“All things can be deadly to us, even the things made to serve us; as in nature’s walls can kill us, and stairs can kill us, if we do not walk circumspectly.” - Blaise Pascal, Author
A warrior is supposed to have situational awareness or an awareness of their surroundings at all times. Situational awareness can be broken down into three parts: perception of the elements in the environment, comprehension of the situation, and projection of future status. Seems like commonsense. O’Sensei is quoted as saying, “Shihonage is the foundation of Aikido. All you ever need to master is shihonage.” Some take his quote to mean that shihonage is the only technique one might need. Maybe. However, if you look at the kanji for shio (四方), perhaps he is talking about situational awareness. Shiho translates to mean the four cardinal directions (NSEW) but it can also refer to one’s “surroundings.” For fun, one can posit that being aware of one’s surroundings is the foundation of Aikido and that one only needs to master their surroundings to master Aikido. In Aikido class, when we act as nage or tori, we are supposed to be able to place our opponent when throwing them. We shouldn’t throw them where they could get injured or injure others. When we throw someone into another person, it shows a lack of skill, nefarious intent or low situational awareness. Likewise, when we are the uke and being thrown, we should be setting ourselves up to be placed into a position which is safe and most advantageous for us. For instance, in crowded classes we shouldn’t lay on the floor for extended periods of time because someone could fall on top of us and get hurt. By practicing both roles, we learn to become more situationally aware. Being situationally aware doesn’t mean paranoid. Situational awareness means being mindful of not only what we are doing, but also aware of what is going on around us.
Today’s goal: The easiest way to be situationally aware is to put down your phone and get out of your own head.
Watch this video of the situational awareness of pilots to better understand the situational awareness in Aikido training.