The best Aikidoists are never static.
The crux of Aikido training is movement. In Aikido, we don’t block attacks; we defeat our opponents with movement. This is proactive rather than reactive. At the tachiai (立ち会い) or “the initial moment of contact”, we are supposed to be in motion. Being in motion enables us to not absorb the attacker’s energy but simultaneously find the tipping point and utilize their energy or momentum for our own purposes.
In class, beginners typically start from static with grabbing attacks where there is no movement at the moment of attack. This is done intentionally because it helps to teach the student proper spacing. This also teaches them how to overcome strong grabbing attacks and this method helps them to develop strength, balance, and poise. Later on, the attacks become more dynamic and striking attacks are introduced. The student takes the proper spacing that they learned statically and applies them dynamically. Here, they use movement to thwart their opponent’s attack. Since the attacker was in motion, it is easier to take their balance and use their momentum against them. This is where our movement starts to “look like” Aikido. From the outside looking in, it may seem as if the trained Aikidoist is waiting to be attacked. Even though our bodies might not be in motion, our minds are already moving.
Here, static or dynamic becomes a state of mind. In meditation, we don’t attempt to stop our minds from thinking. Instead, we allow our minds to think but don’t place any importance on any one thought and just let the thoughts go by. In a sense, our minds are like the opponent, and we move past their thoughts, not allowing ourselves to get caught up with any one attack. In swordsmanship, this is called the non-abiding mind.
A dynamic mind is about having the mindset of constant development or improvement. This is a different mindset than fixing what is broken. On a certain level, fixing has a negative connotation and that is dangerous because negativity leads to more negativity. This is a trap that our minds set for us because many of us unconsciously use negativity as a defense mechanism. If negativity begets negativity, then positivity brings about more positivity. Thus, when we think of things as being an evolution which requires development or improvement, we are tricking our minds into being more positive.
The process of life is never fixed. We get older, we get busier, our bodies change, and our minds can become weaker. Understanding this, we should think to ourselves, “This is where I am and I want to improve upon this.” This is the complete opposite of mourning the loss of what we used to have and trying to fix what’s broken so we can get back to where we used to be.
In life and Aikido, there will always be things that are confronting us. When we apply dynamism or this idea of not being static, then those things which confront us won’t be able to get a hold of us. With this mind, our opponents (or our minds), will have to catch us to defeat us. Thus, we have to be proactive, ever evolving, and unstoppable. In a sense, we must be a moving target and that’s why the best Aikidoists are never static.
Today’s goal: Be dynamic. The only way to become unstoppable is to be constantly developing yourself.