The Art of Aiki

Rescatando un viejo tema de aikidojournal.com a colación de qué es Aikido y qué no lo es. Se trata de una anécdota ocurrida al Maestro Minoru Mochizuki concerniente al escepticismo de un joven Tadashi Abe. Enjoy:

Minoru Mochizuki, 10º Dan

Había un hombre llamado Tadashi Abe, recientemente fallecido. En cierta ocasión en que visité a O Sensei en al dojo de Iwama para saludarle tras mi regreso a Japón al finalizar la guerra [WWII], tuve el siguiente encuentro con él. O Sensei se encontraba feliz al saber que yo había regresado sano y salvo y me dio una calurosa bienvenida. Me quedé a dormir esa noche en el dojo. Esa noche vino a mi habitación un hombre de aspecto malvado con un corte de pelo a lo monje y me pidió permiso para entrar. Cuando le di el permiso él entró.

—“Me llamo Tadashi Abe. Sensei, ¿puedo hacerle una pregunta directa?”

Le dije que me preguntara lo que quisiera. Me preguntó si realmente estudiaba Aikijujutsu de manera seria. En aquellos tiempos el arte aun no tenía el nombre de Aikido. Cuando le respondí afirmativamente, me dijo lo siguiente:

Tadashi Abe, 6º Dan

—“¿En serio? Llevo mucho tiempo oyendo cosas sobre Vd., Sensei. He oído que ha tenido experiencia real en combate. Me parece extraño que alguien como Vd. Se encuentre satisfecho con un arte como el Aikijujutsu”.

Cuando le pregunté por qué pensaba así me contestó que ni Ueshiba Sensei ni el Sr. Morihiro Saito serían capaces de resistir un combate contra él ni siquiera tres minutos. Que él les derrotaría de un solo golpe.

—“Estás muy seguro de ti mismo, ¿no?”, contesté. “¿De verdad crees que puedes derrotar a Ueshiba Sensei?”, añadí.

Contestó que creía que sería fácil para él derrotar a Sensei y aun añadió:

—“He estado observando a Ueshiba Sensei durante mucho tiempo y no me convence practicar un arte como el Aikijujutsu. Estoy seguro de que le puedo derrotar con solo un golpe de boxeo. He oído que Vd. pone énfasis en el combate, ¿es cierto?”

Le contesté como sigue:

—“He estado en muchas peleas callejeras, pero no incluiría eso en la categoría de ‘combate’. Y también he asaltado campamentos enemigos sable en mano”.

Entonces me preguntó si realmente el Aikido era útil o no para pelear. Cuando yo le respondí que el Aikido no sólo era útil en peleas sino también en tiempos de guerra me dijo que mi respuesta no le convencía. Entonces le sugerí que me atacara y me quedé allí, indicándole que me atacara como mejor supiera. Me pidió que me pusiera en guardia. Le contesté:

—“No pidas cosas innecesarias. No hay manera de derrotar al enemigo si él le dice lo qué hacer. ¡Atácame como quieras!”

Abe murmuró: “Sensei, ¿realmente puedo golpearle? Es extraño… tiene aperturas por todas partes…” Entonces se puso en guardia y me atacó de repente. Esquivé el golpe [taisabaki] y le di una patada. Gruñó y cayó al suelo. Inmediatamente apliqué una técnica de resucitación [katsu] y le di un masaje.

—“¿Cómo puede alguien como tú, que se desmorona y pierde el conocimiento cuando recibe una pequeña patada, durar algo en una pelea?”

—“Sensei, ¿es que el Aikido incluye técnicas de pateo?”

—“¡Estúpido! ¿Qué quieres decir con esa pregunta? Empleamos técnicas de pateo o lo que haga falta. Incluso he empleado artillería. Las artes marciales, las armas y la artillería, todas son Aikido. ¿Qué es lo que crees que es el Aikido? ¿Crees que se trata de retorcer muñecas? Es un medio de Guerra… ¡una acción de Guerra! El Aikido es una lucha con sables de verdad. Empleamos la palabra ‘Aiki’ porque con él podemos sentir la mente del enemigo que viene a atacar, de manera que podemos responder de manera inmediata. Mira el Sumo. Cuando dan la voz [Miatte! Miatte!] se levantan y se lanzan el uno contra el otro en un flash. Eso mismo es ‘Aiki’. Cuando una persona se enfrenta a un enemigo estando en un estado mental libre de toda idea o pensamiento y es instantáneamente capaz de lidiar con él, a eso lo llamamos ‘Aiki’. En los tiempos antiguos se llamaba ‘Aiki no jutsu’. Así, la artillería o cualquier cosa de convierte en ‘Aiki’”.

—“¿Así es…? Creo que ya entiendo”.

—“Si aun no lo entiendes, ven a verme cuando quieras”.

Después de este episodio Abe me tomó miedo y me saludaba desde lejos. Pero cuando fui enviado [por Ueshiba O Sensei] a Europa me pidió que le llevara como asistente.

Durante mi tiempo en Europa también tuve experiencias interesantes. Como practicábamos cosas como luxaciones de muñeca algunas personas se preguntaban si este tipo de entrenamiento realmente sería útil en una lucha real y me hacían muchas preguntas, así que les di la siguiente explicación:

—“Cuando practicamos, aprendemos la manera correcta de mover el cuerpo y cómo emplear la fuerza [kokyu ryoku] de manera racional. Mediante el uso del ‘Aiki’ puedes ser capaz de responder inmediatamente en cuando un enemigo se acerca acechando para atacar. De esta manera puedes sacudirte de encima a cualquiera”.

