reach the highest levels of this art created for us by the Founder of Aikido.

AIKIDO - are we missing something?

Relevance Of Aikido Techniques In Today's World
by Stanley Pranin
Aiki News #87 (Winter/Spring 1991)

In my last editorial I touched upon the subject of what I regard as poor training habits prevalent in many aikido dojos both in Japan and abroad. I pointed out that the execution of techniques against slow, weak attacks had disastrous consequences on their effectiveness and the quality of practice in general. I consider this subject to be of extreme importance and have some additional thoughts to express.

To review a bit, let us remind ourselves of the origin of aikido techniques and the historical rationale of their predecessor arts. As is well-known to readers of Aiki News, aikido inherited its techniques primarily from Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu. Many techniques were eliminated from Daito-ryu by Morihei Ueshiba as too dangerous or complicated, and of those retained, most were simplified. This process of modification and simplification accelerated after World War II mainly due to the influence of Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba, Koichi Tohei Sensei and other leading students of the founder. What remain today are a few score techniques including joint-locks (kansetsuwaza) and throws (nagewaza). The traditional approach to aikido of Morihiro Saito, which still retains hundreds of techniques and an elaborate weapons system, is the exception.

Daito-ryu techniques themselves, like the curricula of other classical jujutsu and weapons schools, came into being as a process of gradual refinement based on the actual combat experience of the Japanese military caste. In a military context, unarmed techniques were designed for soldiers who were deprived of their weapons or unable to use them. Hence the existence of unarmed versus unarmed techniques and unarmed techniques versus weapons.

As late as the beginning of the 20th century, the Japanese fighting systems did not include karate-like punching and kicking techniques. Karate originated in China and took root first in Okinawa before being transplanted to the rest of Japan due in large measure to the efforts of Gichin Funakoshi. Jujutsu and judo were taken beyond the shores of Japan prior to World War II but were not widely practiced. However, after the end of the global conflict and the occupation of Japan by the U.S. Military, many servicemen joined judo and karate schools which subsequently led to the large-scale export of these arts to America and later Europe. Karate eventually achieved a greater degree of popularity in the west than did judo and has been glamorized in film and by the mass media to the extent that it and its Chinese cousin, kung-fu, have become the stereotypes of oriental fighting arts.

How does this relate to aikido practitioners? Since judo and aikido have common roots in traditional Japanese martial art forms there does not seem to be too much concern among practitioners of aikido about the effectiveness of their techniques against judo. Karate techniques are, however, a different story. Many aikidoka doubt that their skills would hold up against a well-trained karate practitioner. I think there is good cause for concern due to the lack of emphasis on strong attacks in aikido practice. Many exponents of aikido even at the black belt level would, I think, find themselves overwhelmed by the powerful, linear attacks of a skilled karateka. I don't think it would be too farfetched to state that aikidoka would only be able to defend against the sorts of attack they practice in the dojo. Hence we might safely assume that practitioners could hold their own against lapel and hand grabs, round-house or frontal strikes of the yokomenuchi and shomenuchi variety, delivered with the intensity which is customary in the dojo where they practice.

By comparison, how would judoka fare against karate exponents? A judoka would probably be vulnerable to a rapid series of punches and kicks delivered by an opponent, but would immediately gain the advantage if the combative distance were to close or the fight were to end up on the ground. Unlike their aikido counterparts, judoka, although engaged in a sport, regularly confront opponents who resist in practice and competition. Both arts clearly have their strong and weak points. Of course, the above analysis is based purely on abstractions. In reality, martial artists are often trained in more than one discipline so the issue is not a simple one.

