The Art of Adjusting

From the Aikido Center of Los Angeles’ Aiki Dojo Message - The Art of Adjusting

Aikido is a martial art about learning how to adapt to others.

In class, as the nage, we should be adjusting our technique and movements to the uke’s capabilities. If we overlook them and only do it one way, we run the risk of not being able to make the technique work when it matters most.

In training, we have to be able to read the uke or kuuki wo yomu (空気を読む) or “read the air.” To read the air means “to be able to sense, feel, or know” what your training partner can or can’t do and even surmise what they might be thinking. We have to be able to “see” it before they show it and thus it is like reading the air. This is what some might call intuition. Intuition often carries this connotation of being supernatural  because a good martial artist makes lightning fast and accurate judgments without a clear, conscious step-by-step process of reasoning.

I don’t think that this is some superpower that only a few people are born with. It seems so fast that it might be supernatural, but it is really something I call mechanical intuition. We develop mechanical intuition through our training because each one of the people that we train over and over eventually becomes an archetype. Archetypes move or act in a similar way. These archetypes become the protocols that we use to deal with people that have the similar traits. So, when that tall burly guy jumps out of the darkness, our minds quickly say, “Load the Jim protocol!” and we are able to at least be in the same ballpark with our attacker’s movements, strengths, or tendencies because we have worked with, cataloged, and adjusted to that type of person in our training in the past.

One interesting thing that comes out of training with this perspective is that when we read our partners and then adjust to them, they can feel comfortable about stretching or pushing themselves without the fear of getting hurt. One of the most common ways the uke gets injured is when they resist because they think they are going to get hurt. When we adjust our technique or movement, we do Aikido within their capabilities which creates this feeling of trust and the uke feels comfortable doing more and thus improves faster. One of the most hidden concepts in Aikido training is that the fastest way for us to improve is by helping others to improve. One way to say this in Japanese is that we train in the spirit of gokei (互恵) or “mutual benefit.”
When we can see what they are capable of doing, we can adjust the spacing, the timing, or moderate how hard to crank their wrist or throw them down. Being able to adjust is the skill which enables us to make the technique work on anyone. When we can’t, the person either just gets roughed up by us or we are accidentally lulled into thinking that we are greater than we can rough them up but most likely they were just falling down for us out of fear - both are dangerous practices.

The Japanese say, kunshihahyouhensu (君子は豹変す) or “The wise adapt themselves to changed circumstances.” Having the ability to adapt and adjust to unpredictable changes is one of the strongest predictors of success in Aikido and in Life.

Today’s goal: Pay attention to the person in front of you and adjust accordingly.

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Watch this video to better understand adaptability

We Never Step on the Same Mat Twice

From the Aikido Center of Los Angeles’ Aiki Dojo Message - We Never Step on the Same Mat Twice

Aikido training is a process of constant refinement.

In Japanese, one way to talk about this process of self-improvement is jibunmigaki (自分磨き). Jibun means “self” and migaki means “to polish” or self-improvement. So, ideally, it means “to polish the self.” The old or outdated kanji for “to polish” was (研き) which also meant “the study of.” With this kanji combination, it seems that our development is not so much “polish” but “the study of the self.”

Our technique in Aikido is supposed to be constantly under refinement. It only deteriorates if we neglect it or when we can’t see its true state. James Doi Shihan talks about this idea that we are not necessarily improving but constantly managing the decline. This is true but not from the standpoint of it being bad. Decline is natural as we age, train less, or stop training all together. What makes Aikido so interesting is that every day, we have to figure out how to do Aikido with the tools that we woke up with. For instance, if our backs are tight, we have to figure out how to do Aikido in that state. Training teaches us that nothing is static meaning that nothing today is as it was yesterday or as it will be tomorrow. As Heraclitus said, “Everything is in flux.” Our movement is never a hard construct but more a living ever flowing thing. It will need work here and there and just about everywhere like plugging holes in a dam but that is what makes Aikido so infuriating but interesting.

In training, to be in a state of constant refinement, is to have questions. Mostly the questions are about the details. Here are some questions to start you off:  How was I breathing before, during, and after? Where were my feet supposed to be and what is the state of my balance? Where is the kokyu in the technique or where exactly was I supposed to be using it? Where am I supposed to be positioned in relation to my partner before, during, and after the technique? What should my state of mind be? What part of my body did I use to make the technique work? What is the correct spacing for this technique? What was the timing supposed to be?

This list of questions is not exhaustive. It is just something to get you started. Every student and teacher alike should have questions that they are actively trying to solve in their Aikido. Some are physical, some are mental, and some can even be spiritual. The most important thing is that you are actively cultivating questions and trying to solve them on the mat - that is constant refinement.

In Aikido and in Life, none of us are the people that we were yesterday. Life is complicated. The moment when we think we know or theorize something to be, that is the moment that we have stopped moving and have stopped growing. People and circumstances are way more complicated and convoluted than we will ever know. To grow is to realize that everything is in a constant state of flux and thus we should give grace rather than pound them with violence.

Heraclitus said, ”No man ever steps in the same river twice.” We never step on the same mat twice because we are never the same person that we were yesterday or will be tomorrow - we are all in a constant state of flux. Training and Life are about being in a constant state of proactive refinement. That is why Furuya Sensei used to regularly say, “The Way is in training.”

Today’s goal: Step onto the mat with a question, not an answer.

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You Need the Dojo More Than You Think

You Need the Dojo More Than You Think

Missing Aikido class might not only impact your skill, but it might be bad for your health. A 2023 meta-analysis found that the potential hazards of social isolation and loneliness are comparable, and equivalent to “smoking 15 cigarettes a day.” The author of the study, Julianne Holt-Lunstad also co-authored the U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 advisory on loneliness, which stated that “people who are socially disconnected face up to a 29% higher risk of premature death.”