Así que un estudiante me preguntó: “¿Entonces puedo traer una pistola? Si empleo una pistola, Sensei, ¿qué haría Vd.?”

Mi respuesta fue que entonces yo traería un rifle.

George S. Ledyard writes in Aikiweb the following while discussing whether there is any offensive move in Aikido or not. I'm absolutely with him on this one.

Every response you execute when grabbed can be done when grabbing. Every atemi you execute when attacked can be used when attacking. We need to lose this whole uke / nage dichotomy. We also need to stop attaching pseudo moralistic value judgments to things like who initiates.

Peace is something you carry inside you. It's not something that has to do with who moves first. It is an attitude.

The misunderstanding of what the attacks really are that we routinely do in our daily training causes us to attach all sorts of baggage to the whole uke / nage relationship which shouldn't be there. This is caused by allowing two different mindsets and two different physical skill sets on the part of uke and nage. Nage is supposed to be relaxed and "defensive" in attitude, executing techniques of great technical sophistication while Uke attacks like an idiot, typically either is too tense or fails to really connect effectively. What would an attack look like if the uke knew what the nage knew?

If Aikido training was about BOTH partners having the same access to "aiki" skill sets we wouldn't have the need for discussions like this because people would understand what they are really doing, or choosing not to do, depending on the level of practice. A katatetori would break nage's balance instantly on contact and set up the atemi with the off hand. No one would be under the misconception that an attack has anything to do with not allowing the nage to move but rather to compromise his structure and make it impossible for nage to defend against the atemi.

We need to get way past trying to impute some sort of moral, right and wrong value judgment to the term "aiki". "Aiki" can be used for good or evil. That's why O-Sensei felt it was important not to teach technique to people not of good character.

I spent a number of years teaching law enforcement and security personnel. LE officers are required to initiate technique on subjects who are e-gressive, not just a-ggressive. I can assure you that "aiki" works just as well when the person initiates as when he is being attacked. Virtually every technique in the Aikido repertoire can be used as an attack, not just a defense. The circumstance and ones personal mindset determine whether this is "violent" in an immoral way or not.

Found this today in the aikiweb and thought it was so irreverent and hilarious I would rather share it here for you. Enjoy!

April 1

4.30

Got up and went up to the roof to greet the Sun Goddess. Of course, our conversation took place by means of the jo. I fail to understand why Kisshomaru does not make more use of this wonderful instrument. After all, I used it often enough.

Had a lengthy discussion with Amaterasu about her grandson Masakatsu Agatsu. I told her that he was my favourite deity, along with her brother Susano O, but this did NOT go down very well AT ALL. She told me that she is still having severe problems with Susano O and these problems were affecting the entire universe. They are also interfering with my own work as the main Avatar between the Three Realms. Here am I, standing on the Floating Bridge of Heaven and constantly training to ensure that Aiki is Aiki (I am glad the Japanese language is so rich in resources; it is completely different from dull, boring English), but the continuing problems with Amaterasu and her brother are making things very, very difficult.

So I reassured her with the remark that the whole problem lay in the English translation. English simply does not have the resources to capture the full range of meaning encapsulated (spelling correct?) in the phrase Aiki is Aiki. I gather that all my discourses are being translated into English by some Buddhist professor who lives in the north of Japan. (I know about him because he sometimes wears flowery hakama and does kotodama chants in English churches: at least this is a welcome change from the deadly boring chants I hear in Japan.) I explained that the professor had translated the name Masakatsu Agatsu as Victory OVER Oneself, not Victory BY Oneself, which is MUCH more meaningful than anything about winning and losing, especially to our dear American students.

By the way, I gather that a film has come out with the name Avatar. When I first heard about it, I was very happy and hoped that it would take account of my work on the Floating Bridge of Heaven, uniting the Three Worlds, but the movie was a TOTAL disappointment. The love interest was COMPLETELY wrong and involved silly relationships with strange people in blue, with long noses and wearing tails. If people start wearing tails for aikido training, we are going to have to redesign the whole range of keikogi, especially the pants and hakama.

So I told my grandson Moriteru to deal with this, but however, he seemed TOTALLY unconcerned. "Ojii-chan," he said, "if people come to the Hombu Dojo wearing tails, be assured that we will deal with the situation very effectively. We are now a very efficient, smoothly-running organization." I was unconvinced, for I read somewhere that the folds in the hakama represented seven virtues; but we are now going to have to add an eighth virtue, for the correctly folded tail. What IS the world coming to? Anyway, I have not seen anyone wearing tails during training so far, but I must consult with Deguchi Sensei. He might have encountered some Blue Avatars during his later trips through the Spirit World. Deguchi Sensei is a constant source of inspiration, much like Goi Sensei, though the spiritual methods of the two are completely different. Deguchi Sensei is very refreshing, constantly regaling me with reports of visits to the spirit world and his activities with the spirits, though his use of the Male Member makes one blush. Goi Sensei, on the other hand, is rather more pedestrian, though he agrees with me much more often. However, all he seems to do is put up prayer signs everywhere wishing for peace on earth. Of course, this is all very worthy, but I don't like to tell him that my own work on the Floating Bridge of Heaven, working to unite the Three Realms, fully in tune with with Aiki as Aiki, is MUCH more effective than prayer signs. But only time will tell.