The Importance Of Atemi
The problem with aikidoka is, as I see it, that they lack familiarity with offensive forms. The weak attacks used in aikido dojos simply are not realistic and do not prepare practitioners for the speed and power of real attacks. Moreover, in Daito-ryu and aikido as it was practiced during its early years, atemi played an important role in the execution of techniques. Not surprisingly, the founder can often be seen executing atemi in his earlier films. Aikido techniques generally will not work well against a strong opponent unless he has first been unbalanced. One of the main functions of the atemi is to neutralize the opponent's attack and destroy his balance. Aikido techniques which do not include judiciously applied atemi are, in my opinion, largely ineffectual. I suspect that the virtual disappearance of atemi is due to the fact that the early teachers of aikido either did not learn them from the founder or continued the process of simplification of aikido techniques which resulted in their gradual elimination. Another contributing factor is, I believe, that atemi, which are strikes to vital points, are considered by some to be contrary to the ideals of aikido in that they are intended to inflict damage.

Such a belief demonstrates, in my opinion, a lack of understanding of the roots of aikido and its evolution. A strong argument could certainly be developed for aikido as the most humane of the martial arts. However, the nature and mechanics of aikido techniques contain the potential for inflicting great pain and damage. This essential fact cannot be altered without a dramatic departure from the original teachings of the founder. The important thing then is for all of us to keep in touch with reality when practicing aikido. That is, we must keep in mind such obvious things as the mechanics of the human body and the physics of aikido techniques. We must find out what works, how and why it works, and what doesn't work. We must realize that any attack we may encounter will be by a resisting opponent whose purpose will be to thwart our every effort and consider what this implies for our daily practice if we truly wish to have at our disposal an effective response to violence. What is unique about aikido is the handling and execution of these powerful techniques by enlightened individuals guided by ethical principles which proscribe the use of excessive force.

AIKIDO

1. Aikido: A Martial Way
To understand Aikido and its benefits, it must be said that as a traditional Japanese martial art, Aikido is more than simply an efficient method of self-defense. It is a form of Budo - a "martial way". The word do in Japanese is the same as the Chinese word tao. It denotes a path of understanding, a way of life, and the Way of the universe itself.

In Japanese history, as in many cultures, the warrior arts were considered uniquely suited not only for practical use during times of war, but for the refinement and development of the human character. The qualities and principles of the ideal warrior - courage, decisiveness, strength, clarity of mind, compassion - are also the ideal qualities of the human being. In this way, the Japanese martial tradition, like European chivalry, has always stressed the applicability of martial principles to daily life. This understanding is the meaning of budo. A related word, Bushido ("the way of the warrior") also expresses this. A warrior's way of life is not simply fighting, but is the constant striving for self-perfection in all things.

The knightly ideal in European cultures was that of a powerful warrior who also possessed sensitivity and mercy. Likewise, the ideal of the samurai, the warriors of Japan, was not a simple fighter. It was a balanced human being, a warrior embodying the motto Bun Bu Ryodo: "The martial and the intellectual ways as one." Balanced in this way, one could truly be useful and of service to others.

These traditions today are carried on in the martial ways like Aikido. Everything in Aikido training is meant to develop not only a strong individual, but one with the wisdom and energy to positively benefit society. A true martial artist views conflict not merely as a contest with others, but as an opportunity to forge oneself and overcome our true enemies, which are within. A life lived fully in this manner naturally becomes shugyo: the deepest possible spiritual training. A favorite saying of Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei, the founder of Aikido, was Masakatsu, Agatsu: "True victory is self-victory." This truly is the spirit of Aikido.

2. Physical Benefits
Of course, the philosophy and internal benefits of Aikido are accompanied by concrete physical benefits. Aikido training is an excellent program for all-around physical fitness, flexibility, and relaxation.

The human body in general can exert power in two ways: contractive and expansive. Many fitness activities, for example weight-lifting, emphasize the former, which means that specific muscles or muscle groups are isolated and worked to improve tone, mass, and power. The disadvantage of this, however, is that whole body movement and coordination are rarely stressed. Thus, while muscle size and power may increase, there is no teaming of the ways in which to use those muscles together most efficiently. Also, this sort of training tends to increase tension, decrease flexibility, and stress the joints. The result may be aesthetically pleasing, but when done to excess it is ultimately useless, and actually detrimental to overall health.
The second type of power, expansive, is mostly stressed in activities such as dance or gymnastics. In these activities, the body must learn to move in a coordinated manner and with relaxation. Aikido, also, mostly stresses this sort of training.
While both types of power are important, it is interesting to note that a person who masters the second type of power can, in a martial context, often overcome a person who is much bigger or stronger. The reason for this is that the contractive power which most persons know is only as great as the mass and power of your individual muscles. Expansive power, however, as used in Aikido, can be much greater than your size may lead you to believe. This is because you move with your whole body.

