Author: Bret Gordon
In my last article (click here), I asserted that aiki is not something you do, it is something you have. It is a pre-conditioned state of being, a connected structure forged through specific exercises that re-wire the body. By strengthening the myofascial meridians and other connective tissue to become thicker and more elastic, one is able to move the body as a single, cohesive unit and express more power than the external output would suggest to the untrained eye (hence the common criticism of someone just "flicking their wrist" and causing their partner to fall).
By following this definition, which is used almost universally among the top internal power experts regardless of style, we can already state that anything and everyone that interprets aiki as the blending of energy or using the attacker's momentum against them at best is only doing good Jujutsu. Unfortunately, there are a myriad of systems nowadays that use the term "aiki" in their name when really, they lack understanding of what it truly is and have not done the solo work to achieve it.
As I've stated before, for an art to be classified as an aiki art it must adhere to certain biomechanical principles. In addition to the Six Harmonies I listed in my previous article, true aiki will have the following components:
Now, just because all three are present in a given practitioner's technique or demonstration, it doesn't automatically mean what they are doing is aiki, but it's definitely not aiki without them. So let's explore what each component is and how they integrate into the aiki body.
By following this definition, which is used almost universally among the top internal power experts regardless of style, we can already state that anything and everyone that interprets aiki as the blending of energy or using the attacker's momentum against them at best is only doing good Jujutsu. Unfortunately, there are a myriad of systems nowadays that use the term "aiki" in their name when really, they lack understanding of what it truly is and have not done the solo work to achieve it.
As I've stated before, for an art to be classified as an aiki art it must adhere to certain biomechanical principles. In addition to the Six Harmonies I listed in my previous article, true aiki will have the following components:
- Shuchu Ryoku - Focused Power
- Kokyu Ryoku - Breath Power
- Chushin Ryoku - Center-line Power
Now, just because all three are present in a given practitioner's technique or demonstration, it doesn't automatically mean what they are doing is aiki, but it's definitely not aiki without them. So let's explore what each component is and how they integrate into the aiki body.
Farm Strength
Shuchu Ryoku, focused power, is the idea of whole-body power. It is achieved by not segregating the limbs, but rather engaging the body as a single unit. This type of power is often called "farm boy strength," and can be seen in those who engage in heavy manual labor all day, such as lifting sacks of grain or other crops. In order to maintain such activity, they must learn to use their body efficiently to create power. This type of power creates a different body shape than the average gym-goer or body-builder, and has more versatile function. Lifting weights makes you good at lifting weights and builds muscle by isolating various parts of the body to work on at a time. Exercises designed to build shuchu ryoku focus on strengthening the entire body as a whole, so it can be moved as a whole.
Kokyu Ryoku, breath power, sounds esoteric but it really isn't. It's simply the idea of timing your breath with your movements, much like any good boxer or karateka is taught to exhale when striking. If you hold your breath while trying to execute a technique, you create unnecessary tension in the body that will reduce your ability to express power.
Chushin Ryoku, center-line power, is an extremely important component. By maintaining your vertical alignment, you maintain the integrity of your structure. Conversely, if you compromise your opponent's vertical alignment, you can destroy their structure.
These three principles integrated together form the first level of filters that anything must be put through in order to determine if it is in fact aiki. Any time you see someone moving only one side of their body, holding their breath or deliberately compromising their vertical alignment, we can automatically rule it out.
The next thing to look for is the intent of the practitioner. In Aiki Jujutsu, the focus is not on the opponent but rather on maintaining ourselves. Horikawa Kodo, founder of Daito Ryu Kodokai, once said, "Aiki is written Aiki, but the meaning is Ki wo gassuru."
Gassuru 合する means "unification." Like I've said, aiki is the unification of the body to express internal power and connection. However, when dealing with another person it also refers to the unification of all parties into a single unit. We do not do anything to them, rather we simply move our bodies and because we are unified they come along for the ride. In this clip from my American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu seminar in Plano, Texas back in 2016, I discuss this principle and demonstrate one common application.
