“If you think you're enlightened, go spend a week with your family.” - Ram Dass
Aikido is grace under pressure. In Japanese this is called juuatsu no moto de no kedakasa (重圧のもとでの氣高さ) or “nobility under pressure.” I gather that nobility in this sense means to demonstrate one’s character in the face of adversity.
To me, it is so interesting to watch a new student’s reaction to being strongly grabbed or struck for the first time. It runs the gambit between being stiff or becoming overly passive. Even more interesting is when they have to become the attacker and either become super aggressive and grab on for dear life or grab so lightly that you would think they were holding a flower. It is not right or wrong; it is just the beginning. To name just a few of the factors, how we react, or act is a mixture of how we were brought up, the things that we believe, and our past experiences.
Regardless of how we initially react or attack, one of the milestones that we are trying to achieve in our training is to be calm when someone attacks us. Calmness is not passive nor is it aggressive. True calmness is the outer representation of our inner being. Ernest Hemingway when writing about courage called it “grace under pressure.” Grace under pressure is often defined as “To remain composed and in control of your demeanor when faced with challenging situations.” In swordsmanship, this could be referred to as seichu no do, do chu no sei (靜中動 動中靜) or “movement in calmness, calmness in movement.”
Most martial arts are active or “offensive” and begin with how to initiate offense or aggression by teaching their students how to wield their arms or legs. Others are seemingly more passive or “defensive.” This feels more counter punching-esque where students are taught how to fend off attacks after the moment of contact. Aikido is neither. Aikido is proactive and combines both offense and defense. Aikidoists move in on their opponents like a person who employs a striking art but not with the goal of striking. Aikido is not counter punching either and waiting to be attacked. Upon engaging an opponent and after the moment of contact, the Aikidoist redirects their attacker’s attack and changes the orientation of the power of the attack into a pin, throw, or joint lock. To take it a step further, the Aikidoist’s mindset is not centered around harm either.
The rub is that in order for an Aikidoist to be “effective” and initiate movement and redirect their opponent’s attack, they have to be able to be calm. How long does movement in calmness, calmness in movement take? I’ve seen people attain it by 3rd kyu while I have seen others not achieve it until 3rd dan. I imagine that it “takes as long as it takes” because of the factors that go into how we have been conditioned to react or act and thus calmness comes when calmness comes.
As we begin the holiday season in the US, it is helpful to remember the poignant words by Ram Dass: “If you think you're enlightened, go spend a week with your family.” When we spend time with family, we tend to fall into our old familial roles that have their old family dynamics. Ram Dass’ words are so true and thus we learn that everything in life is either a test or lesson. Regardless of what happens to us, the most important thing is that we never lose our cool and thus Aikido is grace under pressure.
Today’s goal: Don’t lose your cool. Remember, everything is either a test or lesson.
Watch this video on staying calm under pressure