The dojo is also what we might consider a third space. A third space or third place is “a social environment separate from your home (the ‘first place’) and your workplace or school (the ‘second place'). Popular examples include coffee shops, public libraries, and parks.” In that same article, Holt-Lunstad stated that, “the gatherings most likely to build real connection are the interactive ones: dancing, roller skating, anything that asks something of the people there.” Thus, from the definitions, the dojo is one of those third spaces. Third spaces are important to our health because they can reduce loneliness, lower stress, or encourage us to be physically active. These physical and social environments give people a safe and neutral place to relax, recharge, and connect with others which help us manage our mental health. So, not going to the dojo can be hazardous to our health in immeasurable ways.

The act of doing Aikido is also beneficial to our health. When we grab someone’s wrist, something psycho-chemically happens. (Now, let me preface this as two people engaged in the mutual benefit of training and not so much when one person is trying to hurt the other). In this mutually beneficial exchange, the touch triggers the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin which helps to trigger the feelings of trust, calmness, and connection. Touch also lowers cortisol which is our body’s primary stress hormone. These hormones are the reason why we feel good after class even if we didn’t want to go in the first place.

Another benefit of doing Aikido is that its techniques and movements require the use of Type II skeletal muscle fibers. These muscles, when activated through vigorous exercise, stimulate biological processes associated with the release of myokines, popularly referred to as “hope molecules,” which research suggests may help build resilience to stress and improve mood.

The trick to using Aikido as a way to benefit our health is not so much in what we do to our training partners, but in how we do it. If the training environment is mutually supportive, that encourages others to come. If the training is done for mutual benefit, then our intentions must be correct so that the attack aka the touch can bring about a health benefit to our training partner. The class should also be fast-paced and challenging enough to engage our Type II muscle fibers and give us the physical benefits of vigorous training.

Doing a martial art is so much more than beating people up. It is a way to not only stay healthy but be a healthier person inside and out. Don’t miss class, your health just might depend on it.

Today’s goal: Take care of yourself—go to the dojo.

If this resonated with you and you've been curious about training — we'd love to have you on the mat. Your first class is free! Come train with us →Free Class

Watch The Words

Fall Back Fridays - Watch The Words

Note: Furuya Sensei originally posted this to his blog on August 27, 2003.

Watch the words, do not hear them. When you listen, it is important to see what is going on at the same time. . . . otherwise you will get confused by your own interpretation in your head or confuse them with some other technique

For example, when an instructor says, "behind," you must see if you are moving "behind" your opponent, or stepping behind yourself - these are two completely opposite movements so you must not get confused.

Sometimes, when I say, "lead foot" or "front foot,” I often see students moving the opposite or back foot. This does not make sense to me. I think they must hear only the word, "foot." This always drives me crazy because simple things like this should be already understood by the student after just a few months of training. . . . .

When someone says to move the hand upwards, you must see if you are moving your hand towards your opponent or just to yourself, again these are two completely separate movements but described with the same words. So, I must say, “See the words, not just hear them!" This is true in all training with any teacher. . . . .

True Strength: What Aikido Really Teaches

Fall Back Fridays - True Strength

Note: Furuya Sensei originally posted this to his blog on August 27, 2003.

Aikido is not to show off our strength to others, it is to show our true self and our true powers to ourselves. A true Aikidoist hides their talents and refines them through their training. Please remember that Aikido is not a sport to compete with others nor is it a performance art to show off what you can do to impress people or get their attention or admiration. Aikido is, indeed, the path to our own enlightenment. . . . . .

Subtle Communication

Fall Back Fridays - Subtle Communication

Note: Furuya Sensei originally posted this to his blog on March 30, 2003.

We think we can communicate in our words and actions but I have come to realize that this is not always so. Beyond our words and actions, it is important to communicate with our hearts, spirit, mind, courage, love, and awareness. This make communication a little more subtle and perhaps a little harder to sense. This is why between teacher and student and between student and student, it is important to cultivate this to its highest degree.

Generally, we are too greedy or too manipulative to think about the other person beyond our own selves and self interests - no communication can ever take place beyond the simplest and basest level. This is why at higher levels so much misunderstanding takes place. Often we say, "no" which means "yes," and often we say, "yes" meaning “no." It sounds like it doesn't make any sense but we do this all of the time in our lives and in our thoughts.

To communicate something as subtle and profound as Aikido, we must be there, in the moment and fully centered or we will miss it so easily.

Don’t Just Crank it

From the Aikido Center of Los Angeles’ Aiki Dojo Message - Don’t Just Crank it

Most of the problems in a dojo can be avoided if we follow these two rules: Don’t crank someone else’s wrist if you don’t want your wrist cranked. If you like it when people crank your wrist, don’t assume they like it - at least ask them, first. All of the other problems can possibly be fixed by just substituting the words “wrist crank” with the words for the problem that you are having.

Thinking about this, that means that most of the problems that we encounter in a dojo could possibly be solved with the two Cs: communication and compassion.

Communication. Use your words to convey your needs or desires rather than just assuming that the other person knows. i.e. ask them if they want you to crank their wrist. Good communication is the kind of thing left over from the battlefield where “without unimpeded real-time communication, forces risk fratricide, isolation, and mission failure.” Speak up, don’t assume, and try to understand. Speak up, be honest and be as clear as you can when you do speak up so that you are conveying the right information and also that the person can hear you. Don’t assume that they know. Don’t assume that you know. Also try to understand because there is a possibility that the person wasn’t entirely honest because they might not understand what they want. Therefore, when in doubt ask and if you don’t understand, ask for clarification.