6.30

Went downstairs and prepared for practice. Decided to explain in more detail about the kotodama sound SU and how it created the universe. BUT EVERYTHING fell on TOTALLY stony ground (Now where have I heard this phrase before? Note to self: this is a very good phrase, totally appropriate for the current crop of uchi-deshi: I must start using it very often). Everybody just sat there looking stupid. They were probably hoping I'd stop talking and do some techniques. I am sure you can see the picture: people look at you intently and nod vigorously, hoping you will think they understand, as they shift their knees slightly from sitting in seiza for a long time. But when I finally summoned the Big American to take ukemi (I think his name is Dogson, Dodgson, Dobson, Fogson, Edison, or something like that: I prefer to call him Teru), he was far too powerful and got the timing, everything, completely wrong. Heavens, he couldn't even do the boat rowing exercise correctly and he should know by now that this is absolutely crucial for summoning the right kami for the training. When will these uchideshi ever learn?

Was still feeling grumpy after keiko, only to discover that the uchideshi on duty had not filled the morning bath water correctly. He had checked the temperature by putting his hand in the water, causing total contamination. They should know by now that bath water—any kind of water, has to be pristinely pure. Otherwise it is entirely useless for misogi. I keep on talking about this during keiko, but the uchideshi simply do not seem to get it. Only the other day, one of the deshi appeared in his underwear, for Heaven's sake. I think it was Saotome. So I sent him off the mat very promptly and made him sit in seiza and watch.

9.00

Felt much better after breakfast, which was duly prepared by She Who Must Be Obeyed, though she tore a strip off me for having to stitch my hakama, because some silly uke had torn it. She blamed me for not controlling my uke correctly, rather than the uke for not falling properly. (Obviously she knows rather more about aikido than I had realized.) During breakfast my wayward son was muttering something about doing some kind of public demonstration. It is so unfortunate that he failed the medical exams for the military. A spell in the Japanese Army, or even the new Occupation Forces (I think they are called Marines and from the look of some of the soldiers they appear to accept foreigners) would have given him some much-needed backbone.

10.00-12.00

Had another long conversation with Amaterasu and decided to go to Iwama, to talk in more detail with Susano O. Announced this to She Who Must Be Obeyed and there was a major panic. I have no idea why. She muttered something about train times, but I assured her that I ALWAYS arrive at the station at least one hour before the train departs, so there was no need to worry. Was assigned the deshi who killed the dog (I think his name is Chiba), but was told that my son Kisshomaru would also accompany me. I gather he wanted to discuss something very important.

16.00

I MISSED THE TRAIN TO IWAMA. This has NEVER happened before. I arrived at the station one hour before the train was due to depart, but discovered that I was five minutes late: the train had already departed. And Kisshomaru and the deshi were nowhere to be found. I was so annoyed. However, Deguchi told me to be patient. He had consulted with some of his own deity friends and assured me that it was my destiny to arrive in Iwama today.

18.00

Finally arrived in Iwama and took a welcome bath. The water was fine. Kisshomaru, who had taken the right train, was there to meet me with Saito Father and Son. Went to the shrine and discussed current issues with Susano O involving the Three Worlds. Explained about Amaterasu's problem, but I was quite astonished when he suggested I see the new Avatar film again—and he seemed quite unfazed about the strange noses and the tails. Told me that aikido had to be fully in tune with ecology, whatever this is.

20.00

Had a painful discussion with Kisshomaru after keiko. Apparently he has decided that aikido has to be popular, now the war has ended, and so wants to hold a public demonstration. When I retorted that one only does demonstrations in the presence of His Majesty, or on anniversaries of His Majesty, he held his ground and told me that he had the idea in August, 1945, when His Majesty announced Japan's surrender. Kisshomaru clearly has more backbone then I previously thought; obviously, he has been talking to his mother. I was rather shocked when he told me that the venue would be the ROOF of a department store, but he backed this up with an argument that many people would attend if it was held there and, anyway, aikido had to become relevant to the lives of common people, not aristocrats. Of course, he said he understood the sterling work I had been doing keeping the Three Worlds together, but stressed that his own work was firmly down here. He was quite firm about this and his second argument was that the Tokyo dojo had to be torn down and replaced with something much bigger and more fitting for aikido as a worldwide budo. Can't argue with that, though I shall miss the old wooden dojo. I told him to leave Iwama as it is, though. In any case Saito is still here and he is quite capable of standing up to Kisshomaru.

Anyway, it was morning when I woke up. Must have nodded off as Chiba was reading Reikai Monogatari last night. Got up and went outside to greet the Sun Goddess and hear the latest about Susano O…

Poema de los principios secretos. Encontrado en los pergaminos de Kukishin Ryû.

“No existe un pueblo en que la luz de la luna no brille,
pero en la mente del que mira parece que existe.
Los ligeros brillos de la luna caen sobre cada cosa.
Si sientes que no está brillando donde tu te encuentras,
es porque la mente del que está mirando está nublada.

Incluso la tierra lavada durante un diluvio,
dejándose llevar,
flotará en cualquier torrente.
Incluso la suciedad lavada llevada por un diluvio
flotará naturalmente en la superficie del agua.

