A good martial artist needs to be able to “see.” We need to be able to see any threat and any suki (隙) or “opening” in our opponent’s defenses. Our opponents hide their intentions and weak spots, so we need to develop our ability to see them. In order to “see” them we need to develop our minds and our kan (勘) or “intuition.” Martial arts training is as much about seishinshuyo (精神修養) or “mental training” as it is about physical training. When the Japanese talk about “having intuition” they say, “Kuki wo yomeru” (空氣を読める) or that you must be able to “Read the air.” To illustrate this, there is a famous story about O’Sensei and a pickpocket. Once, O’Sensei and Gozo Shioda were riding on a train. A man came and sat down next to O’Sensei and immediately stiffened up with a look of fear on his face. Shioda Sensei thought that maybe he recognized O’Sensei. At the next train stop, O’Sensei told the man to get off and the man ran off the train. Shioda Sensei asked O’Sensei if he knew him. O’Sensei said, “No, he was a pickpocket.” O’Sensei said that when the man sat down that he knew he was a pickpocket and before he could reach into his pocket, he touched the man’s wrist immobilizing him. There are several different accounts of this story ranging from O’Sensei wrist locking him to actually throwing him off the train. Regardless, O’Sensei was able to discern that this man was a threat before he could act. As martial artists, we need to be able to perceive any possible threat as well as see any opening in our opponent’s defenses. These threats or openings are not very distinguishable to the average person’s perception and thus require training. The more developed our intuition is, the earlier and better we are able to act and that only comes with practice. Looking and seeing are two different things in the martial arts. To “see” means to be able to discern even the smallest detail and use that knowledge to our advantage. That is why the best martial artists can “read the air” and see what can’t be easily seen.
Today’s goal: Look past what is apparent because there is so much more out there.