Compassion. Compassion enables us to put into practice the understanding that we gained from the act of communicating. True compassion is the ability to be with a person where they are not where you would like them to be. One of the universal truths is that every person is suffering. So, when we crank their wrist when they aren’t ready to take it, we are just adding to their suffering. When we assume they are just a jerk because they act like, without knowing and just hating on them, we are adding to their suffering. As his holiness the Dalai Lama famously stated, "Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.” It is easy to hurt people with words or fists. Being able to give compassion to a person that we don’t really like or who doesn’t particularly deserve it is a high level skill.

Training in Aikido is done as a partnership where there is supposed to be synergy where two or more people are working together so that each person reaches their highest potential. That is why Furuya Sensei used to discourage us from solo training.  In Aikido, we are forced to do this. I use the word force because in training, the thing that we avoid is the path. Everyone works well with the people that they like.  The extent to which you can work with a person that you don’t particularly like but still create a harmonious outcome dictates your level of Aikido skill.

The goal in Aikido is not to effectively and painfully crank someone’s wrist. Anyone can do that. The goal is to become aware enough to do just enough. That deft touch requires a certain level of communication and compassion. Aikido is about change. We twist the wrist to change the other person’s mind. They can come away from it thinking that we are a jerk or they can come away from thinking that you are an incredible person.  However, our true goal is not to change them, our goal is to only change ourselves. The next time you go to crank someone’s wrist, think, ask, and try to understand. The Way is in that which we fear, hate, or try to avoid. Strive to understand, not just to make it hurt.   

Today’s goal: Look past what you think is happening or you think is right and ask questions so that you can understand.

If this resonated with you and you've been curious about training — we'd love to have you on the mat. Your first class is free! Come train with us → Free Class

Technique Sequencing

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the July 2026 issue of El Budoka magazine. It was kindly translated by Santiago Almaraz Sensei. Read Secuencia De La Tecnica in Spanish

Technique Sequencing

“Once a fight has started, if you get involved in thinking about what to do, you will be cut down by your opponent with the very next blow.” - Yagyu Munenori

In Aikido, no technique is done singularly or by itself. In the mindset of the trained Aikidoist, every technique is or should be done as part of a sequence of techniques.

The reason for this rationale is because we are supposed to have the mindset that our opponent will be as skilled or greater than us. If that is the case, then they will know where the weaknesses are in the technique and will try and try to exploit it or block us at that opening. To circumvent their attack, we set up our techniques to flow logically from one technique to another so that we can overwhelm our opponent and eventually overtake them.

The flow from one technique to another in Aikido is referred to as henka waza (変化技). Henka means “change” or “transformation” and waza means “technique” or “skill.” Ideally, henka waza is the skill or art of transforming one technique into another. Typically, the nage moves from one technique to another when the uke resists or jams the initial technique.

The change is not arbitrary or predetermined where the choices and the changes are done for no reason. The sequences are linked together based upon where the logical weaknesses or openings are in the technique. Knowing that they know, we think ahead and set up the next logical technique in the place where the opponent plans to attack us.

In chess, it is commonly thought that elite grandmasters like Magnus Carlsen can supposedly calculate three to five moves ahead in complex chess positions. Carlsen has also bragged that he can “see” somewhere between 15–20 moves ahead in forced, tactical, or endgame situations.

This is similar in Judo as Judoka and MMA fighter Ronda Rousey's Judo technique is widely considered to be three to five techniques deep. Her sequence is designed to attack and wear down her opponents as they defend each one of the techniques in her sequence.

Just about any first year Aikido student can muddle their way through a predetermined set of techniques that was put together with no real thought. However, true henka waza is a high level skill that one only truly starts to cultivate around 4th or 5th degree black belt. A good technique sequence should be somewhere around five to six techniques deep. Henka waza is a demonstration of not only the practitioner’s ability to stay calm and be spontaneous but it is also a test of the practitioner’s knowledge of the techniques.

The telltale sign of a good henka waza is that the practitioner looks calm, cool and collected. In Japanese, this is called seichu no do, do chu no sei (靜中動 動中靜) or “movement in calmness, calmness in movement.” It is almost like moving meditation with a calm state of mind but there is also an efficiency to how one moves and uses their bodies. It is as if the body moves with a sense of calm and grace and only utilizes the minimalist amount of movement and energy. We cannot meditate our way here or fake it. This “movement in calmness, calmness in movement” is something that is only attained at the end of tens of thousands of repetitions.

The reason why it is a higher black belt level skill is because the practitioner must know the techniques so well that they have an almost unnatural sense about them. It is only with a precise knowledge of the techniques that the movement becomes almost intuitive. Not intuitive in a supernatural sense but in a subconscious way. Our bodies “know” and act so fast that it seems intuitive. It is said that subconscious thoughts and actions are processed at roughly 11 to 400 million bits per second and can precede conscious awareness by around 300 milliseconds. So it seems intuitive. This technical intelligence is built upon hundreds if not thousands of hours of technique repetition. From here, the practitioner knows the techniques so well that they not only know the mechanism of how the technique works but also the places where it is vulnerable and where the opponent will most likely try to attack it. From this knowledge, they feel not know what would be the next best technique in the sequence.

There are three ways to create the next technique in a henka waza sequence. The first is the most basic way. If we know the technique extensively enough then we should know the mechanism of how it works and we should know where its weaknesses are as well. We then stitch together our sequence because we are ready to move to the next logical technique based upon knowing that the opponent knows where to try to attack the technique. This is the level where we see kata (型) or “a standard form of a movement” in other martial arts.