Esto significa que aún cuando estás en una situación de desesperación,
si tu estado de ánimo es como el Sutemi,
proyectándote a lo lejos,
podrás encontrar una manera de vencer.

En todas las defensas que el cuerpo usa para mostrar valor,
el verdadero secreto es la mente.
Las posiciones del cuerpo parecen expresar la fuerza de cada uno
pero la verdadera fuerza está en el corazón.

¿No es el secreto o el poder hacer uso de la fuerza del enemigo, el corazón de un sauce en el viento?

Lo que es importante del camino marcial
es omitir el exceso de poder y usar la fuerza del oponente,
haciendo exactamente como las ramas del sauce
cuando son sopladas por el viento y oscilan sin tensión”

The always recurring theme of Aikiken has given one of the most complete advice in an internet forum in AikiWeb.

Quoted here:

I tried very hard to avoid any implication of superiority of anything. I practice Aikiken myself, usually daily as a break from my work. I do, however, also believe that some questions give the appearance of being easily answerable while hiding a myriad of vastly more complex questions that are not being asked. This is was one of those for me. In my training there have been many times when I've asked the same question only to be told to keep practicing. Over time you begin to realize that the question asked was not really answerable as there were 1000 things unasked, each arguably more important than the one asked. Or maybe a better analogy for me is the solving of a rubic's cube. People will get one surface correct and then ask what to do next. They don't want to hear that they have to destroy everything they've accomplished to "fix" the whole thing.

The cut doesn't exist in isolation.

A person with an incorrect grip will pull their elbows out to the side causing them to not get correctly "behind" the tsuka. This makes it very difficult to get a straight cut. Fix the grip.

A person with a correct grip can still push out their elbows. With the elbows out the person cannot get behind the tsuka correctly during the cut. Keep the elbows in correctly.

A person with a correct grip and elbows in will often push the sword too far forward, basically pushing their shoulders out of proper alignment. As the arms come down the realignment of the shoulders being out of phase can cause wobble. Keep the shoulders correctly in place throughout the arc of the cut.

A person with incorrect alignment of the hips to their shoulders (hence to the target) will often find themselves rotating slightly during the cut causing the shoulders to come out of alignment. Fix the body alignment.

A person with poor posture will often have to compensate throughout the movement causing alignment issues.

Footwork is always an issue as too much movement in any one direction can cause the same issues of rotation within the body. Remember that power is generated from the one-point/hara/dantien/whatever and sent through the body. The sword cuts, you guide, and power is a result of the entire body. When that does not happen muscles have to compensate and it becomes extremely difficult to keep a consistent path to the sword.

Overextension in any part of the body tends to cause wobbles as balance is thrown off. Control, control, control.

Hand dominance is a constant issue. Often hints such as "focus on the left hand for power, right hand for guidance" are given to a person who needs that advice due to how they're swinging. The same advice to someone else will just make their cut worse. The reality is that the hands have to work together seamlessly with the entire body transmitting movement. So advice here usually has to be given very carefully depending on the person's needs.

For some a lighter sword will help fix issues, especially if they're throwing themselves off balance. Other times a heavier sword will make the difference for the exact same issues. Control is the underlying thing being addressed. Sometimes having a lighter sword allows the person to find the proper "groove" for cutting. Sometimes a heavier sword slows them down enough for them to find the proper "groove" for cutting. So YMMV.

Keep in mind that everything as described up above may be slightly different depending on what style you study. Some styles do bigger cuts, some smaller. Some slashing, some cleaving. Some are very fast with small movements, some are bigger, mean, cut them in half type things. Some emphasize being square (hips/shoulders) to the opponent, others not so much. Some emphasize foot alignment as well that is square, others not so much. Those changes alone will dramatically change how cuts are done. So each style will address most of the above issues slightly differently because each thing affects the other. The individual "tips" exist as part of a larger whole. What works with one will be absolutely wrong for another because internal consistency is what matters. Later styles of swordsmanship tended to emphasize draw/cut movements. Some earlier styles (some regional differences as well) will emphasize a slightly different grip which allows a more "leveraged" fast movement of the blade. Watch Toby Threadgill's demos on youtube with the sword. Compare how the sword moves with someone doing something like iai. Very different in subtle ways. Neither is incorrect. But each does what they do with an internal consistency that is critical to proper form.

In the end (after that long post) my point originally was that most advice regarding swordsmanship cries out for a larger context to ensure that the internal consistency is there. I do iai differently at times than I do my aikiken. Because they are different. And I've seen many aikiken demonstrations by high ranking people of many styles and there are more differences than similarities. Straightening out a cut depends on what you're doing wrong. What's "wrong" or "right" depends on who you study with and how they do things.

This is not an issue of superiority. I enjoy aikiken. I would not give advice to someone from another style, however, because I don't know what they might be doing wrong. Because I wouldn't know what is "right" in their style.

But yes, there are basic things. Smooth cut. Don't over muscle. Slow down. Get good extension without over-committing. For the rest? Ask your sensei to watch and fix what you're doing wrong.

Now I'm sure some think I'm being an elitist snob anyway (I get e-mail, yes, I get e-mail...) I don't think it is a highjack but an attempt to see the larger picture.

That said, please do not hesitate to put me in your ignore list. Or just scroll right past.