Kokyu Ryoku, breath power, sounds esoteric but it really isn't. It's simply the idea of timing your breath with your movements, much like any good boxer or karateka is taught to exhale when striking. If you hold your breath while trying to execute a technique, you create unnecessary tension in the body that will reduce your ability to express power.
Chushin Ryoku, center-line power, is an extremely important component. By maintaining your vertical alignment, you maintain the integrity of your structure. Conversely, if you compromise your opponent's vertical alignment, you can destroy their structure.
These three principles integrated together form the first level of filters that anything must be put through in order to determine if it is in fact aiki. Any time you see someone moving only one side of their body, holding their breath or deliberately compromising their vertical alignment, we can automatically rule it out.
The next thing to look for is the intent of the practitioner. In Aiki Jujutsu, the focus is not on the opponent but rather on maintaining ourselves. Horikawa Kodo, founder of Daito Ryu Kodokai, once said, "Aiki is written Aiki, but the meaning is Ki wo gassuru."
Gassuru 合する means "unification." Like I've said, aiki is the unification of the body to express internal power and connection. However, when dealing with another person it also refers to the unification of all parties into a single unit. We do not do anything to them, rather we simply move our bodies and because we are unified they come along for the ride. In this clip from my American Yoshinkan Aiki Jujutsu seminar in Plano, Texas back in 2016, I discuss this principle and demonstrate one common application.
Now, something to be careful of is when people say to connect to your opponent's center. What if their center is better than yours? That would be like trying to grab hold of a tornado. Instead, it's better to be the tornado that draws in everything else. This is where Aiki no Jutsu comes in, which as I detailed in my last article are specific biomechanical drills designed to test your structure, power generation and sensitivity to your opponent's center of balance by observing the effects of various movements on their body. While the same exercises can be performed as solo patterns, like they are often taught in Chinese internal martial arts, the use of a second person creates immediate physical feedback. Think of it like dropping a pebble in the water and watching the ripples.
One, very important component to look for when determining if something is aiki or not is how something feels at the point of contact. True aiki feels soft, almost ghostly. My instructor, Steven Hatfield, once said that aiki should make you feel stupid, because you don't feel what is happening and yet you are on the ground. This ghostliness comes not from being limp, but rather moving every part of your body except the point of contact. In the video below, I demonstrate this by showing the throw is not completed by pulling my uke's shoulder back, but rather by pushing the outside hip forward and pulling the inside hip back.
One, very important component to look for when determining if something is aiki or not is how something feels at the point of contact. True aiki feels soft, almost ghostly. My instructor, Steven Hatfield, once said that aiki should make you feel stupid, because you don't feel what is happening and yet you are on the ground. This ghostliness comes not from being limp, but rather moving every part of your body except the point of contact. In the video below, I demonstrate this by showing the throw is not completed by pulling my uke's shoulder back, but rather by pushing the outside hip forward and pulling the inside hip back.
Because I am not pulling on their shoulder to throw them down, they feel nothing at the point of contact yet because we are connected, any movement made in my body is echoed in theirs. What's cool about this video is my last uke is Sal Polizzi, an instructor of Baguazhang and one of the hardest hitting people I've ever met. He has excellent structure and tendon locking abilities, and you can see him readjust right before the throw happens. I always make a point when doing seminars to demonstrate on as many people as possible, regardless of their background, because if I just use my own students then it's cheating.
So to summarize, we have the integration of 3 types of power, a focus on maintaining oneself rather than doing something to an opponent, and the execution of technique feeling almost ghostly while having immense power behind it. Those three characteristics must be present, at minimum, before we can consider a particular technique to be aiki, and the journey towards being able to do it starts with the development of connected body...
So to summarize, we have the integration of 3 types of power, a focus on maintaining oneself rather than doing something to an opponent, and the execution of technique feeling almost ghostly while having immense power behind it. Those three characteristics must be present, at minimum, before we can consider a particular technique to be aiki, and the journey towards being able to do it starts with the development of connected body...