The second is by set-up or trap. Since we know that they know, we purposefully create a “opening” or suki (隙) and lay a trap for our opponent. After all, Sun Tzu’s core tenet from The Art of War is "All warfare is based on deception.” Our opponent arrogantly sees an opening not knowing we created it and tries to capitalize upon it and thus fall into our trap. We don’t know which technique trap they will fall for and thus we need to make our sequence as deep as possible.

The third is by feel or intuition which is the hardest way. It is hard because we have to know without knowing without conscious thought. At this level, chess grandmasters uses high levels of intuition and pattern recognition and and have a sense or feeling for what is going to happen next. The farther one thinks ahead, the more conscious thought can’t be used. Remember, conscious thought is slow, intentional, and analytical and has been clocked at around 40 bits per second while subconscious thought is fast, automatic, and associative at speeds of up to 400 billion bits per second. So, if you have to think about the next step, it is not intuitive. We are calm and have trained to know the technique. Now we allow the feeling to guide the next technique in the sequence based upon the feedback we get from our opponent’s body language, reaction and movement just to name a few. At this level, it’s as if we kokoro wo yomu (心を読む) or “read” our opponent’s thoughts.

People who follow the Way of Aikido believe in ki no nagare (氣の流れ) or “the flow of ki” energy. This sounds mystical but we can see it physically in our henka waza as our ki flows from one technique to another which makes it look almost supernatural. But this isn’t magical, it is merely the result of years and years of training and thousands upon thousands of repetitions. True skill lies in meeting adversity calmly and with poise and power and we do that with our henka waza and the depths of our technique sequencing.

Don't Rush

From the Aikido Center of Los Angeles’ Aiki Dojo Message - Don’t Rush

If there is one piece of advice, I could give a student, I think I would encourage them not to rush. Rushing activates our physiological "fight-or-flight" response, which releases adrenaline and causes tunnel vision and decreases our peripheral vision. When this happens, we cannot see the mistakes that we are making because we are too hyper focused on that one thing despite everything around us caving in. In Japanese, they say, isogaba maware (急がば回れ) or “haste makes waste.”

The other day I was reading this article on why rushing feels so exhausting and the author explained this idiom. In his article, Takayuki Togo wrote, “Isogaba maware offers a gentle yet powerful counter-philosophy. Its idiomatic meaning is ‘Haste makes waste.’ More positively, it teaches that ‘The quickest way to reach a goal is by taking the safest, most reliable route, even if it appears to be a detour.’”

I never thought about it like that. If we are in a hurry, we should take the long way and not shoot for the short cut. The reason is that because our fight-or-flight response is activated, we will most likely miss a crucial detail in the short cut which could set us back. Haven’t you ever been late and taken a short cut only to go the wrong way which  caused you to be later than if you just took the regular long way?

The same thinking is true in Aikido training. Often times, we think that to improve quicker or learn faster, we should somehow force it. Forcing it means going faster, pushing harder, or using too much strength. This may work in the beginning but, in time, this only leads to frustration for you, the teacher and everyone else in the room who are not on the path of forcing it.

When we train with our partner, we need to create a synergistic balance and harmony with them. I am not advocating for going easy. What I am referring to is that you and your partner need to create this intuitive bond where both are working together to learn and improve. If one person is trying to force it when the other person is not ready to train that way, it only leads to feelings of frustration or bad blood. When working with your partner, you should try to gain an intuitive sense about how much effort, speed, strength, etc is needed and what they can handle, or what they want. If you cannot read your partner and just force it, you are training self-centeredly and this can only lead to disharmony.

Trying to read the person intuitively is hard and takes years of training. Therefore, until you can intuitively read your partner, you should just ask them. This is the easiest way to affirm if you intuited them correctly. This can be hard too if you are shy and not assertive enough, but this is also a part of training. The worst thing to do is to just force yourself upon someone else. Then, when you are not getting your way, the frustration will be shown on your face or in how you treat them. Everyone can tell, even if you think you are hiding it, that you are frustrated or having a bad day. This show of frustration can create hurt feelings and cause that person to resent you or rise up against you.

The people who come to class are not there for us to vent our frustration upon and they are not there to be our throwing dummies. Everyone should train hard, but that doesn’t mean that they should be treated in a dehumanizing or bullying way.

The philosopher Lao Tzu said, "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." One of the hardest things about Aikido training is that it kind of comes when it comes and the more we force it, the more it doesn’t come. Please don’t rush.

Today’s goal: If you find yourself rushing, take a breath, slow down and maybe take the long way around.

If this resonated with you and you've been curious about training — we'd love to have you on the mat.
Your first class is free! Come train with us → Free Class

Thinking Makes it so

From the Aikido Center of Los Angeles’ Aiki Dojo Message - Thinking Makes it so

“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” - William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

It is thought that like begets like and thus negativity begets negativity and positivity begets positivity. If that is even remotely true, then how or what we think can have a real impact on our daily lives.

In Japanese, “how or what we think” is called kangaekata (考え方). Kangae means “thinking” and kata means “way” or “method.” How or what we think creates more awareness of those same things and thus it becomes a pattern. If we have a jaken (邪見) or “an evil point of view,” then all that we see will be evil.

The famous sword teacher Yagyu Munenori said, “Conquering evil, not the opponent, is the essence of swordsmanship.” When we examine this statement, evil and opponent are listed separately. Therefore, one could posit that one exists outside and the other inside and that training in swordsmanship could not only help us dispatch an opponent but also help us to dispel the evil that exists inside of us.

Obviously, being a sword teacher, Yagyu was stating this in the context of learning swordsmanship. He used the word evil or at least the translator did to caution his students that training can have a way of causing them to be overly negative.