So please pardon the intrusion in your thread. I was trying to answer the OP's questions as sincerely as possible.

The author, Keith Larman, is a member of Seidokan Aikido as well as a sword expert and has published some very detailed articles on the matter.

Keith Larman became interested in Japanese sword crafts in the late 1970’s. In the 1990’s he began training in traditional methods of polishing and mounting of the Japanese sword. In 2002 he decided to devote himself full-time to the profession of polishing and mounting.

Tristão da Cunha Sensei from Portugal.

Click here to view forum thread in Aikidojournal.

Just found this while surfing the web and thought it would be interesting to share.

One of the big problems people seem to have with Aikido is all the wrist grabbing. It seems silly and unnecessary if you come from a sport martial art school. If you’re into RBMA (reality based martial arts) then it seems only mildly useful, and only in self defense situations. Punching and kicking seem reasonable, headlocks, body to body clinching, these things are what martial arts should be about, right…

The biggest problem our martial art faces today, in terms of our ability to develop (as individuals and as a whole), is understanding what we are doing and why. There is so much confusion in our community as to what we are doing. Why do we practice such strange techniques? How does our system even work in a martial context?

Even if you are not interested in martial questions directly, this should be important to you. So you’ve never been in a fight, and don’t ever expect to be. You’re probably right, if you are a reasonable person, it’s unlikely that you will ever get into a fight. However even if you were never put in a position to “use” your martial arts training, this question is important to you. Not because of your ability to “use” Aikido outside of the dojo, but because of your ability to “use” Aikido inside of the dojo!

Para leer el artículo completo: aikidostudent.com

Kuroiwa Yoshio Sensei falleció el pasado 19 de Enero a causa de un cancer de pulmón y enfisema. Con su fallecimiento perdemos a otro de los grandes.

Ellis Amdur publica una nota en su memoria en: In Memory of Kuroiwa Yoshio.

Descanse en paz, Kuroiwa Sensei.

Tras dos meses de impaciente espera, ya tenemos el capítulo 17 de Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation del Profesor Goldsbury.

¡Ahora a leer y a disfrutar!

[Fuente: How do armbar?]

Una miniserie de tres artículos de Mike Sigman:

• Thoughts on Putting Ki back in Aikido Practice (I)
• Thoughts on Putting Ki back in Aikido Practice (II)
• Thoughts on Putting Ki back in Aikido Practice (III)

Y un articulo de Howard Bornstein:

• Aikido from the Inside Out. The Principles: Ki

Lectura para un ratito...

Anoche se realizaron exámenes de paso de grado de Nihon Taijutsu en el grupo Nihon Kobudo Aragón. Felicitar a todos los aspirantes por el alto nivel demostrado y, como no, a los sufridos ukes que recibieron inmerecidas palizas.

¡Por fin conseguí el segundo kyu de NTJ, después de tantos años! Vamos lento pero creo que estamos en el buen camino. Cómo no, gracias a Miguel Ángel Ibáñez por su santa paciencia con nosotros!

Imperdonable el retraso por mi parte, pero aquí teneis el capítulo 16 de Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation del Profesor Goldsbury.

El día que saque el libro va a ser referencia obligatoria en todas las escuelas de Aikido!

Since I practice both a traditional martial art (aikido) and mixed martial arts, I often get caught up with lots of arguments and discussions about the relative merits of the two. It's a touchy subject, since experienced TMA practitioners are highly invested in their arts, and MMA practitioners often have TMA experience that they "outgrew", so personal bias comes into play a lot.

For me, the two are not competing against each other, they are orthogonal in their attributes, overlap some, and only become antagonistic when someone postulates an either-or scenario. This is very similar to debates about religion vs. science or faith vs. evidence.

First, let's get some definitions out of the way. For me, a traditional martial art is one that emphasizes martial artistry along with cultural and character attributes. They are generally very formal, have a rigid hierarchy (often denoted by titles such as 'master', 'sifu', and 'sensei' and colored belts indicating rank), and tons of splinter groups and off-shoots from "mainlines". Examples of TMAs include the various flavors of aikido; karate-do; judo; tae kwon do; kung fu; wing chun; and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Most of these arts also claim to be extremely effective in self-defense situations and/or particularly lethal, an assertion based on their heritage and not on evidence.

Related to these are what I call "sporting martial arts". These are combat sports that are generally one-dimensional, have competitions governed by rigid rules, and often lack formal or culturally steeped rules of etiquette. Amateur wrestling, boxing, and, to a lesser degree, Muay Thai kickboxing are examples of this. Ironically these don't really claim to be strong for self-defense due to their one-dimensional nature, but their training methods make them surprisingly effective for that purpose. BJJ is a sporting art as well, but its roots are in self-defense and NHB fights so I don't put it in this classification.

A mixed martial art combines the techniques of multiple combat sports and martial arts, and eschews the rigorous rules of conduct and hierarchies typically seen at a traditional martial art. MMA practitioners train at a gym (not a dojo or kwoon), don't have a belt system, don't practice forms or kata, and work under a coach.

MMA arose in two big steps.

The first was Bruce Lee's introduction of the Jeet Kune Do philosophy, which discarded the dogma of "you train under one style only" in favor of "use those techniques which work, discard the rest". This was a revolutionary concept at the time (if you ignore a couple of the "ancient MMAs" such as aikijujutsu and ancient Greek pankration) and counter to the rigid mindset of so many traditional martial arts.

