This blog was created to act as a basic guide for those who train diligently with the intent of applying their training to the world they live in every day. It is for those who see practice in the dojo as the beginning of a journey of self-mastery, to be applied to every aspect of daily life.
I liken the experience of martial arts training to the construction of a Japanese sword. The dojo is a forge. When we enter we bring ourselves just as we are, to the fire. We present all our physical, mental and spiritual raw material with all its latent power mixed in with fears, impurities and weaknesses. Our objective is to forge that raw material into a focused, sharp, strong, powerful, beautiful expression of our true self. Done right, we create an evolved, balanced, multi-dimensional being of unlimited potential. A being that is sensitive to his/her inner and outer environment, possessing the capacity to meet and adapt to any life challenge and emerge victorious. Those who achieve this stand as exemplars to others who aim to become more than their genetics may dictate.
Just like forging a sword, hard work is required to pound out impurities and reflect on the self towards constant refinement. The act of folding steel upon itself to force out weaknesses and create a denser, stronger blade is paralleled by a devotion to practicing the basics, ukemi, drills and forms that remove waste thought and movement, reprogramming the mind-body to a higher level of neuro-musculoskeletal connectedness, effectiveness and power. By training diligently with a critical eye that is turned inward to the deepest recesses of our own soul, we go from strength to strength as new skills are developed, challenged, improved and adapted in a relentless cycle of evolution.
To quote the founder of Shodokan Aikido, Kenji Tomiki: “Waza no shinri wa hitotsu,” - The Truth is in the Technique. If we are dishonest in our training it WILL show. It will appear in the dojo, during free-play, when testing, in competition and in the outer world when we are challenged whether physically, mentally, emotionally or otherwise. It appears in our body language, our self-image, our posture, how we interact with others, our awareness of our surroundings. It IS in everything we do. So honesty with our self is critically important in training and in life.
I believe that the human being is multi-dimensional in nature. Physical movement begins in the mind, with intent as a prelude to action. On a higher level, mental state is affected by ones emotions, mood and "spirit" or ki. One often finds that when the mind is distracted by certain types of emotions, the body responds in a similar manner. How many times have you been angry and accidentally slip and fall, hit your head, stub your toe or hit your knee because your mind was not focused on movement but on your emotions? Think about it. Think about what happens when you are so happy, relaxed and "tuned in" and it appears that everything is going so well that people, animals and the environment itself respond to your mental and spiritual state. It's almost infectious. Think about it.
For me the purpose of training is to actively seek out and replace, repair or update any and all weakness within our physical, mental and spiritual selves. This can be seen as a tall order if we do not approach with the right mindset (once again - mind affects action). This blog will systematically look at the various areas of training in martial arts in general and specifically Shodokan Aikido, a form of Japanese Budo that I have been practicing diligently for many years. I will create linkages between what may seem like mundane, repetitive basic practices and show where they play a pivotal role in ones development as a martial artist as well as a human being.
I hope that you join me on this journey towards the realization of the true self, via the medium of Japanese Budo. I hope that we learn together as we evolve as human beings towards a place where limitations, poor self image, self doubt and a "can't do" attitude are things of the distant past.
Domo arigato gozaimashita.
Thank you.