How this happens is that in the beginning of our training, we are supposed to train ourselves to notice openings and exploit them. This way of thinking gives rise to negativity because we are always looking for what is wrong or incorrect. Focusing on the negative enables us to be shrewd and maybe even successful but it can also create a lack of heart or conscience which justifies Yagyu’s use of the word “evil.” Later in our training, we come to realize that this negative outlook has seeped its way into our everyday lives and when left unchecked can give rise to cruelty or bullying behavior. Negativity gives rise to the need for balance where negativity and positivity act like weights on a scale balancing each other out. Thus, we must temper our negativity or the ability to harm others with positive things like care, compassion, or kindness.

Furuya Sensei called this balance saikan koubai (歳寒紅梅) or “the elegant apricot flower and the strong plum blossom.” He said, “Saikan koubai means to focus too much on war makes us rough and crude while the emphasis on too much beauty makes us weak.”   

In Chinese philosophy, the taiji or yin/yang symbol has a dark side and a light side and within each side there is always a dot of the other that serves as a reminder that all things contain the seed of their opposite and that each side is never completely yin or yang, dark or light.

Every day we are buffeted by things that can seem dark, negative or horrible and most times they seem out of our control. Training teaches us that we cannot allow ourselves to follow this negative path. Here, it comes down to perspective and what we choose to focus on. If we carry a hammer, all of our problems will look like things that can be only solved by hammering. Remember, according to the Tao, there will be some element of light. Thus, how we choose to think is a practice with its good days and bad. The hardest part is not to dwell because balance is never static and is always moving from one side to the other. The trick is to never allow ourselves to rest on one side or the other.

Today’s goal: If you tend to see things too negatively, try and create a practice of seeing the brighter and more hidden side of things. Remember, like begets like.

Fall Back Fridays - It's All in Your Mind

Fall Back Fridays - It's All in Your Mind

Note: Furuya Sensei originally posted this to his blog on January 7, 2005.

It's All in Your Mind:

I was watching a documentary about the life of a well-known artist. He became very sick with many health problems and eventually had several strokes which destroyed his ability to paint with his right hand. Eventually, he was able to continue his painting by switching to his left hand. The hand, he was told, was simply an extension of his mind and this thinking allowed him to continue his work. Actually, this is a pretty amazing feat although I say it rather matter-of-factly.

I believe this is very true in Aikido practice as well. We often criticize our own physical ability because of talent, age, stiffness or some other ailment but generally, these can all be overcome through the power of our own mind - if we have the right determination and motivation.

Most obstacles Life presents us are difficult to overcome by ourselves. Yet, such problems are not limited to our own selves. Each of us suffers in our own way and each person can overcome them in their own way. 

Aikido practice however allows us to explore our own minds very deeply and it is through this; great power can not only be realized but released as well.

This post appears in a slightly different form @ www.aikidocenterla.com/blog

Hidden Steps

From the Aikido Center of Los Angeles’ Aiki Dojo Message - Hidden Steps

Novices emphasize the hand movements, seniors focus on the body, but the expert only looks at the feet.    

In the old days, it was thought that if a person could figure out the footwork, they would know everything that there is to know about that particular technique or even the system as a whole. By understanding the footwork, one can figure out the strength and weaknesses and, ultimately, defeat the teacher or the art. If a student could figure out the footwork of a technique, then they would know the technique’s mechanism of power and timing, but also where its strength and weaknesses lie. Being wary of betrayal or untrustworthy students, teachers of old would only teach the footwork at the end or when they were sure that the student wouldn’t betray them.

With this understanding, traditional teachers usually only focused on taisabaki (体捌き) or “body movement.” This was teaching by subtext where the student had to “read between the lines” to figure what the teacher meant. Ideally, it takes longer to learn something this way. The reason is because the body is put into position by how the ashisabaki (足捌き) or how “the feet move.” So, if we just bark at the students to move their bodies into a certain position, most of the time they will get it wrong because they won’t be focusing on how their feet move their bodies into position.

In class, students should first try to notice what the attack is and what technique the teacher is teaching. After that focus on what the teacher’s feet are doing. When we know what the footwork is, the hand movements and body positioning will become easier, and the technique will just somehow come together.

In Aikido, we neutralize attacks with movement but more specifically how our feet move our bodies into the correct position.

In Aikido and in Life, nothing is as it seems. There is always so much more going on below the surface. Training teaches us to look deeper, to find what is hidden in plain sight. That is why the experts never get distracted by what the hands and body are doing but are always looking at how the feet are moving.

Today’s goal: Try to see what is hidden in plain sight not only at the dojo but in every aspect of your life.

One Step Range

From the Aikido Center of Los Angeles’ Aiki Dojo Message - One Step Range

The best know their range.

In training, we are trying to get a sense of our issoku itto no maai (一足一刀の間合) or “one step, one cut distance.” To get a sense means that the range of attack has to be a feeling. It can’t be a conscious thought because that is too slow. Our sense of our range has to be second nature and to the point that it is subconscious or almost intuitive.

This month, we are focusing on techniques from tsuki or a “thrusting” type of strike. At the beginning of class, the uke’s do kakari keiko (掛かり稽古) “attack practice.” Both practitioners are supposed to be engaged in developing their sense of timing and ma-ai (間合い) or “spacing” of the strike. (note:The Japanese don’t have a formal word for timing and typically timing and spacing are considered so close that they are often considered one in the same). On the uke’s side, they need to know how much distance they can cover to strike in one step and with every practice strike, they should move a little bit farther away. At some point, uke reaches a distance where they can’t reach their target in one step and so just prior to that is their range. At first, the nage just stands there as a target and observes but not passively. They should be training their minds and eyes to actively feel where the threshold is of their own range and the moment that the uke moves into it. Eventually, the nage will expand their training and try and irimi or “moving forward” into the strike within the range and timing of the strike. This type of practice enables both practitioners to find the limitations of their one step range.