The second step, and quite possibly the most important, was the arrival of mixed martial arts as a sport, with organizations such as the UFC, Pride, Rings, various K-1 derivatives, IFL, Cage Rage, Rumble on the Rock, and so on providing fight cards and venues. This greatly popularized the sport of MMA and, at the same time, the notion of MMA as a martial art in its own right.

And it was about this time that the TMA crowd freaked the fuck out. To understand why, you need to realize that traditional martial arts typically do not have full contact sparring with "anything goes" type rules. Almost all TMAs require a uniform that is very unlike street clothes. Each style limits the techniques for sparring to emphasize that style's strengths. Almost all striking styles (tae kwon do, kyokushin, goju ryu, et. al.) disallow clinching, throws, or joint locks during sparring; often require heavy padding; and in some cases disallow many types of practical strikes (TKD doesn't allow knees or kicks to the leg; kyokushin does not allow punches or elbows to the face). Almost all grappling styles (judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu) disallow striking during sparring.

There's nothing particularly wrong with all that, but these limitations mean that a style's effectiveness is a matter of faith. Too often bold claims were made about a particular style's lethality, i.e. "I could use these killer techniques but I'd maim you, so I can't spar". This is, not to put too fine a point on it, bullshit.

Why is it bullshit? Because, as Jigoro Kano (creator of judo) discovered almost 100 years ago, if you do not practice your techniques against a fully resisting opponent, then you have not mastered that technique. That is an absolutely unavoidable reality. If you possess some devastating joint break or nose smash or eye gouge or throat crush that you've never actually used it, then there's no way you can tell if it's effectiven (in absolute terms) and if you've really mastered it.

This is where many sporting martial arts (and judo, which is part TMA and part sport), developed a practical advantage, even with huge gaps in their curricula. A practitioner of a sport art competes against others on a regular basis, exposing them to opponents that do not want a technique performed on them. By using only techniques that won't kill someone, combatants can use their full repertoire at full speed and power.

This has a couple benefits. The first is that a student truly learns how to use a technique, under duress, and under less than ideal circumstances. This cannot be emphasized enough. The second is almost entirely intangible -- the student learns to deal with conflict and confrontation at high speed. Many TMAs train students using rote partner drills or unrealistic attack patterns (aikido's randori). The student's mettle is rarely tested against an attacker using skills or strategies outside that TMA's comfort zone.

A boxer may not be great at take downs or kicks, but he's usually very comfortable having someone trying to knock his head off. A wrestler may not have good striking skills, but he's used to someone trying to tackle him and slam him to the ground. Real world experience will trump theoretically dominant skill sets almost every time.

Now, MMA is the polar opposite of a TMA when it comes to the effectiveness of a technique -- it is purely evidence based. Faith doesn't play into it. Techniques are researched, developed, enhanced, and then tested in the crucible of a mat, ring, or cage. Techniques that simply do not work very well eventually fall by the wayside, so you have an accelerated evolutionary mechanism at work.

Over the past 15 years this has been strikingly evident in the MMA world. In the early days of the UFC you had Brazilian jiu-jitsu guys dominate using very rudimentary take downs and almost no striking skills. Over time wrestlers with superior take downs and take down defense, but sub par striking and submission abilities, started to dominate the scene. Then fighters like Fedor, BJ Penn, Wanderlei Silva, and GSP started showing up. They would use Brazilian jiu-jitsu submissions, wrestling take downs and take down defense, boxing punches, and Muay Thai kicks and knees.

MMA practitioners today are much, much different than those of even 10 years ago. An MMA fighter today probably still specializes in one domain, but he will be at least "good enough" in every other facet of the game or he won't be competitive. This is the evolution of MMA today.

MMA techniques and training regimens are based on evidence, not faith. You don't learn a technique with a master scowling at you saying "This will work when you need it, trust me!" If you can't pull off something, you won't use it, and you'll find out soon enough if you can pull it off.

TMAs, on the other hand, don't have the laboratory of no-holds barred competition with which to evolve, which is why, by and large, the goju-ryu or wing chun of today is nearly identical to that of 50 years ago.

TMA practitioners have their counterarguments when it comes to pure combat efficiency. The most common is that a TMA isn't a "sport" and thus is potentially more lethal. But as I discussed earlier, if you have a host of lethal techniques that you've never used against someone trying to beat the crap out of you, it's doubtful that you'll be able to use them when the shit hits the fan. The second most common, and ironic, argument is that a TMA is more effective "for real" since MMA competitions occur inside a regulated ring, wearing protective gear, minimal clothing, no weapons, and a well-defined one-on-one scenario.

This claim of "more realistic" would have a lot more weight if TMAs regularly trained in street clothes, wearing shoes, with weapons, against multiple opponents, and outside on concrete or inside on hardwood floors -- using a wide range of techniques. But they don't, making the argument specious at best.

So all that said, I must be pretty down on TMAs, right? NOT AT ALL! As I said at the beginning, I still practice a TMA (aikido) regularly. And here's why: MMA and TMA offer completely different things.

If you want to learn how to fight, then I do strongly believe than an MMA is going to be far more effective than any TMA in existence. It's faith vs. science -- I have evidence of MMA effectiveness and, more importantly, as I progress with MMA I can test my own abilities. It is true that MMAs are really optimized for fighting against someone who also has training, but I don't consider that a liability. Many TMAs are really setup to fight against others of their own style or against completely untrained opponents.