Rather than stressing and tensing only a few muscles, you learn to relax and move from the center of your body, where you are most powerful. Power is then extended out naturally through the relaxed limbs, which become almost whip like in their motion.

So Aikido develops the body in a unique manner. Aerobic fitness is obtained through vigorous training. Flexibility of the joints and connective tissues is developed through various stretching exercises and through the techniques themselves. Relaxation is learned automatically, since without it the techniques will not function. And a balanced use of contractive and expansive power is mastered, enabling even a small person to generate enormous energy and self-defense skill.

3. Psychological Benefits
Aikido training does not view the body and mind as separate. The condition of one will affect the other.

For this reason, the physical relaxation learned in Aikido naturally becomes mental relaxation. Likewise, the perseverance and confidence that develop mentally are manifested in a body that moves and holds itself confidently and strongly. Any psychological or spiritual insight must be reflected in the body, or else it tends to be little more than intellectualization; under pressure, such insights disappear, and the person reverts to previously ingrained habits and patterns.
Aikido training requires the student to squarely face conflict, not to run away from it. Through this very concrete, physical experience, an Aikido practitioner learns to face the situations of life in a proactive, constructive manner. Patterns of avoidance and fear are broken. The tense, defensive reactions to pressure and conflict which so often only create more violence are recognized and deconstructed. A new person - straightforward, brave yet humble, able to be both strong and yielding as circumstances require - can emerge from this training.

Today, Aikido has become known in psychological and business circles as a highly useful metaphor in devising conflict resolution strategies. People everywhere are using Aikido philosophy to improve the quality of their lives.

4. Self-Defense
In Japan, a nation of many martial arts, Aikido is the one chosen for instruction to the elite Tokyo Metropolitan Riot Police and Secret Police. The reason for this may be the extreme flexibility inherent in the art.


Unlike other arts, Aikido technique can be applied at varying levels of severity, in a continuum from the most gentle controlling techniques to the most severe countermeasures. Aikido is therefore ideal for application to a wide range of defensive situations, including law-enforcement/security/corrections, medical/mental-health environments, civilian self-defense, women's self-defense, and children's self- defense. Aikido can be flexibly adapted to whatever situation arises; this is the legacy of the samurai, who devised these techniques to face a bewildering array of assaults by single or multiple attackers. Today, we continue this tradition by instructing Aikido and specialized Aikido-derived technique to a wide-range of organizations which need decisive, effective defensive skills.

5. Aikido in Daily Life
The practice of Aikido ultimately must become the practice of our daily lives, moment to moment. Every moment of life involves some sort of conflict - with others, with our environments, with our bodies, with ourselves. And yet, it is our choice to see this conflict as something to be avoided and struggled with, or as the creative force of change which makes true growth and learning possible.
In order to develop the true human potential, some sort of discipline and refinement is necessary. In order to develop awareness, decisiveness, inner power and compassion, we must experience the hardship and work of facing life squarely. Life itself must be used to forge ourselves. This philosophy of Aikido means that, ultimately, our dojo (training hall) is much more than a building where we practice. Our true dojo is our life itself. And, Aikido consists of a unified training methodology designed to bring about this realization and put it to good use.

Viewed in this way, life becomes rich and filled with meaning. Every situation is used as a springboard to greater growth. We learn to open ourselves to experience, rather than shunning unpleasant aspects of life. Our minds expand, and we become strong.

This is the legacy of the martial ways, and the true value of Aikido training. The dream of O-Sensei was of all the peoples of the world, training together in peace for mutual benefit. Stressing the positive values of the martial ways, Aikido continues to grow and spread across the globe, fulfilling this vision.