In Sen Sōshitsu’s book, Tea Life, Tea Mind, he wrote, “At the center of a life based on harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility is that inner peace that results from accepting one’s limits and finding satisfaction within the incomplete. With this peace, dissatisfaction and anxiety vanish, replaced by self-possession and composure.” When we get a sense of our limits, it either brings contentment or anxiety. Contentment comes from knowing and accepting. Anxiety comes from not accepting or being dissatisfied with our limit. Anxiety demonstrates to us that we have the wrong perspective. Knowing is not the end. Knowing the endpoint enables us to know where our limitations are and enables us to work around them, incorporate them, or to try and stretch them.

In Aikido and in Life, knowing our range gives us the ability to self-reflect. If we get struck while moving in, don’t take it personally. Look at it as the place that needs attention and ask yourself, “Why, did this happen?” Only by asking “why” does the whole universe open up for us.

No one who has ever achieved anything ever accepted their limitations as the end. The best know their one step range and move forward out of their comfort zones to find the next level in their training.

Today’s goal: Train to know where your limitations are so that you can break through and push them further

Watch this video of Simon Sinek talking about strength.

Self-reflection

From the Aikido Center of Los Angeles’ Aiki Dojo Message - Self-reflection

The best let others make their own mistakes.

Students should actively try to make mistakes. Mistakes are how we learn and a it is only a mistake if we don’t learn from it. Regardless of level, no one is perfect. So, if we are not making mistakes, we are probably not trying hard enough. If we can’t learn from the mistakes of others, we will have to trip over our own wayward ways in order to truly learn from them.

Teachers should let the students make their own mistakes. Teaching is about guidance not control. If we give guidance or correct the student and they don’t take it, then they are probably not ready to hear it or need to make the mistake themselves. If we become overly attached to our advice or guidance, most likely we are trying to control them, knowingly or unknowingly. As teachers, part of our training is to have the internal fortitude to standby and let others make mistakes.

When learning to roll, some part of your body inevitably hits the mat—knee, hip, back. Hopefully not your head! Even after being shown, it is only through doing it over and over that we shore up our mistakes and learn to roll without pain. This cannot be explained - it has to be experienced.

Training is a journey of self-reflection. We reflect more on failure than success. Mistakes, pain or discomfort force us to look more deeply.

Each of us needs to learn our own lessons. Saving others prevents them from learning their valuable lesson. No one wants to make mistakes and no one wants to see others suffer. Perhaps that is why Furuya Sensei said, “The Way is hard.”

Today’s goal: Train today without fear of mistakes—make one and then study it and learn from it.

Not Forgetting

The best Aikidoists take care not to forget.

Aikido is not “like riding a bike.” Aikido techniques are very mercurial. They are learned in a layered way over time where each layer brings more depth, breadth, and understanding. It is lost in the same way as its increases are ephemeral and subject to age, injury, illness, body changes, or apathy, but this degradation can also be because our minds or bodies just simply forget over time.

As a martial artist, it is easy to be overly concerned with winning or losing because  we are supposed to have the mindset that the employment of these techniques is life or death. Interestingly, one word for “lose” in Japanese is boushitsu (忘失) which is the same word that some use to mean “forget.” With that, one can posit that if we forget, we will lose.

The techniques are encoded into our DNA through repetition. Some experts think that the magic number of repetitions is 10,000. While Japanese takumi (匠) or “master craftsman” think the number is more closer to 30,000. Regardless of the number, the repetitions force the execution of the technique into our subconscious.

Like the idiom of riding a bike, it is easy to think that once it’s in our subconscious, it is there forever. This is not necessarily true. As someone once said, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” Over time, it’s only natural for every practitioner to experience some level of technique degradation. Technique degradation means that the details of the technique are subject to erosion and because of this wearing away, we become incapable of carrying out the technique mentally or physically correctly or in the way we used to be able to.

Degradation is a function of effort. The more effort and time one puts into not forgetting and studying, the less likelihood of degradation. No one is superhuman, so some level of degradation happens to even the best of us.

Other than applying physical effort, a factor which is also at play is something Furuya Sensei called spiritual capital. Spiritual capital is doing something for the sake of doing it without the desire for return or reward - it is this kind of karmic glue which keeps us on track. Because we do it without a desire for a reward, it creates a connection to the soul of the thing. The moment that we lose this connection, things start to go awry. Some of it is that we go back to being the people that we were before we started Aikido. For others, we lose the structure of the technique and can no longer perform it well. When we lose our spiritual connection, our egos take over and we are apt to force the technique or bend the truth to maintain our dominance.

Furuya Sensei once wrote, “Keiko (稽古) means ‘To reflect on the past.’ It is the meaning of ‘Practice.' Usually, we are focused on the future, not the past. What do you think this means? For me, it means to remember our seniors and past teachers and not forget their teachings and show them the proper respect and gratitude.”

This weekend is Furuya Sensei’s 19th memorial service. We do this so that the students don’t forget. Every year, I worry that we are forgetting. I think that if one thing leads to another, then what else are we forgetting. We remember as gesture of thanks and respect. We remember because it is part of our training. Other people can do whatever they want but, in this dojo, we remember Sensei on this day and in this way. Don’t forget - it means a lot more than you think!

If one thing leads to another, then what else are we forgetting? We remember as gesture of thanks and respect. We remember because it is part of our training. Don’t forget - it means a lot more than you think!

