Author: Bret Gordon
In the era of MMA, it's becoming increasingly hard to defend Aikido's combative efficiency when the majority of aikidoka are wrapped up in love and harmony. Aikido Journal's Stanley Pranin wrote a great article, entitled "Are You An Unwitting Participant In The Demise Of Aikido?" and I encourage everyone to read it. As an Aiki Jujutsu instructor, I have a soft spot for Aikido (no pun intended). I see the combative potential in the techniques, but unfortunately most aikidoka that I know would rather pursue the art as only a path for self enlightenment. There's nothing wrong with that, as the term Budo can be ultimately be translated as "the path to enlightenment through the hardening of the spirit by combat." That being said, you can't get upset when the new generation of fighters look down on Aikido as being little more than a choreographed dance. You can only use the excuse that "while our techniques can be used for self defense, our main focus is the betterment of self" so many times, and the number of videos polluting the internet of aikidoka being embarrassed by low-level grapplers is starting to irritate me. So how do we restore the art to what it was supposed to be?
About two years ago, I attended a Daito Ryu seminar in an effort to start branching out and introduce myself to others in the aiki community. I couldn't help but notice the vast amount of aikidoka present at the seminar, and when I brought it up to a friend, his response was "They're looking for the secret ingredient that Ueshiba had." It makes sense, but I think it's more than that. As an Edo period jujutsu art, Daito Ryu has a reputation for being more combative than Aikido. Their jujutsu locks and throws, from which the techniques of Aikido are derived, are often performed within a tighter space. Circles and spirals are often smaller, the focus being on internal structural manipulation rather than big external movement and footwork. To be honest, the bigger the motion is the harder it is to control the uke, which ultimately makes it less effective against a resisting opponent. One of the first things I remember learning in jujutsu was that any space we give to our attacker is space he'll use to free himself from our technique and counter us. So maybe they're also looking for ways to apply the techniques they know in a more realistic setting? I'm sure everyone had their own motivation for attending the event, so to offer some sort of blanket reasoning wouldn't be accurate.
That being said, my friend's response is not entirely inaccurate either. The internal power (aiki) possessed by Ueshiba Morihei is undeniable, yet somehow seems lost in transmission. This could be due to numerous factors, including Morihei himself. After making the final transition from Aiki Budo to Aikido in the years following World War II, his disdain for war and combat was so great he eliminated any references to brutality from his art. He began teaching in metaphors, using poetic terminology to describe what he's doing rather than breaking it down to his basic anatomy. Ueshiba Kisshomaru, Morihei's son and successor, did not have the military experience of his father and could not have fully understood the coded message Morihei was putting out. It's when Kisshomaru took over after his father's death that we really see a rapid progression from devastating throws that force uke to fall to choreographed demonstrations where uke jumps into an acrobatic roll for dramatic effect. No one understands why they're jumping, just that they were told that's how you respond as an uke. But ukemi serves a much greater purpose. When certain joint locks and manipulations are applied correctly, and with combative intent, the only response is to whip your body around with the motion of the joint twist or risk it being snapped like a twig. You were rolling not because you were told to, but because you had to in order to save the joint.
The problem is you have people trying to emulate the bodily responses of Morihei's uke without understanding the advanced internal methods that he's applying throughout the technique to make them work. Therefore, aiki gets downgraded to simply mean to blend with the attack seamlessly and cause off-balancing while remaining relaxed. While kuzushi on contact is an important part of aiki, it's only one piece of the puzzle and how you create the kuzushi may or may not internalized. Therefore kuzushi in and of itself is not aiki, as proper off-balancing methods should be present in all jujutsu ryuha.
That being said, my friend's response is not entirely inaccurate either. The internal power (aiki) possessed by Ueshiba Morihei is undeniable, yet somehow seems lost in transmission. This could be due to numerous factors, including Morihei himself. After making the final transition from Aiki Budo to Aikido in the years following World War II, his disdain for war and combat was so great he eliminated any references to brutality from his art. He began teaching in metaphors, using poetic terminology to describe what he's doing rather than breaking it down to his basic anatomy. Ueshiba Kisshomaru, Morihei's son and successor, did not have the military experience of his father and could not have fully understood the coded message Morihei was putting out. It's when Kisshomaru took over after his father's death that we really see a rapid progression from devastating throws that force uke to fall to choreographed demonstrations where uke jumps into an acrobatic roll for dramatic effect. No one understands why they're jumping, just that they were told that's how you respond as an uke. But ukemi serves a much greater purpose. When certain joint locks and manipulations are applied correctly, and with combative intent, the only response is to whip your body around with the motion of the joint twist or risk it being snapped like a twig. You were rolling not because you were told to, but because you had to in order to save the joint.
The problem is you have people trying to emulate the bodily responses of Morihei's uke without understanding the advanced internal methods that he's applying throughout the technique to make them work. Therefore, aiki gets downgraded to simply mean to blend with the attack seamlessly and cause off-balancing while remaining relaxed. While kuzushi on contact is an important part of aiki, it's only one piece of the puzzle and how you create the kuzushi may or may not internalized. Therefore kuzushi in and of itself is not aiki, as proper off-balancing methods should be present in all jujutsu ryuha.
So how do we fix it? How do we return Aikido to an art of self preservation rather than simply the art of harmony and love? My first response as a shameless plug is for everyone to start learning Aiki Jujutsu, but that's not it. Ueshiba Morihei made a significant contribution to the martial arts world and out of respect for him, aikidoka should focus on bringing the art back in line with his vision. Explore the techniques you've been given against a resisting uke and figure out how to make them work. The devil is in the details and often the smallest adjustment will reward you greatly. Every single martial art has the potential for combat efficiency. What defines how effective you can be is your training methods and the intent with which you practice. Everyone has their own reason for training, but if your goal is self defense and you wish to be taken seriously in the self defense community, you must push yourself towards ever more realistic training. And once you're comfortable with your progression in combative efficiency, start seeking out the advanced internal methods that Ueshiba learned. Find a qualified instructor of internal power and learn how to apply to principles they teach to your current techniques and watch as your level rises exponentially, all while getting closer to the art as Ueshiba demonstrated it. Spiritual refinement and combative efficiency are not mutually exclusive. To me, that's Aikido in its purest form and you can be sure that'll be devastating when you need it.
