From the Aikido Center of Los Angeles’ Aiki Dojo Message - Hidden Steps
Novices emphasize the hand movements, seniors focus on the body, but the expert only looks at the feet.
In the old days, it was thought that if a person could figure out the footwork, they would know everything that there is to know about that particular technique or even the system as a whole. By understanding the footwork, one can figure out the strength and weaknesses and, ultimately, defeat the teacher or the art. If a student could figure out the footwork of a technique, then they would know the technique’s mechanism of power and timing, but also where its strength and weaknesses lie. Being wary of betrayal or untrustworthy students, teachers of old would only teach the footwork at the end or when they were sure that the student wouldn’t betray them.
With this understanding, traditional teachers usually only focused on taisabaki (体捌き) or “body movement.” This was teaching by subtext where the student had to “read between the lines” to figure what the teacher meant. Ideally, it takes longer to learn something this way. The reason is because the body is put into position by how the ashisabaki (足捌き) or how “the feet move.” So, if we just bark at the students to move their bodies into a certain position, most of the time they will get it wrong because they won’t be focusing on how their feet move their bodies into position.
In class, students should first try to notice what the attack is and what technique the teacher is teaching. After that focus on what the teacher’s feet are doing. When we know what the footwork is, the hand movements and body positioning will become easier, and the technique will just somehow come together.
In Aikido, we neutralize attacks with movement but more specifically how our feet move our bodies into the correct position.
In Aikido and in Life, nothing is as it seems. There is always so much more going on below the surface. Training teaches us to look deeper, to find what is hidden in plain sight. That is why the experts never get distracted by what the hands and body are doing but are always looking at how the feet are moving.
Today’s goal: Try to see what is hidden in plain sight not only at the dojo but in every aspect of your life.