Today’s goal: Even if you can’t make the seminar, make plans to at least attend the memorial service. Put time and energy into those things that you don’t want to forget.

Watch this interesting documentary by Lexus on Takumi - master craftsman

Fall Back Fridays - The Last Practice

Fall Back Fridays - The Last Practice

Note: On this day in 2007, Furuya Sensei passed away. He originally posted this to his blog on June 27, 2004.

Training is very interesting, especially in how we must train our minds. We always talk about shoshin (初心) or “the beginner's mind” and it is important to have the mind of someone who is practicing Aikido for the very first time - so eager and so naive and so ready to absorb everything about Aikido. At the same time, as strange as it is to say, we must also have the mind that thinks that this is "our last practice" as well. In this mindset, we practice each day as if this is the last day we will be on this earth.

We need the energy and freshness of practice on the very first day and we need the desperate, anxious energy as if it is our last day on earth as well.

Some people call this, "life and death" practice. . . . . How do you achieve such a state of mind? Please find it on the mat!

Watch the latest Furuya Sensei short

Read The Air

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in El Budoka magazine in Spanish. It is kindly translated by Santiago Almaraz Sensei.

I am often asked, “How do we determine which technique we are going to do to our opponent?” The answer is, “We do not.” That is because when a person confronts us, we cannot truly know their intentions, how they will attack, or if they have a weapon. Therefore, how the uke attacks dictates which techniques can be done.

Typically, if an altercation is predetermined, then it is fake. How are we to know how they are going to attack us or what type of weapon they will use. However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t be ready to spontaneously address any attack.

With appropriate training, we should be able to negotiate any attack but that still doesn’t mean that we get to choose. All we can hope for is that we move, maybe not perfectly, but at least to a point that will most likely save our lives.

We can estimate a possible technique to do by being ready. We can be ready in two ways: predetermined or premeditated.

I mentioned that predetermined is fake but this is different if we are using it in the context of training because all martial arts training is based in kata (型) or “predetermined movement.” But what is different is, regardless of the context, it must always be budo. It is budo because budo, even in a training context, requires a sense of honesty and realism. Realism in the sense that our partner is really trying to attack us. In class, it is the uke’s job to bring the level of realism to the encounter. To do this, the uke should attack with sutemi (捨て身) or “total commitment” and the spirit of just a little more. A little more means accentuating elements like speed, strength, or pressure just to name a few. These little things push the nage out of their comfort zone and helps them to grow. Furuya Sensei said, “Always take it to that person’s level and one step further.”  That little extra is “budo” in that it brings a sense of honesty and realism to the training and helps them develop resilience and a thicker skin.

Also, the repetition from kata helps form our muscle memory and enables us to create subconscious patterning in our responses to a specific type of attack. From this subconscious place, our bodies move and release the muscle memory in the form of a trained technique in response to how our opponent is attacking us. We could mistake this for getting to choose the technique, but this is subconscious programming and done at a speed higher than conscious thought.

No attack is exactly the same and the attack response might not perfectly fit the attack, but our response could fit a similar line of attack. No matter what style of fighting, all attacks follow the seichuusen (正中線) or “centerline” perspective. This theorizes that there are only nine angles from which to be attacked from: the left side, the right side, cross the body from the top, cross the body from the bottom, top down, bottom up, and straight forward. Everything else is about what implement the attacker is employing to generate carnage or power whether it be a grab, fist, knee, kick or some other sort of weapon. For instance, if a  person uses a right cross punch, then they are trying to strike with rotational power on one side and with one angle. Their hips would turn into the punch more than it would for an overhand punch. This is similar to the mechanics of yokomenuchi. Thus, our muscle memory movement moves us in a similar movement pattern in response to the attack. It is not exactly the same, but our movement pattern for yokomenuchi will still enable us to move defensively to dissipate the kinetic energy and not absorb the power from the strike and hopefully enables us to create an offensive movement out of it.

With this understanding, we realize that every specific attack angle has a logical direction of generated power and balance. Generally speaking, human beings can only generate power in one direction at any one moment in time. We cannot be trying to generate linear power while we are also trying to generate rotational power. If we take in consideration a straight punch. It can only be linear and can’t also be making a large curve at the same time. Another example might be how it is very hard to grab someone and also push and twist their arm at the same time. We might be able to generate power in opposite or different directions but the power or physics to do so would cause each of them to be weaker or lack any real strength.

Which technique we could use can also be premeditated or calculated. As we engage our opponent, we should kuuki wo yomu (空氣を読む) or “read the air” and analyzing our opponent’s disposition or movement. Analyzing body language gives us a sense of things like strength, speed, or style of fight training to name just a few. This enables us to load in the programming for dealing with a person with these types of archetypal features. For instance, if a person is engaging us with a kyphotic or hunched over stance, we could surmise that they might be someone trained in some sort of grappling. This understanding forces us to consider the proper spacing, timing, or techniques to utilize. At the same time, we also have to gain an intuitive sense of our adversary’s intention, or inner state of mind. They say the outside reflects the inside, so we look for clues that give away their intention or temperament. For example, that’s why we are told to never look our opponents directly in the eyes because the eyes are the windows to the soul and a good opponent could gain a sense of our disposition and know how to exploit things that we are scared of, anxious about, or lack confidence in. When we find these suki (隙) or “openings” or “weaknesses” in their defense or offense, we make a mental calculation and premeditate a response and choose a technique that we think will have the highest success rate. All this is done in a split second and thus also not a part of conscious thought.

At the peak of training, some people get to the level of shikake waza (仕掛け技) where they “create openings to initiate attack.” Here an attacker might try and capitalize on an opening but find themselves in a trap. This sort of trapping kind of strategy could enable us to dictate the technique. However, if we haven’t truly attained this level, it can be dangerous or hubris to do so because we just set ourselves up to not only to be attacked but also most likely defeated as well.

