“One must try, every day, to expand one's limits.” - Mas Oyama, Founder of Kyokyushinkai Karate
The best Aikidoists are comfortable with being uncomfortable. The absolute worst place a martial artist can be in is their kaikantai (快感帯) or “comfort zone.” The comfort zone is bad because within this place is complacency and with complacency no growth can occur. It is almost a necessity that for growth to occur, one needs to be uncomfortable. If comfort is equal to complacency, then discomfort might be the only true indicator of growth. Therefore, the more discomfort we feel, the more we know that we are going in the right direction.
It is said that the best Aikidoists can control spacing and timing. Spacing is the distance between you and your opponent. Timing is the rhythm of the attack. Understanding this, in class, students should train their range. To train one’s range is to figure out exactly how far one can move smoothly and powerfully in just one step. In swordsmanship this range is called issoku itto no ma (一足一刀の間) or “one step, one cut.” The average acceptable range in swordsmanship is approximately six feet but that may differ depending on one’s height or length. Aikido movement is weapon’s movement and so we train within the same approximate six foot range. To train one’s range, first we need to figure out exactly how far we can step comfortably forward or backward in one step using either tsugi-ashi or “sliding step” or ayumi-ashi or “stepping step.” It is easy to gauge one’s progress in an Aikido dojo because the mats are six feet by three feet. Once we know our comfortable range, we try to expand that range. Ideally, knowing how far we can step in one move enables us to control the spacing and supposedly when we can control the spacing, we can control the timing and vice versa.
When we train our range, we are forcing ourselves to be uncomfortable but by doing so we realize what we are truly capable of. When we are talking about comfort or discomfort, what we are really talking about is fear. Fear keeps us in our place and keeps us from achieving our goals or realizing our true potential. Carl Jung said, "Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.” Therefore, to truly become invincible, we must know our own darkness and fears and that can only begin when we are uncomfortable. The best Aikidoists have a growth mindset and that is why they are comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Today’s goal: Challenge yourself. Do something that, at the very least, makes you uncomfortable. Henry Ford said, “If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got.”
Watch this video to better understand comfort zones.