But not everything is about fighting. TMAs offer a host of valid benefits:

• minimal but real exposure to history and cultural information
  
• a feeling of learning an art form. For many people things like kata, practice drills, etc. are relaxing all on their own.
  
• flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular improvement
  
• relaxed environments where you can hang out and have a good time without feeling competitive pressure
  
• a feeling of accomplishment based on your own advancement, not on your competitive ability

For some these benefits are absolutely massive. There are people that would be woefully uncomfortable wearing board shorts, rashguard, and mouthpiece while getting the shit kicked out of them. For your average house wife or mid-40s executive, something like tai-chi or wing chun or shotokan may be just what they're looking for.

An MMA practitioner poo-pooing those elements is missing the point entirely -- those features of a TMA aren't meant to appeal to an MMA practitioner hell bent on crushing the opposition.

If you want to learn how to fight, then MMA is the answer. But MMA training would leave a lot of people empty and cold, people who would otherwise find deep satisfaction with a TMA.

The analogy is religion vs. science. Religion doesn't make a lot of sense to a lot of people, and it may not be practical as a cure for cancer or your financial problems, but it's a source of wonderment, comfort, and camaraderie with like minded individuals. And this is what TMAs are like.

Science won't comfort you or tell you what you want to hear, but it will provide data in a measureble, repeatable format based on experiments and observed behaviour. It is up to you to draw what you can from MMA, but it cares not for your own needs. But you can rely on it to be fairly objective or, more callously, uncaring.

And as in the modern world, religion and science are not mutually exclusive, unless you choose to put them at odds with each other. TMAs and MMAs can coexist as long as you understand their roles and accept their limitations. And if you choose not to do both, that's great, but don't disparage the other because you're projecting your values onto something that isn't a good fit for you.

[Fuente: mma-journey.blogspot.com]

[The text below has been submitted by Patrick Augé Shihan]

September 15, 2009

To Whom It May Concern,

The purpose of this statement is to announce that after Master Minoru Mochizuki, founder of Yoseikan Budo, passed away, the Kokusai Budo Seifukai (International Budo Seifukai) was formed for the purpose of continuing and developing his ideals of education. These ideals are: to inherit and promote the principles of “Maximum Efficiency” and “Mutual Welfare and Prosperity” and to apply these concepts to the cultivation of character; to help youth develop physical and mental qualities; and to contribute to the improvement of quality in martial arts through the promotion of mutual friendship among its members, while deepening one’s appreciation of Budo.

Consequently, we divided the organization into three (3) regions. The directors of these regions are:

East Japan Operations Director, Nobumasa Yoshida Shihan, 9th dan

West Japan Operations Director, Tadashi Sugiyama Shihan, 9th dan

and International Operations Director, Patrick Augé Shihan, 8th dan

In particular, all requests from overseas, such as notification of results of ranking examinations, applications for rank certificates and arrangements for seminars or training in Japan should first be made through Patrick Augé Shihan (auge@yoseikanbudo.com) who will inform the Hombu. Please understand that this procedure is for the purpose of maintaining the quality of ranks and the integrity of the organization.

Moreover, the Yoseikan Hombu (main office) was moved to France and, the former Hombu Dojo in Shizuoka, Japan, was purchased by a third party. Consequently, the Seifukai is no longer practicing in that location. Also, please note that Mr. Terumi Washizu, from whom we could not get cooperation in regard to our requests, resigned from Seifukai.

The present location of the Seifukai Hombu is the residence of Tetsuma Mochizuki Saiko Shihan, second son of Master Minoru Mochizuki.

Hiroaki Kenmotsu, Shihan 8th dan was appointed Hombu Secretary.

International Budo Seifukai
Kyouichi Murai, 10th Dan, Chairman
Tetsuma Mochizuki, Saiko Shihan

Left to right: H. Kenmotsu; P. Augé; T. Sugiyama; T. Mochizuki: N. Yoshida; K. Koga.

Breve recordatorio fundamental de la geometría del Aikido.

O Sensei used these three principles to help his students better understand what they were learning. The Circle (marui), the Square (shikaku), and Triangle (sankaku) were used to illustrate the different concepts of movement and technique.

Triangle: O Sensei used the triangle to illustrate the idea of water flowing. He said that water always took the path of least resistance, and this is what Aikidoka should be doing as well. An example of a triangle movement would be the irimi, or entering techniques. As a sword is brought down to strike, the Aikidoka steps in and to the side in order to position him/herself for the defense. If we look at a triangle as having two angles at the bottom and one at point, we can imagine the two lower angles representing a very firm, stable base, and the lead point being the Atemi. The triangle can be compared to the irimi (entering) techniques because it gives the impression of direct movement, without a turn or a Tai-sabaki, just a quick forward technique. Sometimes the direct responses to an attack are very effective, and are excellent for unbalancing your partner.

"The body should be triangular, the mind circular.The triangle represents the generation of energy and is the most stable physical posture. The circle symbolizes serenity and perfection, the source of unlimited techniques. The square stands for solidity, the basis of applied control."