Martial arts is not mind reading. Therefore, we cannot in good conscience think that we dictate the technique. If we can, most likely, it is fake and fake isn't budo. All we can do is train and hope that the technique springs forth from our muscle memory and subconscious programming. Budo requires honesty and realism and so in all honesty, “No, we don’t get to choose the technique.”

Misunderstandings

The best Aikidoists take care to not create misunderstandings.

It is easy to take the slightest things personally. It is also easy to think that this person is doing this to us because of some sort of malice.

In daily life, most of us are solipsistic and in our own worlds fighting our own personal battles. Part of what Aikido training is trying to teach us is to become aware of others. That is why Aikido has to be done with a partner. As we learn to do Aikido to others, we learn a kind of body to body communication through movement. The nage’s movements should be clear so that the uke doesn’t misread them and take the wrong ukemi and get hurt.

In the martial arts, everything has to be clearly stated. This is because it is martial which could lead to harm or injury. Thus, anything that we do, say, how we say it or how we do it can lead to resentment. In Japanese, they say, sakaurami (逆恨み) or “unjustified resentment because of misunderstanding.” Because what was said or done was unclear, it could lead to injury or hurt feelings and without any sort of clarity, it can also result in resentment. When I was a beginning student, a black belt beat me up on my second day. For almost four years, I resented this person. After I became a black belt, he shook my hand and said, “I knew you could do it.” Years later, he likes to jokingly tell people that beating me up was for my own good and that he did it because he was “helping me.” Alas, my misunderstanding of his kind cruelty led to resentment.

Teachers or instructors should also make sure that their actions or teachings are clear so as to not create any misunderstandings or cause the students to develop bad habits. Students should also take care to not accidentally act inappropriately and create a misunderstanding. This idea where I think of you and you think of me creates this dojo symbiosis where paradoxically everyone is working together in their own singular pursuits of personal mastery.

The other day, I told the person taking my ukemi in front of the class to tap even if it doesn’t hurt. The reason why they had to tap is because they were demonstrating the proper way to submit. What happened after my demonstration was that no one in the class was tapping and just grimacing in pain. Not tapping as a practice is fine if everyone agrees and is trying to develop their pain tolerance or develop stronger wrists. However, if people are just not tapping because they didn’t know how to submit, it could lead to injury or hurt feelings. The teacher demonstrates the proper way to do the technique. The uke shows the proper way to receive the technique and part of that is demonstrating when, where, and how to submit so that there are no misunderstandings. A misunderstanding of correct ukemi could unknowingly lead to an epidemic of injured wrists which could have simply been avoided had the uke properly demonstrated when and how to tap.

Ideally, proper intention demonstrates proper attitude and decorum. That is why, in Aikido and in Life, we make everything as clear as possible so that there are no misunderstandings and no resentment. Training teaches us to remember that each person is fighting their own personal internal battle and so we try to avoid creating misunderstandings and try to give grace whenever possible.

Today’s goal: Be clear about what you want or what you are doing so that you don’t allow a simple misunderstanding to become a full blown war.

Watch this video to better understand reframing

Resisting

The best Aikidoists know when to stop resisting.

Within every technique, there is a moment where we know that our partner’s balance is broken. It is a weird lightness, but lightness is not quite the right word because it implies that it has something to do with weight. Maybe ukiyo (浮世) or “floating” is a better word but that too can gives us this weird poeticness which can also be misconstrued.

Regardless of what we call it, there is a brief moment within the movement of the technique right before the tug of the pull or the load of the push where the person’s balance is broken and they become light or are seemingly floating. It is at this point that we transform that unbalanced state into a technique and throw them down.

In this state of lightness or floating, what is really happening at this split second is that there is no resistance. The uke is not resisting the flow of the nage’s movement and the nage is allowing or not resisting the uke’s attack. 

In training, the uke is supposed to resist by giving their partner a strong attack. However, in doing so, they expose themselves. So, they have to know at what point to abandon their initial attack to save themselves. Typically, this is the point where they move from attacking into a roll. If they hold on too long, they run the risk of hitting the ground with some vulnerable part of their body and getting injured. If they give in too early, it becomes fake and the nage never gets to feel what it’s really like to throw someone nor do they get to experience a strong attack. That’s why rolling out of the attack is a matter of timing rather than about intensity of attack. Therefore, we give as much resistance to help create growth, but not so much that it causes us to get injured. 

The problem becomes that some of us become so good at resisting that we don’t know when to stop and our resistance becomes pathological. In Aikido, we have to know when it’s time to resist and when it’s time to allow ourselves to be thrown. If we acquiesce too early, the nage never learns. If we submit too late, we risk injuring ourselves. Because we get good at resisting, we start to see that every problem becomes something to resist and resistance becomes a part of our personality. Training teaches us that not everything uncomfortable that happens to us is an attack. Most times the attack is merely the harbinger of change. Carl Jung once said, “We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses." Aikido is about learning how to go with the flow - we do not actively resist anything but only allow ourselves to accept it and transform it.

In Aikido and in Life, it is all about timing. There are times when we should actively resist and there are times when we should allow things to happen. The trick is in knowing one from the other. There is a great line in Max Ehrmann’s poem Desiderata: “You are a child of the universe, No less than the trees and the stars; You have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” Life and Aikido unfold as they should and thus all we need to do is not resist and allow ourselves to go with the flow. That’s why the best Aikidoists know when to stop resisting.

Today’s goal: Think about what in your life you are actively resisting but should probably allow to unfold. 

Watch this video to better understand Resistance