“No Fear, No Hesitation, No Surprise, No Doubt.” - Miyamoto Musashi, Vagabond
The best Aikidoists have nerves of steel. To have nerves of steel means “to have an impressive ability to remain calm in dangerous or difficult situations.” In Japanese, one way to say, “nerves of steel” is tanki (胆氣) which literally translates as “courageous energy.”
To have energy which is courageous is not something that every person naturally has. Some people have it, some people don’t, but it is something that can be learned. Having nerves of steel is about having emotional equanimity. In Japanese, there is no direct translation for equanimity. Equanimity is the ability to have “mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.” With this understanding, we can use the old word shinshokujijaku (神色自若) which meant “perfect composure.”
Japanese martial artists aren’t supposed to express emotion. It is not that they don’t have them - they are just not supposed to display them. Some go so far as to seem unemotional, disinterested or even bored. This outer stoicism is to hide their inner mental state. In Japanese, one way to say, “emotions” is shinsho (心緒). Shin means “heart” or “mind” and sho means “mental state.” The reason Japanese martial artists try not to show emotion is because emotions can show the true state of their minds or hearts. This information can be dangerous because our opponents can use it against us. Our opponents try to incite us to show emotion because a show of emotion can create an opening in our mental state which the opponent can use to defeat us.
Our mental state is supposed to be like a deep dark well where emotions cannot be easily dredged up by our opponent. This is not a suppression of emotions where one buries them deep. It is more like a black hole where matter has seemingly disappeared from the universe. It is an equanimous state where the Japanese martial artists have their emotions so in check that they have seemingly disappeared. That is why equanimity is one of the highest teachings in the Japanese martial arts. The more we develop ourselves, the deeper the root of our equanimity. Therefore, in order for our enemy to shake our equanimity and incite us, they would have to kirikomu (切り込む) or “cut deeply into” us.
In class, in the beginning of our Aikido training, the uke or “training partner” is supposed to wait to attack us until we are ready. Seems contrived, but this is done so that the nage can center and compose themselves. Once the nage is composed, they practice being stoic when attacked. This method helps to teach them equanimity or how to be unemotional and unflinching when attacked. Later in one’s training, the uke attacks more spontaneously and doesn’t wait until we are settled. Attacking spontaneously is a good test of our ability to remain calm and centered. This is the idea behind Miyamoto Musashi’s “No fear, no hesitation, no surprise, no doubt.” With fear, we could hesitate, succumb to surprise, or fall into self-doubt.
In Aikido and in life, to have nerves of steel means that we are able to stand stoically in the face of fear. George Addair said, “Everything you've ever wanted is sitting on the other side of fear.” Thus, if we can keep our emotions in check, then there is nothing which can hold us back from having the life that we want. That is why the best Aikidoists train to have nerves of steel.
Today’s goal: Keep your emotions in check. Never let them see you sweat.
Watch this video to better understand nerves of steel.