– O Sensei

Circle: Depending on your position and your opponent's balance, any technique can be executed from both the inside and outside of your partner's body. The circle comes from the japanese word Ju, meaning soft or gentle. The concept of Ju is the principle of pulling when pushed and pushing when pulled. We commonly hear the phrase "fight fire with fire", but I always thought that this was the opposite of the philosophy of Aikido. I think a more suitable phrase would be to fight fire with water. As circles we should never hit our opponent, no direct movements can be circles. The idea of the circle is to be like a ball, rolling with the attacks, usually by executing a Tai-sabaki to end up beside the attack. Being beside it effectively paralyzes the attack, because it is very hard to hit someone who is beside you and that close. When fighting directly, face to face, your opponent will have the opportunity to attack multiple times. After the first attack, being a circle, you should be beside him, but only for a moment, continuing his movement but still in control. Before the initial momentum of the attack has been spent, either while he's still committed to the strike, or as he's pulling back, recovering, this is the time to act, leading that movement into a technique. This is why many Aikido techniques look like the person receiving it is cooperating, they seem to be helping the person doing the technique, and in a sense they are. They give the opportunity and the strength, we merely guide them along the path until they are defeated, in effect by themselves. Circles are not stable in the stationary sense like the square, but they are stable in that they never fall. This is because they constantly move. Try to make a ball fall over... An example of the circular principle would be an attack from a sword. If the swordsman is committed to the strike, then the proper movement would be to lead him forward. If the attacker is holding back or recovering from the forward momentum of the attack, than a technique to his rear would be more effective.

Square: But what if the attack is neither forward or backward? The theory behind a neutral attacker is to get him to move, possibly through an atemi (strike). This will destabilize his position and a technique may be performed. When O Sensei drew a square, he often wrote the word go, meaning strength. He said that since a square was made up of four ninety degree angles, the most effective strike would be at a ninety degree angle. The square is a very stable, very strong position, but it is unlike the triangle and circle in that it lacks movement. We often start off in a "square" frame of mind, being very calm and neutral. From here, if an attack comes, we can be very ready, and turn into a triangle and counter by entering, or by becoming a circle, to harmonize with the attack and put him down that way.

These ideas of shape are simply to give the practitioner something easy to think about, a visual aid while practicing. Understand that the three shapes should not be restricting your thinking in any way, and don't worry if you can't identify which shape you should be. Also know that these shapes are constantly changing, never stick to any one. We can start a conflict in a square shape, moving into a triangle for an Atemi, and then into a circle to perform the technique.

Recently I've been thinking a lot of this imagery, and during class I try to envision these shapes in their different states. Even during the warm-up exercises I can see the different shapes, and thinking of these while performing a technique is very helpful. Like an artist who is first told to reduce everything to geometric shapes, so do we. The triangle is very easy to see, usually associated with the stance, a stable yet directioned force. I noticed recently that the point of the triangle is often at one's center, and this makes sense, as this is the origin of all movements. The circle is also easy to see, I find it's usually the movement of the body and arms. Using the circle takes away the partner's chance to resist, because it's impossible to resist a force that can go any way, change instantly, surround you and control you before you really know what's happening. I have a hard time envisioning the square, as it is the most stable of the shapes, and not usually associated with the actual movements. It is the stability needed while in Kamae (ready stance), both physically and mentally. One must be physically grounded in order to produce an effective technique, and without the concentration, no matter how physically correct you are, the technique cannot work.

Disponible el capítulo 15 de Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation de Peter Goldsbury Sensei.

Este hombre no para de escribir. Deseando que lo depure y lo ponga todo juntito en un libro YA!

This is to announce the publication of “The Art of Ju-jutsu,” the most comprehensive volume on Yoseikan Budo ever produced in the English language.

Subtitled “the legacy of Minoru Mochizuki’s yoseikan sogo budo, a dynamic synthesis of modern and traditional martial arts,” this book gives the most detailed and authoritative review available of the unique art created by Minoru Mochizuki, one of the earliest uchi deshi of aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba, in his home dojo in Shizuoka City, Japan. It also gives extensive detail on the modern yoseikan budo of Hiroo Mochizuki, current international head of yoseikan budo, allowing the reader to find the commonalities and striking differences between the approaches of a father and son devoted to budo. Earning the following ranks since his beginning in budo at age 13 (turning forty this month), Edgar Kruyning is well-qualified, both physically and intellectually, to present the essence of Japanese martial arts:

• 6th dan Judo
• 6th dan Yoseikan-Aikido
• 6th dan Ju Jutsu
• 5th dan Yoseikan-Budo
• 5th dan Iaido
• 5th dan Aikibudo
• 5th dan Kobudo
• 2nd dan Karate

“The Art of Ju-jutsu” reflects Minoru Mochizuki’s teaching that aikido is a form of ju-jutsu, which he considered a unique expression of Japanese culture to be preserved, developed and given to the world. “The Art of Ju-jutsu” is the best English resource available on the arts of yoseikan.

Published by lulu.com, available on Amazon and elsewhere, “The Art of Ju-jutsu” will be a valued addition to any serious martial artist’s library. Densely illustrated with hundreds of high-quality photographs, the text provides rare insight into this important martial arts tradition. Preface by Patrick McCarthy.

Un rápido apunte para avisar que ya tenemos el capítulo 14 de la serie Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation de Peter Goldsbury Sensei.

Quien busque lectura ligera, esta no es su serie. Aviso.